PRESS RELEASE: KOMTRAX gives Komatsu and its customers the ability to identify potential issues with a machine, well in advance of them causing a breakdown, so they can be rectified and repaired in a timely manner, said Todd Connolly, Komatsu's general manager - construction solutions.

"Since it was introduced nearly 10 years ago, in late 2008, KOMTRAX - which is available free on every Komatsu machine sold in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia - has grown to cover more than 11,000 machines," he added.

"Customers and their operators are using KOMTRAX to not only identify and fix potential issues before they become problems, but also to improve machine and site performance and productivity, and even operator skills.

"And with our latest Step 5 version identifying individual operators working on a given machine, KOMTRAX now allows site or project management and operators to work together even more closely to improve and develop their skills and production levels."

Komatsu manages the data coming from KOMTRAX through its investment in an ICT facility, the INSITE Fleet Management Centre at its Fairfield headquarters in Sydney, Australia.

 "[ICT] allows us to harness the power of our KOMTRAX systems, working in conjunction with other analytical and communications tools, to help increase machine safety, productivity, uptime and availability - and reduce customers' costs per tonne, no matter where they operate," Connolly said.

Remote monitoring is not the only part of Komatsu's telematics capabilities.

Komatsu is also known for semi-automation - as a first step towards full automation - of complex earthmoving activities, such as digging, excavating, levelling and grading.

"In the past 18 months, we've introduced our integrated ‘intelligent Machine Control' concept, which allows machines such as excavators and bulldozers to excavate, bulk out and trim - in high-precision complex 3-D designs," Connolly said.

More recently Komatsu has rolled out SMARTCONSTRUCTION, which covers the critical steps in a project's development, from initial site survey, design and professional consultancy, through to final completion.

"Komatsu has integrated these technologies through the introduction of our drone-based survey and site management technology, and our cloud-based SMARTCONSTRUCTION application information management offering.

 "It gives our customers a real edge in today's increasingly competitive and challenging construction and resources extraction environment," Connolly said.