A new smartphone, tablet and web app that helps forestry contractors select the right hoses and fittings to repair and maintain hydraulic hoses in the bush, has been launched by BOA Hydraulics in New Zealand. Source: Timberbiz
Brothers Simon and Greg Boakes, founders of BOA Hydraulics, have been providing contractors with the ability to repair and maintain their own hydraulic hoses on-site, using cutting and crimping machines combined with hose and fittings, in a workshop or container set-up.
They recently introduced the BOApod, a complete mobile hose repair facility built into a trailer unit to provide everything a contractor needs to get machines back up and running.
Now they have followed it up with the BOAhub, which allows contractors to select, build and order hydraulic hoses and fittings online, and accurately manage inventory to assist with asset management.
It is available on both Apple and Android platforms.
A key feature of the BOAhub is the ‘hosemaker’ page that guides users through selecting the hose type, hose group and hose diameter.
With the right hose selected, the user is guided through the correct fitting choice. The thread is then checked with veneers to obtain the correct internal diameter measurement, which leads to selecting a fitting from a list of available threads, intelligently filtered to fit the hose being built.
There’s a ‘help’ feature that makes sure the angles of the fittings are correct and as the hose is designed, the user creates a database of hose recipes, which reduces time when a similar hose is needed. It also contributes to making preventative maintenance easy.
Another great feature of the BOAhub app is the mobile ‘scan to order’. Every BOA set-up has labelled bins, which means the user can reorder inventory and add parts to hose assemblies by scanning the labels. All key features work offline and update as soon as you are back in coverage.
BOA Hydraulics says this is just the first phase, the next will offer features such as the ability to match a hose assembly against an asset, along with an intelligent system of overlaying asset images with a key, that hose recipes can be matched with. Very useful in building a database of asset recipes locked against a specific make and model.
