New software portal ‘myLinde’ combines various fleet applications

Linde Material Handling presents all-in-one fleet management tool for managing and controlling material handling

With its digital fleet management tool ‘myLinde,’ Linde Material Handling (MH) is now making the daily work of intralogistics specialists, safety officers and energy managers much easier. The cloud-based web portal integrates essential fleet management, safety and energy solutions from Linde MH and offers an intuitive, clear operating concept with a modular structure. Users can quickly and efficiently control driver and fleet management, perform analyses and implement measures for improved operational safety and (cost-)optimized load management. This improves the performance of the internal material flow. The all-in-one platform is designed to meet future requirements and includes new features and applications.

The working day begins at five in the morning: adrenaline levels rise among those responsible for material handling when a large number of trucks must be loaded and unloaded within a very short time, or when production facilities start up. This is the time when good preparation pays off. What drivers and trucks are available? How can loading cycles and energy peaks be planned effectively? In which parts of the company are there dangerous spots due to heavy traffic of both people and vehicles? Until now, there were different applications for fleet management, charging and safety management. Users had to log into different programs and navigate through different menus.

“With myLinde this can now all be handled through a single application. For example, operating instructions and spare parts are already stored in the tool. This makes work much easier for our customers,” says Tobias Klein, Portfolio Manager at Linde MH. “Our new fleet management tool is accessible worldwide via single sign-on via a web browser. This digital solution offers significant efficiency gains for material handling of any size, and especially for large fleets - for example, by changing or duplicating access rights with just a few mouse clicks,” adds Tobias Klein. He sees the combined information from the individual truck assistance systems as particularly useful. It provides more transparency in fleet processes and operational procedures through instant alerts, user-defined notifications and through dashboards with key performance indicators (KPIs). Data protection is of great importance. For example, sensitive personal data can only be accessed by specific user groups. In addition, European servers and strict ISO 27001 certification standards protect company data from unauthorized access.

Extensively tested and proven successful

Prior to the official launch, the new portal was extensively tested by selected customers, whose fleets combined included more than 2,000 trucks. The pilot users particularly liked the clear, intuitive user interface. “In most cases, a ‘tour’ was sufficient to familiarize them with the functions, thus minimizing the training effort for customers,” said portfolio manager Klein.

He is convinced that the new comprehensive customer portal is timely and will be a valuable asset for fleet managers who have to manage ever-increasing amounts of data and information. Maintaining a clear overview and making fact-based decisions requires the support of digital applications such as myLinde. One of the software's very strong points lies in its advanced data processing capabilities. The home screen shows real-time notifications, important information about drivers and trucks, open training sessions for employees, it records vibrations and takes action on these records where necessary. In addition, the portal offers a range of analysis and control solutions, which allow for comprehensive analysis and management of both drivers and trucks and maintenance schedules.

Data-driven approach increases fleet safety

The second key module of myLinde is designed to improve operational safety. This module facilitates the evaluation of data from the safety assistance system Linde Safety Guard. This solution uses communication units permanently installed in forklifts that communicate with units in other forklifts, as well as portable devices and infrastructure units via ultra-wideband radio technology, alerting each other. With myLinde, it is now possible to monitor more than just the status of hardware components. Data on near misses or dangerous spots in the warehouse can be collected, evaluated and displayed via individually configurable dashboards. The data can be used to increase employee awareness of potential hazards, facilitating proactive workplace accident prevention.

KPI-based dashboards reduce energy consumption

The electrification of forklifts, the increasing use of lithium-ion batteries, rising energy prices and measures to reduce CO₂-emissions also place higher demands on load management within companies. The myLinde portal offers users new reporting and analysis tools for evaluating and processing data. Thus, solutions can be found to equalize and reduce peak loads on the power grid, stabilize the company's power grid, optimize energy consumption and energy costs, and maximize the availability of material handling through a customer-specific battery charge management system.

Prepared for the future of fleet management

Tobias Klein concludes by emphasizing that the myLinde customer portal ushers in a new era in fleet management: “The system forms the basis of a comprehensive control center that provides comprehensive information to all relevant parties, from fleet managers to safety and energy managers to operations managers. It simplifies data management and provides greater transparency and efficiency in storage and production.”