The Ruggedized Computing Blog

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) can help manufacturers reduce costs and streamline work processes. Used in conjunction with a rugged tablet PC, ERP also provides real-time visibility throughout your operation. It’s just what you need to keep your competitive edge razor sharp, so you can keep pace with fluctuating markets, narrowing margins and pickier customers.

Yesterday (May 21, 2013), at the annual Corridor Business Journal (CBJ) Fastest Growing Companies awards, MobileDemand received a 7th place ranking for their 139% growth over the last three years. Rugged tablet PC provider MobileDemand has consistently ranked high amongst growing companies in the eastern Iowa corridor, with this year’s award marking its fourth time on the list since 2008.

In many ways utilities represent the front line of the battle between increasingly complex business performance demands and the need to control costs to remain profitable. It’s a volatile environment and your people and facilities are spread over a wide area. Your operation is the definition of “mobile,” the kind of workplace where a rugged tablet PC can really shine.

One of the toughest lessons in business life is the fact that items which seem “cheaper” up front often turn out to be more costly down the road. Every equipment purchase has two components – the initial cost, and the cost to operate it – which is why budget-conscious executives now focus on total cost of ownership, or TCO. If you’re comparing a rugged tablet PC against lighter-duty devices, it’s crucial to let TCO be your guide.

Achieving the perfect order may be a tall order, but food and beverage operations consciously working toward that goal are realizing considerable benefits. Exactly what constitutes “perfect order” may vary from company to company, but whatever your standards, meeting them depends on real-time tracking and responsiveness. That requires complete mobility, the kind provided by a tablet PC.

Certain industries – notably agriculture, utilities and logistics – have always had large populations of personnel working in the field, but today workers in virtually every industry are more mobile than ever. They’re working remotely, and they’re literally on the move. Many field workers now rely on mobile devices such as a tablet PC to add agility and automate their work.  

From Atlas RFID Press Release: Atlas RFID Solutions, the world leader in comprehensive RFID solutions for construction site materials management, today announced it was named the MobileDemand Application Partner of the year for 2012. MobileDemand has selected Atlas RFID Solutions in recognition of the success of its materials tracking solution, Jovix™, which is integrated with the MobileDemand xTablet T7200 Rugged Tablet PC.

Even small improvements in workforce productivity can add up to substantial results for your bottom line. So it’s no wonder businesses across all industries are introducing automation wherever they can, to work both better and smarter. The advent of tablet PCs has made that the transition to automation not only possible but even more beneficial.

To their patrons, amusement parks are all about fun and games. But to their owners and employees, amusement parks represent business on the move. Visitors are impatient. They want to get in the gate and get busy experiencing everything the park has to offer. Facilities that use a rugged tablet PC to keep up with customers have the happiest visitors and the strongest sales.

Mobile technologies continue to evolve and improve. But direct store delivery (DSD) operators and their retail customers have already proven that combining the portability of a rugged tablet PC with software-driven DSD processes can tremendously improve results for everyone.