Remote control decreases downtime on Florida’s Interstate 4 project

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The ActiveCare alert came in on a sunny Wednesday morning in Florida: ‘Engine coolant critically low’. A technician sprang into action, temporarily halting a Volvo excavator from its work on the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project, where the machine had been playing its part in one of the country’s largest infrastructure initiatives. A leak in the coolant tank was discovered. The results of an incident like this can be catastrophic. An overheated block or blown gasket often spells the end for that machine’s engine and a costly repair, not to mention downtime on the job site – machines standing still – which results in decreased efficiency and a delayed schedule. There is no room for failures on the I-4 Ultimate project, a $2.3 billion reconstruction of a 21-mile stretch of Florida’s Interstate 4, west of Kirkman Road in Orange County to east of State Road 434 in Seminole County, passing through the global theme park destination of Orlando along the way. Contractors are penalized for not completing work on budget and on schedule, so downtime would hit their profit margins on top of already costly machine repairs.