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Upskill (formerly APX Labs), a leader in enterprise software for augmented reality (AR) devices, recently announced the acquisition of Texas based Pristine, a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of AR collaboration and video streaming software.

Pristine’s remote assistance and knowledge capture solutions will complement Upskill’s existing Skylight industrial AR platform to offer the most comprehensive product offering in the industry, making it easier for customers to meet their operational needs and IT requirements.

“Augmented reality is driving incredible productivity results across functional areas in industrial enterprises. Our customers are seeing an average of 32 percent performance improvement from their very first use of Skylight,” said Brian Ballard, co-founder and CEO, Upskill.

“There aren’t very many new technologies that can deliver this kind of ‘out of the box’ value creation, which is why adoption of AR technology is accelerating at an incredible pace. This underscores the importance for Upskill to leverage new opportunities that will help us scale and innovate faster than anyone else in the space. The acquisition of Pristine will allow us to do just that.”

Pristine is best known for its flagship product, EyeSight, which provides best-in-class “see what I see” video streaming capabilities for remote experts. Customer deployments have proven EyeSight to help workers complete inspection, compliance and repair processes at a fraction of the cost and time normally required.

 

Through the acquisition, Upskill will now offer Pristine’s portfolio of field-worker collaboration solutions including EyeSight. These applications are typically deployed on smart glasses, but are also available across Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad and Android devices. With Pristine solutions in its repertoire, Upskill will be able to add breadth and domain expertise to its product offering and more choices for customers seeking to implement AR across manufacturing, logistics and field service applications.

Along with the added technology capabilities and product solutions, Pristine also brings to Upskill a talented engineering and product team with deep industry experience in scaling deployment of enterprise wearables across an impressive client base, including Coca-Cola, Bayer, The Hershey Company, National Oilwell Varco, Sandvik and Bureau Veritas.

Pristine’s CEO, Peter Evans, will step into a newly appointed role as Executive Vice President. The acquisition will also establish Upskill’s third U.S. office in Austin, expanding recruiting to a growing epicenter for tech talent and providing increased regional support to customers located in the Southwestern US.

“Our EyeSight solution makes it easy for clients to get up and running quickly with remote assistance capabilities, making skills and knowledge available via the cloud. The need for this type of work solution in enterprises is massive, particularly in organisations with a large field services workforce, where there is a growing gap between demand for skills, and the availability of those skills,” said Peter Evans, CEO, Pristine.

 

“As customers expand the use of AR across their operations, a scalable AR platform with direct integrations to their IT and OT investments becomes more important. With Upskill’s Skylight platform, we can now address the entire operational lifecycle of an enterprise and do it in the cloud, on premise or in hybrid cloud environments.”

“With these combined capabilities, Upskill now powers an unparalleled suite of applications covering complex assembly, process management, service, inspection, material handling and logistics.” said Dr. Magid Abraham, Executive Chairman, Upskill.

“Further, we can offer even more flexibility to our customers in how they create and support a connected workforce across their operations. It also fortifies Upskill’s position as the leading choice for powering the industry 4.0 workforce with augmented reality.”

 

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Commercialisation of narrowband IoT technology is widening growth opportunities, finds Frost & Sullivan’s Digital Transformation team...

Growth in the Internet of Things (IoT) market, as evinced by increasing launches, investments and partnerships, will accelerate in 2017 with the commercialisation of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT).

This cellular communications technology uses licensed spectrum and offers a standardised low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) that can capture previously untapped segments of the market. Further, machine learning and block chain technologies are being integrated with different industries, such as financial services and energy.

In Europe, IoT connections are set to exceed 9 billion by 2021. Dedicated venture funds for IoT development will help create an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of startups in the region.

 

“IoT applications integrate the consumer into the wider connected system to reflect a truly intelligent society,” said Digital Transformation Research Analyst Yiru Zhong.

“Significant funding in the last 18 months suggests that the IoT market is poised for another shift. The next evolution will be from using data to react to events, to using sentient tools and cognition or ‘predictive computing. IoT 2.0 will thus eventually enable self-healing events in a connected system.”

European Internet of Things Market Outlook, 2017, new research from Frost & Sullivan’s Connected Industries Growth Partnership Service, summarises the IoT landscape in 2016 in terms of adoption, applications and key market players, and forecasts development areas. The study examines enterprise attitudes to IoT adoption and offers eight market predictions for IoT in 2017 and beyond.

For complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan’s thought leaders, click here: https://goo.gl/VYvpGF

 

Five emerging growth areas for IoT identified by the research are:

“Q3 2016 witnessed a surge of large industry participants coming together to establish partnerships for promotion of the IoT ecosystem,” noted Zhong.

With it's impact on the field service industry rapidly shifting from huge potential to huge reality such conversations around IoT 2.0 and it's alliance to sentient tools is a vital focus for the evolution of our industry.

 

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TomTom Telematics has launched the inaugural Driver of the Year Awards to help promote safer and more responsible driving standards among European business fleets.

The competition will rank the performance of participants based on driving behaviour scores to find the safest, most efficient driver across 14 countries. Scores will be calculated from incidents of harsh braking and steering per km/mile by the TomTom WEBFLEET fleet management solution.

Ten finalists will then compete for the grand title of European Driver of the Year at the Circuit de Catalunya race track in Barcelona on October 21.

“This competition has been launched in a bid to make driver safety a higher priority with European businesses and to encourage more cost-efficient fleet motoring,” said Taco van der Leij, VP Marketing at TomTom Telematics.

“Road traffic collisions are estimated to contribute to more than a quarter of all work-related deaths across the EU1. Mobile workers however can be empowered to drive more safely – and in turn more fuel efficiently and environmentally responsible – with the appropriate guidance, technological support and training. Our OptiDrive 360 technology can help businesses address these needs and provide valuable insights on driver behaviour across Europe.”

 

Drivers can compete in one of the contest’s two categories – ‘Vans (Light Commercial Vehicles) and cars’ or ‘Trucks (Heavy Goods Vehicles)’. The top scoring driver in each category from each of five regions will progress to the final. These regions are Benelux (Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands), France, Mediterranean (Italy, Portugal, and Spain), Central Europe and Nordics (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland) and UKI (United Kingdom and Ireland).

Companies can register to participate at http://telematics.tomtom.com/driveroftheyear, where the competition’s full terms and conditions and regional rankings are available.

 

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Agricultural merchant Zantra is implementing Maxoptra dynamic route planning and scheduling software to manage deliveries of its crop protection solutions.

One of the largest independently owned agrochemical merchants in the UK, Zantra will use Maxoptra to optimise routes in order to reduce unnecessary mileage, control costs and minimise the environmental impact of its transport operations. Integrated with the company’s TomTom telematics solution for real time updates, Zantra believes Maxoptra Delivery will safeguard the company’s reputation for fast and efficient customer service, and help deliver further improvements.

“Put simply, if we fail to deliver the best advice and product selection, on time and in full, then we fail to deliver what our customers – and their crops – require,” commented Russell West, Logistics Manager at Zantra. “By introducing Maxoptra vehicle routing and scheduling, we can ensure our regional depots are fully stocked with the right products at the right time, and our delivery fleet is utilised to its maximum potential.”

Prior to the introduction of the Maxoptra platform, Zantra manually planned both depot and customer deliveries. Using orders exported from the company’s Customer Relationship Management software, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zantra will now automatically schedule up to 200 deliveries a day in accordance with customers’ specific requirements.

 

“During April, our delivery fleet makes eight times more drops than it does in mid-winter, so it was important the solution we chose was flexible and easily scalable,” continued West. “Rather than tie us into long contracts, with large up front investments and crippling support fees, Maxoptra was willing to work with us to implement a solution that exactly met our current requirements and future needs.”

The farming-family owned business has grown substantially since it was established in 2003, mainly on the strength of its service and commitment to customers, and now operates a nationwide service supplying crop protection products, nutrients, fertilisers and seed from leading manufacturers. Based at Great Staughton, Cambridgeshire, Zantra maintains a network of strategically located, BASIS approved depots, including Doncaster in the north, Faversham and Winchester in the south and Telford in the west.

Stuart Brunger, Maxoptra Business Development Director added, “It is important to remember that one size does not fit all, which is why Maxoptra is the choice of businesses such as Zantra, which experience seasonal peaks and sustained growth.”

 

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As the conversations continue to flow here at Field Service USA this year we move into the third day of the event and once again Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News highlights his three key picks of the day's must-see sessions...

 

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Using mobile and social for Knowledge Transfer

• When: 9.15 - 9.35
• Where: Desert Salon 8
• What's it all about: Greg Parker, Portfolio Director, Building Services for Trane discusses why knowledge transfer is moving from a nice-to-have tool to something that it is critical that field service organisations embrace and outlines how his organisation have undertaken the development of their own knowledge transfer systems, looking at the challenges and benefits.

 

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Global Service Excellence: Delivering high-value consistent service through independent dealers

• When: 14.25 to 14.45
• Where: Desert Salon 8
• What's it all about: Brian Uhlenhake, Department Manager, Global Service Excellence, Caterpillar will be exploring how to bring a more consistent level of service to your customers by looking at the attributes that result in customer loyalty to establish key metrics. The session will also focus on creating a formula to measure independent dealers on key metrics and raising the level of service delivery to a very high standard across your entire network.

 

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Driving aftermarket growth with customer connectivity

• When: 14.45 - 15.15
• Where: Desert Salon 8
• What's it all about: Are you comfortable with your level of visibility into your installed base? Do you have a firm grasp on the state of your deployed equipment? How about it's current state of repair - do you know the last time the equipment in question was serviced (by you or a competitor). Just as importantly, how can you correlate this to driving repeatable, predictable revenue from your installed base? This session aims to set out how companies driving service revenue are utilising aftermarket entitlement revenue to deliver meaningful results to both their top and bottom lines.

 

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After a series of great workshop sessions on day 1 at Field Service USA the format across the next few days moves to a more traditional focus of presentations, panel discussions and case studies.

The agenda is jam-packed with a number of insightful sessions on all of the key challenges and trends within our industry, but Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News highlights his three key picks of the day's must-see sessions...

 

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Vision from the C-Suite

• When: 8.30 - 9.00
• Where: Desert Salon 8
• What's it all about: This fireside chat style interview with Frank Bibens, President, Global Services Vertiv aims to shed some light on the major initiaives of the C-Suite at Vertiv a company that has service as a top priority. With a focus on how service plays into competitive tactics through to macro-level business trends this session should present plenty of ideas to shape your future service and business strategy.

 

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Establishing the right technology to enable the wide use of digital services

• When: 10.40 to 11.00
• Where: Desert Salon 8
• What's it all about: Decisions on hardware, data structures, integrated services and services that will enable digitalization for customers while actually making your field service team more efficient are critical to industry leadership and even survival in some cases. Scott Day, EVP Product and Business Strategy Thyssenkrupp, will share how one of the most advanced companies in the field service arena have enabled their own digital services program

 

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Panel: Building a cohesive service parts logistics program that puts the right part in the right place at the right time

• When: 15:30 to 16.10
• Where: Springs Salon G
• What's it all about: Getting the right engineer to the right job at the right time has been a mantra for many a field service organisation for some time now but it's all a moot point if you cannot get them the parts they need to do the job. The fact that this panel session has five senior industry figures debating the topic adds testament that this is an important topic that has been somewhat overlooked for far too long. Panelists include: Stephen Abate, Service Director Americas, Edwards Vacuum, Blake Bolton, Director Global Logistics and Aftermarket Services, ViaSat, Steven Caldwell, VP Product Management PTC, Mike Ross, Diretor of Product Strategy, Baxter Planning Systems and Jorge Torres Harware Services Director, Global Strategic Programs. Global Services Operations, Ericsson.

 

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Service Management Expo has taken the decision to incorporate Field into their brand, and will now be known as Field Service Management Expo.

The new identity will come into effect immediately in the lead up to their expo on 20-22 June, ExCeL London. The new identity is to reflect research into the industry to make sure that Field Service Management Expo reflects this growing market.

This year’s event will focus on a new theme; it starts and ends with the customer.

"We’ve found from speaking to visitors and exhibitors alike that customer experience is all important in this industry and therefore have concentrated a significant amount of our seminar programme on this topic."says Chris Edwards, Brand Director for Field Service Management Expo

 

“The decision to embrace the field into our brand name is to show that we understand what the sector is evolving into and that we need to evolve with it. We’re showing our audience that they can have confidence in us in delivering the right exhibitors for them”

Field Service Management Expo will include over 12 hours of seminar content over their 3 day expo, exploring the customer journey and RoSPA dedicated workshops and exhibitors from every facet of the industry. Drawing in directors, CEO and senior decision makers, Field Service Management Expo continues to offer its visitor vital networking opportunities to discuss products and solutions.

“FSME will excel by primarily being an expo rather than a conference, so it provides a perfect platform for field service execs to get a look at a number of different solutions and vendors, check out software demonstrations and get their hands on some rugged hardware in one place” said Kris Oldland, Editor-in-chief for Field Service News.

Secure your place at Europe's leading event dedicated to both service management and the field services industry: http://www.servicemanagementexpo.co.uk/rebrand

 

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 Xplore Technologies Corp has recently announced its flagship Android™ rugged tablet, the XSLATE D10, is available with the upgraded Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system. The Intel®-powered XSLATE D10 has long been considered the “fully rugged Android champion” in its 10.1” tablet class. This latest OS improvement provides Xplore customers with even greater return on investment (ROI) thanks to Marshmallow’s security, power management and mobile device management enhancements.

“Companies of all sizes, across all global industries, come to Xplore because they need to mobilize their workforces with highly secure, highly versatile enterprise-grade computing solutions that won’t compromise their sensitive data or the safety of their workers. They know that Xplore consistently builds and refines best-in-class rugged tablet solutions with the customers’ best interests and big picture operational objectives in mind,” explained Ron Harter, senior director of software development at Xplore. “With this latest XSLATE D10 OS upgrade, customers will maintain the Android-defined flexibility they mandate within their mobile IT environments but gain critical new computing functionality that will lead to performance and efficiency gains.”

[quote float="left"]With this latest XSLATE D10 OS upgrade, customers will maintain the Android-defined flexibility they mandate within their mobile IT environments but gain critical new computing functionality that will lead to performance and efficiency gains -Ron Harter, Xplore Technologies

The new Android 6.0.1, Marshmallow OS improves the battery life of the Xplore XSLATE D10 rugged tablet more than 10 percent, extending the use time beyond 8 hours*. Google’s latest battery optimization techniques work in combination with a new Marshmallow-specific application standby feature to prevent workflow applications from draining the battery and causing undue disruptions to the user. A hot-swappable second battery option provides up to 22 hours of continuous work time. The upgraded XSLATE D10 tablets also provide IT managers and users with several enhancements to the Android for Work and Voice Assist APIs, each of which will prove indispensable to organizations seeking greater worker efficiency and, therefore, faster application responsiveness.

 

“Often, when our customers first evaluate today’s mobile computer options, they are shocked to find how many are either incompatible with existing software, unable to meet security standards, or incapable of connecting to existing systems,” noted Josh Austin, CTO of OPEN Inc, the creator of SafetyPAD and an Xplore partner. “Our fire and EMS customers need complete, uninterrupted accessibility to critical data resources in and out of the office, and the Xplore XSLATE D10 rugged tablet is the only platform that enables them to easily leverage the inherent flexibility of Android. Xplore’s overt attention to quality, connectivity, and performance in the engineering of the XSLATE D10 has enabled our customers to easily achieve every one of their mobility goals. The recently expanded OS features will enable us, as a software provider, to further optimize and scale our solutions.”

The XSLATE D10 has been lauded for its user-friendly features, including a bright outdoor-viewable multi-touch display; eight standard I/O ports; and 4G LTE, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technologies. It also comes standard with several collaboration tools that enable hi-res image capture and video conferencing as well as multi-user login. The rugged tablet’s numerous MIL-STD-810G tested, IP65-rated and ATEX/C1Z2-certified Hazardous Location safeguards combine with a 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD) to keep workers productive – and their work protected – in every environment.

The XSLATE D10, named Intel’s 2016 Client Platform of the Year, is also a highly secure and fully managed mobile computing solution. It can easily be deployed, configured, secured, and upgraded using a number of enterprise mobility management (EMM) platforms, including Airwatch, MobileIron and SOTI Mobi Control. And customers benefit from the standard TPM, Kensington Lock option, and expanded security and encryption features now available via the Marshmallow OS.

For more information about the new Xplore XSLATE D10 Android platform, please visit www.xploretech.com/D10.

 

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TomTom Telematics has announced a collaboration with SOTI that will see the company’s popular flagship enterprise mobility management (EMM) software, MobiControl, be made available to manage TomTom PRO 8 series* driver terminals.

SOTI MobiControl gives fleet managers complete remote control of the TomTom PRO 8 series, an open-platform device that is easily customised with apps to meet the needs of specific users and functions. Content and user profiles on devices are managed centrally, so drivers have access to the most appropriate and up-to-date applications for their specific role, without having to return to base.

SOTI MobiControl offers a powerful feature set, enabling managers to dynamically control user groups and policies, allowing access to apps, functionality and content based on a user’s role in the business. Access can also be determined based on geographical location. These features not only help to control app usage, but also to manage data costs, for example by not allowing users to download large files when they are abroad.

 

“SOTI MobiControl allows customers using TomTom PRO 8 series driver terminals to instantly manage and update devices in the field, via one secure interface, so they are always fit for purpose. This takes the complexity out of mobility management and frees up time to focus on core tasks,” said Oscar Rambaldini, Vice President of Product Management at SOTI.

“SOTI is a leader in mobile device management, and by offering MobiControl together with the TomTom PRO 8 series of driver terminals we are helping businesses ensure that their field teams have the tools they need to be effective,” said Taco van der Leij, VP Marketing at TomTom Telematics. “With hundreds of apps available for WEBFLEET and PRO 8 series driver terminals we are committed to helping our customers to achieve more with their businesses.”

The integration will be handled by OrangeSeven BV, a specialist in MDM that SOTI has selected to provide all MobiControl solutions to TomTom worldwide.

 

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