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    Category Archives: Blog Series

    6 Little changes that will help you improve your asset tracking

    Asset tracking tips

    The internet of things (IoT) has made leaps and bounds in an effort to improve productivity the last 20 years. It has significantly improved things such as reducing operational costs, protecting assets, and decreasing bottle necks. Many companies have been slow to adopt these powerful tools, and we are here to help improve the process. Whether you’re a long time GPS user, or looking into tracking for the first time, these tips can help anyone.

    1. Track every asset

    It may seem like the smart cost saving option to track your assets together in bulk or 1 in every 10. We find in a lot of circumstances that it is more beneficial to put a tracking unit on every single asset. For example, if you run a construction company that only 20% of assets on a job site, you will have an idea of where that group is. However, what happens if one of the assets without a tracking device goes missing? If ALL the assets are tracked, you would know it’s status instantly. Whether it is being relocated, having maintenance, in a strange location on the yard, or even stolen.

    2. Utilize your data

    There are obvious benefits of tracking your assets such as knowing location or instant updates on accidents. However, if your utilization ends there, you are missing out on some valuable tools. Now that you have an abundance of data at your fingertips, put some of it to use by increasing productivity of your assets. For instance, finding bottlenecks and reducing costs in places such as holding facilities. These are just some of the many possibilities that data can produce that can have a major impact on your ROI and overall profits.

    Data

    3. Take note of patterns

    This tip piggy backs off the last point of utilizing data. Patterns can really help determine the effectiveness of supply routes, shipping partners, holding locations and much more. Specifically, it helps to give you a realistic expectation of travel time, reduces costs, and can keep partner companies accountable. 

    4. Give more access

    A mistake we see with a lot with companies is restricting access to segments of the company that could benefit from more information. It is understandable to restrict access to high value cargo and contract obligations, but most cases, it’s not necessary. In short, giving asset tracking capabilities to more employees can help reduce needless communications and reduce frustrations within an organization.

    5. Organize Early

    Upon getting any new tracking system, it is best to plan out what hardware is tracking what asset before you mount it. With an excel sheet write out every asset you will be tracking and organize them in a logical manner. Try to involve only a few key members in this step so to avoid over complicating. It will make installations and database creation much smoother.

    6. Have a purpose

    We find that some new customers tend to use technology for the sake of keeping up with the times. However, it will be much more beneficial in the long run to sit down with multiple departments and find individual pain points. In addition, this new technology can help reduce friction in the business cycle when used correctly. If you spend the time to find these issues, you can then put a plan into action with the new data. This can help not only in reducing friction, but also save money in places you would never have thought.

    Want to learn more about asset tracking assets? Send us a message!

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    Maximizing Your Productivity

    Are you maximizing your productivity?

    How often do you feel like you could squeeze more out of your work day? If you’re like me, then it’s a probably pretty often. We are always trying to find the right tool or technique to help with organization or procrastination. As a result, people realize they aren’t machines. We can’t always download some magical app and instantly become the most efficient workhorse of all time. It takes a little time, patience and a desire to learn. The people who desire to become better are the people who come out on top. 

    How we can help

    Lat-Lon has the tools to improve your quality of life and increase your productivity. Our easy to learn software combined with the top of the line rugged hardware will in fact make your day more productive. Spend less time worrying if your cargo is going to get somewhere, and more time on developing way to make it get there faster. 

    How data made my life easier

    As a marketer, the technology that changed my life, and my perspective on productivity was google analytics. In a field where most of my work is to create content and to make things look nice; traffic statistics and click rates are sometimes far from the mind. When I truly learned how to interpret the data and the correlation it had to my workflow, my life became exponentially more productive. It wasn’t about reinventing the wheel every time something failed, it’s about finding what works, and how to maximize the output.

    How big data can help you

    Here at Lat-Lon we strive to make our customers lives easier. Our products are designed to give you all the necessary data to maximize your productivity. Imagine that you’re a rail fleet manager who can’t understand why some lines never seem to get out of a yard on time. How do you find out where your assets are without calling a yard and hoping to find an answer? With our user-friendly Web-based software, you can easily see exactly where your train is, how long it has been sitting, and a whole lot more with our customizable sensors.

    “But I already have fleet management software”

    We love that! It means you are well on your way to maximizing your asset potential. Our products can easily report to your current software and give you the data to push your assets to where they need to be.

    Where do I start?

    Click this button to learn how

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