AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Kris Oldland

In the first part of the this two part series we explore why tablets are becoming the mobile computing option of choice as sales of rugged laptops decline in the consumer markets and if this trend is mirrored in field service industries as well... 

At first glance you would be mistaken for thinking that Apple invented the whole tablet industry when they brought the first generation iPad to the market just four years ago. However, whilst as with the iphone Steve Jobs’ and Co. weren’t so much the originators of this exciting new technology, they sure as hell were the ones that perfected it and brought the tablet computer into the mainstream.
In fact at the time of the release of the first iPad the Wall Street Journal went as far as to describe the device as being a “laptop killer”. So four years on, with the tablet revolution at full charge are we seeing the final days of the laptop?

And what about in the more demanding domain of field service where rugged laptops have been the solution for so long?

Processing power: Rugged Tablets now matching rugged laptops

One of the biggest barriers to tablet computing in both the consumer and commercial environments has always been processing power. However, within the last five years we have seen a rise in computational power within tablets. Whereas not so long go we may have faced a decision to opt for the portability and mobility of a tablet or the greater capabilities of a laptop. This isn’t the case today.

Motion Computing’s UK Head, Ian Davies concurs with this assertion. Davies states:

“The processing power of tablet PCs is no longer an issue in most discussions. Previously, some tablet users did have to decide between the ease of use, ruggedisation and mobility offered by tablets, versus the processing power and speed of rugged laptops, but no more.”

Davies is certainly well placed to comment as Motion are one of the leading providers of rugged tablets including the distinctive looking F5te.

The tablet, having been designed with field service in mind, is easily identified by its integrated carry handle, but it is what is inside that counts. Packing an impressive 8gb of RAM and with the option of a powerful i7 processor there is plenty of processing power available to match all but the very highest spec rugged laptops.

Consumerisation: The public embrace tablet computing

Another major factor in the rise of tablets within the workplace is the consumerisation of technology. With smartphones and tablets becoming commonplace within homes across the globe it is natural for organisations to harness this familiarity with the devices to ensure the investment in technology leads to improved productivity in the workforce.

Specialist hardware manufacturer Handheld UK’s Managing Director, Dave Cawsey confirms this saying

“Users are looking for the same/close to or similar feel of retail devices (IPad, Android and WIN 8 Tablets) they have at home in the work place, most IT departments are savvy of this connection and look to make the transition as ‘user’ friendly as possible to maximise workforce acceptance of a new system/device”

Within the consumer sector the trend is clear, tablets are on the rise.

Leading technology research house Gartner identified that large numbers of consumers are switching across to tablets as their main computer, and this is a trend that is set to continue rather than being a passing fad according to their research.

Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner commented

“While there will be some individuals who retain both a personal PC and a tablet, especially those who use either or both for work and play, most will be satisfied with the experience they get from a tablet as their main computing device”

Indeed Gartner state that 116 million tablets were sold in 2012, with circa 197 million tablets being sold in 2013.

They predict sales for 2014 will rise to 266 million and by 2017 they predict that this will rise to nearly half a billion.

The same report predicts a different future for laptops however, with laptop sales showing a year on year decline from 350 million in 2012 to 339 million in 2013. A similar trend is highly likely within the more specialised niche of rugged laptops.

Whilst some experts have tried to attempt to align this declining trend with the failure of Windows 8 to emulate the accessibility and functionality of both Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems, the added mobility of tablet devices versus that of both regular and rugged laptops can not be overlooked.

Also an added benefit is that as tablet devices comprise of a solid unit, rather than rugged laptops, which no matter how well built still have a slight weakness at the joint between the screen and keyboard, are naturally more robust.

Of course the combination of being both more robust and more portable than laptops makes tablets and smart phones a perfect choice for field service, so a shift towards away from rugged laptops and towards rugged tablets is certainly on the cards.

Look out for the second part of this feature where we examine the impact of the BYOD trend on companies purchasing rugged laptops, why tablets are perfect for ruggedistation and the solution for those field service technicians that require high data input levels.

Want to know more about field service hardware? Have a look at our online directory for articles, videos and other resources from specialist providers

We’ve talked much about software as a service on field service news over the last few months.

We’ve explored whether the platform will become the great leveller in the field service industry as for the first time smaller, more agile companies are able to afford access to the sophisticated and powerful service management software systems that boast numerous benefits such as increasing efficiency, improving first time fix rates, and of course improving the level of service you can deliver to your customers. Not so long ago these systems were the domain of enterprise size companies solely.

The SaaS revolution changed that.

Then we delved further into the cloud and took with us some of the big questions that for many remained unanswered. The man we sought to give us the answers to these was both a service management software stalwart with over twenty five years experience designing service management software, but also somewhat of a visionary having been the first to develop a browser based service management solution way back in 2004.  Incidentally, he was also the first to develop a system for Windows as well.

In case you missed it you can find this interview here in our first ever podcast, where we spoke to Colin Brown, Managing Director of Tesseract and we tackle the major concerns around SaaS such as connectivity issues, integration problems, security fears, why major companies such as SAP and Oracle were so slow to adopt the model, plus also looking in more detail at the benefits of the cloud and some really fascinating insight into how the industry has changed in the twenty five years Colin has been building service management software.

However, we have realised that to fully get a grip on how the field service industry is reacting to both the cloud in general and software as a service as a delivery model then there is one remaining person we need to hear from. You.

We want to understand how you the field service managers are working, or not working with SaaS. We want to know if it appeals to you or if it doesn’t. We want to know the reasons why and why not.

So we are undertaking a dedicated research project into SaaS and Field Service. The survey itself is intelligently designed to ask only the questions relevant to you specifically and will therefore take you no less than two minutes to complete.

We will be using this data to compile an exclusive white paper based on the results which will be sent to all respondents before it is published to the general public. Also as a means of thanking you for taking the time to give us you insight we are offering three £50(or local equivalent) Amazon vouchers which are provided by our partner in this project Tesseract Software. The winners of these vouchers will be picked at random when the survey closes.

So why not take two minutes out of your day, help us understand the industry better and give yourself a chance to win! Take the survey here

 

 

The field service industry made it’s final farewells to a trusted friend, guide and mentor yesterday as one of it’s leading lights Steve Downton was laid to rest after a long fight with Cancer.

Personally I only had the pleasure of speaking with Steve on a couple of occasions. Firstly when I took over the editorial reigns of the now closed Service Management Online and still wet behind the ears in terms of field service, I made sure Steve was one of the first people in the industry I turned to for advice from as his reputation for being both a brilliant thinker and genuine good guy was well renowned right across the sector.

In that first conversation, Steve displayed both of these qualities plus an abundance of industry knowledge that set me in good stead and his willingness to help and his sheer passion for the industry shone through throughout the hour or so that we spoke.

And then secondly Steve was one of the first people I looked to for guidance when we decided to launch Field Service News and I’d like to think that the course we are steering with FSN is very much inline (and will continue to remain so) of Steve’s own objectives with his own Service Community, i.e  delivering high quality insight and analysis for all field service professionals, so we can all continue to learn and grow together as this ever fascinating industry evolves.

The following comments are from others in the industry who knew and worked alongside Steve for far longer than I and I think are a fitting testament to how well respected and well loved Steve was within the Field Service community.

 

If you would like to add your own thoughts and memories of Steve please feel free to do so in the comments section below:

 

"Everyone is special, but there are some who have that little bit ‘more light’ about them. Steve Downton was one of those people. For the past 30 years he has truly been on the cutting edge of service innovation thinking in the real world of UK business. With a razor sharp mind and an openness to the world around him, Steve kept that half step ahead of the rest of us. His passion for the role of services in industry drove his career in leading consulting businesses such as Coopers & Lybrand,  Accenture and Noventum. For many years he ran his own consulting firm, supporting hundreds of clients to increase their value from services.

His Outside-In, Positive, People centric approach with a touch of humility epitomised some of the key attributes to be successful in services.   Although his life on this world was tragically to short,  I myself along with many others will count ourselves fortunate to have been touched by this extra-ordinary man."

Nick Frank. Noventum Service Management

 

“Steve worked with us for several years. His experience in the industry was unmatched and he could see things in a different way to others. But what struck me most was that he was simply one of those chaps that you liked to meet-up with and work with. A warm hearted, super-friendly person, yet with a razor sharp mind that facilitated new views about old subjects. He will be sorely missed by all.”

Paul Adams. Solarvista

 

“Steve was just nice man who had seen it, done it, wanted to make a difference and did. His service management knowledge and its application is making many end users around EMEA satisfied and the delivery companies profit. The greatest contribution any man can give is willingness to help, and Steve did that in abundance and the industry is in better place thanks to Steve`s contributions"

Glyn Dodd, Centrex Services

 

"We worked closely with Steve over a number of years and he was a major contributor to our educational and seminar content at Service Management Expo, where his sessions were always popular and engaging. His depth of knowledge and standing in the community was second to none, but more significantly he was a gentleman to work with and much liked by all that knew him."

Fergus Bird. Event Manager, Service Management Expo

 

“There are few people that positively inspire you from the moment you meet them, Steve Downton was one of them. Having met Steve in the late 90’s when working at HP, we kept in touch over the years and collaborated on numerous projects.

Steve was THE customer services expert that you could always count on. He would bring a customer centric, “out side in”, up to date, content rich, but most of all pragmatic approach to how to deliver excellent profitable customer services. Most of all he was a gentle, warm and genuine person to know and I and many others miss him greatly.”

Martin Summerhayes. Fujitsu

 

“I had known and worked with Steve for over 14 years, and whilst his knowledge of the industry was second to none, his key strengths are how he engaged with everyone, engineer or CEO, making them immediately at ease.  Even if you were in a roomful of people, you felt he was talking to you and engaging everyone.  

Wherever he is now, I know he will be making people smile. A true special soul and what I hope is that his enthusiasm and spirit will live on and rub off on all of us”

Simon Spriggs. Exel

 

“Steve helped me greatly, both personally and professionally. He carried an empathy and insight in his field of specialty which was matched in his one to one, personal relationships.

There was never a hidden side to Steve. In a world full of questionable motives where words often exchanged without meaning, he was one of the few genuine characters. He said what he meant and he always thought of others.”

Saul Sherry. Former Editor, Service Management. 

 

 

 

New safety camera integration from Isotrak is assisting fleet operators improve safety by capturing video evidence of on-road incidents in real-time. This camera integration helps to reduce speeding by as much as 97 percent and cuts accident rates by almost 80 percent. In addition, the solution is proven to further improve fuel economy on top of the savings available from using vehicle tracking alone.

The vehicle tracking and driver safety monitoring enhancement provides transport managers with high resolution images that are date and time stamped for any point of the journey, and recording whether the vehicle is moving or stationary. The cameras integrate seamlessly with Isotrak’s vehicle tracking and telemetry solution, providing telemetry data and camera footage to backup any claims made by the driver or dispute any claims made by third party plaintiffs.

The detailed video images give a clear view of how a vehicle was being driven immediately prior to an incident, helping prove whether the driver was at fault or not. With the rising cost in insurance, the technology reduces accident costs by up to 70 percent and also helps with defending against fraudulent claims by providing better understanding of what actually happened. Fleet operators can also use the safety camera video to help them with driver training and to stop unsafe driving behaviour.

“We have partnered with market leading safety camera providers to provide a fully integrated solution that gives customers a real-time video view of how their fleet is performing right down to individual driver and vehicle level. This is an important enhancement to the live vehicle location and telemetry we already provide and we encourage fleet operators to consider how integrating safety cameras with their Isotrak system could help them drive further improvements through their operation. Video evidence is proving its importance in fighting claims, but even more importantly when coupled with Isotrak real-time vehicle tracking it can help fleet operators make significant improvements to operations and services,” says Megan Turner, Head of Marketing, Isotrak.

Introduction

Founded in 2002, Cambridge Cognition develops and commercialises computerised neuropsychological tests. The company's proprietary technology platform, known as CANTAB®, the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, is based on 25 tests and is now a market leader in two key segments: pharmaceutical clinical trials and academic research. This competitive edge is rooted in the extensive scientific validation of the test battery - unparalleled by others in the field.

These tests not only aid scientists around the world with active research into cognition but also assist pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials in order to understand the cognitive effects of drugs, especially in treating conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, depression and ADHD. The majority of the world's top twenty pharmaceutical companies are Cambridge Cognition clients

The challenge

The CANTAB battery of tests is based on touch-screen technology to deliver rapid, non-invasive cognitive assessment, in the field and in laboratories. Up until 2010, Cambridge Cognition used a tablet PC with a resistive touch screen.

Due to the sensitive nature of the tests it is vital to maintain high performance standards for hardware.  Simple 1-to-1 replacement using different technology is not possible without extensive cross-validation.

Louise Ward, Logistics Manager, Cambridge Cognition explains: “Two critical factors must be borne in mind when it comes to the testing we carry out.  Firstly, testing may run over several years and throughout that period we need consistency to meaningfully compare data

“Secondly we cannot tolerate any degradation in performance of the hardware.  Our tests deal in millisecond reaction times as patients react to on-screen stimuli.  We simply cannot have any variation in results caused by the technology itself.”

The solution

As a CamTech customer since 2004, Cambridge Cognition turned to the systems integrator to specify a new solution based on the more stable capacitive touch screen technology.  Based on this requirement, as well as the form factor of the legacy hardware platform and the Windows basis of the Cambridge Cognition software, CamTech specified the Motion J-series.

In late 2010 Cambridge Cognition adopted the Motion J3500 and has since deployed around 700 units across the globe.

Weighing just 3.6lbs and coated in shock dampening rubber, the J3500 features:

• Capacitive Dual Touch display options for both finger and digitizer pen input
• An outdoor viewable 12.1” AFFS + LED backlight, screen available with View Anywhere or Gorilla® Glass for increased display damage resistance
• MIL-STD-810G and IP52 ratings for ruggedisation
• Hot-swappable dual batteries that can deliver virtually uninterrupted performance
• Industry leading anti-theft security technology suite
• A complete range of peripherals including a battery charger, FlexDock and attachable, spill-resistant mobile keyboard[/unordered_list] 

Because of the need for such high levels of accuracy, Cambridge Cognition subjects the J3500 to sophisticated in-house testing, backed by extensive user training.  The units are monitored and controls are in place to ensure consistency on a given unit throughout its lifetime.

Louise continues: “As a result of our evaluation of the hardware itself, we have realised that the J3500 and Motion have yielded additional benefits alongside the capacitive touch screen. Our users have fed back that the extensive battery life and the double battery capacity has enabled a lot more freedom in their work.”

“In addition the level of ruggedisation has been critical in ensuring the units perform as they should right across the globe.  The presence of two USB ports has also been a key factor in improving use out in the field as tests can be backed up to portable storage devices and our academic users can use software keys stored on USB sticks.”

“Even the more considered pace of upgrades to the units works in our favour as we need time to develop validation, training and support.  In this regard as well as during times when we need technical support our links to Motion and CamTech have been invaluable.”

Looking to the future, Cambridge Cognition is set to explore the options presented by the new J3600. One of the main benefits that this evolution in the J-series offers is that it is fully compatible with the J3500 and all associated peripherals.  This not only ensures continuity of testing but also protects the investment made so far.

Louise concludes: “We have some of the most demanding expectations of the technology we use and the J3500 has met them and in some cases exceeded them. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Motion and CamTech.”

Bott Ltd, the British company who are world leaders when it comes to the manufacturing and supply of workshop equipment, in-vehicle equipment and workplace systems, has seen significant and widespread benefits to their business since deploying a telematics solution, which they is provided by Masternaut.

Having worked with Masternaut since October 2012 using telematics to monitor their fleet of commercial, HGV and service vehicles moving between their various manufacturing bases within the UK, Bott have recorded a 15% a month saving on their fuel consumption. The saving has been across their entire fleet including  company cars and vans, and has also brought an increase in fleet efficiency and driver safety throughout every arm of the business.

Bott deployed the telematics solution across its fleet of vehicles – including trucks and light commercial vehicles – in order to further reduce customer response times as part of a commitment to uphold  their already strong reputation for service excellent and rapid response. In addition to using the technology in its own fleet, Bott also now even resells the telematics systems to its customers, as parts of the van conversions arm of the business.

Via the at-a-glance view of every vehicle within Bott’s fleet, managers are now able to pin-point the exact location and speed of any of their drivers at any given time. The company has been able to reduce the unnecessary time its vehicles spend on the road, while better managing customer expectations around delivery times by sharing this insight.

With Bott’s articulated lorries making multiple deliveries across the UK every day, fleet managers at company headquarters are able to act instantly in the event of road delays or incoming customer requests.

“Given the range of locations we cover across the UK – and beyond – our drivers spend considerable amounts of time on the roads,” said Bott Ltd’s Logistics Manager, Chris Sweeney. “Anything which reduces this is hugely beneficial not only to our own business but, more importantly, to our customers too.”

“Having installed Masternaut’s technology across our fleet, we’ve been able to significantly cut down on the amount of time spent in transit, meaning our response times are quicker than ever. And through delivering the technology into our customers’ own vehicles, they’re experiencing the benefits first-hand too – it is a win-win!”

CEO and chairman of Masternaut, Martin Hiscox, added: “For businesses looking to achieve that vital competitive edge, every minute – and indeed every penny – counts. Bott, which coordinates fleets from one end of the UK to the other, is a fantastic example of how companies can be using telematics to save both time and money.”

Field Service News is pleased to bring you the first in our new monthly series of podcasts. In this first instalment we speak to Colin Brown Managing Director of  Tesseract Software. We ask Colin how the industry has changed since he first started Tesseract over a quarter of a century ago, how service management software has evolved and how the needs of service managers has changed dramatically over time as well.

With Tesseract having been one of the first Field Service companies to fully embrace a SaaS solution we also take the opportunity to put some big questions about the suitability of the cloud for field service software to him, including:

• Is the cloud/SaaS secure enough?
• How can I make sure that this new SaaS provider is legitimate?
• What about areas where there is no mobile internet?
• Is SaaS suitable for all types of company?

To hear the full interview and see how colin responds to these questions plus many more click the button below and complete the brief registration to download the podcast for free!

Download the full podcast now!

Do you ever stop and think that the technologies that are now commonplace in the field service industry seem to be lifted straight from the pages of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s notebooks?

Certainly modern smart phones are on a par with the communicator devices found on the Enterprise, and now we are seeing the replicator come to life in the guise of additive (or 3D) printing. But what exactly is 3D printing, how does it work and what can it mean to field service?

3D printing 101:

As with most technologies, the background of 3D printing actually dates back much farther than it would appear at first glance. The first origins of the technology stretch back over 40 years to the late 70’s although the first working 3D printer is credited to Chuck Hall of 3D systems back in 1984. However, it wasn’t until the turn of the century that we began to see the technology finally become a commercial reality and since then there has been large growth in the sale of 3D printers as their price has become more and more accessible. In fact the 2012 figures put the market at $2.2 billion worldwide, an increase of 29% year on year.

The process itself involves making a three dimensional solid object, which can be virtually any shape from a digital model created using computer aided design (CAD) software.  In simplistic terms this is achieved by laying successive layers of material on top of each other. Essentially this is where 3D printing differs from all other forms of manufacturing, in that traditional methods start with a block and then subtract material until it is the right shape, in 3D printing you start with nothing and then add layers (hence the alternative name of additive printing) of material to build your product.

Within the last few years we have seen the techniques used in 3D printing (of which there are now many variations)  leap forward and products as diverse as clothing, turbine parts and even chocolates can now be created via a 3D printer.

3D Printing in the mainstream:

With the 3D printing industry now on set to explode into a fully-fledged mainstream industry we are seeing a number of companies now entering the market with home based 3D printers, most of which tend to look like a high end coffee machine and are available from anything for £500 to £3,000. In fact the market place is already becoming crowded with specialist makers such as MakerBot, Ultimaker and Cubify all competing with a variety of models, and surely it is only time before we start seeing bigger brands like Motorola or Sony enter the market place as well.

At the other end of the scale, there are companies like Makerbot parent Stratasys, a 3D printing company formed way back in 1989,  that offer 3D production facilities able to create specialist parts that capable of being both durable and intricate enough to be used in industries such as Automotive, Commercial Manufacturing and Aerospace.

Another big benefits of the additive process is that unlike traditional manufacturing of parts where the production run of a small number of a specific part is often simply uneconomical, the cost of manufacturing each individual part remains constant  regardless of the size of production run. This means that one off manufacturing of a part is now a completely feasible concept financially.

Also with any technology or as the market grows, so does competition, which in turn drives performance. Perhaps the most significant and dramatic improvement we have seen as a result of growing competition in this space is the speed in which the actual printing process is now completed. I remember seeing 3D printing for the first time just a couple of years back and whilst the end result was undoubtedly impressive it was still a relatively slow process. Today we are seeing print speeds of under 15 minutes for smaller to medium sized pieces.

So what does this mean to field service?

Well for a start lets take the two sides of the industry discussed... In home 3D printing,  we have seen a drive for smaller, more mobile printers and in industrial 3D printing we are seeing materials such as metals and high performance thermo plastics being used to create parts durable enough to have genuine commercial applications. Surely it is just a matter of time before we see these two elements converge to give us portable manufacturing capabilities?

In the not to distant future could we see field service engineers arrive on site identify which parts of a product need replacing and simply head into the back of the van, upload the specifications and print the part they need? With no need to wait for the parts to be firstly ordered and secondly delivered, we would be seeing first time fix rates soar.

How about we combine this technology with another emerging technology namely machine to machine (M2M) diagnostics.  Rolls Royce jumbo jet engines for example are already self monitoring, where the engine itself has it’s own built in computer system that relays information to their field staff.

It does not require a huge leap of  imagination to take this a step further... As soon as the engine’s computer reports a minor fault in one of it’s components it transmits this information to a local field team waiting at it’s next scheduled landing destination. The required part is then printed automatically on site thus allowing the field service engineer to quickly fix the issue with the freshly printed required replacement part ready to hand. An interesting concept isn't it?

Whilst the technology is still perhaps a few years away from being perfected to these levels of sophistication, it would seem that 3D printing could genuinely live up to it’s reputation of being the second industrial revolution and it’s impact on field service could indeed be quite spectacular.

 

 

TerraXML, an enterprise software and services provider, have announced the 2014 release of the TerraView, a collaborative content delivery platform which could be of great interest to those operating in the field service arena.

The new release promises a wide range of freshly incorporated features that are designed to both improve remote access to information as well as simplifying the administration process. TerraXML claim that not only will TerraView 2014 offer considerable additional benefits for customers already using the TerraView platform – but also widen the platforms usability to industries that operate outside of networked environments

Bob Aidun, TerraXML CEO states that “TerraView 2014 represents a significant advancement in digital content delivery,”

Aidun further added "While there is already considerable alignment with cloud and mobile technology in the industries we serve, the adoption of these solutions is inherently tied to online connectivity. However, the need to be continuously connected prohibits the use of digital content in operating environments where internet service is unavailable or inconsistent. With this release, TerraView users are now able to freely access mission-critical information both online and offline. This brings considerable value to our customers who have historically struggled with providing disconnected field teams with up-to-date information.”

It is the ability to continue to access vital information in an offline environment that could potentially makes this release of interest to companies with a remote or mobile workforce. Whilst the move to digital, cloud based mobile solutions have in no doubt revolutionised the way field service organisations operate, the one consistent issue remains - what if there is no internet signal to connect to?

Whilst a number of solutions provide the ability to access information online, connectivity issues still remain for a large number of mobile solutions. Therefore the ability for field service engineers to access essential information onsite is an important element in improving first time fix rates and overall efficiency. A consistent aim for most field service companies.

Another neat benefit in addition to boasting strong support of offline data access, is that TerraView 2014 can manage data across multiple distributed servers to ensure updates to end user devices are performed using the absolute most current information - regardless of geographical location. Again a major advantage for mobile teams based in various locations such as aviation field service engineers for example, where a team may be tracking a specific flight internationally.

If TerraView 2014 is able to further improve upon the ability for field service engineers to access this key information whenever and wherever it is needed  as it claims then it is certainly a worthy release worth further inspection. Particularly for those industries that have widespread teams due to the nature of their industries such as aviation and many other field service industries.