Comsatel is a provider of fleet management services in Peru.
The company has been in business for more than twenty years and offers a range of fleet management and vehicle security services based on satellite localization technologies.
Comsatel originally started as a stolen vehicle recovery company providing services to insurance companies. After a few years, Comsatel began offering fleet management services, which today is one of the company’s fastest growing business segments.
Comsatel’s fleet management services range from basic tracking services to advanced driver behavior monitoring and vehicle diagnostics services. Its customers include many trucking companies, logistics operators and businesses in the transportation and mining industries. The company reports that it is currently tracking over 30,000 vehicles and other assets, including many types of trucks and trailers as well as construction, mining and industrial equipment.
Controlling Speed and Other Advanced Services
According to Salomon Gabel, Managing Director of Comsatel, companies in the trucking and logistics sectors often approach Comsatel with the need to reduce and control the speeds of their drivers.
“This is often the starting point for an engagement with a new customer. In addition to helping customers reduce the speeds of their drivers, we can also help them with other driving behaviors, such as acceleration, braking and turning,” explained Gabel.
He notes that once Comsatel demonstrates good results with monitoring and improving driver behaviors, customers often inquire about additional services. He lists follow up services that interest customer to include operational services to optimize routes and maintenance control services to monitor the diagnostics of the vehicle.
Solid Technology Base
For the past five plus years, Comsatel has been working with ERM Advanced Telematics, an Israel-based vendor of telematics equipment and solutions, to provide a technology base for its fleet management services.
For its GPS/GNSS-based location tracking, stolen vehicle recovery, driver behavior monitoring and vehicle diagnostics services, Comsatel is using ERM’s StarLink product line. For the diagnostic and driver behavior services, Comsatel uses ERM’s advanced CANBUS technology.
Recently, Comsatel has been installing ERM’s StarLink Asset device on the trucks and equipment of its mining customers. StarLink Asset is a waterproof tracking device designed to operate in extreme weather environments and off road conditions.
"In general, we can say that working with ERM and its telematics solutions has enabled us to provide a valuable service that helps our customers maintain efficient fleet operations. Our customers are having less accidents and lower overall costs,” said Gabel.
New Services
“Together with ERM, we are constantly working on developing new services and products for our clients,” highlighted Gabel. “For example, we recently rolled out ERM’s ePoly device to fulfill the requirements of one of our main customers.”
ePoly is an add-on solution that provides geo-fencing alerts when the vehicle is over speed limits on predefined perimeters. This solution leverages the GPS location received from the StarLink tracking device installed on the truck and sends alerts to both the driver and the fleet manager when the truck is speeding within a predefined perimeter.
“This device is gaining traction from our customers in the mining sector that work in rigorous outdoor and off road conditions,” added Gabel.
Looking at the bigger picture, Gabel stated that “ERM allows us to address 99% of all our clients’ needs.” He points out that the modular characteristics of ERM’s product line and the integration with various sensors and other accessories support advanced market requirements.
“This enables new services to be added at any time,” concluded Gabel.
Strong Performance
“ERM solutions have definitely shown a great performance over the years. The devices have a very low ratio of error, which is impressive considering the difficult field conditions in Peru,” commented Gabel.
Some of Comsatel’s mining clients work at altitudes of over 5000 meters above sea level in areas with extreme climate fluctuations.
As a case study, Gabel provides its customer Compañía Operadora de Gas del Amazonas (COGA). COGA operates and maintains an extensive network pipelines, compressor plants and pumping stations throughout Peru. The company operations are exposed to complex geographic, climatic, geological and logistics conditions.
COGA has been a Comsatel customer since late 2015. Comsatel has installed StarLink tracking devices on all the vehicles in COGA’s fleet. Comsatel has also installed ERM’s eSafe accessory for driver behavior monitoring along with a driver behavior mobile application for each driver.
Dennis Mansilla, Health & Safety Chief of COGA reported that Comsatel and its service was able to reduce the number of unsafe driving incidents by 80% in the first nine months of use.
“Having the detailed information of incidents per driver has helped us to improve the safe driving skills of each driver. The latter is reflected in the gradual improvement of the index of driving of the entire team. The direct benefit being the reduction in the number of incidents and costs associated to them,” explained Mansilla.
Gabel summarized that “we feel very confident with ERM as a partner in our success and business growth. ERM is constantly helping us develop solutions to meet new customer requirements. This cooperation gives us strong support to pursue new opportunities, expand our offerings and win more projects.”
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