Much of our business is concerned with large Caterpillar equipment. Increasingly, servicemen need to have access to multiple software solutions, not just to access information, but to communicate and collaborate with one another. ​​​​​​​

The hardware and software connections

Alongside the continuing development of our Salesforce (SF) platform to house information and improve operations, together with apps such as Cat Inspect, Cat Technician and Cat’s SIS 2.0, Microsoft Teams has seen growing adoption across Mantrac operations. As a way of communicating, Teams allows for video and audio calls, as well as messaging, screen sharing and file transfer functionality. Combining these different ways of communicating, along with SF and Cat apps, allows us greater efficiency and it is easier to use peer-to-peer, BU to BU and between CoE and Bus.

We don’t get the best from these software platforms if they can only live on static hardware, such as desktop computers. The ability to access these platforms, whenever they are needed, adds much to their value as tools. Therefore, Mantrac has taken the decision to equip all field service technicians and engineers with an iPad to support them while they work, whether they are in the office, at customer sites, or somewhere in-between. These tablets provide access to our informational systems as well as many applications that offer efficiency improvements for the engineers and, by extension, our customers too.

Virtual contamination control

The current global situation greatly restricts the ability to meet and associate in person. So Teams has become a useful way to interact visually with colleagues while still meeting the required distancing rules.

An example of this was the recent Contamination Control Housekeeping Assessment that was conducted in Kampala with overview and assistance from Mohamed Samir From the Center Of Excellence (COE) team in Alexandria. The two-hour long session connected people from Mantrac and Caterpillar in Kampala, Alexandria, Dubai and the UK with a consistent video quality via a number of different pieces of equipment such as iPads and computers

The success of this session has led to discussions about what other sessions and assessments might be possible via Teams. The reach and reliability of Teams as a group conferencing tool opens up the possibility for greater knowledge sharing and collaboration at a scale not previously possible within our company.

MS Teams also enables operational efficiencies by removing the requirement for International travel for certain focussed operational topics. 

Paralleling and synchronizing in Monrovia

Away from group assessments, Teams also allows direct collaboration between individual employees. In May this year, a paralleling and synchronisation issue arose with a generator set at a site in Monrovia. An initial Teams based discussion between Tamer Ibrahim (CoE), John Alistar (Liberia Service Operations Manager) and Adetola Adelakun (Mantrac Nigeria Serviceman on assignment in Liberia) came to the conclusion that an engineer would need to visit the site to work on the issue and that this needed to happen as soon as possible to support an important customer, MPI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normally a site visit like this would fall to Adetola Adelakun but, due to travel restrictions, he was at home in Nigeria, so instead Abraham Kpehpue visited the site the next day.

During that Friday on site, Abraham worked closely with Adetola and Tamer through a series of MS Teams sessions. This allowed normal discussion but also, using the iPads camera, the ability to see on site remotely. By the end of the day Abraham, with the assistance of his colleagues, managed to resolve the issues for the customer and minimise the impact the issues had on customer operations.

Between the staff members, MS Teams was used across smartphones, tablets and laptops without any appreciable dip in quality, despite the three participants being in three different countries at the time.

The prompt resolution of the issue facilitated by the effective use of MS Teams greatly enhanced the customer’s satisfaction with Mantrac’s support.

The reverse power generator

In a similar situation, the troubleshooting of a generator experiencing a reverse power problem was conducted by multiple employees across MS Teams in a way that would not have been possible before. ​​​​​​​

Pat Thomas Ankomah is a Training Service Engineer who had attended EPG-I (Electric Power Generation) training earlier in the year in Ghana. He was assigned to troubleshoot and resolve the issue with the generator. Needing some additional input he was able to use MS Teams to consult with Tamer Ibrahim from the COE Team in Cairo, Egypt, who had run the EPG-I session earlier in the year, and between them they were able to diagnose the issue and determine a way forward.

This quick and easy access to knowledge and consultation makes diagnostic work quicker, and in turn, has the customer back to where they want to be operationally.

The art of collaboration

How we share information is crucial, but not all information can be readily contained within documents and manuals. Information strands take many forms and sometimes they only exist in people. In the same way, solutions to problems are not always part of a diagnostic process of diagram, it requires the collaboration and inspiration of people working together.

Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool that helps us helps use all available technology  to collaborate and work together in a way that not only means efficiency for Mantrac, but better results for customers in shorter timeframes which drives customer satisfaction.