How Hastings Deering Is Improving Safety and Productivity with SafeGauge

The Customer

 

Hastings Deering is a leading Caterpillar dealer that has supported customers and heavy equipment operations for more than 90 years.

 

With safety a key priority across its operations, Hastings Deering continually looks for opportunities to improve its safety performance and the way its technicians maintain, diagnose and test heavy equipment.

 

A particular focus has been reducing technicians’ exposure to live work and keeping people outside the footprint of operating machinery wherever possible.

 

The Challenge: Reducing Exposure to Live Work

 

Testing heavy equipment traditionally requires technicians to work close to operating machinery to connect equipment, read gauges, monitor test points and communicate readings.

 

For Hastings Deering, exposure to live work represented a significant risk. Getting technicians outside the footprint of operating machinery was therefore an important part of improving safety during machine testing and maintenance.

 

Traditional testing methods could also require multiple people.

 

For certain machine tests, Hastings Deering previously used three fitters: one person on the ground spotting and providing directions, one person operating the machine from the cab and a third person moving between the testing equipment and machine.

 

 

The challenge was to find a solution that could reduce this exposure while still giving technicians the measurements they needed to accurately and efficiently test equipment.

 

The Solution: Wireless Heavy Equipment Testing

 

Hastings Deering introduced SafeGauge wireless testing tools to allow technicians to remotely monitor machine measurements from a safer location.

 

 

Instead of requiring technicians to remain next to traditional gauges or test points while machinery is operating, SafeGauge wirelessly transmits live measurements to a connected device.

 

This allows technicians to create greater distance between themselves and operating machinery while continuing to monitor the information required to complete the test.

 

Before introducing the tooling more widely, Hastings Deering evaluated SafeGauge against several criteria that were important to the technicians who would use the equipment.

 

The team considered the ease of use, whether the tooling and available configurations were fit for purpose across different testing applications, and whether the technology could help eliminate the safety risks they were targeting.

 

Following the trials, SafeGauge worked with Hastings Deering to support the rollout of the wireless testing kits, including technician training and ongoing remote support.

 

SafeGauge Capabilities

 

SafeGauge designs and manufactures wireless testing tools for heavy equipment maintenance, diagnostics and machine testing.

 

The system allows technicians to remotely monitor measurements such as pressure, RPM and movement, helping reduce the need to remain beside operating machinery while testing is underway.

 

 

For larger testing applications, up to 12 SafeGauge wireless tools can connect to the SafeGauge MultiTool Pro, allowing technicians to monitor multiple measurements from a central device.

 

Live measurements can be viewed remotely, while test data can also be recorded digitally to support reporting, traceability and future analysis.

 

For Hastings Deering, these capabilities provide a practical way to introduce wireless technology into existing machine testing processes while addressing both safety and productivity.

 

Results: Safer, More Productive Machine Testing

 

Since introducing SafeGauge, Hastings Deering has seen improvements across both its testing processes and technician safety.

 

Reducing Personnel from Three to Two

 

For certain testing procedures that previously required three fitters, SafeGauge has enabled Hastings Deering to remove the need for the third person.

 

Rather than having one person operating the machine, another spotting and providing directions and a third moving between testing equipment, wireless monitoring has helped simplify the process.

 

 

This reduces the personnel required for these tests from three people to two, while also reducing opportunities for miscommunication between team members.

 

57% Improvement in Cycle Times

 

Hastings Deering studied a series of its most common testing tasks to understand the impact of introducing the new tooling.

 

Across these tasks, the team reported a 57% improvement in cycle times when using SafeGauge wireless tooling.

 

 

The ability to streamline testing while reducing personnel requirements has helped Hastings Deering achieve greater productivity without losing sight of its primary objective: improving safety.

 

Moving Technicians Away from Operating Machinery

 

One of the most important outcomes has been the ability to move technicians outside the footprint of operating machinery.

 

By transmitting machine measurements wirelessly, SafeGauge reduces the need for technicians to remain directly beside traditional testing equipment to monitor readings.

 

This helps Hastings Deering address exposure to live work while allowing technicians to continue performing the machine tests required as part of their work.

 

Strong Technician Adoption

 

The effectiveness of new technology also depends on whether technicians actually use it.

 

For Hastings Deering, technician adoption has been a particularly positive part of the SafeGauge rollout.

 

 

The tooling has been designed to be easy to use and practical for everyday machine testing, helping technicians incorporate it into their existing workflows.

 

As one Hastings Deering team member explained:

 

“The guys love it. They go and grab it and they want to use it.”

 

Key Outcomes

 

• 57% improvement in cycle times
  Hastings Deering reported a significant improvement across a series of common testing tasks after introducing SafeGauge wireless tooling.
• Reduced personnel requirements
  Certain machine tests that previously required three people can now be completed using two.
• Reduced exposure to live work
  Wireless monitoring helps technicians move outside the footprint of operating machinery while continuing to monitor live measurements.
• More efficient heavy equipment testing
  Remote monitoring helps simplify testing workflows and reduces the need for technicians to move between machines, test points and traditional gauges.
• Strong technician adoption
  Hastings Deering technicians have embraced the tooling as an easy-to-use solution for completing everyday testing tasks.
• Ongoing partnership and support
  Hastings Deering and SafeGauge have worked together for more than four years, including technician training, kit rollout and ongoing remote support.

 

Make Heavy Equipment Testing Safer with SafeGauge

SafeGauge wireless testing tools help heavy equipment technicians remotely monitor machine measurements, reducing the need to remain within the footprint of operating machinery during testing.

Explore the SafeGauge range of wireless testing tools and discover how your team can make machine testing safer, simpler and more efficient.