When Wheeler Cranes made the move to a sprawling 22,000-square-metre facility in Hexham, New South Wales it wasn’t just the physical footprint that expanded – it marked a broader shift in how the business approached operations, technology, and efficiency.
For General Manager Glenn Wilbow, the shift to a new facility also led to a strategic decision to return to Visual Dispatch, a crane scheduling and logistics software platform that the company had first adopted more than a decade ago.
“We initially took on Visual Dispatch back in 2012,” recalls Glenn. “I believe we were one of the early adopters in Australia. It was a local install back then– no cloud –and it didn’t have all the bells and whistles we take for granted now, like sign-on-glass. But even then, it was way ahead of its time.”
By 2018, changes in operational needs prompted Wheeler Cranes to experiment with other software providers.
“We needed something that could handle electronic sign-on, digital job tickets, and cloud access,” said Glenn. “At the time, Visual Dispatch didn’t offer that, so we gave a couple of alternatives a shot. But, to be honest, they just didn’t cut it.”
The alternatives promised modern features but created more complexity than clarity.
“There was too much manual labour in what was supposed to be an automated system. You’d spend all day navigating through menus or opening multiple screens to do basic things.
“The whole point of moving away from paper was to save time – but we were losing more of it.”
In the end, Glenn said, the team’s frustrations led them full circle. “We went through two other systems before coming back to Visual Dispatch. Once they introduced the new cloud-based version –with sign-on-glass, better integration, and Australian support – it just made sense. And when I told the staff we were going back, they were ecstatic. It was like telling them they were getting their old tools back – just sharper and faster.”
One screen to rule them all
For crane businesses managing multiple crews, cranes, and sites across tight schedules, dispatching is the nerve centre of the operation. Visual Dispatch’s drag-and-drop interface gives Glenn’s team a bird’s-eye view of all resources in real time.
“We used to need three screens open just to track jobs, crews, and compliance,” said Glenn. “With Visual, it’s all on one screen. You can literally drag a worker’s name onto a crane, drop them into a job slot, and right-click to dispatch. That’s it. It’s faster than anything we’ve used.”
The software also helps prevent costly human errors. “If someone’s already booked on another job, it turns red. If a worker doesn’t have the right site induction, it flags it. It’s constantly checking compliance in the background. You can’t just throw anyone into any job, it’ll tell you straight away what’s wrong.”
That level of automation is vital for a fleet of 30 cranes, ranging from 20-tonne to 250-tonne models, operating in a heavy industrial environment.
“We’re working in a high-risk sector where there’s no room for error. Visual Dispatch doesn’t just help us schedule, it helps us stay safe and compliant,” said Glenn.
Speeding up the back office
Perhaps the most dramatic improvement has come in invoicing. “We’re currently doing around 40 to 45 jobs a day,” Glenn said. “And I’ve got just one person managing all the invoicing. That would’ve been impossible with our previous systems.”
As soon as a crew finishes a job and submits the digital docket, the system updates instantly.
“The job ticket changes colour on the screen so the allocators know it’s ready. They check the details, click complete, and it’s ready for invoicing. There’s no back and forth. No guessing.”
His team, particularly those in accounts, are seeing the benefits too. “My wife used to do all the invoicing,” he laughs. “She’s a fast typist, but even she was getting frustrated typing the same line 40 times a day. Now, the system remembers line items. You start typing, and it autocompletes. No typos. No duplication. No spelling mistakes. It saves hours.”
Mistakes in invoicing – what Glenn calls “rework” – are now rare. “Getting an invoice wrong and sending it to a customer is embarrassing. That’s just not happening anymore. Accuracy has gone through the roof.”
Looking ahead: One system for everything
Wheeler Cranes is now working with the Visual Dispatch team to implement more features. Through the acquisition of Rapid Fleet, Visual Dispatch is integrating pre-starts, fuel tracking, and service logs directly into the software.
“Having everything, from job scheduling to servicing to compliance, on one platform is the dream,” said Glenn. “I want my team to start their shift, swipe on at the fuel tank, record their hours, and have that data update the maintenance logs automatically. Visual Dispatch is getting us there.”
Even in its current form, Glenn sees the software as a long-term solution. “We’ve looked around. We’ve tested what else is out there. And honestly, Visual Dispatch is ahead of the pack by a country mile.”
For a business as fast-paced as Wheeler Cranes, the value of a reliable, intuitive software platform cannot be overstated.
“We’re not a software company, we lift heavy things for a living,” Glenn said. “We need systems that support that, not slow it down. With Visual Dispatch, we’ve found that balance.”