Mobile computing sets workers free

Magazine Article, Source : The Manufacturer US
Zone : IT in manufacturing

“Not in the office” does not mean non-productive in a wireless world, finds Matt Bolch

“The goal is to allow workers to spend a day at the beach without going into the office,” says Tyler Lessard of Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the BlackBerry. The use of hand-held wireless devices in a manufacturing environment never will allow line workers to work from the beach, but managers, warehouse workers, salespeople, and service people increasingly find themselves being as productive in the field (or perhaps at the beach) as they are in their plants and offices.

Globally, the mobile worker population is predicted to increase 31 percent between 2004 and 2009 to 850 million, according to data from analyst firm IDC. Further research from In-Stat shows that manufacturers already are deploying significant numbers of mobile devices among salespeople (82.1 percent), managers (65.4 percent), field engineers (48.7 percent), field services personnel (43.6 percent), IT workers (37.2 percent), and transportation employees (24.4 percent).

“We’ve seen mobile devices deployed widely throughout organizations, starting with the executive tier, and then cascading down the organizational chart,” says Lessard, director of the Independent Software Vendor Alliance Program at RIM, based in Waterloo, ON, Canada. “Executives and managers have moved from checking and sending email to receiving business intelligence reports, gaining real-time glimpses into the enterprise, giving approvals, and examining ERP workflows.”

The sales team can access inventory information, submit purchase orders, and interface with sales automation applications remotely, Lessard says, while field service technicians and delivery people go wireless to receive job dispatches, access route information, and check documentation.

Wi-Fi networks allow manufacturing employees and distribution workers to transmit voice and data without costly infrastructure, says Chris Koeneman, vice president of worldwide sales at Colubris, a provider of multi-service wireless networking solutions and WLAN security based in Waltham, MA. “Applications that manufacturers said were too expensive four or five years ago now can be run on a Wi-Fi network for one-tenth the cost,” says Koeneman.

Trends among manufacturers, he notes, include using wireless networks and mobile devices for point-to-point wireless communication, transmitting voice over Wi-Fi, and connecting to mobile robots. In many parts of a plant or distribution facility, it’s not convenient to run cords for phones and data. Also, employees are highly mobile and not likely to be at their desks anyway. A WLAN system and Wi-Fi phone allow employees to stay in touch throughout the facility, Koeneman says.

As manufacturing executives recognize the value of wireless applications, “a wireless network that enables mobile devices is a given,” says Kevin Prouty, senior director of manufacturing solutions at Motorola (Schaumburg, IL). “Wireless is ubiquitous in warehouse and inventory applications.” Desktop computers with a separate barcode scanner have given way to mobile PCs with integral scanners, for example. But wireless devices also are being used on the assembly line, in the quality department, by engineers, and by field managers.

Prouty stresses that a company shouldn’t select one device for enterprise-wide deployment but should tailor the device to the job function. The needs of an engineer vary greatly from those of an inventory manager, a forklift driver, or a salesperson.

The ruggedness of any device also should be a consideration, says Thell Gillis, Panasonic’s senior manager of market development for workforce automation. The company has been making its Toughbook laptop products for 15 years and is getting ready to release a line of rugged hand-held devices. Studies of commercial-grade PCs find a failure rate between 25 percent and 35 percent, Gillis says. In comparison, Panasonic’s failure rate is just 2 percent. “If you think about mission-critical applications running on mobile PCs on the shop floor, on the assembly line, or mounted on a lift truck and they fail 35 percent of the time, how does that make you more productive?” asks Gillis.

As wireless networks continue to penetrate manufacturing operations, Panasonic sees tremendous growth of mobile devices in this sector, Gillis says. A manufacturer looking for mobile computing devices should closely check warranty information and availability of parts to repair devices. Gillis says that Panasonic stocks replacement parts for a minimum of seven years.

BlackBerry also has a wide variety of products for use in the manufacturing sector, Lessard notes. The company does not offer rugged products, per se, but the reliability of the company’s devices can be bolstered by rubberized and waterproof cases developed by its partners. Another innovation from Research In Motion’s Ascendent Systems subsidiary enables desk phone features on a BlackBerry.

Regardless of location, a user of the Ascendent Voice Mobility client for BlackBerry can access the company’s phone system features remotely, with such functionality as four-digit dialing, call transfer, and conference calling, Lessard says. The system interfaces with private branch exchange (PBX) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems, so that workday at the beach may not be too far off after all.

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