The "Area di Servizio" magazine talks about the CWE Connect remote control developed by MTM Hydro to monitor the situation of all the machines in the yard as if you were there

We are very proud to announce that “Area di Servizio", the reference point magazine for the car wash sectors and fuel distribution, as well as the official Confcommercio organ for the FIGISC (road stations) and ANISA (motorway stations) associations, has dedicated an important article to our company.

The magazine talks about the CWE Connect remote control developed by MTM Hydro to monitor the situation of all the machines in the yard as if they were present

It is a device that allows you to control the operating parameters, levels, collections, etc.... of all the MTM Hydro machines present on the square using a single display strong>, which can be installed in the technical room or in another room of the plant.

In this way it is possible to optimize the intervention times on the machines by focusing only on those that need assistance for emptying the vacuum cleaner bin, lack of products, removal of collections, etc..

The system can also be remotely connected and viewed on a PC, tablet or Smartphone

We offer you the following article, written by Massimo Cicalini, which you can also find in the official magazine that has just been published.< /span>

EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL IN ONE STROKE WATCH OUT

With the CWE Connect remote control developed by MTM Hydro you can monitor the situation of all the machines in the yard as if you were there. We have seen it at work in the Bra Gas washing station in the town of the same name, in the province of Cuneo

We are in Bra, in the province of Cuneo, a few kilometers from Alba, the truffle capital. However, it is not the delicious underground mushrooms that are at the center of our attention, but the new plant that Bra Gas has set up in the town of the same name, consisting of a portal and four self-service lanes. Taken care of by MTM Hydro are the six suction stations served by three multifunctional machines, therefore double, with compressed air, perfume dispenser and vacuum cleaner and then a cloth distribution machine. Added to this, again supplied by MTM Hydro, is the self-service bicycle washing station BKW Bike Wash: the column for the cleaning of bicycles of all types, a valid alternative to high-pressure washing which is harmful to seals and bearings while, on the other hand, with BKW and low-pressure washing, cleaning is complete even down to the smallest detail without the risk of ruining the bike. However, the main reason for our visit is to see MTM Hydro's CWE Connect Hydro in action, to which all of its machines on the forecourt are connected

Not control but viewer

“CWE Connect is defined conventionally a remote control, but be careful, in reality it is a display – Federico Bonfante, MTM Hydro's Sales Director for Italy, is keen to point out immediately – In fact, it does not command anything, in the sense that, above all for reasons to safety, does not actively interact with machines. Those who use it can instead view, both on the device and remotely, all the various cycles that the machines have performed, how much they have collected in real time or in the interval that you want to compare for statistical purposes, the various product levels of the different programs etc. For example, now the monitor provides information on a multifunction vacuum cleaner: the machine includes a vacuum cleaner, compressed air and perfume, we can therefore view the percentage of residual chemical product inside the perfume tank, we can check how many cycles the vacuum cleaner has done, i.e. the filling status of the bin and whether the filter needs to be cleaned, how much the machine has collected and therefore whether, for safety reasons, it is advisable to go and open it to withdraw the tokens.

We are now performing this check with the CWE Connect positioned in the technical room a few tens of meters from the machines, but of course all of this can also be viewed when operating remotely. In the first case it is still useful considering that a visit to the lift is also necessary for other reasons, given that there are also self-slopes and the portal to think about. Clearly, even if we are physically present, by connecting from the CWE Connect monitor we immediately know the data that interest us without having to intervene "blindly" on all the machines. In the second case, however, you can view this data from your PC, tablet or smartphone, by connecting to an external server with a username and password. A very useful function for those who have multiple plants to visit or monitor, such as oil companies, network operators or owners of car wash networks. The remote connection management software also allows you to access a section dedicated to statistics where you can consult all the recorded data (collections, alarm signals, etc.) and consequently manage them as you see fit to optimize your business"< /em>.

“Bra Gas has another plant nearby, in Cherasco, and then others in the area for a total of five washes, soon all connected with CWE Connect – intervenes Fabio Porcedda, who follows the washes of Bra Gas -. This one from Bra in chronological order it is the latest plant built and was set up immediately with CWE Connect, while in the others we will install it on already existing machines. For example, this morning (it's Monday, ed) I topped up all the products because I had already seen on Saturday that by this morning we would have reached danger levels. Whatever problem there is CWE Connect locates it and alerts me. I am always ready, if there is a power failure or the cloth card I can intervene immediately. It is also an excellent image of efficiency for the whole plant".

The opportunity to always be get informed

“This is the practicality of CWE Connect – continues Bonfante – in the evening all the machines are checked: what they have cashed in, what needs to be topped up or emptied. Even the owner remotely, with his mobile phone, tablet or computer can see the collections, what needs to be topped up or ordered, all independently without coming to the system from home or office. Of course this system was not designed for a single machine, if the customer asked for it obviously we would satisfy him, but we have designed it for customers like Bra Gas who have several machines distributed on the plant as well as on several washes, because it makes it much easier the management. In fact, they have already confirmed to me that they want to extend it to everyone due to the positive outcome of the short test done on this system. .

They are displayed on the screen with a image of all the machines that are on the square: tire inflator, Bike Wash, vacuum cleaner and cloth dispenser. You can check the collection, the working time and the cycles of all, knowing that each cycle is equivalent to a token we immediately know how much has been collected. You can choose whether you want to start the count from the beginning of the installation of the system or from the last reset: you can define the method that the manager likes most to have the activity of the square under control, for example you can decide after installation or every year. Furthermore, if a cashless system is installed on the machine, we will be able to view how much credit has been deducted from the various keys or cards. This data will be displayed both as partial and added to the collection obtained through the coin mechanism. By doing this, it will be possible to have an indication of how many loyal customers there are, who generally use rechargeable cards or keys, and how many there are occasional ones, who normally use the token to use the accessories. The display shows an image of the machine chosen to identify the one whose statistics we want to check, making it even more intuitive: by clicking on the photo you enter the data sheet of that yard accessory that has been inserted and identified with its serial number, but you can call it whatever you prefer”.

The following is a practical example of how CWE works Connect right in front of the monitor. We are viewing a vacuum cleaner with compressed air and perfume, we enter the vacuum cleaner screen and see that the dirt container is 36% full, therefore it is still good in terms of capacity and consequently the manager can decide for the moment not to go to empty it, in fact the indicator is still green, it will turn yellow between 60 and 80% and, once this threshold is exceeded, it turns red because it must absolutely be emptied. On the other hand, this function goes in the direction of improving and controlling energy efficiency, a feature that allows you to be able to fulfill the obligations required to fall under the "Transition 4.0" and consequently to be able to access the tax credit envisaged depending on the time of mass working. We can also know the usage time of the various programs: for example the suction function, in this case it marks 12 hours and 50 minutes. The compressed air "only" 20 minutes and 50 seconds of use, for the perfume instead we find that 10% is left and it is therefore the case to top up. .

“Where it is not necessary, there are sensors – specifies Bonfante -, so there is also a lower cost for the implementation of the system, for example we can use the operating time: if the perfume pump dispenses a fixed quantity of produced per minute, after a given period of activity we know that we have run out of the 5 liter tank. At this point, the manager just has to fill the tank and reset the level which will be displayed at 100% on the monitor. With regard to collections, the manager knows how much he has achieved in the indicated time: in our case, 378 euros in 16 hours. It is a double machine, therefore a side A and a B are displayed which, being this operating system for each single coin mechanism, makes us find, somewhat surprisingly, that each side has collected practically the same amount. As already mentioned, it is also possible to send any alarm messages via email, and then reach the person in charge wherever he is and at any time. This function is also useful for checking the employees in the yard: the owner can check if the alarms have been reset and understand if everyone is doing their duty, but above all, an important aspect for verifying the correspondence of the receipts in the washes where there are opposite services of cash payments”.

“It is convenient for me that I arrive in the morning: with a 'scroll' on the monitor, I immediately see the real situation in the square – Porcedda intervenes –or I walk in front of it and see if the indicators are red, green or yellow. But it's also convenient for my owner who connects remotely".

“CWE Connect is also useful to make statistics – adds Bonfante –, evaluate the machines that work the most, those that finish the product first. For example, we have found that in this station the automatic portal is the one preferred by customers, and consequently the most used vacuum cleaner is the one near the portal. So if in the future you want to add a column, looking at the statistics you can understand which is the best position to install it".

MTM Hydro machines only

“The system can be implemented based on the functions and programs installed on the MTM Hydro machines – remembers Bonfante – generally we program it in the company during the order preparation phase. Clearly, if you need to add a vacuum cleaner site similar to the one that already exists, you can do the work directly on the site. CWE Connect has to be wired with a CAN-bus network on all machines and forms a sort of closed loop, with a start and end at the data sensing device. If desired, it is a system that can also be installed retrospectively, which we will do on the other Bra Gas systems. In car washes, with all the wells and manholes there are, there is always a passage for cables, then under the machines there is always electricity, water or compressed air so it is easy to wire them. There is a technical reason why we chose not to use wi-fi and we preferred a CAN-bus network: the signal could be disturbed and, rather than a 'hack', we feared that with wi-fi reliable data transmission could not be guaranteed. As mentioned, this program only works on MTM Hydro machines. It is possible to revamp our previous ranges, as long as these were produced after 2016. Given that the system is really very simple and intuitive to use, it is obviously possible to set multiple languages: the first systems sold were delivered to Poland and the dealer asked to display them in English”.

Access to incentives 4.0

In concluding the visit, Federico Bonfante cares to reiterate how: "With the 'Transition 4.0' incentives still in place (20% tax credit until 31 December 2023, ed.), the CWE Connect system, which is an integral part for accessing the is practically entirely financed by the tax credit that accrues with the purchase of the vacuum cleaners. A further benefit for the operator, in addition to the many positive aspects that the system guarantees by projecting MTM Hydro equipment into the digital transition of the future".