Because it provides them with the machine data they want most: location, battery charge and hours of usage.

Knowing a machine’s location removes guesswork for the customer, particularly if multiple jobsites are being managed simultaneously. This is helpful for both contractors and rental houses.

The location data helps match operators to machines. It also makes logistics (pickups and deliveries) more efficient. This, too, can have a major impact on larger fleets and rental houses.

Customers also said battery charge information is crucial. Without that data, an employee can be sent to a remote jobsite – only to discover a dead battery. A great deal of time and ultimately money is wasted on such a trip.

Hours of usage are important for rental houses and their billing processes. The data also helps contractors double-check jobsite usage numbers.

Yes. ServiceLink can send maintenance alerts, which help ensure that service work is completed – an effort that extends machine life.

The maintenance data also helps rental houses and fleet managers coordinate service efforts and streamline logistics when removing machines from the field.

ServiceLink can also prevent machine theft. A “geofence,” or a virtual perimeter, is defined and the contractor or rental house receives an alert when the machine crosses the perimeter.

Because the GPS will continue to send the machine’s location after the theft, recovery of stolen equipment is more likely.

The data is transmitted automatically and is readily available to managers at the office at myAmmann.com or on the jobsite through the Ammann ServiceLink app. Operators – or others at the jobsite – play no role in data transmission. This is a significant development.

Crucial to data transfer – and ServiceLink in general – is the revamped hardware, called the telematics control unit or TCU. It is compact, fully enclosed to prevent penetration from dust and water, and rugged to withstand harsh jobsite environments.

The TCU housing contains all the electronics: a microchip, GPS module, transmission module and sensors.

Transferring the essential data requires little bandwidth. That led the ServiceLink development team to utilise a specialised data transmission technology called narrowband IoT, or NB-IoT.

First, NB-IoT requires little power. It also has a strong penetration signal, meaning it can connect in rural areas – and for long distances. Data transmission is also secure.

Pricing details are available from your local Ammann Dealer, but the cost of adding ServiceLink is extremely affordable.

There is only a one-time charge. Customers pay a nominal cost for the hardware – and that’s it. Access to the data is free; there are no monthly service fees for the first 5 years of any sort for Ammann light equipment.

No, it’s simple. The system comes factory mounted or can be added later as a retrofit. It can be installed on all current and older Ammann light equipment machines.

Either the machine’s starter battery or a dedicated TCU battery.

Most customers will likely use the machine’s starter battery. If it goes below a certain voltage level, the TCU battery takes over. This ensures the hardware will never drain the starter battery.

Light equipment that does not utilise starter batteries, including rammers and small plate compactors, will be powered exclusively by the TCU battery. It lasts between two and four years and is easily replaced.

Accessing ServiceLink data is simple. Users first have to register the machine by logging onto the ServiceLink platform at myAmmannn.com. They then register the machine and TCU and are ready to access the data. That’s it.

Subsequent visits are even easier, with only a single click required to reach the portal.

Mobile phone users can register and access data with the intuitive ServiceLink app available for iOS/Android.

ServiceLink for rollers and pavers offers additional functionalities beyond location, battery status and hours of use.

Of particular interest is fuel consumption data. The customer can access fuel usage on an ongoing basis and also evaluate specific time periods to spot trends.

Heavy equipment users can access MyAmmann.com the same way as light equipment users. There is one consolidated telematics portal for all machines.

All heavy machines from Ammann come equipped with the necessary wiring and linkages. Customers can have ServiceLink installed at the factory or can add it later.