AST Vaal Triangle, a business unit of the AST Group, with its US-based partner SpectroInc, has been awarded a contract with US-based Commercial Trucking Services-Lab in Colorado to implement and maintain COAST, a customised oil analysis software for tribology.
AST Vaal Triangle has a value-added reseller agreement with SpectroInc.
AST Vaal Triangle, in close collaboration with oil analysis laboratories and the expertise of highly skilled diagnosticians and analysts, has developed COAST. It has already been implemented by Iscor Flat Steel Products (FSP) in Vanderbijlpark and Sishen Mining Oil Laboratory in SA.
Commercial Trucking Services specialises in the service of trucks for large companies like Mack, Caterpillar and some of the US Army vehicles.
CTS-Lab will primarily use COAST for predictive maintenance on the trucks used by CTS for a trucking service. "It will assist in the analysis of the results of tests that are done on oil and coolants, this includes trend analysis and safety regions," explains Annemarie van der Walt, Business Support Systems Manager at AST Vaal Triangle. "A diagnosis can then be made according to this analysis and solutions to problems can then be prescribed."
Predictive Maintenance can prevent unexpected breakdowns and delays, which will not only save time but also be more cost-effective. In addition, timeous schedule maintenance can prolong engine life.
"A Standard Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) package was found to be too expensive and not focused enough to do in depth oil analysis, therefore COAST was an inexpensive yet powerful specific solution to oil analysis for CTS-Lab," adds Van der Walt.
COAST`s user-friendly interface can be used to manipulate and analyse test results. It can also assist the analyst in tasks such as: Trending, Danger Level Notification, Data Capturing, Storage of Historical Data, Cost and Management Reporting, Equipment Service Tracking, Quick Analysis and Analysis Reporting.
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In just three years the AST Group has established itself as one of the leading information and communication technology companies on the JSE Securities Exchange. Its consistent creation of value for shareholders, clients and employees has resulted in a steady increase in monthly revenue to the R100 million plus mark. AST is now the fourth largest South African IT company by market capitalisation, and is one of the top three in terms of physical infrastructure (mainframes, servers, desktops, and networks under management) and geographical footprint with over 62 physical locations.
Counting almost 90% of the top 100 JSE-listed companies among its clients, the AST Group services mostly large corporate and government clients, but is increasingly offering services to rapidly evolving small and medium enterprises.
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