AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

Following on from the launch of a 7inch Android tablet last year, Getac have now launched a fully rugged 8 inch tablet that runs Windows 8.1. Field Service News spoke exclusively with Peter Molyneux about the new launch and Getac’s approach to creating the new device. 

“Up until now Windows fully rugged tablets have been larger in size 10 inches plus” comments Peter Molyneux, President of Getac UK.

However, his company have just set a new precedent with the launch of their new tablet. The Getac T800 is slim, lightweight and a nicely compact 8.1 inches, making it small enough to fit into a pocket.  However, it is also fully ruggedized to military standards meeting both MIL-STD 810G and IP65 standards.

With tablet devices now very much in the mainstream thanks in large to the rise in popularity of firstly Apple’s iPad and then more recently a raft of Android based devices from numerous manufacturers, the consumerisation of technology is now a major factor for the field service industry. This is not lost on Getac.

“There is a strong influence to our design on the consumerisation of the markets…” says Molyneux “…the demand from the market is that they want a tablet computer that has really got the performance and interface they have gotten used to in the consumer market place.” He adds.

In fact the speed at which we as consumers have embraced tablet computing is often forgotten, so quickly have tablets become a staple part of life. Similarly the speed at which devices are developed can also seem breathtakingly fast.

“If you start from the beginning and move to mass production taking a rugged tablet to market will take about 15 to 18 months – you can do it faster, but that is a sensible timeframe” Molyneux states.

Keeping pace with the latest technology trends

Of course, such rapid development of technology does mean that yesterday’s cutting edge is looking outdated today. Something that Molyneux and his colleagues at Getac fully understand.

“We could put our V100 magnesium alloy tablet on the table and the customers would say that’s old tech, the perception is ‘we want something new’”

In fact the switch away from magnesium alloy to a plastic compound is one of the big factors in the T800’s more consumeresque feel. This in itself presents a challenge to manufacturers of rugged devices.

“When we brought our new products to market we had to change the material, magnesium alloy is very good for thermal management and is a very rugged material but we have had to change to a plastic compound. This means all the manufacturing processes have to change, the machines have to change, the tooling is different etc” Molyneux explains

Getac's competitive advantage

However, this is in fact where Getac have a particular advantage over their competitors.

“We are very fortunate as a company that within the Getac Corporation we have companies that specialise in designing and manufacturing enclosures of all material types, magnesium alloys, plastics etc. So because we have companies within our group that are experts in each field, we are able to design and bring the latest technologies and trends to our computer design” he continues.

Yet it doesn’t matter how robust a device is, if its performance levels are not sufficient, then there is little point in having the device at all.  Again the mass consumerisation of technology leads to greater expectations, and again this is something Getac factor highly into their thinking when developing a new product.

Molyneux points to the fact that perhaps five years ago rugged technology was generally behind consumer in terms of processing power by a couple of years at least. However, today, lower powered processors (Molyneux cites Intel in particular) have meant that rugged tablets and netbooks have been able to move forward to equal most systems, whilst also allowing for more slimline designs for fully rugged devices such as the T800

Indeed such advances in chip-ware have allowed Getac to build rugged devices that operate at the very top of the technology scale. Align this to the fact that the company manufactures all components itself, from motherboard to chassis (a holistic approach which enables them to factor ruggedity at each stage of the design) and you have a company capable of producing something as sophisticated, sleek and durable as the T800.

In fact it is part of Getac’s ethos to constantly deliver their customers with devices that are cutting edge technology.

“We are staying very much with the latest tech.” Molyneux enthuses “For the longest life and the best performance.  We have the opportunity to take new technology to the customers and we are quite unique in what we do in that we offer the very latest spec without compromising on offering full military standard ruggedity”

If you want to know more about the Getac's latest fully rugged tablet you can read our overview of the device here 

Getac will also be appearing at this year’s Service Management Expo and will be giving a presentation in the Field Service Solutions Theatre at the event which is hosted by Field Service News.

To get your free of charge, three day pass to this years Service Management Expo held in Excel London, simply click this link and enter the promotion code 'Field Service News'

 

 

As the general public continue to raise their expectations for service call and delivery times to fit within their own personal schedules the ability to make supply and service chains ever more effective and dynamic is likely to be the difference between those companies that thrive and those that are left behind. 

Technology is of course a major enabler in allowing companies to meet these demands and Telogis have just launched a further extension of their already comprehensive, cloud-based, location intelligence software platform. The new module is called Telogis Appointment and will be revealed at this years Commercial Vehicle show at the NEC next week (running from the 29th to 31st May) Appointment is the latest addition to theTelogis Route Planning Suite

Telogis Appointment improves customer service by allowing consumers to choose delivery windows that are most convenient for them while also being most cost effective for the deliverer. It helps shipping companies reduce turnaround times by matching delivery slots to customers’ open times to receive goods, and automates ETAs to the receiving parties via text or email – all in real time.

“Businesses that embrace a customer-centric service model and implement mobile and location intelligence technologies aimed at expediting, improving and personalising the customer experience will ultimately grow market share and remain competitive,” said Newth Morris, Telogis co-founder and president, Telogis Route and Navigation. “By providing a higher level of service to their own customers, Telogis’ customers benefit from increased fuel savings, mobile worker productivity and profits.”

 

Intelligent Appointment Scheduling that Maximises Profitability

When customers interact with online scheduling tools or speak with a customer service representative by phone, Telogis Appointment will provide a choice of available appointments based on pre-determined criteria such as delivery cost, available resources, proximity of existing vehicles and resource capabilities of technicians or delivery specialists.

Telogis’ integrated work order management, routing and scheduling programs provide customer service representatives with optimised appointment times/windows that allow the customer to choose a time that works best for them. This dynamic back-office coordination takes into account factors such as vehicle location, onboard tools, skill sets, routing and schedule, and only presents appointment options that will be profitable.

Telogis Appointment also delivers integration to/from existing Customer Resource Management (CRM) or other customer service portals and initiates a call to/from appropriate applications in order to present profitable appointment options.

 

An Integrated Platform Approach

Telogis’ platform approach for any mobile enterprise gives customers a seamless, integrated SaaS solution on which to build a more productive, efficient and compliant fleet and manage all aspects of their mobile operations. The Telogis platform combines strategic and dynamic planning, advanced mobile apps that log delivery drivers’ Hours of Service (HOS) and other compliance requirements plus easy-to-build mobile forms, commercial navigation and telematics.

Now in version 6.0, the Telogis Route Planning Suite supports static, fixed-route and territory planning as well as dynamic routing, routing support specifically for vehicles carrying hazardous materials and commercial trucks. This enables Telogis customers to be more responsive and provide a higher level of service for their own customers. The Telogis Route Planning Suite ensures that plans are built so that key customers are visited regularly and operations teams can more effectively manage last-minute jobs, resulting in increased efficiency, revenue and overall customer satisfaction.

As well as appearing at the CV Show next week Telogis will also be appearing at this years Service Management Expo which is in London's Excel on June 17th,18th & 19th and will be giving a presentation during the Field Service Solutions Theatre which Field Service News is proud to be hosting. 

 

 

 

DA Systems, a leading UK provider of mobile data and transport management solutions for the transport, retail, healthcare and field service sectors, is pleased to report that its existing customer, Speed Couriers, has successfully grown its medical courier division by 45% and secured an important new business contract with an NHS Trust. These achievements have been attributed to the important contribution DA Systems’ Advanced Courier Interface (ACI) technology has made in enabling Speed Couriers to provide a highly efficient and reliable service, with 100% traceability of medical consignments at all times.

An ACI user for over a decade, Speed Couriers is the North West’s largest independent courier firm and seen demand for its medical courier services double in the past 5 years. Most recently the company secured a contract with a major North West NHS Trust to provide on-going transportation services to connect NHS hospitals within the region, which will help the Trust save costs and become more efficient.

Designed by DA Systems specifically for the courier industry, ACI has played a vital role in enabling Speed Couriers to grow its medical courier division and offer a secure, time critical service to the NHS Trust and other clients. The solution provides real-time track and trace functionality plus the ability to automatically email electronic signature capture to provide proof of delivery for every consignment.

On behalf of the NHS Trust, Speed Couriers provides an on-going outsourced transport service, which includes the provision of 4 vans on a permanent basis, responsibility for sample collection from local area GPs and a continuous shuttle service between the hospital sites. In addition to transporting medical consignments, Speed Couriers also provide a secure transportation service for the Trust’s specialist monitoring equipment. This benefits the Trust by giving it greater flexibility over how to allocate financial resources. Rather than automatically having to purchase multiple units of test equipment, it can be transported to the different sites as needed by patients, leaving more resources available for other requirements.

Using ACI, Speed Courier’s medical customers have the ability to communicate via a real-time portal to pre-book transport services and pinpoint the whereabouts of test equipment and other medical consignments in real-time. Services can be operated in a ‘self-service’ manner, enabling the customer to have full access to the job booking system and schedule pick-ups and drop offs directly, improving speed and efficiency.

“Our contract with the NHS Trust illustrates perfectly how the ACI technology has supported the on-going growth of Speed’s medical business by allowing us to be completely accountable for the service we provide and giving the customer full visibility online of every consignment,” says James Hadley, Commercial Director at Speed Couriers. “A major benefit of ACI is its ability to consolidate data from multiple sources into a single source of information for customers and the control room to act upon quickly.”

“Technology is important for any courier but is especially critical for the medical sector because of the time sensitive nature of their work,” says David Upton, Managing Director of DA Systems. “We are delighted that ACI has enabled Speed Couriers to expand its business so effectively and we wish them continued success for the future.”

 

 

Global designer and manufacturer of rugged computing technology, Getac, is launching a new tablet designed specifically to boost productivity for mobile workers, the 8.1" Windows 8 Getac T800.

The thin and light Windows OS device has been designed based on demands from mobile workers from Utilities, Field Services and Public Safety sectors. Getac has responded to those demands by developing a device that offers all the power, performance and usability of a high-quality consumer device, without compromising on the tablet’s full ruggedisation.

With its 8.1" screen, the optimal screen size for Windows 8, a thickness of 24mm and weighing just 0.88kg, the innovative T800 is small enough to fit in a pocket or your hand, but still offers all the power and performance a remote worker needs.

Getac’s unique SnapBack expansion system allows users to add expansions to the T800 such as an extra battery, increasing the operation use to greater than 16 hours. An additional SnapBack expansion is a 2-in-1 RFID and Smart Card Reader. Mobile workers will also benefit from the fully rugged design which has MIL-STD 810G and IP65 ratings, meaning the device can handle shock, drops and vibration to military grades while also being sealed against dust and water.

The 8.1" screen is built with LumibondTM, Getac’s proprietary screen technology that offers excellent touch control and sunlight readability, without compromising battery performance.

Peter Molyneux, Getac UK President says: “The T800 gives the best performance of any fully rugged Windows 8 tablet in the market today. Our customers have given us tremendous feedback on the T800’s thin and light design, while offering high levels of integration and field performance. We always target to give our customers the latest in fully rugged computer technology with no compromise on performance, and again we feel confident we have achieved this in the T800.”

Powered by the latest quad-core Intel N3530 2.16 GHz processor, the T800 also provides unparalleled connectivity and can be configured with 4G LTE cellular data with an auto tunable 8-band antenna capable of quickly switching between bands. It also includes the latest 802.11ac WiFi for data transfer speeds up to 3 times faster than 802.11n products. The T800’s optional SiRFstarIV GPS offers double search capacity, faster location positioning and improved accuracy.

Key features:

• 16 GHz processor,
• Windows 7, Windows 8.1 OS
• Tablet size: 227 x 151 x 24mm; 8.1" screen
• Weight: 880g
• Multi-touch display
• 64 GB / 128 GB SSD
• SiRFstarIV™ GPS
• Fully Rugged
• MIL-STD 810G, IP65
• Ultrafast Wifi Connection: 802.11 ac
• Strong Connectivity
• in-house patented 3D antenna design
• SnapBack expandability: 2-in-1 Smart Card Reader & RFID, or second Battery
• Battery life: 8 hours / 16 hours with SnapBack Battery
• Tri RF pass-through (WWAN & WLAN & GPS)

Look out for our exclusive interview with Getac's Peter Molyneux discussing this exciting new launch and rugged technology as a whole coming very soon... 

TomTom Telematics (formerly known as TomTom Business Solutions) now has 28,000 customers and 350,000 vehicles subscribed to its Software as a Service (SaaS) fleet management solution. This represents a 38 per cent year-on-year growth and reaffirms its position as a market leader in Europe.

Its WEBFLEET platform provides real time vehicle tracking, driving information and reports about operational performance to fleet managers.

“The growth of WEBFLEET is founded upon its success in helping businesses operate more efficiently by turning large vehicle data volumes into actionable insights,” said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director, TomTom Telematics.

“As the largest and fastest growing fleet management provider in Europe, we have a lot of experience in helping customers to use this data to manage and improve their overall vehicle operations.”

In a single day, these 350,000 managed vehicles make 1.75 million business and private trips and drive more than 60 million km, the equivalent of 1,500 times around the world.

The data centers, provided with the highest security and performance standard (ISO27001), process over 425 million messages and GPS positions per day or 25 billion new data points every quarter. At any moment, this data is immediately available to business customers in clear dashboards, live vehicle information or via detailed reports in order to decrease fuel, maintenance and insurance costs of the fleet of vehicles.

[quote style="boxed"]Click here for more features, news and resources from TomTom Telematics in the Field Service News Directory[/quote]

 

Having completed our survey on SaaS and Field Service which was run in association with Tesseract we are pleased to announce the winners of the prize draw were....

Danny Dart, Field Service Manager, JME Ltd

Paul Ramsbottom, Service Design Manager, Virgin Media Business

Richard Wilson, Operational Strategy Manager, Xerox

Congratulations to each of you, we will be contacting you shortly to arrange sending you your £50 Amazon Voucher!

If you haven't had a chance to see the findings of this research as yet then don't forget to download the white paper "SaaS and Field Service" To do so simply click this link.

If you would like to help us with our next survey which is exploring Software and Field Service in 2014 and be in with a chance of winning a £150 Amazon voucher then click here!

 

 

The field service industry continues to evolve at pace. New technologies are constantly emerging which have the potential to change the industry as we know it.

At the same time we are seeing a huge cultural shift with many seeking to realign their service division from cost centre to profit centre. To help us keep up with these changes Field Service News has put together a panel of five field service industry experts and asked them each to share their insight on the industry today. The third member of our panel is Mark Forrest, of Trimble Field Service Solutions

 

What is the biggest driver for change in field service today?

Many companies managing a large field service workforce operate in industries which require highly skilled individuals, whose work is variable and complex in terms of location and task. Add in a high degree of compliance-focused work and that means that field service work has become increasingly mission-critical in terms of timing, skills and consequence. With increased customer expectation it is important that companies ensure that their field service is not derailed by unpredictable dynamics of the working day.

An increasing number of organisations are beginning to realise that it isn’t where the vehicle is that’s important, it’s where the engineer or field service worker is and what they are doing that is of paramount concern, as ultimately they are the ones providing the service to the customer. The support of solutions to help manage work efficiently and effectively has therefore become integral in helping to meet customer demands and achieve service delivery excellence.

 

Which technology has had the biggest impact on the field service industry in the last 5 years?

Organisations with field service technicians have previously struggled to effectively schedule their work and track their progress to continually meet service commitments. Indeed, one in ten organisations still collect data from the field via paperwork. However, work management technologies have emerged to transform the productivity of mobile workforces through intelligent scheduling tools and performance management analytics.

Organisations can measure, manage and improve their operations through optimising resources, offering real-time visibility and monitoring and giving warning of tasks at risk or showing the impact of work allocation decisions.

Data obtained from such technologies can be analysed through performance management analytics to allow interrogation of the information to provide an understanding of the performance, trends and the barriers in line with business targets. The analysis drills down to different variables around individuals, teams, regions, job type etc. and can be provided to different stakeholders within the organisation depending on their business need for day-to-day management or longer term business planning.

 

What is the most important consideration when moving from cost centre to profit centre? 

Field service has evolved from what was once an operational necessity to a strategic significance, as the technician may now be the only contact a customer has with the company and therefore exposure to the company’s service delivery and brand. With a proven link between customer satisfaction, retention and profitability, how the technician interacts with the customer can be significant in the customer experience.

The most common customer complaint is when a technician does not resolve the issue first time. Making sure you get the right people with the right skills with the right assets to the right place within a set time is therefore essential. Work management technologies can help by incorporating technician knowledge, parts availability, and capacity into scheduling processes to ensure that the technician arriving on site is the person who can resolve the issue first time.

In addition, employing mobile workers who have the ability to upsell or cross-sell products and solutions whilst with customers can also make a difference to service delivery as a cost or profit centre.

 

Who is Mark Forrest? 

Mark Forrest is general manager of Trimble Field Service Management, a position he has held since January 2012. In this role, Mark is responsible for providing worldwide mobility-based productivity solutions to the communications, field services and trades markets.

Prior to joining the Field Service Management division, Mark served as general manager and Chief Operating Officer for Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies (CTCT), a joint venture between Trimble Navigation and Caterpillar. Mark also has served as the general manager and worldwide sales director for the Heavy and Highway Division. A native of Australia, Forrest holds an undergraduate diploma in Engineering Surveying and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Colorado.

To read this full panel debate and much more download a free digital copy of our quarterly magazine. Click here to register.

 

YO! Sushi, the iconic Japanese restaurant brand has reported successful deployment of Aeromark’s Smart Optimatics technology and immediate return on investment in the first month following implementation.

In 2013 YO! Sushi attended Service Management Expo looking for a system that would improve the management of its Facilities and Assets including conveyor belts, fridges, freezers, cookers and air conditioning units, and its service supply chain for planned and reactive maintenance. Aeromark offered a single configurable solution and within three months the system was deployed, instantly saving management time and associated administration when managing subcontractors.

“Our previous system resulted in needless expenditure, as we had no transparency of costs, which caused a financial impact on the restaurants ongoing expenditure. We needed a system that provided visibility and central control of finance, to ensure that faulty assets were fixed immediately within budget.” Said Mike Bonaker, Facilities Manager at YO! Sushi.

Following evaluation on different facilities management software at the Service Management Expo, YO! Sushi chose Aeromark Optimatics. “The ability for their system to be configured to meet exactly what we needed in terms of keeping the restaurant equipment and facilities running smoothly, faster response times to our restaurants and complete audit trails of subcontractor performance, are the reasons why we chose Optimatics as opposed to other software on the shelf” said Mike.

Optimatics provides YO! Sushi restaurant managers with a single solution for asset management, a central storage for all data and integration with subcontractor systems. “This system allows restaurant managers to plan reactive jobs quickly and efficiently by simply using a Smartphone to scan the QR code on the faulty asset. The trouble ticket is then emailed to the subcontractor and they update the status allowing for reports on service level agreement hits to be generated” said Mike.

Since the deployment of Aeromark Optimatics Asset Management, YO! Sushi’s assets costs and service intervals have improved through the visibility of subcontracting service history.

“We find this systematic approach to operating much easier and we are reassured that the restaurant facilities will continue to be addressed within service level agreement as we are constantly tweaking features of the system to meet the needs of our business.” said Mike.

YO! Sushi’s deployment of Aeromark Optimatics system has been essential to restaurant efficiency and service supply chain and therefore continues to improve their customer service levels.

 

 

 

Welcome to the third edition of our Field Service News podcast. This month we are joined by Strategies for Growth's President and Principal Consulting Analyst Bill Pollock. 

In this exclusive interview Bill talks extensively about his most recent research project which he undertook across the last six months of 2013 and drills down to explore those companies that are operating at a best-in-class level and what separates them from the rest of the pack.

This podcast is also accompanied by a fantastic white paper written exclusively for Field Service News by Bill and you can download both of these excellent resources for free by simply clicking the link below and filling out a brief registration form.

 

Click here to get the full podcast and accompanying white paper for free now!