Caterpillar - Finning Canada

The Tech ReportTHE DAYS OF THE CAT MASTER KEY SYSTEM ARE NUMBERED. STEVENSANDOR WRITES ABOUT TECHNOLOGY DESIGNED TO KEEP EQUIPMENTIN THE RIGHT HANDS.Smart KeyFor years, Caterpillar machines acrossthe world have used a master-key system.Any operator carrying a Cat key can startup any machine. This system has mobilityadvantages. Qualified operators are able togo from job to job and haveaccess to equipment.However, there are somedrawbacks. It leaves companiesvulnerable to theftand equipment misuse.Management has no way oftracking who’s using whichmachines at what times.Cat’s recently developedtheft deterrent system isabout to make all-accesskeys a thing of the past.“It is fairly new,” says TomPetras, the Finning (Canada)technologyproductscustomer account manager.“ Just a few of our customersare using it. But it’san option that can be retrofittedonto any factoryequipment.”The system works usinga yellow radio frequency(RF) key. The key is embeddedwith a transmitter thatemits a unique code for each operator.The shop manager programs the onboardequipment with a Cat Pocket Tec or a PalmPilot to assign keys specific codes to start aparticular piece of equipment.“Let’s say you have 20 operators on site,but want only 10 of them to be able to operatea particular machine,” Petras explains.“You can program it so only those operators’10 keys would be able to start themachine. Other keys would not work.”The system has an override feature whichbypasses the onboard key control system.It will shut down other electronic componentson the machine, rendering it useless.Petras notes theft reports in the fieldare minimal, but there are urban legendsdescribing a hunter who gets his pickupstuck in the bush and comes across a Cat.He uses his master key to use equipmenthe isn’t authorized to operate to get outof his rut. As well, Petras notes, the RFkey system will soon be integrated withFinning’s GMS machinery tracking system.“Customers are able to track exactlywhich staff members are operating whichequipment at specific times.”At Sunpine Forest Products Ltd.’s westcentralAlberta mill site west of RockyMountain House, a 950G wheel loader isoutfitted with the new system, says mobileshop foreman Wes Galbraith. With over200 people on a job site that operates 24-7,the loader is busy for two, 11-hour shifts,four days a week. Galbraith wants to knowexactly who is operating the machine, sothe new RF system wasthe answer. “We areusing it for machinecontrol,” Galbraith outlines.“We know thatthe operators using theequipment are fullytrained and signed offto use the machine,” headds. “And, from there,we will be able to tellwhat operators are doingwith their time onthe machine.” Operatoridentity, working andidling time are trackedby the system, Galbraithexplains. “With 200people on site, the systemstops all joyriding,and ensures only authorizedpeople use themachine,” he says.“Wecan eliminate waste.”There are always peopleon site, so theft isnot a major concernat the mill. But Galbraith does see thesystem’s value in that area. “We don’thave a lot of experience with theft, but,looking at the machine, I can see why[the RF] would be a hell of a deterrent.”It appears that the days of the Cat masterkey are numbered. Soon, Cat operatorswill be tuned to a different frequency –one that comes from the RF key in theirpocket.ILLUSTRATION BY SYLVIE BOURBONNIÈRE10 TRACKS & TREADS • Summer 2005 www.finning.ca