Rugged handhelds reduce maintenance time for hardware and software

Winn Solutions is a leader in Cloud-based bar code tracking technology software serving a diverse logistics customer base in the enterprise, government, healthcare, education, retail and entertainment industries. Its Winn Item Tracking System (WITS) creates and monitors the chain of custody of packages by scanning bar codes with handheld devices that track the workflow through various departments and recipients. The company recognized it was spending too much time servicing its Windows mobile devices in use by its logistics and supply chain customers. Devices were not living up to their “rugged” label and were failing in the field. After deploying fully rugged handhelds (Panasonic) to customers, the company enhanced worker productivity and minimized downtime.

Given the various applications of WITS, Winn Solutions needed a mobile device that could perform a range of tasks while reducing downtime spent troubleshooting hardware issues. The company’s previous Windows mobile device solution was not intuitive for customers and proved too fragile for the rugged environment of the shipping and receiving market.

“We needed a handheld tablet that would be durable and easy to use, as our customers are not IT pros,” says Jason Elder, vice president at Winn Solutions. “The mobile solution also had to truly live up to its ‘rugged’ label since the nature of our customers’ business is rough. For example, it’s not uncommon for workers to drop these devices on concrete at the receiving dock, day in and day out.”

Since switching to the Android handhelds, nearly 300 of which are now in use, Winn Solutions has experienced no device failures. It also reports a significant decrease in customer support time and a freed-up IT budget, while at the same time growing its business 20%.

“Our customer base was moving away from Windows mobile solutions toward other platforms, and we needed to find a competitive advantage in the market,” Elder says. “The handhelds have contributed directly to our bottom line by helping us to be more productive and grow our business. We’ve been able to add more employees and focus on growing our product portfolio.”