Author: Andy

Rugged Tablets and Your Supply Chain the Logistical Applications

When the ultimate goal is to get something from point A to point B in the quickest, most efficient, cost effective way possible, real time data can facilitate goods from one destination to another. Real-time, accurate data is vital to gaining efficiencies, increasing productivity and minimizing costs.

Rugged tablets allow you to access, process, and transmit data from anywhere to anywhere, giving both in-the-field employees, location based retail personnel, and warehouse workers access to information at every point on the supply chain.

Benefits of Rugged Tablets

Rugged tablets can streamline logistics and make the supply chain flow smoothly from start to finish. Tablet features valuable to the process include:

  • Fast, efficient barcode and RFID readers that make tracking easy.

  • Wireless integration that keeps all the important data right at your fingertips.

  • Rugged builds that can survive handling around moving boxes, crates and packages.

Transportation and logistics applications start at the pickup point, whether it is the manufacturer to warehouse run, the warehouse to retail leg of the journey, or the direct to customer trip. If cargo must undergo cross dock transport, keeping track of it is easy with information passing rapidly between tablets at different points of access.

Yard logistics are simplified when loading, inventorying, and unloading, keeping the data trail intact. Finally, delivery can be verified and the ticket closed remotely, with all data sent immediately for confirmation online.

Rugged Tablet Extras

Extra mobility is added to the rugged tablet with the option of ports that can support various hardware and applications, and mounts and cradles that allow tablets to be secured to walls, forklifts, or inside vehicles.

The versatility allows each rugged tablet to be customized for a specific point of use in the logistics chain, and to be outfitted for crosspoint use and easy handoffs throughout the supply chain.

From the manufacturing facility, to the warehouse, to the road, rugged tablets are flexible and durable enough to take whatever the changing environment throws at them. Drivers can stay in touch with dispatchers regarding delivery details or any issues that arise while theyre in the field.

The bottom line? Increased productivity, less wasted time, and lower margins of error from the beginning of the supply chain to the end.

Rugged Tablets and Mobility in Warehouse Environments

Rugged tablets are ideal for use in warehouse environments for many reasons. The marriage of superior software and durable hardware make rugged tablets the take-anywhere, do-anything solution for workflows that require mobility and functionality.

What Makes a Tablet Enterprise Friendly?

Rugged tablets need several key features to be enterprise-friendly. Battery life, overall quality, and reliability rank high on the must-have list, as well as wireless capability, optimal GPS quality, and drop and water/dust protection are n key decision criteria for many companies seeking to mobilize personnel in a warehouse environment. Rugged tablets from DT Research have multiple benefits for enterprise functionality, including:

  • Long battery life

  • High quality, fully integrated reliable components

  • A range of display sizes

  • Wireless functionality

  • GPS options

  • Camera availability

  • Barecode Scanner, RFID reader

  • Indoor/outdoor readable displays

  • Drop/vibration protection

  • Security features

  • Competitive pricing, especially considering device life expectancy

Warehouse Use

The tablet can travel through the warehouse, creating a data trail that is recorded, stored, and transmitted as needed to other devices or stationary points. From the time an item arrives until the moment it leaves the warehouse, it can be tracked, identified, registered, inventoried, labeled, and deployed from the convenience of a tablet.

Workers on the warehouse floor can scan codes, take instant images of damaged goods or items that require repackaging, verify physical locations, and share information. Upper levels of management can carry tablets on the fly, receiving and filtering the data they need to keep the warehouse running at optimal efficiency.

Logistics can be seamlessly tied into the floor with incoming and outgoing shipments recorded at every step, and images taken of invoice numbers, details, security seals, and paperwork. Documentation data becomes much less error prone and is quickly retrieved when needed.

Rugged tablets are the answer to multiple choke points in warehouse operations, and can be utilized at every level to increase efficiency and productivity. These long lasting, durable workhorses will prove their value as productivity increases and issues decrease.

Customizing Manufacturing Workflows with Rugged Tablets

Rugged tablets are swiftly becoming the new hot point for automation, bringing new customization, efficiency, and speed to manufacturing workflows. Standardizing mobile computing technologies for any given workforce is a proven way to increase productivity, and mobile tablets bring the latest in technical excellence and physical durability to the manufacturing industry.

With rugged tablets in play, different sections of a line operation can communicate in real time not just as an alert system but as a fast, effective solution finding factor that controls downtime lost to blips in the process and enhances recovery when there is a situation that slows down the line. As a lightweight, durable alternative to traditional computers and off-the-shelf tablets, rugged tablets are made for on-the-floor use, and can streamline almost any workflow.

Rugged tablets allow those on manufacturing floor to handle complex data entry and inventory tracking in real time, as well as tracking progress and managing assets. Each worker can communicate and share information instantly with other workers and different levels of management. In addition, the added benefits of rugged tablets for manufacturing include:

  • Touch screen capability

  • Windows-based OS

  • Robust software applications

  • Shock, drop, and damage resistance

Mobile computing devices like rugged tablets arm your workforce with effective, easy to use tools that give them real time information. This leads to faster, smarter manufacturing processes, less downtime, higher worker productivity, and less errors on the floor. Worker time is more efficiently designated, leading to a faster, cleaner operation.

Warehouse layouts and logistics can also be controlled and adapted to the new, improved way of management, creating a workflow that is devoid of wasted time and effort. Since the ultimate goal of any manufacturing company is produce and distribute goods as swiftly, accurately and safely as possible, the rugged tablet provides the perfect complement to training and planning. Warehouse shelter solutions can also help businesses maximize available space and adapt to evolving operational requirements.

By putting a reliable, durable, and high tech device at the service of the workforce as individuals, you can bring them together in real time as a whole, cohesive team. The durable design and portability of a rugged tablet are ideal tools for reaching manufacturing goals.

Manufacturing is a demanding environment, and the success of any manufacturer is dependent on the efficiency of a multifaceted workforce. A company that outfits and trains each worker in the use of the latest technology available sees an amazing ROI in the form of an operation that suddenly is performing at an optimal level.

Rugged Tablets Bring New Safety to Construction Workers

The construction industry, despite hundreds of years of advances in technology, remains one of the most dangerous in the world. The multiple risks on the job site include countless moments during each act of labor that can put a worker at risk. Most of the mitigating measures in place are physical better gear, better protective clothing, better machinery and training for Safe Operation of 360 Telehandlers. Workers in construction, demolition, and renovation need to be particularly aware. You can also work with highly qualified installers of floor markings like https://www.floor-markings.co.uk/ to ensure that specific hazards or hazardous structures are clearly visible.

However, technology is finally coming up with more ways to help than the purely physical and rugged tablets can now go a long way towards making a construction site safer for workers in the industry. When considering employee health and safety, proper training in identifying and managing asbestos is crucial. Asbestos-related diseases can take years to manifest, making early education and prevention key. This knowledge not only protects workers but also their families from secondary exposure. Make sure that everyone is safe by doing asbestos testing Adelaide right away.

How do Rugged Tablets Differ from Consumer Tablets?

A rugged tablet might seem essentially the same as the other tablet computers that are on the consumer market. However, a closer look reveals there is more here than just a more rugged case the entire tablet is designed to endure harsh environments. Rugged tablet design has been enhanced in order to keep devices functioning properly in rough conditions such as those present on a construction job site. A rugged tablet simply doesnt have the same risk of leaving workers in a lurch.

You can expect to see the following on a rugged tablet:

  • A tough, tightly sealed outer casing designed to keep out dust, water, and other contaminants

  • Large, glare free display screens that are easy to read in both high and low light, and have stylus and even fingertip writing functionality

  • Rugged external cases that are designed to withstand vibration, being dropped, or subjected to other types of stressors

  • Strategically-placed buttons that make them easier to use one handed or in less than ideal conditions

How can Rugged Tablets Help on Construction Sites?

Devices can be used for construction purposes in the following ways:

  • Piles of thick manuals can be saved as txt/PDF files in a slim and rugged tablet

  • Workers or inspectors can share and view plans using AutoCAD or similar applications

  • Builders can add notes on top of a 2-dimensional image, and share the results

  • Subcontractors can conduct material audits, review punch lists and approve submittals

In addition, rugged tablets can contribute to a safer environment for everyone on the site; for example, if one worker is absent, another with the correct skill sets and qualifications can be found and moved into position. Theres no worrying about whether or not the individual is qualified based on word of mouth. Having the right person who is least likely to cause an accident or incur an injury can be priceless when there are deadlines to meet. This means no weak links on an existing job site.

Rugged tablets also allow for men to give safety updates before before beginning work with a new crew. Projects updates can be quickly sent out, and last minutes drawing changes can be quickly distributed to all team leaders. Instructions for emergency first aid and evacuation procedures can also be stored for reference in time of need, and each workers pertinent medical details can be stored for fast access by medical personnel and a more effective response to workplace injuries. Injured workers have the right to file a claim or lawsuit by hiring a personal injury lawyer.

Rugged tablets are a benefit to many verticals, and the construction industry is only now beginning to tap the amazing range of features available.

Rugged Tablets and Smart Manufacturing The Connection

As technology continues to advance, it becomes apparent that smart manufacturing hinges on mobility. Rugged tablets have a pivotal role to play in the warehouses of the future, thanks to their durability, mobility, advanced technology, and convenience.

Rugged tablets are a lightweight, durable alternative to traditional portable computers; with a sensitive large touch screen and flexible Windows operating system, they provide full workable experiences instead of a scaled down performance that doesnt meet industrial needs. By providing the functionalities of a desktop or laptop in a handheld device, plus robust computing systems and plenty of applications that can replace half a dozen or more separate devices in one multifunctional tool, rugged tablets are here to stay.

Mobile computing devices such as high powered rugged tablets can arm your workforce with real-time access to data they require to work smarter and faster in an industry 4.0 environment. When manufacturing applications are standardized across mobile devices, worker productivity goes up and system development, maintenance, and deployment costs go down.

As more and more workers in the manufacturing workforce can be described as information workers, the need for handheld devices will continue to rise. Since the ultimate success of a manufacturer depends on the efficiency of a multifaceted workforce, rugged tablets make perfect sense; those on the warehouse and/or manufacturing floor can handle complex data entry and inventory tracking in real time while communicating with each other.

In addition, tablets can be used to fully automate certain processes, leading many manufacturers to delve deeper into completely worker safe lines where tablets direct the machinery and workers direct the tablets.

Rugged tablets also perform well in many conditions they are put through rigorous testing including drop testing, exposure to shock, pressure, high and low temperatures, humidity, solar radiation, and harsh environmental conditions including rain, ice, freezing rain, sand and dust. Fully rugged tablets have the best resistance to outside conditions, and can be used to run the manufacturing lines of the future, performing well in high or low temps or dusty conditions.

The durable design and portability of each rugged tablet is matched with superior computing power to profitably equip every member of the workforce. In addition, the devices can be used by managers to monitor and assist their workforce from any location, assessing productivity, monitoring work in progress and tracking time and attendance.

Rugged tablets make it possible to manage a cohesive manufacturing operating in the smartest way possible, regardless of how large a workforce is employed or where they are physically stationed.