Telematics technology helps control costs and reduce downtime

From humble beginnings — one snowblower, one pickup truck and one small spreader — Snow Management Inc. has grown into a five-state snow and ice removal business and, in a typical winter, clears 45 million square feet of asphalt and eight million square feet of sidewalks. Based in Wyoming, Pa., the company relies on Cat® Connect Technology & Services to keep track of its growing fleet.

“Winter is a 24/7 event”

In the spring, summer and fall, Snow Management operates a significantly smaller fleet for its landscaping, maintenance and construction business. All that changes come winter.

“We tell people when they get hired that the winter is a 24/7 event,” says Bryan Yaworski, the company’s operations manager.

That means Snow Management must expand its team — and its fleet — as snow and ice season approaches. The company typically ramps up from 60 to as many as 500 employees and adds 100-plus rental machines, including wheel loaders, skid steer loaders and trucks.

Cat Asset Tracking services, powered by Cat Connect telematics technology, makes it easy to keep track of those additional assets. Product Link™ hardware installed on Snow Management’s fleet collects data from the machines. Then, the company uses the VisionLink® web interface to view real-time insights into equipment location, fuel status, health and more.

“It gives me a GPS ping of where a machine is at all times,” says Adam Pendolphia, vice president. “I can track a machine around a building. I know where it’s getting delivered, when it’s going to get delivered, is it still on the site, what size is it.”

Remote tracking saves time and money

The ability to track equipment remotely is a huge time- and money-saver for Snow Management, particularly during the busy winter season when resources are scarce.

“It saves me from having to go from jobsite to jobsite every day, checking fuel and PM service,” Pendolphia says. “I can access it all through my phone or computer.”

Knowing a machine’s fuel status from afar is another big benefit.

“It sounds crazy, but come winter the first thing is to make sure every machine is filled,” Yaworski says. “When you’re going into a 12- or 16-hour event, it’s nice to pull up VisionLink and see which machine’s filled and which one’s not, so when the crew arrives on that jobsite, that piece of equipment is ready to go for them.”

“It saves me from having to go from jobsite to jobsite every day, checking fuel and PM service.”

Snow Management’s local Cat dealer also uses the technology to make sure the company’s fleet is operating as efficiently as possible — and to help prevent downtime.

“Cleveland Brothers uses VisionLink to watch the health of the machines,” says Jeff Connolly, the dealer account manager who works with Snow Management. “We may see codes come up where we could schedule a mechanic to go out and take care of the problem.”

Technology keeps the business growing

With Snow Management’s business continuing to expand — and the inevitability of winter weather — the company appreciates how Cat Connect helps simplify operations.

“It’s like a big chess game,” says Patrick Kane, president. “It would not be possible without our technology.”

Pendolphia agrees — and sees Cat technology playing an important role as Snow Management moves its business forward.

“Caterpillar hasn’t failed me yet. They’ve always been with us through and through,” he says. “We started when we were so small, and we kept on growing and growing. I want to see it expand and bring new people on.”