Arsenault Associates and McLeod Software announced the integration of Arsenault's Dossier maintenance management software with McLeod's LoadMaster Enterprise trucking dispatch operations management system. Arsenault is a provider of fleet maintenance management software and solutions while McLeod is a software provider for the trucking industry.
The integration will provide bi-directional information flow in both the business and maintenance dimensions and deliver significant value for joint customers.
Customers using both products will have relevant data updated between the two systems in near real-time, eliminating the need for manual and error-prone duplicate data entry. Customers and vendors defined in LoadMaster will automatically be created and updated in Dossier, as will fuel tickets and meter readings. Mobile communications messages entered in LoadMaster will be passed on to Dossier as potential maintenance work items, called Work Pending in Dossier.
Likewise, Dossier will alert LoadMaster of any units where preventive maintenance is due or overdue, a key input for dispatch. Any unit with an open maintenance repair order in Dossier can be flagged as unavailable for dispatch. Maintenance cost data can also be sent to LoadMaster.
"There are many touchpoints between maintenance and operations. Integrating these two leading products will allow our mutual customers to streamline workflows, have better status data, and capture their complete maintenance costs for billing and analysis," said Bob Hausler, Arsenault VP of marketing and technology.
"Another benefit of this interface is that it is implemented in a modular fashion, allowing users to begin with the exchange of the most critical information, and add other elements later if they choose," he explained.
"For example, all preventive maintenance is driven by the unit's meter (distance or time), so getting the meter readings from LoadMaster to Dossier is something we believe all users will employ.
"Likewise, the ability for dispatch to know if a unit is currently in the shop or is due for maintenance is key. Customers can begin by using these basic functions, then turn on the accounting functions later, or they can implement everything at once.
"This integration will be available as an option in Dossier version 6.3, scheduled for release in 2Q 2013," Hausler added.
"I am extremely pleased that we are partnering with McLeod Software; they are a great company and a strong, respected leader in the industry. This integration provides an exciting value-add for our growing mutual base of trucking industry customers. We are confident that this integration will dramatically increase Dossier's adoption rate in the trucking vertical," said Jack Boetefuer, CEO of Arsenault Associates.
"We continuously strive to offer our customers more choices and good integration solutions for the best complimentary software products in our industry. We believe the Dossier product will be an attractive option for many McLeod Software LoadMaster Enterprise customers," said Tom McLeod, CEO and founder of McLeod Software.
