Cat vehicle. Photo: Pixabay.

HiSky and Caterpillar’s Israeli dealer, Tractors & Equipment (ITE) will carry out a joint pilot program to integrate hiSky’s satellite terminal (the Smartellite) with the machines and vehicle platforms of the manufacturers represented by Zoko Enterprises in Israel. One of the goals of the pilot program is to give Cat machines complete management capabilities, even in locations where there is no mobile coverage or in areas with limited mobile connectivity.

The program will explore the integration of the satellite terminal into the company’s platforms to enable transmitting and receiving of data to control centers, location and data analysis, diagnostics, fuel consumption, data collection and processing, designation of assignments to platforms, remote data transmission and computer updates, via hiSky’s satellite communication system. In addition, the system integration will enable the platform operator to make satellite phone calls and send messages.

Cat machines are often operated at emergency situation sites, such as earthquakes and disaster-stricken areas, increasing the need for continuous communication, independent of wired or wireless infrastructure.

Through Cat’s existing Equipment Management (EM) system, its machines provide general data, production data, diagnostics and sophisticated analysis. The continuous communication between the platform and the EM system enables higher utilization of these machines, even in remote locations.