Kohler Rental Power is a Wisconsin-based supplier of rental generators for back-up and prime power - for industrial, construction, commercial and event markets, as well as a provider of emergency services and disaster- recovery support. The GlobalTRACS equipment management system helps Kohler Rental Power to dramatically improve its equipment preventive maintenance program and better track and monitor equipment for improved visibility, productivity and operational performance. As a result, revenues are up because catastrophic equipment failures are down, rental contracts more accurately reflect actual hours used on the equipment, and customer satisfaction is at an all-time high.

When Director of Logistics and Operations Michael Nasif was hired to manage Kohler Rental Power's rental equipment business, he was determined to learn more about and implement a robust equipment management system. Nasif and his team initially looked at four vendors including Qualcomm and after requesting official quotes, they narrowed the field down to three vendors. He scheduled site visits with all three vendors and his team eventually picked two companies to conduct a 90-day pilot program at their Las Vegas facility.

Each vendor installed their system on 20 units and Kohler conducted a side-by-side analysis. Most of the analysis was done by their field technicians who would ultimately work with the system every day. "After carefully examining the overall ease of use and total cost of ownership, we chose the GlobalTRACS system by Qualcomm," said Nasif. Kohler's first install began in January of 2006 and they immediately noticed the impact the GlobalTRACS system had on the maintenance side of their business.

Prior to the install, Kohler didn't have the data or visibility to accurately detect if their units were due for preventive maintenance (PM). In the past, they had to wait until their equipment was returned so they could check the hour usage on each unit but thanks to the GlobalTRACS system, they now know exactly when each piece of equipment is due for maintenance. "We're actually doing more PMs now so our costs have actually gone up in this area but our catastrophic failures have gone down quite a bit, which is terrific," said Nasif. "And, the visibility is available to everyone now and that's been a great benefit to us."

Tracking and location data is important to Kohler's overall logistical planning and operational performance. "To know exactly where a unit is on a daily basis is invaluable to us," said Nasif. Kohler now has the data to know exactly where their generators are located, if they are operating and they also give their customers access to this visibility. "Before we had the GlobalTRACS system, there were times when we didn't know precisely where our equipment was or in what condition. Some customer might rent a unit in Florida, per the contract, but return it in Texas and not inform us of the alternate return location," said Nasif. "Now we know where everything is located at all times and so do our customers."