WHITE PAPER BACK TO THE FUTURE

Rugged Tablet Applications for Today and Tomorrow

DELIVERING RELIABLE DATA COLLECTION SOLUTIONS

Page | 2

Executive Summary Rugged tablets are taking the materials management world by storm. In fact, respondents to a recent survey expect a 76 percent growth in rugged tablet adoption over the next 24 months.1

At first glance, the reason for this growth seems obvious. Rugged tablets have a much lower annual failure rate (4 percent) in enterprise settings than consumer-grade tablets (18 percent).2 With larger display screens and greater durability, rugged tablets bring a number of advantages for warehouse, logistics, manufacturing and operations managers and workers. Some of those advantages include less downtime because they seldom break, can be

1 Obtain the Right Mix of Rugged and Consumer Mobility: Illuminating the Factors that Guide the Journey. Supply Chain Services, 2015. 2 http://www.computerworld.com/article/2882568/ break-me-if-you-can-4-rugged-tablets-put-to-the-test.html

easily repaired, and do not need additional accessories that are required with consumer-grade tablets.

Durability is becoming increasingly critical, as devices such as rugged tablets grow in popularity. Greater expected use of rugged tablet computers is consistent with interest in applications such as supply chain monitoring,

management reporting, field sales and delivery, field service, workforce management, and asset management that involve managers or supervisors who interact with applications outside the normal office setting.

The rugged tablet is an innovation. Its remarkable uses in warehousing, logistics, distribution, and manufacturing are worth attention. The rugged tablet is a technology that companies use to achieve significant advantage in the marketplace. Innovators,

early adopters and the early majority of rugged tablet adopters can take calculated risks and reap attention, recognition and rewards.

Has anyone determined how to derive the most value from using rugged tablets in industrial, materials management operations? This white paper discusses current and future applications for materials management professionals that stand out, are undeniably excellent and remarkable. Why is this an essential endeavor?

This material provides knowledge to about how and why rugged tablets provide relative advantage and is an observable force being adopted by progressive materials management professionals. The numerous applications of rugged tablets continue to benefit companies directly and indirectly. These indirect benefits are more important — rugged tablets

Page | 3

contribute to saving labor, improving efficiency, and moving the enterprise toward lights-out warehousing. This white paper will discuss some applications for rugged tablets in warehousing, logistics, distribution and manufacturing.

What Are Rugged Tablets? Rugged tablets have a number of features that differentiate them from consumer-grade tablets which are more useful in an office setting. These features make them harder to break and easier to use in often dangerous environments like warehouses and factories. The first and most well known feature is that rugged tablets are durable in harsh conditions. They can be dropped from at least a four-foot height without damaging the tablet; they are also sealed to protect against dust, liquids and damage from other particulates. One model, the Zebra ET1 has an IP54 rating and is able to “withstand multiple four foot drops onto concrete. Others are capable of operating at temperatures ranging from -30 to +50º C.”3

3 http://www.fieldtechnologiesonline.com/doc/ rugged-tablets-for-enterprise-a-realistic-overview-0001

Just as importantly, rugged tablets come with removable, long-lasting batteries. These batteries last longer than one shift so workers on forklifts, for example, do not have to worry about charging the tablet while they are working or taking the time to exchange batteries or tablets. Moreover, even if the battery does lose charge, users can remove and replace it with a fresh battery without losing power. In fact, many rugged tablets include a “hot swappable” battery so the tablet does not need to be turned off, losing time and potentially data, to exchange the battery. Rugged tablets also come with larger displays (up to 10”) than consumer-grade tablets (generally 6-8”). This feature improves visibility, enabling managers to keep tabs on more information at once than they otherwise could. They also include enterprise-grade software, with security, lock-down and remote management features aimed at keeping corporate information safe. Enterprise-grade wireless networking performance is also extremely important. Without access to the network work stops, and rework to reenter data about product movement may be required. In today’s fast-pace industrial environments where the impact of downtime is significant, and rugged tablets are designed with the most robust and state-of-the-art wireless protocols available. Session persistence, even in the unlikely case of the loss of network connection, maintains the setting and, most importantly, the data that was entered when the connection was lost. This saves time and the rework of recreating the transactions that occurred before the event. Likewise, enterprise-grade security is a fundamental requirement, built into the

Page | 4

architecture of rugged tablets. Rugged tablet computing is becoming a pervasive requirement for industrial businesses, especially in operations. Company management and security practices must address a wide array of mobile computers and operating systems to secure your company data, customer data, and brand reputation. Enterprise-grade security on rugged tablets includes:

• Prevention of unauthorized access • Protection against malware • Governance of device functionality • Avoidance of intrusion into wireless

networks

Supplementing security concerns, mobile device management provides tools for remotely managing device security and protecting against physical device loss. Applications for Rugged Tablets in Warehousing, Distribution and Manufacturing Rugged tablets have multiple applications in manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and distribution that companies can take advantage of today. What follows are just a few examples of how rugged tablets are positively impacting these industries. Forklifts in the Warehouse Traditional forklift computers, while they continue to have their place in the warehouse, are cumbersome in ways that increase labor cost and reduce efficiency. The large traditional units are mounted to forklifts but cannot easily be moved. If a fork truck needs to be cleaned — or if it breaks down — maintenance crews may

have to be dispatched to dismount and re-mount the unit on a new truck, costing the time and productivity of the truck operator and maintenance workers. Rugged tablets can also be mounted on forklifts, but unlike traditional units, tablets can easily be removed. This feature enables forklift operators to remove a device, move it to a new truck, and then re-mount the device. Operators can remove and install tablets by releasing and fastening a couple of clips, without calling the information technology (IT) support team. This improves the productivity of forklift operators and reduces downtime needed for tablet installation.

Like traditional units, rugged tablets need to be removed when trucks are washed down. Because they are more portable, however, they can continue to be used elsewhere in the warehouse even when forklifts are offline. For the most part, traditional units can only be used on forklifts themselves. Instead of traditional units or rugged tablets, some manufacturers use rugged mobile computers or barcode scanners in a cradle on the forklift. This gives drivers the ability to un-cradle the device and walk around scanning inventory without worrying about distance —

Page | 5

either from cable length or a bad Bluetooth signal. While this is more flexible than using traditional units, the screens on these devices are so small they are hard to view on the fork truck. Rugged tablets keep the mobility of these hand held devices, but come with larger screens to provide better productivity on and off the truck. Think about the typical warehouse. Much of the product is not stored in close proximity. With very high storage racks, 20-30 feet high or more, using a tablet to scan a barcode is not physically possible, much less optimal. Today, integrated long-range scanners wirelessly connected to a rugged tablet let drivers scan and pick product from a distance. The result is increased productivity and data accuracy when drivers are not required to leave their forklift to scan product barcodes. Size, portability, security, and wireless connectivity remain the biggest advantages tablets have over traditional forklift units. They take up less space on the truck and provide more room and visibility to the driver without compromising ease of use. This makes forklifts safer and operators more productive. The convenient size of rugged tablets gives more mounting options on the fork truck, improving processes because tablets can be used on any forklift, no matter which trucks are online at a given time. Asset Maintenance Rugged tablets also improve productivity for warehouse maintenance

crews, giving them greater visibility into what needs to be done and how to do it. In a traditional warehouse, maintenance employees arrive each shift, take a stack of work orders, and go to work for the day. They do not necessarily know what equipment needs to be fixed, priority sequence, the parts they need, what parts are available, or even the best way to fix certain equipment. The tickets may not be printed in any order and do not take into account the priority, best route of travel or most efficient way to move through the plant. When a crew receives a work order they need the proper tools and possibly parts to repair or maintain the equipment. Employees retrieve tools and parts based on their knowledge of what they should need, not necessarily what the task will require. When workers get to the site, they may find that they need additional parts, tools and schematics, which may or may not be available at the plant. If the parts are available, workers may have to wait in line behind other employees retrieving their own tools and parts. If the company does not have the parts available, crew members may have to fill out paperwork to order them, and they may or may not know when those parts are expected. Maintenance crews waste time at the

Page | 6

parts crib, losing the productivity of actually maintaining the plant. Rugged tablets can augment or replace paper work orders. Tablets improve or eliminate reliance on non-prioritized paper-based work orders. The schedule of work orders can be laid out in such a way as to improve routes around the plant or group maintenance by tools required. Tablets can specify what parts and tools will be required and whether or not they are available. If the parts are not available, employees can order them at the touch of a button. However, scanning parts from rugged tablet should eliminate stock-outs by immediately updating inventory and purchasing requirements. Using tablets, crews do not need to walk back and forth across the floor — several times — over the course of a shift. Everything is visible in real time and organized in the most efficient way. If emergencies arise the order of the work can be dynamically changed without finding individual workers and physically reordering their tickets. Emergency or higher priority work orders can be changed at any time depending on the needs of the business. Workers can also check equipment schematic documents and instructions on a rugged tablet to see how assets need to be repaired. In most cases maintenance employees have very specific skill sets. A maintenance technician who is an expert at presses will more than likely not be an expert on conveyor systems. With rugged tablets, the press technician can pull up schematics on conveyor systems to see how they work and how they should be maintained. They can take pictures of broken parts and send them to a co-

worker — or even the manufacturer — to ask for advice. All of this makes cross-training maintenance crews easier and more efficient. Tablets improve efficiencies even beyond cross training. Maintenance workers who use the right resources at the right place at the right time will maximize efficiency, time and reduce maintenance costs. Rugged tablets enable them to do that. Real-Time Maintenance Prioritization As with maintenance crews that can use tablets to save time and improve productivity, these tools also give maintenance managers visibility into work queues, making changes as needed in real-time as tasks are completed.

Managers can track maintenance crews’ activities over tablets. That is, managers can see the list of activities each maintenance worker is assigned each day. They can see what is complete and what still has to be done.

Managers can also re-prioritize activities if something urgent must be done.

Re-prioritization is a significant advantage rugged tablets have over the traditional work

Page | 7

order system. In the event of an urgent need, managers must call or even physically find maintenance workers to re-direct their activities. They may not know exactly what a particular employee is doing at a given moment, losing time and productivity. With rugged tablets managers can change the order of activities and notify crews without leaving the room.

To give an example of how this might work, suppose a warehouse has 18 high-speed conveyors fed by four automated picking systems. Three of the picking systems need to be running at any one time for daily shipping to operate on schedule. Before leaving for the day, the maintenance manager schedules a teardown of the fourth system for the next day at 5:30 a.m. Because a typical teardown takes four hours, there is plenty of time to get it done without slowing or stopping picking and shipping. Rugged tablets make scheduling this maintenance a breeze. The maintenance manager can route the order to the picking and warehouse managers, who both simply click “approved” on their tablets. The maintenance is now scheduled and everyone has been informed. The appropriate maintenance person comes in early and begins his teardown on the fourth system promptly at 5:30 a.m. He checks in on his tablet so when the manager arrives at 6:00 a.m., he can log into his tablet and see that the teardown has begun. Anyone who works in warehousing or distribution will

admit that things do not always go smoothly. At 7:00 a.m., when the manager is sitting in a production meeting and his tablet makes an audible beep, he can look at the tablet and see that system three has an issue. He can create a work order and send it to the maintenance person without leaving the meeting. As a result, the maintenance person stops the teardown of system four and begins work on system three. By 7:15 the manager can see that system four is back in production and system three is undergoing maintenance. Managers need to know who is doing what at any moment. They also need to understand the entire maintenance schedule to most effectively use the resources at their disposal. With rugged tablets they are able to do so. Management Monitoring and Alerts Monitoring and managing material movement conditions are vital to avoiding downtime. If an item is out of stock and will soon be needed to fulfill an order it must be replenished immediately. An Andon board is a Japanese name for a visual production-control device that continuously

Andon Board

Page | 8

shows changing status of the production line and sounds alerts if a problem is imminent.4

Andon boards show a snapshot of material handling conditions. However, because they often are essentially large billboards, a manager has to be on the floor to know how the plant is performing and if anything is slowing down. Rugged tablets give managers a portable Andon board. Mini-inbound boards on the tablet alert managers of warehouse floor conditions. The mobility of rugged tablets gets managers away from their offices and out onto the floor so they can observe and deal with problems as they arise. Andon boards could be ported into consumer-grade tablets or phones, but the limited screen size hampers the amount of information that can be easily viewed at one time. The larger screen on a rugged tablet eliminates this size constraint limiting the information that can be viewed. Managers can look down and from a standard browser see how the plant is performing anytime, anyplace. To give a real world example, there is a 10 million square foot automotive plant in Canada

4 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/andon-board.html#ixzz3i4R9pL37

with 50 lines running at all times. Prior to its adoption of mobile devices, managers needed to ride a bicycle from their offices to the other side of the plant to see the Andon board and check on operations. Each ride took upwards of seven minutes. If there was an issue it could take a manager a quarter of an hour to become aware of the problem, get back to his office and begin to implement a solution. Since this plant adopted rugged tablets, managers do not have to ride bikes to find out what is happening and can solve problems from their offices. They simply look at their tablets, click on any issues, and take immediate, appropriate action. What used to take a significant amount of time can now be done in just a few minutes. Moving Toward Lights-Out Warehousing All of the above applications show how rugged tablets can helps enterprises now. In the future, rugged tablets will have a role to play as companies move toward lights-out warehousing over the next few years. Already, companies are building entire products with limited human interaction. If a machine or robot starts to have issues, there is no one that can see or feel the issue. The machine itself has

An Andon board is a Japanese name for a visual production-control device that continuously shows changing status of the production line and sounds alerts if a problem is imminent.

Page | 9

no way to tell if a problem is coming or actually happening. Robots will soon be able to transmit this data to the cloud — and a supervisor can pull up the information on their rugged tablet. For example, welding robots in the automotive industry have to operate at a specific heat, pressure and frequency or the failure rate will increase exponentially. Over the next several years, those statistics will increasingly be tracked in the cloud because the welding robots will be directly connected to the cloud. With that information, humans can take action when the need arises. The tablet will allow a single human to determine what actions need to be taken even if he is on the other side of the warehouse or off the floor entirely. Management will also be able to look at the robots’ saved data and determine, using analytics, when an issue began to happen and the cause. While this scenario is still several years away, warehouses are beginning to implement early versions of these features now. What is clear is that rugged tablets are the interface best suited for lights-out warehousing as it develops.

How Do You Get Started? Rugged tablets provide a number of applications in warehousing, logistics, distribution, and manufacturing. They save time, money, labor hours, and make sure processes runs smoothly. While the future of materials handling may involve more technology than hands-on labor, you have the opportunity to reap those benefits today. Rugged tablets are far more than their consumer-grade counterparts. They do not just incorporate a few nice-to-have bells and whistles. They improve processes throughout the manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and warehousing operations.

Page | 10

About Supply Chain Services

Supply Chain Services is a leading provider of best-in-class customized data collection, barcode scanning, barcode printing, rugged mobile computing, wireless networking solutions, and managed mobile services that offer out-of-the-box automation and improvements for the value-chain processes of manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, and logistics companies. As specialists in the automated identification and data collection (AIDC) industry, we are a single source for evaluating, designing, integrating, implementing, managing, and supporting data collection technology infrastructures that generate very high and very fast return on investment for our customers.

About Zebra Technologies

Zebra® provides a complete line of barcode and data collection solutions, including the widest range of barcode scanners, rugged mobile computers, barcode smart label printers and media, label design, connectivity tools and wired and wireless networking products. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on Zebra®

solutions.

7800 Third Street North, Suite 920 Oakdale, MN 55128

(866) 205-4310

info@supplychainservices.com

www.supplychainservices.com

© Copyright 2015. Supply Chain Services LLC. All rights reserved.