Trends in Manufacturing Technology - Mobile Devices

IT products have been slowly making their way to the manufacturing floor for some years now, with mobile computing an increasingly strong trend in the industrial IT and automation marketplace. 

Manufacturing users had previously shied away from fully adopting mobile with perceived  risks including the cost of devices, suitability to the plant environment,  connectivity and security considerations. But now partly thanks to the 'iPad effect' we now have tablets armed  with various technology benefits such as Wi-Fi, cameras, GPS, scanning applications - the list goes on. 

All this extra functionality is great news for the manufacturing world and translates well to the specialist needs of the plant floor. Having a mobile presence can easily increase the productivity of a plant -  as information can be instantly uploaded to servers in real time for a quicker and more efficient workplace. Mobile devices can also create a more paperless environment - for instance in the use of form replacement or whilst displaying trends and reports.  

Written by Wayne Ashworth,
Product Manager, Industrial Communications,
SolutionsPT

One specific concern for customers using tablets will continue to surround security.  A lot of our customers are now simply using mobile devices within a thin client architecture - as so no data is stored on the actual devices themselves.

The key for any organisation right now is to get maximum value from their technology investment. So choosing products that provide the appropriate ruggedness, portability, flexibility and functionality to meet the specific needs is key. This is surely only the beginning of the mobile trend in across manufacturing.