5 Must-Have Mobile Computing Features For Manufacturing And Warehousing

By Mike McMahon, Vice President of B2B Enterprise and Global Sales, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America

Mobility provides a number of advantages for manufacturing and warehousing applications, including everything from reduced manual errors to increased employee productivity to faster time to market. As warehouse and factory operators are increasingly realizing these benefits, they are turning to mobile solutions in growing numbers. In fact, a survey from research firm Computer Economics reported that IT operational spending in 2012 was up around 4 percent in manufacturing companies — compared with 2.2 percent across all industries. As mobility continues to proliferate in both consumer lives and across all job sectors, this trend will only continue to grow.

That said, all mobile devices are not created equal. While some manufacturers and warehouse operators have experimented with consumer devices in the workplace, these devices were not made to withstand a full shift’s worth of activity, nor were they built for the rugged environments of warehouses or factories. With that in mind, look for these five features when evaluating mobile devices for warehouse or manufacturing plant solutions:

1. Handheld Portability. With workers doing everything from pulling product to operating machinery, toting a laptop around is often not an option — unless it is completely voice-enabled (more on that later). Some larger tablets can also be unwieldy as they require two hands (one to hold the tablet and the other to manipulate the touchscreen). At the same time, smartphones may not have all of the needed features or have the ability to run necessary software, thus small tablets or robust handhelds are ideal for this use case. Look for devices that are around five inches in size, as they can easily fit in one hand and can even be dropped into a pocket when not in use.

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