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Whether in police departments, public order offices or the German Armed Forces, robust computers have found their way into the public sector on a broad scale.

• Military: The military has long relied on rugged mobile devices for use in overseas missions, fleet maintenance in dusty and humid environments around the world. Among the benefits of rugged tablets for aircraft maintenance is their ability to streamline processes and workflows among crew members and at the administrative level.

  Military operations take place in all kinds of terrain types with varying topography. Poor visibility is a common challenge for soldiers in the field. Sunset and nightfall is another reason for extremely poor visibility that soldiers in the field deal with constantly, as most operations last several days and nights. Using a military-grade tablet on such missions provides critical information about everything happening in front, behind and in the soldiers’ immediate vicinity. With technology that works at all altitudes, in all conditions and even when fully utilized, comrades can rely on it. They have the ability to access accurate information about their surroundings and their position in relation to other locations, even if they cannot see it themselves.

  Other mission areas also include mobile mapping operations and control of drones and unmanned vehicles. These and almost all other missions require highly reliable, rugged, state-of-the-art mobile devices that provide optimal connectivity.

• Police: Law enforcement officers are responsible for investigating crime scenes. Accurate data must be obtained that will stand up in court in the event of a trial. To achieve this level of accuracy when processing a crime scene, police officers need powerful tools that can minimize or even eliminate human error, capture information quickly and retrieve all the data they need. In addition to traditional cameras, tablets are increasingly being used here, for example for advanced metadata such as location.

  For an optimal investigation of crime and accident scenes, the quick arrival of the investigating police officer is essential. Rugged tablets also contribute to this aspect, as integrated GPS tells officers the fastest way to get to the scene of an incident, with real-time traffic information and route guidance. GPS tracking also allows officers and supervisors to see the location of all officers on duty and whether they are on foot or in a vehicle. It also makes it easier to report the exact location of incidents, which can be extremely useful and important in court and during trial.

  Regular crowd control operations are also inconceivable without digital devices. With the help of rugged tablets or notebooks, database queries are carried out in real time on site, enabling the secure identification of persons or vehicles being checked.

• Public order office: We all know them, the ladies and gentlemen of the public order office, parking monitoring department. As citizens, they are often not our friends, because when they show up, bills are handed out. The legally compliant recording of parking violations is now increasingly done via robust mobile computers in smartphone format. The small, handy devices usually have a camera to document the violation. The ticket is issued via an integrated ticketing system and a connected mobile printer.

Large parts of hospitals are increasingly being digitized. The aim here is to enable modern medical treatment by improving interaction between patients, medical staff, the facility itself and equipment.

Robust devices are mainly used in three areas:

1. hospital consumables management (often using RFID technology and 2D barcodes).
2. specimen and blood management using RFID tags or barcodes, and for the
3. traceability of medications

In contrast to “normal” rugged devices, additional regulations must be met in the medical sector – depending on the intended use. Products for the medical sector are usually white and have an antimicrobial surface.

Fire departments and rescue services are and will always be an essential pillar for the protection and safety of our society. For the people who work in these professions, going headfirst into unknown situations is an everyday occurrence and often a necessity. Thanks to their diligent work, they ensure that both public and private areas are safe. They often take some personal risk while being responsible for the safety of our community. These are the very departments that deserve to be equipped with leading technology that helps firefighters and emergency responders as effectively as they help our community.

From preventative measures to crisis operations, rugged tablets help improve the efficiency of responders and reduce the time it takes them to do their jobs. At the same time, this increases their safety by allowing them to leave the scene more expeditiously.

With the introduction of computers in vehicles, emergency and rescue responders were finally able to access and enter large amounts of information while on scene. But although models have been updated significantly over time, the technology has reached a point of stagnation. Instead of traditional laptops or integrated vehicle computers, you’ll find more and more rugged tablets in use today.

Field service workers need tools, software and rugged devices that not only meet the requirements for their jobs, but also for the harsh environments they work in. Rugged tablets are ideal for utility work, city fleet vehicle maintenance, incidental tasks in parks and more.

Government, city and municipal services, other public works, and utilities benefit from rugged mobile devices. Powerful computing and communications options, fast speeds, easy-to-read screens and various accessories provide an optimal mobile user experience. They also enable easy and functional movement from the office to the vehicle and to field locations.

Field workers can access what they need on-site to collect data, generate reports, and thus manage projects quickly and cost-effectively. This can minimize the costs and losses associated with false starts, oversight failures, cost overruns, repeated delays, or any of the many obstacles that aging infrastructure can create. They can also help build modern cities by incorporating “smart” features such as light and/or air sensors from day one.

With a rugged tablet, you get multiple functionalities on one device. Instead of field workers being forced to carry a separate camera, barcode scanner, GPS device, magnetic stripe reader, and monitor, this can all be combined into one device designed specifically for these needs. This is not only more practical in terms of handling, but also saves costs.

The “Transport & Logistics” sector has given robust computers the right impetus over the last 30 years. Today, it is hard to imagine companies without mobile devices such as compact handhelds, as used in parcel delivery or intralogistics.

Robust handhelds and tablets for use in the warehouse can take package handling to the next level. Transport and logistics are under enormous cost pressure, so digitization is now inevitable. Optimizing processes in the aisles increases efficiency, boosts productivity and creates smarter ways of working.

Workflows in the warehouse, package handling and delivery can be made more efficient with robust devices. This frees up more time for high-priority tasks. With multiple features for use in the warehouse, rugged computers don’t just save time. They also help reduce paperwork, decrease accidents, injuries or errors, and improve the overall efficiency of warehouse processes. Integrated barcode scanners or RFID scanners allow for lightning-fast data capture.

In addition to mobile devices, there are also stationary devices for use in material handling vehicles. They are called vehicle computers or forklift terminals. But there are also usually suitable holders for vehicles for industrial tablets.

For years, the buzzword Industry 4.0 has been haunting countries, being used so intensively that it’s coming out of your ears. In the digital age, data is known for its high value in intelligent decision-making and improved business insights. In manufacturing, however, it serves a different purpose. Data helps manufacturing personnel manage goals and tasks, understand work order details, and visualize critical conditions, such as machine configurations or technical specifications.
While large companies have often already fully digitized and in many steps automated their production, smaller companies still lack this important step. As I write these lines in the year 2021, there are unfortunately still companies that work with pen and paper in production. Especially in industries with high competitive pressure, this will lead to problems in the future when it comes to making production faster, more efficient and more cost-effective. Manufacturing companies face unique challenges when it comes to efficiency, work processes, waste, productivity, inventory management and cost overruns.

In a warehouse or factory floor, you see large machines, high technology and almost no one sitting at a desk. In addition to rugged tablets, handhelds and panel PCs, you can also find wearable solutions or even entirely automated systems in industry and production. The last point alone could fill an entire book, which is why we want to limit ourselves here to user operating devices. Robust devices for manufacturing companies and plants can help optimize workflows and solve many problems, thanks to important functions that lay the foundation for high-level production. They are ideal for companies whose focus is on reducing waste, improving efficiency and the overall business model.

If area calculations, material requirements and measurements are recorded by hand, they still have to be entered into the PC in the evening after the construction day – this results in two work steps, although only one would actually be necessary. It would be much more practical to save the recorded data digitally. This would save one work step and, of course, also working time.

In addition, handwritten notes always lead to inaccuracies. This is partly due to illegible handwriting, and partly because notes are lost. If important data is recorded exclusively by handwriting on a construction site, data loss can easily occur. With the use of tablets and notebooks, on the other hand, data can be recorded immediately in the appropriate software.

Another point is that the digitization of work processes always has the advantage of faster data transfer and thus immediate further processing. The data from the construction site is available in real time and is immediately transmitted to the appropriate recipients. They can react quickly and, for example, immediately straighten or order the required material.

Today, no construction site can do without modern measuring devices. Laptops and notebooks are indispensable for the data acquisition of these devices – with the help of reliable tablets and notebooks, measured values and data can be stored and made available directly in digital form.

Planning and documentation are tasks that can be completed on the construction site in the blink of an eye with tablets. When new material is delivered, for example, they can scan barcodes directly at the construction site and automatically manage the delivered material using special software.

Whether in movie theaters, restaurants, theaters or casinos, the use of rugged tablets and handhelds enhances the customer experience and offers a variety of benefits.
With rugged POS devices, staff can quickly take customers’ orders, which are immediately routed to the kitchen. When the food is ready for pickup, staff receives a message. Devices can also be used directly at the customer’s seat, e.g. in snack bars and canteens. Once a customer has made himself comfortable at his seat, he can order drinks, food and sweets at the touch of a button. Customers can peruse the menu at their leisure, decide what they want, and there is no need to stand in line at the counter.

The use of robust devices is particularly useful here, as they can withstand accidental dropping by guests or staff. They can also be cleaned and disinfected quickly and easily.

But there are also wide-ranging application scenarios for rugged and industrial IT. For example, rugged notebooks are used by journalists who have to produce reports in wind and weather and edit their video material while still on the move. They not only have special demands on stability and battery life, but usually also need a dedicated graphics card. Other areas of use are agriculture & forestry, surveying, gastronomy, retail, security services and many more.