Tenna Customer Story
Shoring Engineers Saves $50,000-$120,000 with Tenna GPS Equipment Tracking and Integrated Platform
Learn how this drilling and foundation contractor implemented Tenna GPS equipment tracking and management system to monitor the location of its fleet, stay on top of equipment maintenance and keep critical projects moving.
About Shoring Engineers
Shoring Engineers is a drilling and foundation contractor and second-generation business that has been in operation for over 50 years. Located in Southern California, the company has provided the backbone to several landmarks, stretching from San Francisco to San Diego, by performing shoring, excavation and shotcrete applications.
The Challenge for Shoring
Shoring Engineers was previously leveraging another GPS tracking provider for approximately 200 pieces of equipment. Despite having equipment tracking in place, Shoring was still experiencing a lot of the same pain points:
- equipment missing in action or left on sites,
- mechanics missing maintenance schedules,
- and a whole lot of paper floating around jobsites.
Shoring needed a reliable equipment management system to track and manage its fleet.
How Tenna Helps Shoring
Right off the bat, Shoring knew they had made the right decision. “There’s a lot of applications out there, and the biggest thing that stands out for Tenna is the customer support,” said Ron Reese, Shoring’s equipment manager. “It’s very difficult to get any kind of customer service out of anyone anymore.”
From installation and onboarding throughout partnerships, Tenna maintains in-house customer success teams to implement, train and provide ongoing service to customers. Unlike other providers, Tenna does not outsource its customer service and ensures each customer has an account representative to provide support.
Reese explained, “With our previous provider, we had a lot of issues with trackers going offline, and the customer service was even worse. Everything was done third-party, and when they would send someone out, they’d be in shorts and flip flops. We could never send them to a jobsite to try to repair a tracker.”
Shoring appreciates Tenna’s construction expertise and experience, especially when it comes to understanding the environment and the challenges contractors work within. For example, he said, “You came in with your PPE, which is a huge thing in the industry. Other vendors just don’t even understand that.”
This construction-focused experience shows up not only with customer service but also in Tenna’s products. Reese explained, “The construction background influence comes into play because you guys understand the equipment, the way the ebbs and flows of the business, and more than anything, the labor that has to use the tool.”
Shoring leveraged several of Tenna’s asset trackers as well as Tenna’s construction asset management and equipment maintenance software to increase asset visibility and better manage its equipment fleet operations. With one integrated platform, Shoring Engineers has been able to track and manage its mixed fleet and experienced welcomed but unexpected savings.
The Results
Recovered Missing Equipment Using GPS Tracking with Geofences
Shoring implemented Tenna’s GPS equipment trackers for its heavy equipment and mid-sized machines and utilized GPS tracking with geofences, part of Tenna’s asset management software, to quickly see where and how long assets have been on site. This capability greatly impacted the company, which found equipment was often left on sites.
Having a GPS equipment tracking with geofence functionality shows contractors when equipment has entered or left projects, yards, offices—or any other defined virtual boundary. Reese, who is charged with monitoring the company’s geofences, said, “I know when we’ve been off a job for a week, and, hey, we still have a forklift out there!”
For a contractor with lots of equipment, the combination of geofencing and GPS equipment tracking has had a huge impact on asset recovery. Reese said:
Just by using Tenna, noticing missing pieces of equipment and being able to go back and recover them before the job gets to a point where it’s kind of gone. I would say we’ve seen savings of anywhere from $50,000 to $120,000.
Shoring plans to maximize the use of GPS trackers on its engine operated assets to monitor run time to hold operators accountable and better manage equipment utilization for even more savings.
Decrease in Accident Rates by Implementing GPS Fleet Trackers
Additionally, Shoring has dozens of company vehicles, including haul trucks, that it tracks using Tenna’s GPS fleet trackers. An unexpected result of this installation has been a decline in the company’s accident rates.
Reese said, “When we rolled these trackers out, we actually made it part of our company policy and notified all the employees that they’re being tracked. It’s created a much safer environment.” Shoring has seen a drop in accidents just due to installation of GPS trackers in its vehicles and an increased awareness from drivers as a result.
The customer service is what really sells us on Tenna and why I see us continuing to be a long-term customer.
Saved Thousands by Keeping Time-Sensitive Jobs Moving
Beyond tracking, Shoring has seen gains with the digitization of its equipment records onto one integrated platform—no more managing different information sources or tracking down paper. The company now has quick access to accurate documentation, which has been extremely valuable, according to Reese.
In fact, the ability to pull documents out of an equipment file, digitally, right from Tenna’s equipment management app has gotten Shoring out of a bind on more than one occasion—particularly during annual and quad inspections of crane files.
Reese explained, “Those documents are supposed to be on the crane at all times, and they leave the yard with the crane, but then a crane is on the job for a couple days and the documents are gone.”
The implications of not having crane files can pause a job site, delay a project and affect bottom line. He said, “So, if we’re on a job or getting ready to make a crane pick and an inspector wants to see the pick plan or he wants to see the crane certifications, we’re able to pull them up right on site with the Tenna app, because we’ve got the link right on the asset.” He continued, “That’s saved us from having to stop work in the middle of, you know, when we have concrete on a site and potentially saving us thousands of dollars.”
No More Missed Equipment Maintenance
Just as Shoring can quickly pull equipment files from the crew’s phones, the same applies to accessing equipment maintenance information.
“On all of our equipment, we now have all the links to either specs or parts manuals or service manuals,” said Reese. “Our mechanics are able to pull up parts and a service manual.” This speeds up maintenance of equipment and ensures the right work orders are being carried out—the first time.
Additionally, Tenna’s construction equipment maintenance software allows Shoring’s mechanics to see (or be notified) when repairs are coming up to stay on top of preventative maintenance. All records of service are kept at the asset level within Tenna’s equipment maintenance management system.
Reese said, “Tenna is bringing us value in the field and in the shop by making sure we don’t miss our maintenance schedules and making sure we get our normal maintenance done in a timely manner.”
Once the company begins leveraging utilization data from its GPS equipment trackers, this data can be integrated with Shoring’s equipment maintenance data to automate more maintenance activities based on asset usage triggers.
When I think of Tenna as being a part of our business plan, it’s a necessity. If I’m without my phone or iPad, and I don’t have access to Tenna, I tend to struggle.
Explore the products that helped Shoring Engineers.
Curious what other contractors have to say?
Similar Customer Stories
Ready to join them?
Schedule a Demo
