in DCs, it’s pretty much the same story as
with tablets. That is to say, while these
devices have their supporters—mostly
for their convenience and low initial
cost—many observers dismiss them as
being too fragile to handle the vibration,
falls, and other impacts that are part and
parcel of warehouse operations.
Physical conditions aren’t the only factor to come into play. There’s also performance. Generally speaking, the scanners that are available as add-ons to
smartphones are rudimentary in design
and are better suited for the occasional
swipe than for high-volume scanning
operations. On top of that, most of these
add-on scanners have a limited read
range, so a user must be positioned right
next to a bar code to read it. Consumer
devices also have a limited life cycle of
support and function, while most industrial devices offer a life of five to 10 years.
“Smaller companies may take the risk of
using a consumer device, but the cost of a
failure can be significant,” warns Mark
Wheeler, director of industry solutions at
Motorola Solutions. “If you have to do
scanning on a regular basis, for instance,
then it’s better to have a device designed
for scanning. Performance is really the
factor.”
GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME
In the meantime, technologies continue
to emerge that have the potential to completely alter the equation. Motorola, for
instance, has introduced a new ruggedized handheld computer that offers the
familiarity of a smartphone. The new
device, the MC40 enterprise mobile computer, works on the Android 2. 3
Gingerbread operating system.
Other companies, such as Honeywell,
are trying to bridge the gap between
industrial and consumer products. The
company is introducing a skid, or protective package, for the iPad that will make
up for some of its shortcomings in industrial use. The protective skid will include a
case with a built-in bar-code reader.
In addition, Honeywell this summer
will introduce a ruggedized smartphone
that is waterproof and comes with a built-in scanner. It will be priced lower than
industrial tablet devices and is designed to
work on a Wi-Fi network, eliminating the need for costly cell service.
And the trend shows no sign of
slowing. Doug Brown, vertical mar-
keting manager for warehouse, sup-
ply chain, and healthcare at
Honeywell, believes that users’ famil-
iarity with consumer devices will
only push the market to design more
similar devices for the industrial
workplace. “There is a hunger for
these devices at a lower price point
in this industry,” he says. “We will see
more adoption—maybe 20 to 25
percent will be using this class of
device within the next five years.” ;
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300 Newsome Drive • Yorktown, VA 23692
Phone: (757) 898-1530 • Fax: (757) 898-1580
