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Texas is home to two of the biggest names in rugged computing and earlier this year they came together when Xplore Technologies acquired Motion Computing. It's good news for field service companies, says Ian Davies, Country Manager, Northern Europe, for Motion, in this interview with  Field Service News Editor, Sharon Clancy.

SC: Where do the two product ranges sit in the rugged PC sector?
ID: Both companies sit at the top of the rugged PC sector. Xplore is the number one vendor in the ultra-rugged PC sector, while Motion claims second place in the rugged tablet space. Motion has a more mature and stronger presence outside the USA, with 50% of sales to European customers. The majority of Xplore's customers (80%) are in North America.

This give us plenty of opportunity to grow our customer base. The Motion brand will be retained, with the product being called Motion by Xplore.  Xplore has said it sees the acquisition of Motion as consistent with its goal to establish the best and broadest line of rugged tablets for the enterprise market and a one-stop shop for rugged devices.

As part of Xplore Technologies, Motion is in a stronger, more secure position financially.

SC: Will there be any rationalisation of the product ranges?
ID: In the long-term there might be some, but for the immediate future, no. In my working life, I've experienced several acquisitions and appreciate customers are naturally nervous about how long availability and support for existing products will continue. They have invested in devices that have a lifespan of at least five years, sometimes seven or even longer, and they're being used for mission-critical tasks. They want reassurance.

 

There's actually very little overlap in the product range because of the different sectors the two brands are focused on. Xplore is very active in large-scale deployments in sensitive sectors where security is a paramount: energy, public safety, telecoms and cables and the military. Motion has a broader customer base, active in utilities, healthcare, retail, construction and the emergency services.

There is some overlap is on the technology front, but we make no apologies for that: customers benefit from our using best-in-class components. Earlier this year, our processor supplier Intel, named Xplore as its Mobile Platform Partner of 2015.

SC: Both Xplore and Motion have adopted the indirect channel sales route. Will that continue?
ID: Yes. There should be no integration issues as far as channel partners are concerned.
Our partners have different strengths: some are hardware specialist, others are independent software vendors. What they have in common is a commitment to the customer. At this end of the market, buyers are interested ensuring tablets have the functionality for their workflows. It's why we work closely with IT departments and our channel partners: you are not just selling a piece of hardware but everything that goes with that. It will need customising for the workflow and configured for integration with back-office systems, for example.

Never underestimate the value of a great partner: our Motion Valued Partner eco system recognises the important role they play. Our partners need to be consistent and have integrity: they are our face to the customer and the first port of call for support. In return, we believe in long-term partners: we won't pull the run from under their feet and we won't change the rules down the line.

 

SC: Motion has stayed loyal to Microsoft Windows, even when the clamour for Google's Android OS was at its highest. Why was that?
ID: Continuity is important to us and our customers. We have been advocates of Windows because our enterprise customers prefer a back-office compatible OS and they want their mobile workers to be able to switch smoothly from the office and into the vehicle and field via their tablet PC, including for those advanced tasks that are proving a challenge on other mobile devices.

All Motion tablets currently ship with Windows 8 and are capable of supporting Windows 10. Windows 10 combines the best of Windows 7 and 8 and its arrival is good news for those companies who decided to skip Windows 8 and have been patiently waiting for the next incarnation.

 

However, there is now a big market for Android OS and it is on the technology roadmap for the Motion range.There is customer demand in some vertical industries with unique application and workflow needs, and we acknowledge that. Android OS gives them with greater flexibility and a wider access to more apps. Xplore's Ranger X tablet already ships with Android OS.

SC: Finally, will the trend for consumer tablets in field service impact on future sales for the group?
ID: I believe that field service companies recognise the value in enterprise-grade rugged tablets and understand Total-cost-of-ownership. There's little demand from enterprises or their workers for consumer devices. Companies understand the risks on mission-critical operations of breaking the tablet and losing data and the affect device reliability and that field workers who don't trust the device, won't use it as intended, will leave it in the vehicle, adding or retrieving data when they return, all of which has a direct affect on productivity.

One often overlooked aspect of the consumer v rugged debate is the critical role supporting peripherals accessories and additional modules play smoothing workflows.

Both Motion and Xplore understand that the ease of charging, mounting, carrying and storing tablets is key for user acceptance and that enterprises may need a variety of data capture and communications modules to maximise productivity - none of which is usually available on a consumer tablet.

 

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Xplore Technologies Corporation, the rugged tablet computer manufacturer, has expanded its presence in the UK with the acquisition of Motion Computing Inc. and its subsidiaries. The acquisition broadens Xplore's product portfolio to encompass rugged as well as ultra-rugged tablet computers. 

By bringing together two industry leaders, organisations in the United Kingdom now have access to the most robust product portfolio of rugged tablets in the industry that are purpose-built for the unique workflow demands of critical industries. Both Xpore and Motion by Xplore  products will continue to be available through local channel partners in UK

"We are excited to now offer the UK the broadest portfolio of purpose built rugged tablet computers and accessories,” said Ian Davies, country manager, Northern Europe, Xplore Technologies. “With more than 30 years of combined industry experience focused solely on the rugged tablet market, we are confident the strength of the collective companies will address a broader range of customer needs and provide a one-stop shop for rugged tablets.”

 

The portfolio of Xplore and Motion by Xplore tablet computers use powerful and modern processors and components and are tested more vigorously for shock, thermal, vibration, impact, ingress and emissions than any other in the industry.  In May, Xplore won the prestigious Mobile Platform Partner of the Year award at the 2015 Intel Solutions Summit in North America.

Xplore’s products enable the extension of traditional computing systems to a range of field and on-site personnel, regardless of location or environment, providing  an ecosystem that turns the tablet PC into a solution for their specific workflow.The company’s industrial grade rugged tablets meet the demands of customers in the energy, healthcare, utilities, manufacturing and distribution, public safety, field services, transportation, and military sectors.

 

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If we are to select the right mobile device we must look at both the environment and the application to make the intelligent decision argues Xplore Technologies Sandy McCaskie

All too often the deployment of rugged technology is borne of a quick analysis of the environment where the work will be carried out.  Working in a safe, plush office full of suits?  Use a consumer device.  Out in the field recovering a breakdown or on the tarmac at the airport?  Grab a rugged tablet such as Xplore Technology’s Bobcat.  But this thinking is dangerously flawed – a throwback to the mindset that technology exists separately from the business it serves.

The deployment of rugged technology such as tablet PCs is – if done correctly – almost regardless of the environment.  Instead, such a deployment should be based upon the level of the “business-critical” nature of the process performed and how vital the technology is to the completion of that process.

If you can honestly get by without a tablet or PC in a given process, a consumer unit is ideal, subject to issues such as the compatibility of the operating system.  When the unit breaks, the process simply slows down, but still carries on whilst a replacement is found. The relatively low cost of a single consumer unit, ubiquitous Wi-Fi and easily downloaded apps make this an attractive short-term option, though for the recovery market, the likelihood of damage means that these replacements will soon start to add a substantial cost.

 

Studies show that a consumer tablet used in the field is four times a likely to break as a rugged unit and the resulting loss of productivity can be hours.[/quote] At any sort of scale, or if the process is dependent on the technology but there are alternatives available, the semi-rugged or “robust” category may be a more cost-effective option. This is often the case in controlled environments outside of an office - home visits in the field would be a great example.  Why go to this extra expense?  Because studies show that a consumer tablet used in the field is four times a likely to break as a rugged unit and the resulting loss of productivity can be hours.

 

This consideration of “task first, location second” progresses through the levels of ruggedness based on if a given job/process can be completed without the tablet.  As an example, a recovery engineer in the field cannot complete a job without access to technical data, compliance forms or a proprietary workflow application – all of which require processing power of a PC.   This necessitates a tablet that works every time in any environment - hence a level of full ruggedisation.

However this approach can exist independently of the environment that demands a comprehensive set of IP, drop test and MIL ratings.  Yes, hardware must perform in the right environment but ruggedisation is simply a way to enable reliability and that concern of reliability is not the exclusive province of rugged environments.

A manager based in an office but with processes that are critical to the ongoing operation of the business, for example, communicating and sharing data with a small team of field engineers that are the only contact directly with customers, still needs to assess ruggedised options in order to guarantee that workflow.

Of course, usability beats reliability when it comes to technology.  Hence design that accounts for IP ratings and MIL testing must still also cover basic points such as weight, ease of input and the versatility that comes from connectivity options.

In many applications of real world tablet deployments, the challenges of some environments are enough to drive the desired technology toward a ruggedised tablet that can withstand far more than the person using it.

But an intelligent approach to ruggedisation must be grounded in the task at hand, in addition to the place it has to take place, even when that place could be anywhere.