The UK’s army of field service engineers will for the first time
be able to utilise the Internet of Things (IoT) on a large scale to
automate a range of functions thanks to job management technology
group simPRO.
simPRO, one of the world’s leading software as a service
businesses for the trade services industry, will unveil its new IoT
solution at next week’s (June 19) Field Service Management Expo in
London. The technology will be rolled out to the company’s 100,000
+ users in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and New
Zealand over coming months.
simPRO IoT takes hardware, software and data from businesses in
the trade and field service industries and integrates them into one
platform, allowing previously separate programs and machines to
talk to each other and provide automated solutions ordinarily
requiring extensive manual effort and significant cost.
simPRO’s IoT solution also includes machine learning, proactive
action triggering and automation of field service activities, which
significantly reduces the complexity of administrative tasks like
selection, installation, integration and management, and can
trigger field service activities for businesses in near real
time.
The real world applications of simPRO’s IoT solution are
extensive. The company has already begun working with airport
lounge operator Swissport and facilities (building plant and
equipment) management group Thermacell to keep guests at Luton
Airport in the UK warm in winter and cool in summer.
The number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices
worldwide will jump 12 percent on average annually, from nearly 31
billion in 2018 to 125 billion in 2030, according to analysis from
IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information,
analytics and solutions.
IHS Markit estimates
(https://cdn.ihs.com/www/pdf/IoT-Trend-Watch-eBook.pdf) the
commercial and industrial sector, driven by building automation,
industrial automation, and lighting, will account for nearly 50% of
new connected devices between 2018 and 2030.
simPRO Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Eastgate said the
company’s approach to the IoT was the first step toward a new
future of facilities management across the UK.
“The concept of IoT, that anything that can be connected will be
connected, is exciting for businesses who are looking to integrate
their technology to find the straight line to efficiency and
success. In the UK there is a need for a range of integration and
software development to achieve a complete working solution, and
that’s what we’ve built.
“For example, simPRO IoT can save clients significant time and
costs running routine inspections to site, by introducing an IoT
real-time feed to our already extensive asset management platform,
whilst improving the level of response to issues on site,” he
said.
According to Mr Eastgate, simPRO IoT was the equivalent of
giving a business its own brain.
“By integrating operations with simPRO a business can increase
its own crisis reaction times, reduce reactive maintenance,
automate data entry and archiving and even help secure new
business,” he said.“When issues are automatically identified early,
business interruptions and resolution times are reduced and
servicing and maintenance costs are brought down, it creates a
formula for inevitable productivity and success.”
The UK is not oblivious to IoT services, but in order to for
businesses to implement them a range of hardware, middleware,
suppliers and vendors is required. Often the effort, costs and time
investment needed to introduce IoT sensors into existing equipment
installations outweighs the benefit.
However, simPRO IoT is handled through one vendor – simPRO – and
can be retrofitted at minimal cost to any existing equipment and be
up and running in minutes. Through our partnership with Yosensi in
developing this complete IoT solution, simPRO customers are able to
deploy their IoT requirements at scale without the need to involve
multiple vendors. The simPRO platform is also open to allow for
integration with any other IoT devices or protocols from third
parties or existing installations, meaning simPRO won’t demand a
business to dismantle its entire digital infrastructure simply to
incorporate simPRO IoT into its operations.
CASE STUDY 1 - SMASHING FATBERGS, SAVING MILLIONS
simPRO is providing its leading edge IoT solution to help tackle
one of the UK’s most disgusting problems; the buildup of Fat, Oil
and Grease (FOG) in sewer pipes that leads to the formation of
‘fatbergs’ that block drains and sewers and cause tens of millions
of pounds of damage every year.
simPRO has teamed with hospitality facilities management
specialists Three Nations (www.threenations-online.co.uk) to
develop the technology to help eradicate the scourge of fatbergs
with a fully integrated and automated solution called FOGCheck.
FOGCheck utilises a new biological treatment for the removal and
prevention of build-up and blockages caused by fat, oil and grease
in commercial kitchens, drains and sewers called Stopblox. This
bio-treatment is combined with hardware that remotely monitors
automated dosing to prevent blockages.
simPRO IoT is used for monitoring the dosage system and is
dynamically linked to automated waste water sampling and the
management of the equipment that dispenses the agent.
These unique services and technologies have come together to
produce the only self-managing solution on the market that is
proven to work and does not rely on the site/ facility manager to
ensure continued compliance.
A spokesperson for the Three Nations FOGCheck team said simPRO’s
IoT solution was a fundamental offering allowing the creation of an
asset register for the FOGCheck System and the ability to easily
associate the live telemetry coming through the dosing sensors.
“This provides us a real time view of compliance for the
solution which is monitored on each individual unit and site. Any
asset failures can be easily flagged for investigation and
servicing can be planned and tracked. Without this technology a
managed service, with real time visibility, such as FOGCheck, would
simply not be possible,” a spokesperson for the Three Nations
FOGCheck team said.
CASE STUDY 2 - KEEPING LUTON AIRPORT LOUNGE RUNNING
Using low-cost plug and play sensors integrated with simPRO’s
job management platform, facilities (building plant and equipment)
management group Thermacell is able to monitor the performance of
air conditioners at lounges in Luton airport remotely in near real
time and automatically receive alerts in response to anomalies.
This allows Thermacell to identify and diagnose many issues
prior to complete failure and without the need for time consuming
and expensive site visits, often constrained by airport security
measures.
Thermacell Service Manager Alan Chandler said the company shared
simPRO’s view that IoT would have a significant impact on the
facilities management and maintenance services Thermacell
provided.
“simPRO's IoT solution allows us to get closer to the Swissport
Lounge and provide a more responsive, customer-focused offering
based on the accurate live data we receive on both asset and
facility performance,” he said.
“The simplicity of the solution allows our own engineers to
install on customer sites with ease and without the need for IT
specialists, thereby slotting seamlessly into our own day to day
services."
Thermacell is a specialist FM provider, providing a blended
range of services to lounge operator Swissport including reactive
and pre-planned M&E, HVAC and Building Services. The company
has security clearance and operating experience across many of the
UK airports allowing them to quickly meet the demands of their
clients operating in these high security restrictive
environments.
About simPRO
simPRO provides business management cloud solutions for the
trade and specialty contracting industries; including security
professionals, plumbers, electricians, HVAC, solar, data
networking, and others. simPRO eliminates the hassle of field
service management, reduces paperwork, refines office processes,
streamlines field operations, increases profit, maximises your
workforce, and enables more business growth. As it is cloud-based,
it can be used anywhere, anytime to help improve streamlined
business productivity and efficiency in real time, giving
businesses the potential to grow, meet and exceed their goals.
With customers in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and
the United Kingdom, simPRO provides global leadership for trade and
specialty contractors worldwide.
In 2016, simPRO secured USD$31 million in growth capital as part
of an aggressive product innovation and expansion strategy that has
seen the company enter the United States and the United Kingdom
over the last two years.
At the end of 2017, simPRO had more than 4,000 clients and
100,000 users globally, with clients ranging from small contracting
operations through to corporate enterprises with thousands of
staff.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180619005678/en/
simPRO Software GroupBelinda Kelly, +61 455-087-200PR &
Communications Managerbelinda.kelly@simpro.co