Well known as a remote monitoring system for marine engines, gplink is now available for electric power generation.
Trusted in the monitoring and tracking of over 150 marine vessels 24/7, gplink technology is now being installed and implemented on power generation units. Gregory Poole, a North Carolina-based Caterpillar Dealer, has installed the gplink system on generators owned by MBM Corporation at its regional distribution centers in North Carolina. gplink remotely monitors the most critical performance parameters of engines and generators, plus select auxiliary systems.
With these remote capabilities, your assets can be monitored from anywhere in the world, with complete access to any fault codes or operating conditions in order to provide support. The Modbus interface with the vessel’s or generator’s engine provides a code to alert if an issue occurs. The system will send out a notification to the customer via phone call, email or text message regarding the alert. This alert is displayed on a website, which is accessible from any computer, laptop, or smartphone. Once the problem is identified, the customer can take corrective action.
MBM Foodservice Distribution can trace its roots back to 1947, as a veteran returning from World War II starts a grocery and meat packing distributor in Rocky Mount, NC. During the 1960’s, the second generation of family leadership begins to steer the company from a focus in grocery distribution to specialized restaurant distribution. Fast-forward fifty years, and although MBM is still family owned-now in their third generation of leadership-they have acquired dozens of major restaurant chain accounts, many through the acquisition of smaller distribution companies and their contracts. Today, MBM operates 38 regional distribution centers throughout the United States with annual revenue approaching seven billion dollars.
“We have been willing to let them experiment with us and let us be the guinea pig, and it has worked out very well. We try to maintain the generators so that they don’t have any problems, but sometimes things come up. Our monitoring systems keep an eye on the batteries, fuel levels and coolant.”
says Dewey Clark, executive director of Strategic Planning for MBM. Due to the deeply integrated engine monitoring of gplink, installation typically takes four to five hours, however, the system has a small, unobtrusive footprint, with no exterior mountings or aerials required. An installation technician consults about placement before mounting, and runs a full barrage of tests before familiarizing a customer with the system.