Flannery Plant Hire, a significant presence in the heavy equipment and machinery rental sector in the United Kingdom, grappled with the complex challenge of efficiently managing their extensive fleet, ensuring operator competency, and optimising rostering and timesheet processes. Founded by Patrick Flannery in 1972, they have grown into one of the largest plant hire companies in the UK. To tackle these intricate challenges and achieve operational excellence, Flannery turned to Signal, a comprehensive workforce management platform.

The Challenge & Objective

Flannery Plant Hire's diverse and extensive operations required a unified system to manage various critical aspects of its business seamlessly. The challenges and objectives were as follows:

Comprehensive Solution: Flannery sought a complete solution encompassing onboarding, operator management, competency tracking, rostering, machine checklists, timesheets, and payroll data management within a single integrated system.

Key Solution Features

Signal's robust feature set met Flannery's diverse needs efficiently:

• Machine & Asset Management: Easily create machine categories, individual machines, and specific machine asset numbers. The platform enables efficient fleet management, ensuring accurate asset tracking.
• Attachment Asset Management: Create attachment categories, manage attachments, and assign them to specific asset numbers, allowing for comprehensive attachment management.
• Machine Checklists: Signal empowers users to create bespoke checklists with specific machine checks. These checklists can be applied to machine categories, enabling operators to complete daily safety checklists for the machines they operate.
• Syrinx Integration: Signal seamlessly integrates with Syrinx, offering configurable options for each company. This integration facilitates the synchronisation of hire contracts, operator data, and more.
• Machine Competency Management: Ensure that operators possess the necessary competencies and compliance to operate specific machines or attachments effectively. This feature enhances safety and compliance management.
• Hire Contract Display: Display hire contracts efficiently and ensure successful scheduling of operators and machines in alignment with these contracts.

The Solution

Signal provided Flannery with a comprehensive solution that streamlined various aspects of their operations:

• Effortless Rostering and Plant Management: The platform simplified rostering and plant management against their extensive fleet. It also automated travel time and fatigue calculations, enhancing efficiency and worker safety.
• Seamless Syrinx Integration: Signal integrated seamlessly with Syrinx, ensuring the smooth flow of hire contract data and improving operational coordination.
• Comprehensive Reporting: The platform offered instant reporting and gap analysis, allowing Flannery to make data-driven decisions and enhance overall efficiency.
• Operative Empowerment: Operators were empowered through automatic updates via mobile, assignment notifications via text messages, and a user-friendly interface.
• Compliance Control: Signal allowed Flannery to exercise precise control over compliance by machine category and ensured that medical fitness to work was managed effectively.
• Efficient Timesheet & Payroll Integration: Flannery benefited from automated timesheets and streamlined payroll integration, reducing administrative burden.
• Daily Defect Machine Checklists: The platform facilitated daily defect checklists for operatives, enhancing safety and maintenance protocols.
• Automatic PDF Defect Checklists: Flannery could generate automatic PDF defect checklists for operatives, simplifying reporting and maintenance.

Signal's implementation revolutionised Flannery Plant Hire's operations, promoting efficiency, compliance, and overall excellence in workforce management.