Jere V. Horwitz & Associates, Inc., has been providing customized hardware, software, and support solutions to IBM Midrange users for 20 years. Our JVH Fleet Management System has been in place for nearly that long as well. The application was developed to control costs of both over-the-road vehicles and equipment used in production situations.

Our Fleet Management System is a native IBM AS/400 RPG product that was designed specifically for a large fleet operator with multiple remote service facilities handling both bus and light rail vehicles. It is a true relational database system with well-defined and well-documented data structures utilizing structured coding techniques. This system makes full use of many of the unique AS/400 abilities, including sub-file processing, external data areas, data queues, and on-line help support abilities.

The system uses a unique category and defect code structure to allow virtually unlimited tracking and analysis of costs, materials, and labor factors against specific vehicles, garages, or any combination thereof. With the database of history the system develops, and in combination with the IBM supplied Query product, users can generate a tremendous variety of ad hoc reports and analysis without further programmer intervention.

The Fleet Management System is designed to aid in effectively managing the day-to-day activities involved in maintaining a fleet of vehicles. The system design is flexible enough to define and track virtually every aspect of vehicle maintenance from the smallest of tasks to major rebuilding and overhaul.

Complete source code is included for easy maintenance. The system is also based on a one-time license fee and any customization/modification work can be performed to tailor the application to meet your specific business needs.

Standard Work Order Descriptions

Scheduled maintenance work orders are created based upon a set of user defined and maintained files describing, in general and in detail, all information needed to perform the work to be done. Information in these files include: general instructions and comments; a bill of materials describing all parts and supplies used, with standard quantities; the minimum skill levels of the employee(s) needed to perform the work. The ability to enter, maintain, and print-on-demand, step-by-step procedures for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing any vehicle or component is also provided.

Because certain parts of an inspection do not need to be performed as often as others, the system allows the user to specify how often as others, the system allows the user to specify how often a particular step prints. High stress components or safety related parts may need to be checked each time an inspection is performed. Changing fluids or lubricating other parts may only need to be done every other inspection. Still other steps might be performed even less frequently.

This feature allows the flexibility of scheduling certain steps more frequently if there is a high rate of failure for a particular item, or less frequently if an element is not usually a problem when it is inspected. In this way, down time is reduced, and labor is utilized more efficiently.

Preventive Maintenance Work Order Generation

Work orders for P/M inspections are generated for vehicles based upon predefined schedules. On request, a list of potential work orders is generated for each inspection due to be performed on any vehicle. A decision then is made to hold, cancel, or release the work order into production.

Unresolved Defect and Problem Follow-up Entry and Tracking

Vehicle and component defects that are reported by an operator or discovered during repairs or routine inspections but not resolved immediately, are collected by the system and can be accessed to create work orders when a decision to repair the vehicle or component is made. These records are kept as historical information for the life of the vehicle, and can be recalled on demand.

Work Order Processing

The work order files contain all important information collected during the course of a repair or inspection, such as parts and supplies usage, daily labor information by employee, outside service costs and descriptions, and defect or repair information.

Work orders are generated from P/M scheduling or from defect history. Work orders may also be entered from scratch for the repair and maintenance of a vehicle or component.

Daily part usage, labor, and outside services are entered and updated as well as all components removed or installed. Any defects discovered and any other important information can be entered and tracked as comments. Defects discovered but unresolved, are automatically added to the unresolved defect history file and can be accessed at a later time to create work orders.

All information entered into work orders is kept as historical information for the life of a vehicle and can be accessed on demand.

Component Tracking

Historical information is kept and tracked for each component number, defining any work done concerning any major components, such as engines, transmissions, alternators, and starters.

Information includes all vehicles and/or other components the item was removed from or installed upon, all dates, and work order numbers involved. All information is kept for the life of a component and can be accessed on demand.

Daily Mileage, Fuel and Oil Entry and Tracking

Used for mileage calculation and reporting by vehicle or vehicle class. Daily history of consumable usage is kept and reported to spot trends and problems such as low gas mileage or usually high oil consumption.

Category/Defect Codes

Included in each record of a work order is a set of user-defined and maintained codes used to describe and categorize the information contained in the record. The codes relate to another file containing a description of what each code means.

Each record of a work order must be provided with a set of these codes so that all information entered can be categorized and extracted to provide any type of report desired.

The first code is used to describe and categorize the entire work order. The second code is used to describe the sub-system of the vehicle or component being inspected or repaired. The third code serves a dual function. It can be used to describe the symptom reported (the actual part being repaired) or to further categorize specific information contained in the record. The last code is used to resolve the information contained on the particular line of the work order. It could describe the action taken on a symptom or answer a question posed by the previous codes.

By using the Category/Defect (C/D) codes effectively, specific information contained in the work order files can be extracted, sorted, and summarized to give statistical and/or detailed information on reoccurring defects, measurement, and condition of friction or stress related parts, cost analysis by work order type and vehicle or vehicle type, and any other desired information about the maintenance and repair of specified vehicle or vehicles.

Automatic Comment and Steps Access and Retrieval

To facilitate the entry of comments, descriptions, and C/D codes into the work order files, the system allows on-line scanning and retrieval of standard comments, and P/M steps descriptions. By selecting the appropriate codes, the user can enter up to eighty characters and up to four C/D codes with just a few keystrokes.

The following is a partial list of reports and inquiries provided by the JVH Fleet Management System. These inquiries can be run from the menus or accessed during work order entry.

Vehicle Master by Type and Vehicle Number

Full listing of all user maintainable fields in the vehicle master file.

Short Vehicle Master by Type and Vehicle Number

Vehicle listing shows selected information, one line per vehicle.

Vehicle Warranty Master

Complete listing of all warranties entered for each vehicle. Includes description, expiration mileage, and/or date.

P/M Inspection Short List

Provides a listing of all types of inspections and scheduled maintenance including default C/D codes and scheduling increment values.

P/M Inspection Detail Report

Full listing of all P/M work order skeleton information, including comments, parts and labor records.

P/M Vehicle Inspection Control

Lists all scheduled maintenance by vehicle or P/M code. Includes work order numbers, dates, mileage, and fuel usage for the previous two inspections and the next schedule due values.

Category/Defect Codes by Type and Code

Prints a listing of all category defect codes in type and code order.

Category/Defect Codes by Type and Description

Prints the above listing in alphabetical order by description for easy reference.

Assembly Master Listing

Provides a complete listing of components tracked by the system in assembly number order.

Assembly Number Master by Part Number

Prints the above listing in part number order.

P/M Steps Listing

Prints reference listing containing the steps of each type of work order.

Skill Master File

Lists skill levels, including description and regular, overtime, and shift premium rates.

Vehicle Warranty Warnings

Provides a list of all vehicles with warranties due to expire within a specified number of months or miles.

Vehicle Amounts Listing

Prints MTD, QTD, YTD, and life-to-date values for mileage, fuel and oil usage, and part, labor, and outside maintenance costs for each vehicle.

Monthly Fuel/Oil Mileage Reports

Reports consumables usage and mileage summarized by garage; garage and class; garage, class, and vehicle. Useful for detecting trends and trouble with vehicles and sub-fleets.

Daily P/M Inspection Activity

Reports all action or non-action for all scheduled work due each day.

Open Work Order Summary

Overview of open work orders. Provides vehicle or component number, dates, work order type information, and costs-to-date for parts, labor, and outside services.

Open Work Order Detail

Displays detailed listing of open work orders. Lists all comments, parts, labor, and outside services for each.

Defect/Follow-up History by Assembly and Vehicle

Reports all unresolved defects reported for vehicles and components.

Assemblies List by Vehicle or Tag #

Listing of components by vehicles installed or by stock keeping tag number.

Subassemblies by Master Assembly

List of all subassemblies installed on other assemblies.

Unattached Assemblies

All assemblies not installed.

Weekly/Monthly Part Usage Reports

Part usage reports are available by garage and part number or by garage, vehicle, and part number.

Weekly/Monthly Labor Reports

Labor reports are available by garage and employee or by garage, vehicle, and employee.

Weekly/Monthly Outside Service Reports

Outside service reports are available by garage and vendor or by garage, vehicle, and vendor.

Vehicle Master, P/M Files Inquiry

Scan vehicle master and P/M files by description, and scan scheduled maintenance by P/M code or vehicle number.

Assembly Master/Tracking Files

Scans assembly master file by description, part number, and serial number. Lists all assemblies per vehicle or tag number. Lists the assembly tracking history file by assembly.

Category/Defect, Auto Comments, Skill Level Inquiry

Scans C/D codes by type and description, automatic comments, and skill level files by description.

Work Order History Inquiry

Scans work order history by vehicle, displays part, labor, outside services, and comments by work order number; scans labor by employee and/or vehicle number; scans work order comments by C/D code.

Stock Status Report

Complete listing of items by garage, including quantity on hand, quantity on order, and extended cost. Flags items which are currently below minimum.

Projected Minimum Report

Lists items by garage and vendor which are projected to fall below minimum quantity during the next 30 days based on the quantity used during the same period last year.

Minimum Report

Lists all items by vendor and garage which are currently below minimum quantity.

Inventory Count

Includes count sheets by stock location and status reports, both by item and count sheet, designed to assist in management of the counting process.

Purchase Order Reports

Includes both summary and detailed reports by vendor and purchase order to aid in the management of outstanding purchase orders.

Inventory Movement

Lists by item and garage the beginning quantity on hand this month, quantity received month-to-date, quantity adjusted month-to-date, and quantity used month-to-date as a summary of inventory movement for the current month. Also, includes daily inventory transaction reports, listing each inventory transaction for each item by type and source of transaction, thus providing a detailed audit trail.

Item Search Inquiry

Allows search for items by partial item number, description, or substitution code, and to display detailed information concerning vendor item numbers, purchasing lead time, etc. This inquiry is integrated with the Stock Status Inquiry.

Stock Status Inquiry

Information concerning usage during past months, dates last used and received, quantities on hand and on order, and stock locations by garage. This inquiry is integrated with the Item Search Inquiry.

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