How SOUNDTech+ is Changing the Game for Technicians

In August, City announced the introduction of SOUNDTech+ powered by DST, the City-branded ultrasound predictive maintenance tool. This technology is the first of its kind in the retail space utilized to extend equipment life and lower total costs for grocers and retailers, and City technicians have been quick on their feet in rolling the tool out to dozens of City’s partner’s stores already.  

Over 70 SOUNDTech+ tools have been deployed to our teams in the field who have performed hundreds of tests across the equipment in our partner’s stores with resounding success. We spoke with City Refrigeration and HVAC Technician, Ramon Pardo, who oversees roughly 30-40% of all stores currently utilizing the ultrasound technology. Pardo was proud to share that he and his teammates have been able to save multiple refrigeration racks and increase asset uptime since using the tool.  

“In one case, we had a refrigeration rack that wasn’t operating at potential due to multiple errors,” Pardo stated. “With the SOUNDTech+ tool, we could see the blow-by-blow of what was happening to each of the 44 compressors within the rack and diagnose each rack, making fixes to the four compressors that were causing the issue.”  

Pardo continued to share how the tool’s quick diagnostics led to saving our partner money and our technicians a significant amount of time. 

Pardo acknowledged that some technicians might be wary of utilizing the new tool and that it is just “one more thing to learn”; however, he is confident that the potential savings in terms of cost, time and energy will far outweigh any doubts. “I see a future where the SOUNDTech+ tool is not only introduced to newer technicians, but to all technicians, and creates an environment where equipment monitoring will be one of the simplest parts of the job.” 

As technicians continue to utilize the tool, data is collected and mapped out for comparison. That way, as time goes on, technicians can track any anomalies or disruptions in their equipment ahead of time and predict the exact spot where an error is likely to develop. This works to prevent extensive equipment downtime and allow technicians to focus on fixing pinpointed issues identified by the tool – rather than having to run as many routine maintenance checks or spend time opening up equipment that may not require attention. For technicians like Pardo, the tool is a game-changer and has already had positive impacts on the team’s first-fix rates and other key performance indicators (KPIs).  

While this is just the beginning, the SOUNDTech+ tool is creating new opportunities for our technicians across the field by providing technicians with additional support in detecting impending system failures. At City, we prioritize innovation and constantly challenge what it means to be a successful team. If cutting-edge technology and continual training speaks to you, visit our Careers page to learn more today.