HERC Partners with Cognizant to Develop Telematics Efforts
Hertz Equipment Rental Corp. has selected Cognizant to digitally transform the business by defining and executing a new Internet of Things strategy. HERC is working with Cognizant to generate higher value from its telematics technology, the wireless capture of data about maintenance status, operator behavior, geographic location and other performance aspects from sensors on HERC’s equipment fleet.
Cognizant will re-architect and enhance HERC’s critical business applications to capitalize on the latest digital capabilities, including advanced mobile interfaces for field technicians to improve efficiency and productivity, and new digital services for customers enabled by telematics, the company said.
Cognizant is developing, for HERC, capabilities such as:
- Asset tracking through advanced systems that automatically send an alert to employees when HERC equipment assets are entering or leaving a site;
- Equipment availability and utilization tracking that enables real-time monitoring of equipment asset status, such as idle, underutilized or mis-used equipment;
- Maintenance scheduling that enables automatic scheduling of preventive maintenance based on run-hours of equipment.
“Cognizant has long been a valued partner to HERC, so it is natural that we turn to them as we innovate with new technologies, and look to enhance our operational efficiencies,” said Rich Marani, HERC chief information officer. “The team at Cognizant impressed us with a deep understanding of our industry’s business challenges, and their demonstrated ability to execute end-to-end as we transform our telematics program. We know we can rely on them not only to develop a winning strategy, but to partner with us in implementing solutions that will drive our business success.”
“Enterprises are grappling with how to best leverage digital technologies like the IoT,” said Sean Middleton, chief operating officer at Cognizant. “HERC’s sizeable deployment of telematics technology reflects that they’re forward-thinkers and leaders in the new digital age. We’re excited to work with them in building applications and analytics on top of this foundation to help better engage their customers and unlock new levels of business value from the massive amounts of data generated. With our IoT consulting, implementation, and support services, we are helping clients like HERC use ambient data to design smarter products, inform strategic decision-making and improve user experience.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.