Honda Replaces Rugged Laptops with Rugged Windows Tablets

In the quaint Midwest town of Russell’s Point, Ohio, sits one of the largest manufacturers and employers in the entire state, Honda Transmission Manufacturing (HTM). With over 10,000 full-time employees, HTM produces automatic transmissions, gears and four-wheel drive components that are supplied to other Honda companies worldwide.

HTM has been and always will be a state-of-the-art facility pumping out high quality products in an environmentally-friendly manner. And while their facilities and technology are top notch, the mobile workers within the manufacturing facility are constantly yearning to be more productive and efficient. 

The Customer Challenge

HTM’s process of collecting data included pen and paper, rugged laptops and numerous desktop PCs. The pen and paper was used when performing quality checks and machine checks throughout the facility. These paper forms were held on to throughout the day and transferred into the electronic system at the end of shifts. This process was time consuming and often time results in transcribing errors.

In addition to the time consuming procedure of transferring data, many of the non-touchscreen rugged laptops which were mounted on forklifts and tuggers kept breaking. The laptops were unable to withstand the constant vibration, and USB port usage and battery life failed to meet minimal expectations. Additionally, poor WiFi connectivity often times resulted in lost data and unnecessary downtime.

These challenges faced by HTM led their IT team to search for a touchscreen device which can take a beating and withstand the normal wear and tear of the manufacturing, shipping and receiving environment. Overall, safety, productivity and efficiency is what they were looking to improve on.

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