Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
Issue link: http://concrete.epubxp.com/i/821154
www.concreteproducts.com May 2017 • 39 FEATURE TRUCKS & COMPONENTS TRUCKS & COMPONENTS Through a partnership formalized at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017, concrete mixer and construction materials information technology market leaders McNeilus and Command Alkon seek to further integrate truck controls and fleet management software for North American ready mixed producers. Their initiative extends a FLEX Controls and TrackIt telematics platform the companies announced late last year at the Command Alkon User Conference. FLEX Controls consolidates mixer monitoring onto the screen of a single Android-based tablet, standard on McNeilus mixers. The technology brings new levels of drum control, equating to less order- to-order variability in loading, mixing and delivering. The Smooth Drum Stop feature improves stop/start and charge to discharge transitions. Direct TrackIt connection to the FLEX Controls system at the McNeilus factory will provide a more streamlined user experience and reduce cab clutter. The integrated solution enables one versus multiple in-cab displays, McNeilus engineers note, allowing safer truck operation and reducing hardware costs. Engine diagnostic information can also be broadcast through the TrackIt platform. "We're providing a fully integrated package for the ready mixed concrete industry. [Command Alkon's] innovative fleet management product is the perfect choice to integrate with FLEX Controls," says McNeilus Concrete Mixer Platform Lead Bryan Datema, who charac- terizes the integration as "part of our continued focus on technology and innovation to help customers streamline their operations." "Integrating TrackIt into FLEX Controls further enables our cus- tomers to cost-effectively manage trucks, drivers and deliveries with efficiency and safety," adds Larry Curtis, general manager of TrackIt developer FiveCubits, a Command Alkon company. "McNeilus and Command Alkon are working together to solve industry issues by reducing the number of screens in the cab, as well as eliminating the need for secondary installation of the fleet manage- ment system," affirms McNeilus Mixer Product Manager Chris Wurtz. "This collaboration is the first of many milestones, and represents the first step in a technology revolution that will fundamentally change how our customers utilize their equipment." — www.mcneiluscom- panies.com; www.commandalkon.com There's been no shortage of product development and engineering geared to concrete and aggregate delivery vehicles since last year's Trucks & Components feature, especially with recent World of Concrete and ConExpo-Con/Agg shows. During the latter, Trimble announced its ConnectedTablet, along with a first-of-its-kind Enter- prise Recording feature for the TrimFleet Communicator (page 57), and XL Specialized Trailers showed a prototype of its new lightweight bottom dump (page 54). This year's Trucks & Components section kicks off with another notable from ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017: A partnership between McNei- lus and Command Alkon that will see the integration of the TrackIt telematics platform into the FLEX Controls system. MCNEILUS, COMMAND ALKON | FLEX CONTROLS, TRACKIT A Kenworth T880S-mounted Bridgemaster anchoring the McNeilus ConExpo-Con/Agg booth was loaded with new mixer truck technol- ogy offerings, led by the FLEX Controls package. In addition to the FLEX program and Command Alkon/FiveCubits TrackIt telematics integration—as indicated on the single, in-cab tablet (above left) —McNeilus demonstrated such new options as Preco Electronics' PreView Sentry collision avoidance radar device (top) and a wa- ter-dosing system for truck and chute washout.