Managing plant and trucking asset costs correctly is a vital part of transport, plant hire and construction site management. Assets are notoriously difficult to manage from a financial perspective. Not only is there depreciation but also plant repair, servicing, diesel, operator and tax considerations. Whimbrel custom designs financial cost vs. revenue reports per plant item to support your operations and improve control.

Our custom designed plant management applications typically cover the following:

Equipment Tracking Integration

• Whimbrel links to vehicle tracking data via an API. The miles or kilometers and hours are displayed on Whimbrel’s daily diary which are then used in Whimbrel’s invoicing, servicing and financial reports
• Using tracking tags, drivers and operators start and end times can be linked to Whimbrel’s time and attendance module
• Whimbrel’s fuel management module can link directly to your dispensing tanks to enable you to have live feedback of your fuel costs and balances

Two Way SMS Messaging

• Whimbrel software includes two way SMS messaging technology to communicate directly with your clients, mechanics, operators and site-based personnel. For example job cards can be sent as an SMS. A mechanic simply copy the SMS template and reply after completing the missing information

Cost vs. Revenue Reports per Fleet Item

• Customised asset cost vs. revenue reports
• Whimbrel adjusts all revenue and credits to the correct calendar month to ensure the revenue and costs are in the correct period
• Reconciles back to Whimbrel’s trial balance to compare to the accounting ledgers
• Manage different calculation types including standard hire, engine hours, and monthly agreed minimum hours
• Manage diesel, workshop, spares, operator, GET, license and depreciation costs
• Manage hire, diesel, GET, tyre, accommodation and other revenue
• Dropdown boxes to check revenue, spares, workshop, GET and diesel details

Accounting Integration

• No need to change your accounting system, Whimbrel Integrates your accounting package directly to Whimbrel’s trail balance and invoicing modules.

Fleet Register

• Includes various rate, permits, licenses, status and general information
• Automatically updates diesel wet rates as the diesel price changes
• Manage all the assets permits and licenses includes all crane and sling permits with automatic emails sent when required

Quotations

• The quotation module is linked to the fleet register rates
• Control through an authorisation process either on Whimbrel, via email or mobile SMS Messaging
• Customisable quotation documents

Client Invoicing

• Customise your client calculation rules, minimum hours, 9 hours max or engine hours etc.
• Manage provisional hours
• Manage GET mm changes and other GET charges
• Control tyre and diesel back charges
• The invoicing module is linked to the fleet register and daily diary
• Whimbrel can also be used to manage contract jobs where the work is invoiced on a bill of quantity and the plant needs to be costed against the site
• Create customsied reports to send to your clients with the daily plant hours and costs
• The client invoicing can be linked directly to your accounting package
• Specific reports to authorise your daily charge hours
• Alerted to any missing timesheets

Fleet Daily Diary

• Control machine movements
• Direct link to invoicing and fleet register
• Multiple alerts on the report colour coded
• Receive hours directly from operators and drivers using SMS messaging
• Whimbrel can configure online customer authorisation screens
• Manage Lowbed transport on Whimbrel Lowbed transport module
• Customisable daily operation print outs for service trucks and operators

Workshop Diary

• Manage breakdowns, services, planned maintenance, GET and tyres
• Alerts checks in colour on the workshop diary
• Mechanics and Workshop costing and attendance management
• Job cards can be printed and given to the mechanic, alternatively, SMS messaging can be used to send the mechanics automated job cards via SMS. The job card template is then filled out by the mechanic and returned to Whimbrel’s workshop diary

Job Cards

• Linked to procurement and stores
• Manage mechanics cost and time
• Custom designed job card document

Services

• Hours and kilometres linked from the plant diary and diesel module, no need to capture twice
• Alert reports for service breaches in colour
• Automated weekly or daily service emails in colour
• Double click on report to check details between services
• Mange filter purchases and filter stores
• Control engine oil used in services
• Allows for broken and replaced hour meters to make adjustments for missing hours

Diesel

• Manage diesel in workshop site tanks and service trucks
• Control and check all plant and vehicle consumptions
• Adjustments made for movements between dry and wet hire
• Detailed back charge reports to check that all diesel has been back charged where required

Stores

• GET Stores
• Tyres Stores
• Oil Stores
• General Stores
• Part Repair Store
• Other Stores
• Linked to procurement and job cards
• Allows four stock takes per store per month

Procurement

• Custom designed order template
• Use Whimbrels machine parts list to set up all filters and oils required for services to enable orders to be generated automatically with the correct items and prices
• Manage supplier quotations and negotiated price lists
• Manage open orders
• Customsied authourisation levels, authorise on Whimbrel or use Whimbrel’s SMS messaging solution
• Direct link to parts register
• Import suppliers negotiated parts prices into the parts register and manage validly dates
• Function for issuing credit return notes to suppliers when items are returned
• Reconcile orders, deliveries and invoices

Wages

• Customised wage target calculations of overtime, double time etc.
• Compare wage hours paid to customer plant hours charged
• Use SMS messaging technology to get the operators timecards automatically no need to capture wage hours

Tonnage and Contract

• Import weighbridge tonnage reports to calculate revenue per material type
• Revenue split by plant item and including loading if required
• Manage profit and loss on contract jobs. Integrate tracking data to calculate revenue per load live on Whimbrel’s productivity reports

Commercial software and software integration considerations

Plant management systems are required by a myriad of different construction companies, from plant hire companies to contracting companies which own their plant. Commercial plant management software has been designed with all these different companies in mind, and can be overly complex with far too many features for the average company. Another difficulty regarding commercial plant management software is that it is notoriously difficult to integrate with the company’s existing systems.

Benefits of custom designed plant management software

Whimbrel has developed a plant management package to suit most plant and crane management needs, from plant hire, to earthworks, pipe laying, rail, demolition and general contracting. Whimbrel is able to customise solutions to your needs and your personnel’s computer skills, while ensuring you only have the necessary features.