In the 19 years I’ve been with Caterpillar, I’ve learned that data drives decision making. The right insights can help you find efficiencies and savings while protecting your power assets. The best way to gain these insights is through leveraging the power of connectivity.

Connected assets provide key customer value through management of reduced downtime, repair costs, and fuel costs. Remote monitoring also reduces the need to check gensets in person, saving travel time and ensuring technicians are focused on the tasks that are profitable and keep the power on. When you buy a Customer Value Agreement today, you get both connectivity and condition monitoring services with actionable recommendations by Cat® experts. This helps you identify opportunities for improvement and issues that may need attention.

Let's look at four scenarios where I've seen remote monitoring save the day.

Scenario 1: Monitoring Generator Set Health During a Hurricane

The Challenge: As Hurricane Dorian swept through North Carolina, it knocked out power to 190,000 people. One facility had plenty of power provided by a Cat diesel backup generator set, but winds of up to 110 mph/177 kph made it extremely dangerous to visit the site and check the unit’s fuel status. If it shut down from fuel starvation, the resulting loss of power could have drastic consequences.

The Solution: Before the storm, facility leadership worked with Gregory Poole, their local Cat® dealer, to equip the genset for remote monitoring. This allowed the customer to see data from the genset at a safe location during the chaos of the hurricane, verifying it was operating properly.

The Outcome: The customer monitored the genset’s fuel level remotely as it ran for 25 hours during the power outage, ensuring that there was no unnecessary risk to employees and no loss of power.

Scenario 2: Alerts and Action Prevent an Expensive Failure

The Challenge: A customer working with Finning Cat in Western Canada connected their genset and activated a condition monitoring subscription. An expert advisor monitoring the genset received an alert that the unit had logged several event codes indicating a problem.

The Solution: The advisor began troubleshooting the genset using the monitoring interface and was able to determine the alerts were probably caused by a poor wiring harness connection.

The Outcome: The supporting data and instructions to review the harness connection were sent to a Cat dealer technician who was able to address the problem in a timely manner. The proactive action taken by the Cat expert allowed the issue to be corrected before failure, preventing the genset from derating or shutting down.

Scenario 3: Railroad Beats Their Own Fuel Cost Standard

The Challenge: A railroad in the Middle East uses rental gensets to provide vital power support and keep trains moving on schedule. During their previous contract, these gensets consumed more fuel than expected, driving operating costs higher than planned. 

As a result, their next request for bids included a stringent fuel requirement. They requested 80 gensets that must deliver continuous operation at 75% load, while consuming no more than 0.248 liters of fuel per kilowatt-hour. Failure to meet these requirements would result in costly penalties.

The Solution: Their Cat dealer provided 80 Cat C32 generator sets equipped with digital technology so they could remotely monitor fuel consumption and genset performance.

The Outcome: The gensets ran efficiently for 2.5 years without a single unplanned shutdown and used 7% less fuel per kilowatt-hour than the railroad required.

Scenario 4: Reducing Risk, Gaining Peace of Mind

The Challenge: A large resort in New Mexico used five Cat gensets for standby power. To reduce the risk of an unplanned outage, the owner asked their Cat dealer, Wagner Equipment Co., to install remote monitoring equipment on a genset.

The Solution: The unit was connected and monitored remotely by Wagner Cat, their local Cat dealer. They received alerts about three events and notified the owner immediately by text. All issues were resolved quickly, avoiding an unexpected power outage.

The Outcome: Now sold on condition monitoring, the owner equipped the rest of the units, ensuring constant readiness and easy remote management. This gave them the benefit of risk reduction and peace of mind.

Reducing risk and costs, boosting efficiency, putting you more firmly in control and providing expert help if you need it – connectivity with Caterpillar empowers you to succeed. As we mark 100 years in business, we’re here to help you keep the power on. Reach out to us for more information on our digital solutions and other services offered by your local Cat Dealer.