After Whitelock Developments had found out about the theft on the morning of March 11th, they contacted the Finsight team to inform them of the incident, and to ask for their help in recovering the dozer. The D6N in question was fitted with the PL542 Product Link telematics box, which provides machine telemetry and location tracking data to the team’s base of operations in Cannock, allowing the advisors to find out the last reported location of the machine.
After the machine had been located in the Finning system, the Finsight advisors were able to supply the last known position to John Whitelock, the owner of Whitelock Developments. The dozer was found approximately 33 miles away from the customers site just outside of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in a forested area by the side of the road.
The thieves had removed the machine’s Whitelock decals, and had begun to dismantle the cab, but the unit itself was still in working order. After finding the machine, John was able to load the machine onto a trailer and return it to site, where it was returned to service. The entire process, from John informing the Finsight team of the machine’s theft through to its return to site, was completed in less than 24 hours.
Later in the week, Finsight advisor Toby Williams and the region’s product support account manager visited Whitelock Developments to provide in-depth system training on the VisionLink software, enabling the business to optimise its operations according to the data provided from the machines. In addition, Whitelock Developments has also opted to install the Product Link boxes onto the rest of its Caterpillar fleet.
Commenting on the machine’s recovery, John Whitelock, director of Whitelock Developments, said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Finning who helped us recover our D6N after it was stolen from site. The VisionLink software allowed the Finsight team to guide us to the exact location, helping us to recover our machinery and minimise the disruption to our operations.
“We were so pleased when we turned up to the location and found the dozer, and it has absolutely proven the value of working with Finning, the Finsight team and the VisionLink software. The system has not just helped us to optimise our operations, but it has prevented us losing a valuable asset, allowing us to continue working with the minimal amount of disruption.”
Wesley King, product support account manager for Finning UK & Ireland, commented: “We’re really pleased that we could reunite the machine with the customer, especially in such a short time period. Machinery theft is a huge problem for the plant sector, but the Vision Link software and our Finsight team are helping to reduce the threat that this can pose to businesses that rely on their equipment. It’s always nice to know that our Finsight team can provide a business with the peace-of-mind to know their machinery is protected against theft even when they aren’t on site.”
