Data was one of the buzzwords at this year’s ProMat and LogiMAT events - why  you need it, how to get and what to do with it.

But it was equally clear that while there is a scramble to collect as much data as possible, this same data is also being drastically under-utilised, representing a true opportunity for the materials handling sector which is already at the fingertips of many companies.

Michael Bloom, director of connected truck technologies with Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas, promoting the company’s telematics product Lift Link, says most people would be surprised at just how under-utilised the data is.

“The one thing that is consistent is only about 20% of the data and visibility out there is utilised,” Bloom states.

“Too many people in our industry only use telematics for compliance (pre-operation checklist) and/or access control,” Bloom tells Forkliftaction News. “Both are critically important, but there is so much more! 

“The data makes the invisible, visible which gives people the information to make better decisions, ask better questions and experience better outcomes!”

Bloom spearheaded the development of the Lift Link technology for Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas and is now driving its execution into the market, describing it as “a comprehensive connected truck technologies strategy”.

“By leading customer-focused strategies, identifying emerging market trends, and inspiring a growth mindset within the team, I aim to enhance the customer experience and maximise the value derived from our telematics, operator assisted systems, and advanced analytics suite of products and services,” Bloom states.

Bloom’s estimate of 20% is an astounding number given he believes telematics will undergo enormous growth in the next five years adding data-generating capabilities to 85% of materials handling equipment - a massive increase from his current estimate of 23% of equipment.

“Telematics and data are only as good as the insights you draw from them,” Bloom adds.

Despite the under-utilisation of the current data already available, there seems to be a mad rush to offer more data gathering tools for materials handling equipment and operations with many products, both upgrades to existing and new, coming onto the market at a rapid pace. 

At LogiMAT and ProMat we saw new and improved data gathering tools covering each stage of the materials handling process including how much charge is in a battery, how equipment is being utilised, the number of near-misses or accidents happening in a warehouse and fleet and operational efficiency.

And with the rise of automation, the data available to fleet operators will only continue to increase.

However, as the market stands, data is rarely centralised and integrated, and therein lies some of the problem.

The data available to many with a fleet of materials handling equipment - regardless of the size of that fleet - comes from many sources and is not integrated to give one full picture of what is happening with the fleet.

Mattia Bianconi global application manager - motive power with Enersys believes Bloom’s 20% data utilisation figure is “much too high”, saying there are many opportunities for companies to consolidate and integrate data to realise real-world improvements.

Jean-Francois Marchand, marketing and customer success director with UgoWork agrees saying one of the real opportunities facing the sector in the near future is “centralising data analysis to help with decision-making” and improve the capabilities of fleets and operations across the board.

“What we see is a lot of raw data,” Marchand adds. “It is useful in so many ways but it’s not driving actions.

“There are lots of sources of information, but it’s not all connected so it is not being used as much as it could be. The strategy is to bring all the data to the one place so it can be used more effectively. 

“Centralise and consolidate.”

No doubt there will be more products released in the next 12 months which will add to the data collection available to many companies. The question is, will it be integrated and utilised as effectively as it can be?