For several years now, the HBI Group has been engaged in a review of its digitalization with very clear challenges: 

• Regarding its distribution activity, HBI wishes to take preventive action and anticipate maintenance schedules to guarantee better satisfaction of current customers, as well as to generate new full service contracts.
• For rental activity, HBI wants to improve the availability of its machines: monitoring of actual customer use, better location of machines for logistics, better equipment security.

These are challenges that previously relied solely on the skills of the teams and on non-digitalized written processes.

Going digital and dematerializing

In 2020, HBI experimented with connected solutions through the manufacturer Manitou, which uses the Trackunit solution on its machines. The company then became aware of what new technology could do for its business. Finally, it had the solution to ensure better monitoring of machines (location, security, sector coverage, etc.) and to sell associated services (maintenance contract, extension, etc.). Trackunit is the preferred contact for many of the brands HBI works with (Manitou, Mecalac, Wacker Neuson), so it has a solution directly available through them and unique for its rental and maintenance activities.

HBI path to digital revolution

Initially, Trackunit set up a training session for the teams to help them use the system. After this first step, more than 400 machines were equipped with Trackunit solutions. The installation was carried out in two stages because it was interrupted by the pandemic. In the long term, HBI aims to have 700 machines available on the platform and used by more than 50 employees and numerous customers.
Since the summer of 2021, HBI has been pursuing its transformation and has appointed a Digitalization Project Manager whose mission is to implement digital tools within the group’s various departments.

“The digitalization of a group like HBI is a real revolution. in many ways. First of all, there is the technological evolution of the machines – it was necessary to follow the trend and use methods allowing this. Linked to this technological evolution, there is also an evolution of mentalities: we must convert users and our customers. Finally, there is also an internal evolution. We have to find solutions to facilitate the work of the teams and become proactive.”

Remy Bladanet, Digitalization Project Manager.

Trackunit’s expertize

Trackunit is playing a major role in the digitalization of the construction industry. The company provides machinery manufacturers, rental companies and subcontractors with tools to link construction equipment and process data in the cloud to provide valuable information. Thanks to Trackunit’s solutions, HBI is now able to monitor the use of its equipment, optimize the management of its stock and remotely monitor the operating parameters of its equipment for maintenance diagnostics purposes.

“At HBI we are convinced that digitalization offers new perspectives to our sector with many positive impacts. First of all, from an environmental point of view: digitalization makes it possible to reduce the environmental impact by dematerializing all administrative management. It also has an impact on productivity: digitalization saves time in terms of management and also when carrying out various tasks. And finally regarding administrative complexity: it reduces communication silos and simplifies all the steps necessary to carry out a project, tasks, etc.”

Remy Bladanet, Digitalization Project Manager.

About

For 28 years, the HBI Group has specialized in the distribution and rental of machinery with a rental inventory of over 4,000 machines. Its strategy is based on local branches, a quality offer and recognized services. 

Founded: 1991
Size: 370+ employees