Fleet Maintenance - 30

Choosing the
right fluid
management
system
Product options for fluid
management tracking.
There are a number of fluid management systems available for
fleets to choose from. Many are
customizable to meet the needs of
any size of fleet. Each system operates slightly differently from each
other, so it's worth doing research
when deciding on the best fit.
Liquidynamics offers a modularized, wireless plug-and-play
fluid management system, called
OilCop, with flexibility to fit any
sized facility. The OilCop operating
system resides on the Controller
(the control center), which plugs
into the customer's area network
and communicates to an unlimited
number of Fluid Command Modules
(FCMs). Tracking and reports are
accessed using a web browser on
any computer or wireless device
connected to the network.
Graco's Pulse Pro Fluid
Management system offers a wireless system with two components,
the Pulse Hub, a wireless, web-enabled software; and the Pulse dispense meter, with additional components available. Tracking and reports
are accessed using web-enabled
software on any network-connected, web-enabled device, including a
computer, tablet, or smartphone.
SKF's Lincoln-branded LFC
6000 fluid inventory control and
management system is used
with LFC Enterprise software to
accurately track, monitor, and
dispense fluids. This system can
manage up to 50 sites with one
server installation. Tracking and
reports are accessed online using
a standard internet browser.
Trak Engineering offers a cloudbased fuel and fluid management
system called FluidSecure. The
system includes a small device that
controls power to the dispensing hose solenoid valve, called a
Link. The FluidSecure system's
data is accessible via a mobile
application that can be accessed
on a smartphone. Tracking and
reports are accessed using the
cloud; the database resides on a
Microsoft Azure Secure Server.

VehicleServicePros.com/10226679

30 Fleet Maintenance | August 2019

»»Fluid management systems, such as the OilCop
from Liquidynamics, help to streamline the workflow
process in the shop instead of using traditional invoices
or work orders that are completed on paper.
Photo courtesy of Liquidynamics

Katherine Blyth, president of computerized fuel and fluid
management solutions provider Trak Engineering, also says
one of the main benefits of using a fluid management system
for fleets is having a record of all fluids.
"You can account for every single drop of fluid that is
dispensed," Blyth says.
Tracking fluids is similar to keeping inventory on filters, tires,
or any other part used to service a vehicle. Holmstadt notes
that parts are not utilized unless they are properly checked
or billed out.
"By putting in a fluid management system, you bring that
accountability back by basically saying oil [or any other type
of fluid] is not going to be used unless we can track it back to
a place," she says.
Fleets can then use this data to better understand not only
their expenses, but also their fluid usage.
"Say, for example, you have a particular vehicle that appears to
be burning oil or needs more oil more often than other vehicles,"
Holmstadt says. "That can be an indicator that there's an issue
and you can work on it proactively before it has a major failure."

Prevent avoidable expenses

Fluid expenses can add up quickly. Accidental overfills, dispensing the wrong fluids, and even taking time to check inventory
on the fluids and/or tanks are avoidable. A fluid management
system prevents these incidents from happening and also keeps
a tight control on inventory in real-time.
Mark Pfleeger, vice president of sales and new business development at Liquidynamics, says that in the past someone would
have to look at how much fluid the shop received each month,
determine how much fluid the shop used by referencing the
fleet's records, and would then adjust the balance based on
what the tank actually measured.
"Someone would have to do a physical accounting of that
inventory daily, weekly, and/or yearly," he says. "The losses
add up. Recent studies show 10 to 15 percent loss of inventory. What's happening is that it's not getting invoiced properly."
Pfleeger adds that having a fluid management system helps
mitigate loss because the fluid cannot be dispensed without a
proper invoice.
Fluid management systems help to streamline the workflow
process in the shop instead of using the traditional sales and
work orders that were completed on paper. The possibility of
getting tossed around, forgotten about, or even lost was a concern.
"Back in the day, a worker does three to four transactions,
may have received a call, and then forgets to put the paperwork
on the sales order, so the customer never got billed for the order,"
Liquidynamics' McClatchey says.

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Fleet Maintenance

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