Panasonic’s range of Toughbooks and Toughpads provide sturdy, temperature resistant options for data entry and computing in harsh factory, logistics, and food processing environments.
The Toughpad and Toughbook withstands drops, very cold climates (freezers), very hot climates (ovens), has touch screen data input with a finger – meaning no need for pen and paper – can be viewed under very bright artificial lighting conditions, and can be cleaned easily with water or chemicals when covered with food manufacturing contaminants, as it is rated IP65 (ingress protection to dust and water).
They have maximum dust protection and are rated resistant to high pressure water jets from any angle and offer the ability to withstand sterilisation processes when PCs are required in sensitive food manufacturing environments.
All of these features mean the device will not have any down time, compared to a consumer device, as it is designed for harsh working environments.
The Toughbook also works well in logistics operations. National Foods Australia, for example uses the Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 fleet to provide streamlined customer service and ensure optimal uptime for delivery drivers of their juice products across Australia.
National Foods is one of the largest food and beverage groups in Australia. In 2005, the company merged with Berri Limited Juice, combining leading juice brands such as Berri, Daily Juice, Australian Fresh, Just Juice and many more into the portfolio.
The Panasonic Toughbooks are being used by delivery drivers distributing juice products throughout the country. The Toughbook enables drivers to validate invoices on delivery, providing improved customer service and eliminating unnecessary paper work. Previously the company used paper based invoicing when delivering juice, which could sometimes take days to process.
Delivery drivers spend long hours driving to locations throughout Australia in fluctuating temperatures and notebooks can often be banged and bumped while in transit. The CF-19 is built with a magnesium alloy frame and a shock-mounted hard drive. It can withstand knocks, heavy vibrations and extreme temperature fluctuations, while surviving falls from up to 90cm. It is certified to MIL-STD-810F military testing procedures and is rated at IP54 (ingress protection) level for dust and water resistance.
In addition the extended battery life of the CF-19 has proven very useful. Drivers have found the battery lasts around eight hours, which is ideal for those driving long distances. In addition the daylight readable touch screen was an important feature. Not only does it give excellent viewing under glaring sunlight but it is easy to use and eliminates the need for a computer mouse – this is useful for those rivers that are not computer-savvy.
www.toughbook.co.nz
