Powered access OEM JLG Industries, McConnellsburg, Pa., recently previewed a new free app that will let service technicians conveniently analyze and troubleshoot nearly any JLG access platform using a notepad computer or smart phone.
Although JLG doesn’t expect to roll out its new Mobile Analyzer App until May, or so, the company previewed it at The Rental Show in Las Vegas during February. “We want to make sure that we have ample inventory of the wireless access module before we launch,” said Travis Myers, director of customer support.
The expected May rollout will be for North American users. According to Myers, worldwide availability may come a year or more afterward.
The new app will offer a more convenient option for doing the same analysis that technicians are now doing with the handheld JLG Analyzer Kit, which plugs into a JLG lift to troubleshoot, calibrate, or customize the machine’s performance.
“We’ll still offer the current handheld analyzer and cable,” says Myers, “but we think technicians will appreciate the convenience, features, and efficiency of the new wireless mobile analyzer.”
As it stands now, a technician needs to plug the handheld analyzer into a machine’s control box, so his or her mobility is limited by the length of the cable. With the new Analyzer App, the technician will be able to plug in a JLG wireless access module, then receive the information up to 150 ft. away. The wireless access module will need to be purchased from JLG at a cost about the same as the current JLG Analyzer Kit.
“A technician will be able to plug the wireless access module into a lift, then go into a service truck to analyze or tune the machine remotely,” says Myers. “That can be very helpful when it’s very cold, very hot, or rainy.” He says JLG feels that under those conditions, it will help a technician do a better job of analyzing because he or she will not have the distraction of dealing with inclement weather.
In addition to making servicing more convenient, the new Mobile Analyzer App will also make analyzing, troubleshooting, and tuning more efficient.
The new app will provide full description readouts that are easier to understand than abbreviated messages. It will also eventually communicate in 13 languages. English and Spanish are slated for the North American rollout in May. The other 11 languages will be added as the app becomes available worldwide. Furthermore, a technician can run the Mobile Analyzer App and talk on the phone simultaneously, enabling real-time conversation with factory support representatives as he or she works on the machine.
The new app will be available for free download from iTunes and Google Play.
Lift & Access is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
