Aug/Sept 2007

Sentinel, an industry leader in lightning protection and earthing services, has started tracking its field-based engineers with a Web-based fleet tracking and resource management service from Masternaut.

As logistics manager Steve Shipman elegantly puts it: 'The system enables me to keep an eye on the team.'

Sentinel specialises in the design, installation and maintenance of lightning protection and earthing services. Its client list includes many big names such as Heathrow Airport, English Heritage, Network Rail and British Nuclear Fuels Limited.

Its field-based engineers are highly trained and fully qualified, and offer a range of services from initial site survey through to system installation and ongoing annual testing and maintenance.

 

'Using Masternaut, I know where each of my vehicles is at any given point in time, and this information enables me to react quickly if required,' Shipman says. He adds: 'Our work is undertaken in the field by lone workers, most of it involves climbing and some of our client sites are remote.' He says the tracking system enables him to keep a much closer watch on their activities.

Masternaut uses GPS to establish the exact location of each vehicle, which is continually transmitted via GPRS and then displayed in real time via the Internet. This information can be accessed via any Web-enabled PC, enabling Sentinel to monitor the movement of a specific vehicle or view the location of the entire fleet at a given point in time.