App for Inspection

[kunalrd2000]

I am looking for any app for Heavy Vehicle/Machinery Inspection. I am doing everything manually right now and will prefer if any one has any experience with the APP ?

 

[kunalrd2000]

After lots of research i was able to find one app. Will try and will let you know me thoughts. https://heavyvehicleinspection.com/

 

[kunalrd2000]

Very Nice app for heavy vehicle inspection.
https://heavyvehicleinspection.com/

 

[kunalrd2000]

After working in industry for 20 years i have developed new app for inspection.
https://heavyvehicleinspection.com/

You can PM me to setup your free account

 

[kunalrd2000]

PM to setup your free account

Three threads merged into this one. A forth one deleted.

So, what are we to believe? That you searched for an app, and found that one, or that you developed it? Integrity counts for a lot with our members. I perceive a lack of it here.

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Since this thread has generated a discussion that may be of some value, it can remain.

In light of the multiple other threads posted, you are by definition a spammer. Cease and desist. No further warning shall be given.

~Digger242j~

 

[John C.]

I guess I'm getting kind of tired of how all these people throwing around these cell phone apps looking to tell me how I'm supposed to do something and then being used against me if I don't happen to click the right button or field. I am also suspicious of anything cloud based that doesn't allow me to opt out of selling my information and can be used to provide information to my competitors.

Note, paper and pencil on a clip board costs nearly nothing and the results will be nearly the same and its easier to keep private information private.

 

[uffex]

Good day
I would endorse John C comments who wants to fight with small buttons in a wet and freezing job site with tools in hand, old fashioned pen and pad rough it out and tidy up at the desk.
Kind regards
Uffex

 

[kunalrd2000]

John C, I completely agree with you. You have pointed out some great points like cloud security and accidental clicks which can mess up the report. HVI App has some great security checks like color coding. So if any accidental clicks happens and instead of good someone clicks on repair color will change and immediately one can rectify. Also with Voice to Text feature any comments can be easily converted. Paper based checklists are amazing but lets say there is some issue which needs to be reported it will require lots of call and some revisits to the site. With app once report is submitted main office knows about it and one can also upload images and videos. Also one can check if that problem is historical or new but checking old historical reports. With the power of cloud report can be accesses anywhere in the world. All the information are kept secured and privacy is the key for any business. Paper can get lost or can be damaged on a rainy we day but with app everything is on cloud. You have given me some great insights and i think solution combination of both traditional and new edge technology can really be helpful in the field.

 

[John C.]

Here is another tip for you. These types of things don't work with people who get their hands dirty! Caterpillar has an inspection app that I refused to use. When a rep came out to ask my reluctance I asked him for his phone to I could do an inspection on his piece of hardware. First of all it doesn't work with my particular dance through the process. It started with some identification and then jumps into parts of the machine that was at different ends. While I can in minutes write down all the identification numbers, record hour meter or odometer readings, copy and photo the attachments, check fluids and start the machine for operational checks, the app took me fifteen to twenty minutes doing one system at a time. Keep in mind that while carrying this cell phone all over a dirty greasy machine which meant I had to ignore three point contact, when off the ground and on the machine, I finally put the phone in my shirt pocket. Needless to say when looking under the seat for a dip stick the phone fell out of my shirt pocket into the bowels under the transmission. Boy was I glad that it wasn't my phone! I used a pair of fingers to fish it out and cleaned the phone off as best a possible. The final straw was when I went to down load all the information with the photos to the cloud and I was advised I could not leave the site until that was complete. Forty five minutes later I was still waiting for the down load to complete so I gave the slimy phone back to the rep and said that was enough. An inspection that usually takes about forty five minutes now went to more than two hours. Can you imagine what a customer would say if you told them we were shutting down their machine for two hours for an inspection? They dropped their efforts with me after that.

I've been making a living inspecting machines going on twenty three years. Paper and a clip board are cheap and the information can be edited for clarity and input into a computer in minutes in a logical format. Photos can down load out of a camera in any necessary size file in seconds. Photos can be titled and edited as necessary for clarity which may be needed for people who don't know what they are looking at and can't interpret what is being shown. Anyway you look at it the cell phone is a lousy interface between a manual inspection and a digital report.

 

[StanRUS]

Cat app like this?

 

[John C.]

That program is for the service departments. The one I used was for the sales departments doing trade in inspections. What you are seeing is exactly the problems I spoke of above. What they don't show you is all step descriptions and items that need to be accomplished for a TA1 inspection. They note lower, middle and upper items to inspect but do you actually work that way? So you are supposed to check axle oils, final drives, tires or undercarriage, maybe cutting edges, buckets and teeth or ripper points before you ever start the engine? In reality they separate components on the forms. You are in engine on the form so you are supposed to inspect everything on the engine while in that section. Then go to transmission and finish there, then to hydraulics and so on and so forth. A knowledgable inspector looks at many things at the same time. I might see a worn out undercarriage as I approach the machine, see hydraulic cylinders leaking and note a puddle of transmission oil on the ground before I ever set foot on the machine. So I'm supposed to jump around in all those menus to find each item to make a check mark and then type in a comment on a "cell phone" key board. Or maybe I'm supposed to remember those issues and enter them into the pad as I work through their procedure. One other item concerns measuring undercarriage. That program isn't connected to the CTS program. If you use the CTS you will have to manually enter all the info into the Cat Inspect program. Here is another issue. What about the information you down load from the machine computers. Is there an interface from there into the inspection program? There wasn't when I was working there.

The person in the video touching the cell phone has clean hands, the phone is sitting next to a laptop computer hooked up in a building somewhere. How clear do you think that cell phone screen will look after I've done twenty inspections in a month? They mention being on the web but don't say anything about how long it takes to submit cell phone reports and photos over a phone line. I always had between twenty the thirty five photos per inspection. Say you are paying them to inspect your machine. Are you supposed to pay for a mechanic to sit on site waiting for a phone hook up to the web and down load that information?

The real issue though is that they want the data that is produced by using their program. Is there anything that limits the dealer's use or the manufacturer's use of that info. Can they sell it to someone else? Is there even a disclosure about that in a contract for using the service? Is there a statement on the service report you are supposed to sign at the end of the job? The truth is that once you agree to use that program you give up all your rights to that data and that they can lock you out of it anytime they don't like you anymore. Say you are looking at buying a new machine and decide on someone else's product. Maybe your access to all those inspection records no longer exists. If you are trading in a machine you have no rights to that information at all.

Inspection and condition analysis are critical thinking skills that so far no artificial intelligence can not do. The truth is that in this case using technology, which is basically an expensive toy, to compose a report is just getting in the way and slowing things down and making the process more expensive.

 

[kunalrd2000]

Wow...Great insigths..I must appreciate your knowledge and experience in your field. I am technology person and do understand how tricky it is using cell phone app.But i think one must use newer technologies.Transition is required from paper based to digital to use the full capabilities.What are your thought if someone gives you VR glasses with augented reality where you dont even have to hold phone and using your gestures you can do inspection something like this..

 

[John C.]

The glasses look like a quick way to fall off a machine incurring injury and law suits.

Technology should be used to solve a problem. Have you identified and defined a problem yet? The quick answer is no you haven't. So far you haven't even defined what an inspection is and what it is to be used for. Is this for an operator to accomplish before starting the machine? Is it for service personnel to document maintenance and repair work. Is this for finance people to document existence and condition of a machine for audit, finance or depreciation purposes. Those are just three of many reasons to perform inspections. Are you going to be like the Cat people and write different forms for every type of machine? How about for every different type of inspection? The Caterpillar video asks an inspector to decide condition ratings. But guess what, they haven't defined what each rating is supposed to mean. At the end of the inspection process you still have a subjective opinion. It doesn't take a $1,000 piece of hardware and $4,000 a year subscription for software to track machines and make opinions about what they need. Put your money in training qualified people instead of fancy toys that don't solve anything.

Also if you haven't noticed, the software applications already exist. I was working with it in 2005 when the system was first developed by a company named Point 2 out of Canada. Caterpillar brought those applications in house and what you are seeing is the evolution so far. You might find if you want to pursue this further that you could purchase the stuff cheaper than trying to develop it yourself.

 

[kunalrd2000]

Let me tell how it started. So i am in the technology side and have worked in oil & gas and mining industry. So i have met and seen how inspection process works. Seeing and actually doing inspection are two different aspects. I completely understand. So i saw many problems with paper based inspection though i say they are way quicker an better solution but have many many limitation. On researching realized there are very few apps in the market and none of them including the CAT app was a great fit.

Problems with Paper based inspection which can be solved with app -

Keep maintaining/updating paper based form and distribution of form is a hassle - With a digital site inspection checklist, forms are updated by an administrator on a server and synchronized with a mobile device that the inspector takes out with them into the field. This reduces the updating process to two easy steps and if a special inspection needs to be conducted, or additional inspection points need to be added to an asset, you can send updated forms right to the mobile device.

Inspector carries less things- With paper based inspector needs to carry With this, inspectors must carry a clipboard, pen, camera, and barcode/RFID scanner. All of them are already in Mobile/Tables so no need to carry. So much easy for inspection.

Instance Access - Lets say one has to go back and retrieve 1 week old inspection report,Paper-based inspection systems are harder to access at any time of day, as opposed to modern inspection software which is accessible from any part of the globe, day and night, 24/7. Also data entry from paper based to digital will take time and its like doing same work twice.

Storage/Reduce paper user/Go Green - To store all the inspection reports from different machinery/vehicles/equipment will need a really big organized storage space. This is not true for all types of inspection but depends. Also policy differs from company to company.

Standardization of Inspection Checklists Across Locations - This is very important. On Paper based you do not have control over it. With digital there is standard inspection checklist which will be used for one type of machine across different location.

Analytics/reduced operational costs- If you want to run some reports, like what was the problem,how it was fixed, meter readings and all, you can run all kind of analytics on digital inspection. Also it can reduce great operational cost.

Immediate Action Plan - Once you notice something is wrong you can create the work order and also track it.

Finally i will say not all inspectors are as Knowledgeable as you and can miss some inspection points or process. With Process driven app they need to follow particular order and unless all are marked/checked as complete they can not generate the report so chances of human errors are less.

 

[John C.]

Nice, you are finally starting to put together a cost benefit analysis. I'll walk through a few of your points and provide a point or two.

The first point I can make is that I'm still inputting all the information into a digital format using a laptop computer. I only use the paper form to guide me though the logical inspection process moving point to point. That information is then typed into a laptop computer where it is edited for clarity along with the photos. Everything is available at any time and anywhere. The problem with the cell phone is that it makes entering information tedious and time consuming and puts the phone at risk for damage. A piece of paper and a clip board cost pennies over time. The cell phone program also promotes an inspector to just click the button instead of adding information that is pertinent.

Next item concerns specific inspection forms by machine. Most machines are engineered along a common theme. You have power supply, power transmission, actuators and attachments. It doesn't matter if it is construction, logging, mining or agricultural in use. The inspection path flow is generally the same for most every thing. Identification numbers, options and attachments, flies checks, engine, drive train, hydraulics, tires or undercarriage and finally operational checks. Once, what I call the dance steps are laid out in a logical progression, the inspector will basically have to ignore a check point to miss it. I use one paper inspection form which is set up as a template in my computer. What I put on paper is typed into the form in the same pathway as the inspection. One form covers all machines. Once the inspection is entered into the computer the forms can be thrown away. I keep a file box in the truck with about twenty or so blank inspection forms. Also in there are paper service reports, reference books for tires and undercarriage and it also is used for temporary storage for items I might need per job. I keep three clipboards, two always being used and one for a spare in case I run over one or the wind blows one into a canyon. The camera I carry allows me to take extreme close up photos which a cell phone camera won't focus on. In order to get that function at this time requires an add on lens that is another thing to carry and is small enough that it is easy to lose. I can also take photos in 640 x 480 resolution which is small enough to transfer quick but large enough to reveal any problems I'm trying to show. Really the difference between us is the manner that information is entered into software.

As far as standardization goes I see that as a management issue. Once a form is established why would someone be able to change it without management's approval. The bigger issue is who is going to write the form? Is it a knowledgeable mechanic / supervisor or is it something pulled from a manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule? Maybe it is an owner who has experienced failures in the past and only wants certain items checked.

Analytics require communication of information across platforms. I assume you are using a spread sheet program for the process so it will require a lot of copy and paste or maybe a publish and subscribe function in order to format the information into a usable report. So far that requires a person to move the information cross platform and to have specific skill in what the information means and to interpret that into some kind of action. That doesn't change by using a paper form to accomplish an inspection and then typing it into a piece of software.

As far as immediate action goes, you will get more feed back from an operator's report long before a mechanic finds an issue. Maybe you should put the cell phone in the operator's hand instead of the mechanic's?

Your final point about experience I think reaches the heart of trying to impose this on your personnel. You are apparently assuming that your mechanics need something like this because you don't trust them to do the job properly. Maybe a little bit of training can do more to reduce expenses than exposing an expensive piece of hardware to potential damage and loss.

I think we have taken up enough space and time exploring this issue here. If you wish to continue this discussion I suggest we take it to messaging where we can exchange email addresses if you wish to go deeper.

 

[uffex]

This has been an interesting thread reading the comments I note there are some old school guys using the traditional method of reporting the condition of machines, a comment from one of our contacts use's a voice activated recorder as he makes the inspections, for him its simple - speedy - and minimises site time. He suggest we post out inspection protocol which he has found useful. Be interested to see what comments this will raise.
Kind regards
Uffex

 

[John C.]

That is a great marketing and training tool!

I tried the voice recorder thing a couple of years back but Siri apparently has more hearing and understanding problems than I do. The big problem is taking a spoken word and inputting it into a written word in a word processing, spread sheet or data base file. I tried tape recording years ago but the problem is you have to go back to the front of the tape and try to transcribe it to a file. Basically you have to relive the inspection in your head while you are trying to type and then try to remember the point you were trying to make in the first place.

 

[kunalrd2000]

As far as immediate action goes, you will get more feed back from an operator's report long before a mechanic finds an issue. Maybe you should put the cell phone in the operator's hand instead of the mechanic's?

Very true, providing App based access to operators where they can easily perform DAILY CHECKs, also can report any issues with images, voice notes. A single click on Phone can take them to first inspection item, isn't that fast ...and once they complete inspection, within few seconds back-office has access to records.

If operator report any repair or replacements items, APP can immediately send notifications to maintenance team along with full access to report submitted by the operator. The mechanic get the opportunity to access Daily logs from all remote machinery at customer sites. The weekly details give maintenance team opportunity to ensure availability of spare parts and right mechanic for upcoming work.

The Maintenance team gets opportunity to schedule machines deployed in remote fields working at customer project. So it simplifies the communication channels when operator, Mechanic and back office can see routine and preventive schedules, daily reports and prior work orders histories using cell phones, laptop, tablets over a single set of data feed provided by all people in business.

Attached 2 -3 screenshots to give an idea how it can bring speed in process.

 

[John C.]

You interface is too complicated for an operator and you don't define what they are supposed to check nor what the various check items mean. What does "OK" mean? What does "Faulty" mean? You haven't put in a place to describe a problem. Isn't an operator responsible for checking fluids? No operator checks wheel studs. All backhoe pins and joints are sloppy, so how much is too sloppy? It will be reported as bad every time.

Now what you need is to get with a mechanic and an operator and put hands on the machines you intend to cover so you include what is necessary and not fill the forms up with a lot of crap that will only aggravate the people forced to use it. If you don't get buy in from the people with the hardware in their hands, you have wasted a lot of time and money.

 

[Theweldor]

Technology such as this will never compete with hands on experience. Trouble is no one wants to be responsible or make a decision for anything now a days.