Sure You Can Aggregate It, But Can You Distribute It?

One of the joys of my world is to encounter the similarities of opportunity and challenge facing clients within the three industries in which we are currently engaged.

Our thoughts trace back to a recent meeting in the Wexford County Road Commission garage in central Michigan. In attendance were twenty some county road superintendents each of whom is responsible for the treatment of snow and ice on the roadways within their county. We are there working with Western Star, a Division of Daimler North American and the manufacturer of what is undoubtedly the most technically sophisticated vehicle in North America. The challenge before the group is how to use technology to automate one of the longest standing tasks in the transportation industry--maintaining commercially passable roadways during the winter months. More specifically, how to motivate maintenance vehicle operators to use new technologies to both improve service delivery and, more importantly, to reduce the costs of highway maintenance. Ever present on the agenda is what to do about those who refuse to play.

By way of background, the transportation sector has spent millions researching the challenge of improving highway maintenance while reducing costs for the cash strapped governmental units responsible for the task. The results have been most impressive. Manufactures like Daimler North American, Monroe and Rexroth have collaborated with end users like our road superintendents to design and manufacture equipment that approaches amazing in its ability to solve the challenges. New de-icing materials, new snow removal techniques, new abilities to measure road conditions and technologies that allow the perfect mix on materials to land perfectly on just the right road surface. All of these advances have transitioned the task from an art to a science. All that remains is to create a labor culture that is willing to coordinate its skills with these technologies without feeling competitive or challenged. In some ways, it takes us back to the tale of John Henry who used his physical power and a sledgehammer to unsuccessfully compete with a steam powered drilling machine in 1871.

In other words, the transportation sector is committed to using technology to not just aggregate data but also to redistribute it in ways that will substantially improve its ability to generate profits, promote safe travel and improve the lives of all of its beneficiaries, including consumers.