Plant & Service Management with Toufic
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This guide provides a comprehensive guide to managing your plant and equipment lifecycle within Prestartr, focusing on proactive service scheduling and compliance tracking.
We will begin with the foundational steps of creating Plant Groups and adding your Plant to the system, covering both manual entry and bulk import methods.
The core of the lesson involves configuring your maintenance rules by setting up Service Cycles and Service Schedules, which you will then assign to your plant to automate service intervals.
You will also learn to use key dashboards like the Expiry Matrix for tracking important dates and the Service Register to monitor all upcoming maintenance, culminating in generating a service Work Order directly from the register.
Set Up Plant Groups
To create a new Plant Group, navigate to the Plant module and click the Groups submenu item. Click Create New Group and give it a name.
From this menu you can also select Group Types: either Hours or Kilometers, Mandatory Qualifications, and Prestart Template.
When creating new Plant , you can now select the Group and view it under the same tab on the dashboard. Now that you have created at least one group - let’s add a new Plant.
Set Up Plant
We've prepared an Import Template that you can access below. Use this template to record your information. The template, when used to import needs to be a CSV file - avoid changing the file type when populating the template.
Instruction for importing Plant is available in the Add new Plant section below - as well as a short video demonstrating the process.
Plant Import Template
Click the link below and Download or Open in Google sheets to make your own copy of the template.
Make your own template with the following as Column Names:
- Plant ID
- Name
- Status
Save a spreadsheet with these Column Headers into a CSV file.
A full breakdown of the 100+ available fields is available in the “Add new Plant” section below.
Add new Plant
Accordion Body
Add new Plant
Adding New Plant to Prestartr
You can add or update individual Plant via the New Plant button in the header of the Plant module.
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Before adding a Plant…
The following questions will help guide you through how to create or set up a new Plant in Prestartr.
If you are ready to add a new plant by hand, click the Details tab above to begin.
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Details
When creating a new Plant manually, there are only three minimum required fields:
- Plant ID
- Name
- Status
These three fields are in the Basic Details section of the Details tab when creating a new Plant.
Additional fields are available for Technical Details, Plant Servicing, Location Details, and Integration Details.
The Technical Details and Plant Servicing sections have an expanded list of additional available fields - click See More to reveal these fields.
A full list of the available fields is provided below.
Basic Detail
- Plant ID
- Name
- Status
- Make
- Model
- Plant Group
Technical Details
- Build Date
- Warranty Date
- VIN
- Serial #
- Engine #
- Registration
- Registered In
- Registration Expiry
- Risk Assessment Expiry
- Number Of Engines
Additional Technical Details
Set One
- Operating Weight (tons)
- Max Dig Depth
- Net Power
- Digging Depth
- Width
- Height
- Length
- Max Dump
- Reach
- Bucket Capacity
- Engine Power
- Ground Clearance
- Load capacity
- Gross Vehicle Mass
- Fuel capacity
- Tyre Model
- Tyres Last Replaced
- Wiper Model Numbers Front
- Wiper Model Numbers Rear
Set Two
- Vehicle Type
- Vehicle fuel tank size [L]
- Vehicle Fuel type
- Expected Vehicle Fuel consumption [L/hr]
- Vehicle Smart fill number
- Aux Fuel Tank size [L]
- Toolboxes Fitted
- Tow Capacity Braked [kg]
- Tow Capacity Unbraked [kg]
- Brake Controller Fitted?
- GVM Weight [kg]
- Brakes Last Changed
- Brakes Model
- Driver/Operator
- Last Electrical Test Date
- Electrical Retest Date
- Last Lifting Test Date
- Next Lifting Certification Due
Set Three
- Last Calibration Date
- Next Calibration Date
- NHVR Quad Float TLC 2-1 Category
- NHVR Quad Float Loaded Height
- Load Scales Make
- Load Scales Model
- Load Scales Serial Number
- Load Scales Capacity
- Load Scales Division
- Load Scales Calibration Date
- Battery Model
- Transmission Type
- Brake Controller Model
- First Aid Kit ID
- First Aid Kit Expiry
- Fire Extinguisher ID
- Fire Extinguisher Size
- Fire Extinguisher Expiry
Plant Servicing
- Primary Engine Label
- Has Secondary Engine?
Additional Plant Servicing Fields
Coolant
- Coolant Type
- Coolant Volume [L]
Transmission Oil
- Transmission Type
- Transmission Volume [L]
- Final Drive Oil Type
- Final Drive Oil Volume (L)
Hydraulic Oil
- Hydraulic Type
- Hydraulic Volume [L]
- Engine Make
- Engine Model
- Filter Kit Number
- Air Filter Model
Primary/Secondary/Tertiary Engine
- Engine Make
- Engine Model
- Filter Kit
- Engine Oil Filter
- Engine Oil Filter Model
- Engine Oil Type
- Engine Oil Volume
- External Air Filter Model
- Internal Air Filter Model
- Fuel Filter Model
- Fuel Separator Model
- Hydraulic Oil Filter Model
- Date Tracks Last Replaced
Buckets, Attachments and Hitches
- Pin size [mm]
- Pin spacing [mm]
- Hitch Make
- Hitch Model
- Case Drain Fitted?
Tracks/Running Gear
- Date Tracks Last Replaced
- Meter Reading at Replacement
NHVR
- Quad Float TLC2-1 Category
- Quad Float Loaded Height
Location Details
- Physical Location
- Job Allocated To
Integration Details
- Accounting System
- Accounting ID
- Telematics ID
- Telematics Provider
- Custom Barcode ID
Files
To add related files to the Plant, click Select File to browse your local files.
The uploaded files will be displayed in the Files section and uploaded to the plant when you click Create Plant.
Financial
The Financial tab when creating a new Plant includes options around purchasing details, pricing, as well as repayment and financing details of the specific plant.
Of the available fields, the Purchased From, Sold To, Lender, and Entity draw from the Companies module.
The Payroll Service Type will influence your Payroll Rules, if used.
Financial Details
- Purchased From
- Purchased Date
- Purchase Price ($)
- Sold To
- Sold Date
- Sold Price ($)
- Select Product Type
- Select Service Type
- Select Payroll Service Type
- Current Market Value
Financing
- Lender
- Entity
- Contract No
- Day of Month Payment
- Repayment Start Date
- Repayment End Date
- Amount Financed
- Amount incl. Interest
- Residual Payment
- Repayment Amount/Month
- Term (Months)
- Interest Rate
Bulk Import
Import Plant Sample Template
To import or update multiple Plant records into Prestartr, use the Import Plant Sample option from the Import/Export button in the Plant module.
This will download the Plant Import Template CSV.
There are currently 162 Available Fields for Plant.
Of these fields, only Plant ID, Name, and Status are required to import or update a Plant record into Prestartr.
When using Plant Groups, record the lowest level of the Child Group in Column F in the Import Template.
Trying to edit or update plant in bulk?
If you are trying to edit or update your plant register in bulk - there is an easy option for you from the Import/Export menu.
Rather than the Export as Sample option - use Export as Report option instead.
This will produce all of your current plant and their details - use this for editing and importing.
Bulk Importing Plant
Once the template has been updated with the relevant information, click Import Plant from the Import/Export button in the Plant module.
Select your Import Plant CSV Sample file.
It will process and import or update the plant records.
Quick Guide: Import Plant
Bulk Import Error Messages
When using the Bulk Import tool, you may encounter an error message. We have provided examples below with the relevant solution to resolve the error when importing your Plant.
Click for Error Message Details
| Error Message | Solution |
| [X] can not be empty for [X] | Ensure the named column is not empty. Check the Plant ID, Name, or Status columns. |
| Invalid [Y] Date (Ensure format should be 'dd/MM/yyyy' or ‘d/MM/yyyy’) | Check the date provided or the cell format in the import template. - 01/12/2025 - 1/12/2025 |
| Value must be between 1 and 3 | Check Number of Engines (Column AP). Prestartr Plants support up to three engines. |
| Invalid [Z]: Cannot find Company with name ‘[Z]’ | Ensure the named column matches an available Company from the Companies module in Prestartr. |
| Invalid 'Plant Group' for ‘Plant Group must be at the lowest level’ | Ensure the Plant Group (Column F) displays the lowest level of a Plant Group. Example Company Plant > Loads > 10T - 10T would be the lowest level of the Plant Group. |
Import Guide
Service Cycles and Service Schedules
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To create our Service Cycles and Service Schedule, let’s navigate through to the Catalogue module. Within the catalogue module, the Plant Management section is where we will find the two menus we want.
When you’ve located it, click the link for Service Cycle first.
Adding Service Cycles
We need to create our Service Cycles first, before we assign them to a Service Schedule.
In the Service Cycle menu, click the plus button in the upper right corner to open the add service cycle menu.
Give your service cycle a name - and click the plus icon to add steps to the cycle. This is the important step to consider - if you have plant that have a major and minor service, you might only add two steps - as this cycle will repeat based on the number of steps.
Once you have named your cycle and added name details to the steps, click Create Service Cycle.
Adding Service Schedules
Now, let’s take our newly created Service Cycle, and apply it to a Service Schedule - which is where the specific details for the servicing is recorded.
Click the Service Schedule link in the catalogue module.
Click the plus in the top right hand corner to open the Service Schedule creation menu.
Fill out the basic details like Name, interval unit (also known as Unit of Measure) and interval.
For example, the interval unit might be Each - and the interval might be 500.
What this means is that for every 500 units on the SMU or Odometer recorded on this plant, it will enact the next step of the service cycle that you attach to this schedule.
The duration field will set how many times this schedule will be repeated.
Let’s select the Service Cycle we created earlier - it will change how this screen displays.
It will add a number of lines below that match the number of steps in the service cycle.
This is where you can select the specific form template that will be used for these services, as well as the dedicated budget for things like Lubricant, Parts, and Labour.
Once you have filled out these details, click Create Service Schedule in the top right corner.
This will bring you back to the Service Schedule dashboard - click the pencil icon for your Service Schedule to go into edit mode.
Now that you are editing the schedule, you can select the specific plant that it applies to via the plant drop-down menu underneath the Service Cycle steps.
Select the relevant plant and click Update Service Schedule in the upper right hand corner.
You’ve now imported your plant, created service cycles and schedules, and assigned those schedules to your plant. There are only a few other areas to explore before your plant is ready to go.
Let’s update your plant records for details about prior expenses, service, and utilization.
Expenses, Service, and Utilisation
Let’s navigate through to the Plant Dashboard again. We are going to explore how to update any expenses, service records, or prior utilisation your plant has recorded.
You can do this in bulk, similar to how you imported the plant, by locating the relevant import sample. In this session we will cover how to do it by hand.
From the Plant dashboard, click on the name of one of your Plant records.
This will take you to the details tab of that plant.
At the top of this page, click the Service tab.
This is where you can manually set the current odometer, the next due reading and due date.
Below that you will find the utilisation records - the reading number, the reading, as well as the date and who performed the reading.
Under the utilization records is the Service Schedules - you can have multiple service schedules against a plant - this is where it will display the details of the schedule, as well as options to skip the next service or even generate a work order for the current step of the service cycle.
Below the service schedules will be the service records, which will display the history of each prior service. This is where we can manually add a prior service.
Click Add New Service Record to open the service record menu.
Fill out the details of a prior service, and include the date of the next service - an estimate is fine if your service schedule is only structured by odometer readings. Complete the rest of the details and upload any supporting documentation as well before clicking the Save button in the upper right.
Below the service records area is the Plant Expenses section - this is where you can record any costs or expenses incurred by this plant.
Once you have updated any missing details of this plant, we will navigate to the final steps of Plant management in Prestartr - setting up Plant Zones, the Expiry matrix, and finally looking through the Service Register.
Plant Zones
In the Plant module, click on the Zones submenu.
Plant Zones are different than groups - think of groups as a folder structure - think of Zones as allocation areas.
You might make a Zone for specific region or suburb - specifying that these plants are available in that zone.
Click Create New Zone to switch to the creation menu. Give your zone a name and select the specific plant to include in the zone.
Click Save Plant Zone to create and update your zone.
Expiry Matrix
Before we wrap up with the service register, one of the last areas of the Plant module is the Expiry Matrix. Like the name says, it’s a chart of expiry dates associated with your Plant. That means it will track thinks like registration expiry, calibration dates, or even electrical retest dates.
In the Plant module, click on the link for the Expiry Matrix in the submenu.
Before it is configured, the matrix is empty. Using the tabs at the top, click on the option for Configuration.
This is where we set up the matrix - to get started, click the New Row button to add an empty line. Each line will become a column on the matrix. Have a look at the Field drop-down and select a relevant date or expiry you want to track. Update the name field and click Save in the upper right corner.
If you click on the Expiry Matrix tab in the top left, you will now see a list of Plant with that information displayed. This dashboard will collate your overdue items, as well as the items that are due sooner and later.
You can also view this information in a basic list format by clicking on the tab at the top labeled Expiry list.
Service Register
Now to wrap this guide up, let’s explore the Service Register in the plant module.
From the Expiry Matrix click on the submenu link for Service Register.
The Service Register is a clear dashboard of the upcoming services based on your Service Schedules. From this dashboard you can see the overdue and upcoming service items, as well as the option to quickly skip a service step or generate a work order for plant service.
When creating a work order from the Service Register, it will populate the work order details with the name of the Plant, as well as the name of the service schedule step. As part of the work order being created through the Service Register, it will attach the form template selected on the service schedule step as an Action in the Actions tab - prompting the user to complete the form to mark the Work order as finished.