LONDON, UK. – Spitfire Network Services Ltd (Spitfire), a provider of telecoms and IP engineering solutions to UK businesses, announced a new IoT deployment for Wilcomatic, a supplier of vehicle wash systems to petrol forecourts and major supermarkets throughout the UK. Wilcomatic car wash units clean more than 20 million vehicles a year.
Spitfire has provided Wilcomatic with an IoT data connectivity SIM solution, currently serving more than 600 machines across the UK. Live data points, including temperature, fluid volume, on/off, fault codes, the volume of transactions, and the type of transactions, are fed back to a cloud-based reporting dashboard, where actions can be prioritized in real-time.
Being able to remotely monitor and predict Wilcomatic’s maintenance requirements in the field has meant a more efficient service for both Wilcomatic and its clients. By using Spitfire’s IoT data SIMs, Wilcomatic is not only able to greatly reduce the data connectivity costs (by a factor of 10) by paying only for what data is used, instead of paying for a fixed internet connection, but it is also able to add new machines to the network in less than 24 hours and they can be located anywhere on site and are not restricted to where a physical cable has been laid. Because of Spitfire’s IoT Data SIMs, Wilcomatic is able to achieve the best possible connectivity, no matter where the machines are located.
Overall efficiency gains from the solution are significant, with the data collected from each machine relayed to an activity dashboard where judgments and remedies can be easily actioned. This allows for engineering workflows to be optimized, machines to operate at maximum capacity, and issues to be dealt promptly.
With more than 2000 sites globally and all the UK’s leading supermarkets using Wilcomatic wash, jet, and vacuum units, tire inflation, and water recycling systems, ensuring that the services remain maintained and operational is a key business objective. In short, if the systems aren’t working, Wilcomatic and its customers won’t generate revenue. Rotational rolling maintenance programs are inefficient and can’t keep pace with localized nuances where usage dynamically changes.
Kevin Pay, Managing Director, Wilcomatic said:
“Spitfire enables Wilcomatic to have the right data to predict maintenance events before they become problems. Spitfire’s IoT SIM connectivity solution enables us and our customers to stay operationally efficient.”
Dom Norton, Sales Director, Spitfire said:
“This is a great example that highlights how transformational IoT can be. To enable Wilcomatic to monitor equipment in the field and ensure every piece is operational means they are generating revenue consistently. To do this IoT data connectivity is key, which is where we specialize.”