Author: Andy

While handheld POS devices have long been adapted for tracking and signature capture, rugged tablets have many more advantages and a high potential for use in the logistics industry.

Shipping and delivery verticals in particular can benefit from the flexibility, durability, and accuracy rugged tablets provide. Around various holidays, points of departure can become chaotic and confusing, with multiple deliveries, special orders, tight schedules and limited manpower.

With the right match of software and hardware, a rugged tablet can be invaluable.. Some of the benefits of a rugged tablet for logistics include:

• Mapping potential can be extremely beneficial when it comes to time management being able to coordinate deliveries and traffic as well as factoring in multiple team members, potential roadblocks and restricted streets can help streamline the days deliveries and allow for time sensitive packages to get to their destination on time.

• Similar to POS machines, a data capture equipped rugged tablet can provide a fast, easy, and efficient way to complete instant verification, signature capture, and transmission of data to a centralized tracking database. It can also allow delivery personnel to quickly scan and verify information for proper recordkeeping.

• Rugged tablets also expand and improve the process of communication; the ease of making contact with other workers, handing off tasks and making changes on the fly if needed yielding savings in time and labor when things dont go as planned.

• All tasks can be streamlined and back-up plans made and stored in case of breakdown, traffic, or other emergency. Duties can be reassigned and schedules restructured in case of unforeseen events.

• Rugged means devices keep working even in bad weather, if they are dropped, rained on, banged, or shaken. The tablet is durable and strong, able to put up with inevitable abuse.

• The ever important customer experience is better thanks to simplified tracking, acceptance, and signature processes. Worker experience is better with the exact data capture features needed to focus on tasks for their specific industry or work process.

Devices can be assigned to individuals, to vehicles, or to static locations; wherever a rugged tablet is needed, it can be customized for the user and the tasks to be completed. The ability to communicate data in real time helps keep the logistic chain running smoothly, from the time an order is made until the time it is signed for by the recipient.

Rugged tablets are bringing a whole new realm of possibilities to the world of industrial automation. With in-place computers becoming part of warehouse and manufacturing plant builds, rugged tablets are replacing the clipboard in the hands of those responsible for keeping the systems running and all operations go.

Crowded warehouses and busy loading bays can be chaotic and lead to wasted time as mistakes pile up and are duplicated from worker to worker. Vital minutes are lost simply in the transport of data from one location to the next, and missing information can stall an entire process in its tracks.

Stacked containers in docks or holding yards create reams of paperwork and documentation. Sealing and unsealing, certifying and tracking takes thousands of staff hours and any errors can take hours, days, or weeks to discover and fix. Differing levels of security can require multiple copies.

With rugged tablets on the dock, in the warehouse, or around the bay, data can be scanned, recorded, transmitted, stored, and updated as needed, with connectivity to deskbound PCs so managerial staff can monitor, assess, and verify information in real time.

The tablet with camera, barcode scanner, RFID reader, and other data capture modules, provides a quick and easy way to check boxes, pallets, or containers by UPC, QR, or other codes. If additional checks are needed, they take only minutes with the ability to verify via image or video feed.

Rugged tablets can even be equipped with software for remote operation of machines and conveyors, making it easy to move items, start and stop production or labeling, capture data on the fly, and more. Automation means higher productivity and better use of staff time.

The extra mobility of the tablet and the option of connecting to other tablets or PCs on the network allows swift communication between locations, bases and personnel. At the end of each shift, tablets can be handed off with all the correct protocols and verifications for the next task at hand. Tablets can also be readily reconfigured if necessary to meet changing demands or production turnover.

Rugged tablets will revolutionize the industrial field and bring better, more efficient ways to manage logistics in warehouse, manufacturing, and shipping areas.

At DT Research, we design rugged tablets to meet or exceed military specifications, providing a product that is durable, highly functional, and secure. Some of the standards each tablet must pass include:

• IP65 is a designation that informs the user what level of protection the device has against dust and against water spray from any direction. Rugged tablets need to be able to withstand harsh conditions and this can include in-the-field operations where dust, sand, water, ice, and snow are present as well as winds from any direction.

• MIL-STD-461F is a military standard that designates what kind of EMI (electro-magnetic interference) protection the device has. Lightning and ESD (electro-static discharge) can instantly fry a device, so rugged tablets are built to insulate against such events.

• MIL-STD-810G is a broader military standard which includes up to 28 different testing methods for use on all kinds of equipment. These tests (of which 8 normally apply to rugged tablets) determine the devices durability and resistance to high and low temperatures, humidity and water droplets or spray, sand and dust, complete immersion, and vibration.

Mass market tablets overall are not designed to withstand extreme conditions or heavy use in the field. They are prone to break readily if dropped or sat on; they dont have strong electromagnetic resistance, and they arent water resistant. For military personnel, a regular tablet simply wont stand up to the testing or in field use.

However, there are tradeoffs for ruggedness. Heavier, thicker casings are required to house them and provide adequate protection. Nevertheless, the size and heft are still good tradeoffs when you dont have to replace each tablet every couple of months, that helps save the TCO.

Durability plus computing power is another benefit of military grade rugged tablets. Custom software can be matched with hardware to make the rugged tablet more functional. The resulting product saves money and effort over time, increasing productivity and streamlining operations while allowing real time communication and data sharing between units in the field and staff at HQ.

Rugged tablets that meet military specs can be utilized anywhere there is a demand for durability and ability, including in the field, on the base, in tough weather conditions, and harsh working environments. DT Research builds each tablet to order, so that the exact options can be chosen to meet the exact needs of every project.

The demands of an overworked, understaffed healthcare system lead to mistakes that can take time, cost money, and even reduce medical quality. Walking the fine line between patient confidentiality and the need for rapid access between doctors and other specialists means needing the latest in technology as well as training to keep everything flowing smoothly even when things get chaotic.

Chaos Leads to Mistakes

A crazy night in an emergency room is the perfect example. An emergent situation leads one medical professional to set down a clipboard temporarily, and follow up on an existing patient is missed. Another patient ends up stranded in a hallway waiting for a bed, forgotten due to a missed entry in the main system. A third received incorrect medication since a note from one chart wasnt transferred to another quickly enough, and meanwhile doctors on one floor wait in vain for input from a specialist two floors above.

Paper charts can get mislaid, drenched in coffee, or rendered indecipherable with a dozen different forms of handwriting. Data input can be rife with errors as harried staff try to meet the demands for immediate help coming from all sides. Valuable time is lost as doctors and nurses must be tracked down to verify and rectify incomplete or incorrect information, and clarify treatment protocols.

Portable Points of Access Can Help

A system that allows portable points of access which can be handed off as needed will streamline healthcare in busy settings. The capabilities of an ER with a rugged tablet assigned to every bed would mean faster, more effective patient care, ease of communication between staffers, and rapid sharing of notes, recommendations, lab results, and more. Patient histories and charts can be transferred to other beds, rooms, and floors with a quick click, and specialists can weigh in remotely with easy access to lab and test results and scans.

Durability and Connectivity Are Key

A rugged tablet is both portable and highly functional, allowing real time connectivity among health care professionals on and off site. There are no misplaced notes; med checks become faster and more accurate, and data can be added and sent seamlessly between devices on a secure hospital network.

Patient care improves exponentially when data availability is made a priority. Stressed health care professionals find the ability to share information on patients in real time leads to better outcomes, and human error is reduced when the data is readily accessible and verifiable.

The ability to seamlessly integrate notes and results from different departments and specialists and transmit them to those interacting one on one with patients is invaluable. Rugged tablets make perfect sense in a healthcare setting, and when used in tandem with larger computing systems like medical carts, they can revolutionize patient care.

Taking inventory at a checkpoint is a familiar process for many. Team members coordinate with each other on the ground, running back and forth with clipboards and pens, handing off paperwork, matching documentation, and inputting data at a central location. The amount of work it takes to complete each task is compounded by the volume of traffic and the number of personnel on hand.

Mistakes are also compounded; errors made at the gate are multiplied at the loading dock and duplicated at the main office, causing hundreds of man-hours per week to be wasted backtracking, reconciling, and re-sorting information. Multiple copies of paperwork have to be matched and distributed, handwriting from a dozen different people deciphered, and data checked and rechecked between paper copy and computer records.

Different points of contact and lack of real time communication can lead to hours or days passing before errors are discovered, and productivity suffers as well as morale. How can information be accurately captured, transmitted, stored, and distributed with minimum room for error and at a speed that streamlines the process?

Rugged Tablets Change the Game

A portable, durable computing device can completely upgrade an entire system, seamlessly binding all workers together with a standardized method and creating extra layers of protection against mistakes. Any errors can be caught quickly since information is shared in real time.

• Rugged tablet implementation means there is no need for a constant stream of workers running back and forth from truck to warehouse to office with clipboards and paperwork that can easily be lost or destroyed by accident.

• The outdated method of repeated data entry at various points of the process becomes moot, as information is instantly captured, input, stored, and shared from the point of contact the rugged tablet.

• There are significantly fewer errors because of one-time information capture with the rugged tablet and ease of checking against existing data in the system.

• The rugged tablet brings extra durability; if it gets knocked off the edge of a crate or dropped off a truck, it can withstand the fall and keep working without data loss.

• Security is safeguarded while allowing quick and easy handoff to authorized personnel; the rugged tablet can be handed off to relief crew seamlessly, thanks to verified security authorization via the card reader.

• The familiarity of tablet devices to the average person makes it ideal for training new personnel or allied personnel, as well as introducing it to more experienced members of the team who are just starting to accept mobile tech.

The rugged tablet makes workflow more efficient with real time sharing in a portable, durable device. By switching to a mobile data capture option, mistakes are fewer and productivity can skyrocket.