How tech is changing the nature of scales

Technology is changing every aspect of our lives. Advances in what once seemed transformational are now fundamentally changing the way we collect and use data. The benefits of having digital integration within your scale operations are having a huge impact on profitability because of the information available from data collection.

Technology is now the catalyst and data is the output. What is done with that information will help your business to truly evolve.

A view of the entire system

While most industries have evolved with technology, the truck scale industry has not been as adept because of what was available. Troubleshooting a scale can be difficult because a problem can occur in many different places. It can take hours to find a problem the traditional way since you must hook a voltage meter up to many locations within a scale.

Fortunately, there is now technology that empowers you to see what’s happening with the entire system. You can now determine if a problem will occur in advance and get instant notification if a problem occurs.

With the advances in technology, you can find, diagnose and solve any problem found on the scale. This saves you time because anyone with the ability to read the indicator screen can utilize the technology.

Consider that there are some scale solutions that look digital on the outside, but they are integrating and converting analog technology on the inside. A complete digital solution is the only way you’ll be able to see the entire system and get a complete understanding of your operations.

Accuracy streamlines processes

The reason behind digital integration is to automate processes with the data available and to develop a system where every step happens in the same digital space. The technology available today sends notifications to the service provider, informing them of the issue prior to arriving, which will decrease your downtime. If it’s a simple fix, you can work on the problem yourself and get the scale up in a matter of minutes versus hours.

Understanding the problems and potential threats help you to strategically approach the situation strategically. For example, if a scale is not weighing correctly, it could impact your invoices and inventory. The scales that are available today can measure up to 100,000 pounds in 10-pound increments versus 20-pound increments, thereby being twice as precise.

It’s also important to understand how to take care of a scale to proactively prevent problems from occurring. The technology that’s available includes precautionary measures, helping you to protect your scale from threats such as lightning. A quality scale will guarantee this type of protection.

The service provider partnership

While these advancements in technology help you service your scale yourself, it’s still recommended to utilize service providers. They will help you keep up with new developments and stay on top of regulatory standards. It’s easy to keep the provider in the loop, too, because diagnosing and notifications are automated.

Without real-time data and collaborative relationships, it can sometimes hinder successful management. Having a strong partnership will help you make sure you know about changes, especially because technology is always evolving. Therefore, it’s important that you see your service provider as a proactive problem solver, empowered by data and notifications to correct any issues before the scale goes down.

Profitability comes from the ability to adapt to data being provided from having up-to-date technology. Data analytics is a powerful tool that has the potential to enhance efficiency and improve your service. Good data helps you sift through all the noise and quickly understand the issues and opportunities. Leveraging data will be the future game-changer for the scale industry, and it will be expected by your customers.

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Bryan Snyder is the systems manager for B-TEK Scales, where his responsibilities include management of the software and development teams and product management for software.