M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets

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1 M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets Whitepaper April 2013 Steve Hilton Executive summary Enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets are competing in new ways. Faced with rising capital and operating costs, changes in global economic conditions and shifting business risks, these enterprises are re-thinking the types of solutions they offer and re-creating their business processes to facilitate greater innovation and increased cost avoidance. But traditional methods of changing business processes are only as effective as the quality of input data and information. Enterprises find themselves constrained by inaccurate information that compromises the opportunities to improve business processes. Furthermore, the delays in receiving information or data about heavy equipment and dispersed assets hamper business decision-makers from making necessary process improvements. The inaccurate information and informational delays come with costs that include damage to equipment due to delayed maintenance, theft of assets, and even opportunity costs from assets not being used or under-utilized. The most prudent and progressive enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets are turning to solutions like machine-to-machine (M2M) technology to provide new and better information to allow enterprises to reduce costs and increase business innovation from new service offerings. Financial influences Asset longevity Proper depreciation Cost avoidance Risk mitigation Asset security M2M solutions Fleet tracking/logistics Asset surveillance Asset usage monitoring Engine diagnostics Predictive maintenance Operational influences Asset utilization Personnel management Asset logistics Project cost allocation Asset security Figure 1: Financial and operational influences affecting use and management of heavy equipment and dispersed assets, and M2M solutions [Source: Analysys Mason, 2013]

2 Connections (millions) M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets 2 Opportunity and forecast M2M creates an opportunity for enterprises to innovate and improve business processes. These changes have the potential to both increase revenue and reduce costs for enterprises. Because of this potential, we see tremendous growth opportunities in M2M worldwide. The worldwide market for M2M device connections for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets will grow from 21 million in 2012 to 94 million in 2021 (see Figure 2). The compound annual growth rate will be 18% over the forecast period. We expect to see heavy adoption of M2M solutions by enterprises with fleets of heavy industrial-grade vehicles, fleets of rental/leasing equipment, and remote assets including pipelines, petro-chemical industry assets, mining devices, agricultural machinery, and forestry equipment. 100 Figure 2: M2M device connections, heavy 90 equipment and 80 dispersed assets, worldwide, [Source: Analysys Mason, 2013] Enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets: key considerations of asset utilization and management There are many types of enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets including construction, farming, forestry, mining, petroleum exploration and equipment rental/leasing firms. The heavy equipment and dispersed assets used by these enterprises include cranes, heavy-duty vehicles, tractors, combines, logging equipment, and pipeline repair equipment. These assets are used daily in various operations and commercial activities of enterprises. There are two principal types of influences that affect the way enterprises use and manage heavy equipment and dispersed assets. Sometimes, these influences incent similar use and management of assets; sometimes, these influences are at odds with each other: Financial influences Heavy equipment and dispersed assets are generally capital intensive. The upfront investment of purchase and deployment in the field can be extremely high and depreciation schedules long. As such, enterprises seek to maximize asset longevity while accurately capturing usage metrics so they can appropriately depreciate the financial value of a deployed asset. As the capital expenditure associated with these assets is high relative to operating costs, financial influences encourage heightened maintenance of assets to reduce future capital spending even if such maintenance removes the asset from operations for a period of time. Finally, the security and surveillance of these assets is critical in order to minimize any potential loss from theft, misuse or misplacement.

3 M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets 3 Operational influences Asset utilization is one of the primary operational influences for enterprises. Consistent use of assets, coupled with effective personnel management, aids in the timely and efficient completion of commercial activities. Tracking these assets and coordinating all facets of asset logistics help increase asset utilization. In addition, operations personnel must carefully allocate asset usage costs across multiple projects, and therefore, must have a firm knowledge of how and when assets are used. Finally, the security and surveillance of these assets is a critical operational consideration, as theft, misuse and misplacement of assets seriously impede commercial activities. What can M2M-enabled asset management provide for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets? Whether the financial and operational influences incent similar or dissimilar asset use and management behaviors, we have found that technology solutions like M2M can improve the quality, accuracy and timeliness of data to allow better financial and operational decision-making and process re-design for heavy equipment and remote assets. M2M technology provides a myriad of solutions for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets. In fact, the underlying aim of M2M asset management solutions is to address both the financial and operational influences of managing and using heavy equipment and dispersed assets. These M2M solutions can both reduce costs (operating and capital) and allow enterprises to innovate with new service offerings. We provide some examples below: Fleet and asset tracking/logistics Knowing the location of mobile assets such as heavy machinery or construction equipment aids in the efficient utilization of a single asset or in the cost-effective placement of a fleet of assets. M2M fleet tracking and logistics solutions are some of the most developed and many of them have been commercially available from over-the-road providers for years. Newer fleet tracking and logistics solutions incorporate web-based interfaces, integration with ERP systems and common interfaces across various asset types. Opportunities for improvements remain, including better integrated management for off-road, mixed-oem fleets and further automation for efficiency and accuracy. Asset security M2M security and surveillance solutions are widely deployed worldwide. These solutions can provide everything from geofencing and location-specific event alerts, to remote start/kill switches on heavy equipment, to M2M video surveillance on critical petroleum pipelines or refinery assets. Security and surveillance solutions seek to minimize financial and operational risks associated with asset deployment. Asset usage and event monitoring M2M solutions can provide near real-time data about asset usage. These data create better records to aid in maintenance of assets, thereby decreasing the risks of equipment failure and premature replacement of assets. Asset usage monitoring can also aid in the training of equipment operators who use these assets, as event records are captured and can help determine any operator errors or possible dangerous use of equipment. Capturing these types of data sources helps minimize financial risks to enterprises that have deployed heavy equipment and dispersed assets, and the usage records help preserve asset value for resale. M2M solutions for asset usage monitoring can also help with more precise allocation of asset utilization costs to each project, helping maximize the accrual of revenue. Equipment diagnostics Related to asset usage monitoring, M2M solutions for equipment diagnostics actively monitor the health and status of various electro-mechanical systems, engines, and computer componentry of heavy equipment and dispersed assets. Monitoring these systems and componentry provides valuable information to the OEMs building this equipment as they seek to improve the overall quality of their products. OEMs can offer a series of new services associated with preventative and predictive maintenance (see predictive maintenance, below) to the enterprises deploying and managing these assets.

4 M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets 4 Predictive maintenance M2M solutions for predictive maintenance facilitate the collection and systematic analysis of large quantities of data to help predict faults and errors outside a normal tolerance range. These faults and errors could be symptoms of larger problems with the asset and might trigger a proactive maintenance response. In essence, the M2M applications used for predictive maintenance rely on near real-time asset data and algorithms to predict possible asset malfunctions or failure. Predictive maintenance can help lower operating and capital costs by facilitating proactive servicing and repair of assets, while allowing the more efficient use of repair resources both human labor and replacement products. Many M2M asset management solutions can reduce costs and increase service innovation for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets. Some of these solutions are specific to an industry sector for example, pipeline and pump monitoring for enterprises engaged in petroleum exploration and distribution while other solutions have more generalized usage for example, fleet tracking and logistics solutions appeal to any enterprise with fleets of heavy equipment. In every industry, enterprise needs should be assessed and prioritized so solution providers can offer an appropriate selection of packaged or custom solutions for asset management. The availability of high-quality wireless connectivity makes M2M solutions available to enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets. Oftentimes, heavy equipment and dispersed assets including vehicles, pipelines, tools and equipment, remote pumping equipment, and others are not accessible by fixed-line connectivity. Wireless connectivity affords enterprises the ability to deploy M2M solutions in remote locations and thereby recognize the value of an M2M solution. AT&T s value-based approach to M2M Enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets should choose an M2M service solution provider that can offer a full suite of M2M solution components from devices to applications. The AT&T M2M solution includes enterprise security management and a series of operations support, systems integration and ongoing support services to assist enterprises in planning, deploying and managing their M2M implementations. We discuss below these three aspects of the AT&T solution for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets (see Figure 3). Figure 3: Aspects of the AT&T M2M solution for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets [Source: Analysys Mason, AT&T, 2013] Full suite of M2M solution components Enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets are seeking solution providers that have global scale, local support capabilities and end-to-end M2M solution components. AT&T s M2M solution is based on a series of M2M components covering devices, connectivity, platforms, various operational components, applications, and professional services. These components cover all aspects of an M2M solution. Each component of the AT&T solution has been built and integrated to provide enterprises with ease-of-deployment, pre-integrated services and a global M2M footprint.

5 M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets 5 Enterprise security management The data from M2M solutions are valuable assets to an enterprise. Each M2M deployment is unique and requires careful attention to the security implications surrounding the M2M data. As such, M2M solution providers must have strong capabilities in security management. Security for an M2M solution spans all aspects of the technology from the device through the application. AT&T having a longstanding history of providing enterprise-grade security management solutions can provide the protections needed to secure an M2M solution. Operations services, systems integration and ongoing support M2M technology deployments sometimes require a series of services to help define, design, build, test, deploy and manage the overall solution. AT&T has been successfully providing technology, network, application and integration services for many years. These M2M services can include connectivity and application platform configuration; applications development, testing, management and hosting; systems integration; security audit services; and a series of operational offerings to simplify ongoing management of the M2M solution for enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets. In addition, AT&T can provide joint technology development initiatives with customers that need longer-term, innovative M2M technology support. AT&T s focus is to deploy and manage connected assets globally using a unified management platform. This approach allows enterprises to greatly simplify their M2M deployment and management experience by selecting integrated devices with a global SIM and relying on unified service management. Enterprises can save time and money during manufacturing and assembly; packaging, labeling, tracking and distribution; software integration for services provisioning; and various operational provisioning and management tasks, including logistics and operational support. Recommendations for enterprises Enterprises considering an M2M solution to manage their heavy equipment and dispersed assets can benefit by selecting a service provider that has invested heavily in all the aspects necessary for successful M2M deployment. Choose an M2M service provider that can offer a full, global M2M solution for enterprises. Choosing an experienced M2M service provider that has both local support capabilities and global reach and can offer a full suite of services is critical. Quality global M2M providers and their partners can offer services to aid in future product launches including connectivity, SIM logistics support, SIM management, complex tariffing, customized billing, platform management, applications management, systems integration, enterprise security management and a variety of consultancy services to ease deployment, testing and ongoing maintenance of the solution. Pick an M2M service provider that can offer solution integration. The overall reliability of M2M solutions is a function of the integration of each component in the M2M solution. In essence, the quality of the connectivity, platforms, applications, modules, chipsets and ancillary services each contribute to the overall reliability of the solution. As such, it is important to find service providers and vendors that can provide integrated solutions and integration services that increase the overall reliability of the solution. Expect your service provider to jointly create roadmaps for future technology adoption and service innovations. The M2M solution an enterprise initially purchases will necessarily evolve over a period of three to five years. Enterprises need a solution provider that can proactively suggest changes to the solution that add value. The modifications can include changes to hardware, platforms and applications, so your service provider should be comfortable providing a full suite of services.

6 M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets 6 Conclusion Financial and operational influences affect the way enterprises use and manage their heavy equipment and dispersed assets. But interestingly, technology solutions like M2M can provide the near-real time data and information needed to allow enterprises to respond to both the financial and operational needs of the firm. In the end, access to better, more reliable data in near-real time can help enterprises decrease costs and increase service innovations. Many M2M technology solutions help enterprises with heavy equipment and dispersed assets meet their business goals. These solutions include fleet tracking and logistics management, asset surveillance, asset usage monitoring, engine diagnostics, and predictive maintenance. The best providers of M2M solutions can offer a full suite of M2M components with associated quality-of-experience assurances and ongoing operational support services. These types of providers are capable of providing complete solutions and the type of longer-term mutual technology development required for M2M success.

7 M2M transforms an industry: evolution of heavy equipment and dispersed assets 7 About Analysys Mason Knowing what s going on is one thing. Understanding how to take advantage of events is quite another. Our ability to understand the complex workings of telecoms, media and technology (TMT) industries and draw practical conclusions, based on the specialist knowledge of our people, is what sets Analysys Mason apart. We deliver our key services via two channels: consulting and research. Consulting Our focus is exclusively on TMT. We support multi-billion dollar investments, advise clients on regulatory matters, provide spectrum valuation and auction support, and advise on operational performance, business planning and strategy. We have developed rigorous methodologies that deliver tangible results for clients around the world. For more information, please visit Research We analyze, track and forecast the different services accessed by consumers and enterprises, as well as the software, infrastructure and technology delivering those services. Research clients benefit from regular and timely intelligence in addition to direct access to our team of expert analysts. Our dedicated Custom Research team undertakes specialized and bespoke projects for clients. For more information, please visit Published by Analysys Mason Limited Bush House North West Wing Aldwych London WC2B 4PJ UK Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) research@analysysmason.com Registered in England No Analysys Mason Limited 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Figures and projections contained in this report are based on publicly available information only and are produced by the Research Division of Analysys Mason Limited independently of any client-specific work within Analysys Mason Limited. The opinions expressed are those of the stated authors only. Analysys Mason Limited recognises that many terms appearing in this report are proprietary; all such trademarks are acknowledged and every effort has been made to indicate them by the normal UK publishing practice of capitalisation. However, the presence of a term, in whatever form, does not affect its legal status as a trademark. Analysys Mason Limited maintains that all reasonable care and skill have been used in the compilation of this publication. However, Analysys Mason Limited shall not be under any liability for loss or damage (including consequential loss) whatsoever or howsoever arising as a result of the use of this publication by the customer, his servants, agents or any third party.