Introducing ICONICS: Whiting Systems’ SmartLink Program
July 20, 2021
Whiting Systems is dedicated to innovation in every capacity. We are always seeking out the most optimized solutions to ensure that we maintain a standard of excellence, especially in the area of customer service. That’s why we are thrilled to unveil our most recent investment in ICONICS, Whiting Systems’ SmartLink Program, a software application that allows us to connect with our customers in a real-time, revolutionary way.
What is the Whiting SmartLink Program?
SmartLink provides automation software solutions that visualize, historize, analyze, and mobilize real-time information for any application on any device. From an operations management perspective, ICONICS serves to provide quality monitoring, asset-based organization, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metrics, and reporting in real time. This allows us to “keep an eye” on our wash systems and actively serve our customer networks like never before.
How does ICONICS help Whiting Systems better serve its customers?
Before ICONICS
Before implementing ICONICS, Whiting Systems could connect to customers’ networks to collect wash data and maintenance and troubleshoot accordingly from our equipment in one of three ways:
Better - Connected to a customer’s internal network using a VPN and designated IP's
Worst - Connected to the equipment with a cellular modem- at any given time there are only 60% of all cell modems with a connection
Best - Connected to customers internal network with a supplied public and static IP address
Using these connections to report data collection for billing purposes was a challenge at best.
After ICONICS
The new ICONICS system allows us to be actively connected to all three schemes 24/7 in real time.
How does it work? When a site has data to be retrieved, the ICONICS system immediately retrieves the data. If there is not a sufficient connection, the PLC stores the data and when a connection is detected continues to give the data until it is "caught up." Using this method means the system is always collecting data if/when there is a connection. This method will alleviate the need to manually collect the data, costing less man hours. This allows our team to focus on providing the best possible way to establish connections rather than wasting their time manually collecting data.
In addition, we will now have access to graphics pages for viewing all sites using our equipment, letting us monitor and troubleshoot any equipment issues even before the customer knows there is something wrong. This system even provides clear instructions about the best means of fixing the issue at hand so that even employees with limited or no programmable logic controller (PLC) knowledge can diagnose problems. We should know well in advance of the customer when there is a problem.
Plans for Future Automation
This new system is a major game changer for Whiting Systems and our customers, allowing us to deliver tangible value to those who have trusted us to provide the equipment they need to keep their businesses up and running and mitigation liability. With that being said, we don’t plan to stop here.
We would like to eventually offer a website that lets customers view their account, analyze wash data, and pay invoices through a fully automated billing process. We also have plans to potentially integrate the chemical blending processes for our wash systems with the ICONICS software.
We are always learning, always innovating. As we continue to learn more about this new software and the opportunities it presents for our industry, we will continue to innovate in efforts to give our customers the best experience possible.
About Whiting Systems, Inc.
Whiting Systems Inc., founded in 1974, is a global leader in providing transportation disinfecting and washing systems service to the leading truck, train, bus, and commercial transit companies in the world. Whiting’s accounts include all major rental companies, airline industry, passenger rail, bus transit, and commercial carriers. WSI caters to a broad spectrum of clientele and all their needs including sanitation and occupant’s health and safety. With over 1000 locations in the Continental United States, South America, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Middle East and the United Kingdom, Whiting Systems, Inc. is the industry leader for transportation image and hygiene. Our objective is to help you make a greater profit with your fleet image program. We do this by providing the greatest long-term value relative to wash cost, wash quality and wash time.