Trimble and the Hilti Group, a global leader in innovative commercial construction tools, technology, software, and services, announced that the Hilti ON!Track asset management system would connect with Trimble Viewpoint Vista, an ERP solution within the Trimble Construction One suite.
Trimble Dimensions+ Conference made the announcement.
The integration is Hilti’s first in North America with an ERP solution, and it provides a solution for unified tool tracking and more precise, automatic work allocation, providing contractors with a single source of truth for tracking and managing their tools and equipment.
Contractors can now easily track their tools and equipment in one place and automatically know how much—and where—they were used so that an accurate amount of equipment time can be invoiced, rather than having to manually look, call, or guess where tools are or how much to invoice based on their use. This reduces the requirement for clerical effort spent manually entering utilization data and tracking it in the field.
“According to our data, each jobsite loses one day of productivity every month on average owing to workers looking for tools. Furthermore, contractors spend up to 90 hours per month tracking tools: in essence, productivity loss for both workers and contractors as a result of a lack of an effective asset/tool management platform “said Michael McGowan, Hilti North America’s area head and CEO.
“Hilti ON!Track, the world’s premier asset management solution, assists in preventing this by providing tracking technologies that use field-ready active and passive tags, Bluetooth technology, and Gateways. An ON!Track and Viewpoint Vista connection enhances the benefits of asset/tool monitoring data by automatically giving contractors with the information they need to track, assign, bill, and estimate for precise tool and equipment utilization.”
Tracking tool and equipment use and expenditures in one location helps to reduce equipment loss and theft. It also removes the need to manually input tool usage and expenses, which are frequently prone to double entry and human mistake.
“We know that contractors have a lot to manage already, and that equipment is one of their most important assets,” said Lawrence Smith, vice president and general manager of Trimble’s construction management solutions. “This integration is yet another way we are automating and connecting data for contractors, which streamlines workflows and helps contractors more efficiently deploy their people and assets to build profitable projects.”
“Tracking small tools—whether in repair status, on location or with employees and the associated costs—is one of the most ineffective parts of accounting and internal controls in a construction company,” said Maria Lumke, CFO of Waterline Industries, a civil general contractor based in New Hampshire.
“We tried everything, including inventorying vans, assigning tools to staff, and assigning tools to projects, but nothing worked. Trimble and Hilti’s innovation will be a game changer for internal controls and tool responsibility in a construction organization.”
“Hilti ON!Track has greatly reduced the ‘run to the store and buy what you need’ when we already own and have tools nearby,” said Keeley O’Brien, president and CEO of Oregon-based general contractor O’Brien Co. “It only takes seconds to move tools in the field, removing the excuse that you don’t have the necessary tools since no one knows where they are. It’s made inventorying, tracking history, and locating tools and equipment a breeze.”
Connecting Hilti ON!Track to Trimble Construction One is another way Trimble serves stakeholders throughout the construction lifecycle, providing visibility into true project costs and correct resource allocations so stakeholders have the right information at the right time to make the right decisions.
