Advantages Of Replacing Paper Based Solutions With Mobile Computing In Hazardous Areas

By Chris Dodds on 7th May, 2013

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Hazardous Area Mobile Computers

There are several advantages. The most obvious is the efficiency savings paperless data capture create. Due to automatic synchronisation and data upload the need for engineers to manually input results back at the office is eliminated. Many companies now operate ERP systems such as SAP and Maximo and while these are vital business tools aiding efficiency and improved accountability throughout companies, many engineers feel that the software packages are too generic to provide adequate records of inspections and routines common to hazardous area operations. Using specialised software packages designed to integrate with these mainstream ERP systems, software integrators are able to bridge the gap between ERP and inspection data capture to provide engineering tools that guide operators through even the most complex of procedures. These software solutions are not designed to replace SAP or Maximo but to work in conjunction with them, delivering a user friendly interface to the engineers to ensure the risk of human error is dramatically reduced. Using such systems, a number of British Electrical Inspection teams have reported reductions in inspection man-hours of over 30%.

Another advantage of using computer based platforms is the considerable improvement in the consistency and accuracy of the data captured. As many engineering managers will know only too well, descriptions of equipment and faults found can vary widely depending on the engineer reporting the problem. These variations often cause confusion and wasted time when transferred to ERP systems where identical faults and equipment cannot be differentiated due to the variation in their description. By using pre-determined descriptions and fault codes and minimising the use of free-hand text, operators begin to record more consistent data, enabling easier manual (or even automated) analysis. By capturing the data required to populate ERP systems at source you remove the likelihood of incorrect input along with poorly transcribed records which is often the case when data entry occurs at a later time. One opinion held by many is that no matter how complex or expensive the ERP system in place it is only as good as the data held within it.

With the majority of companies reporting a return on their investment of under 6 months for these mobile software solutions, it has become obvious that despite the initial outlay the potential savings are too large to ignore and while still in its infancy the use and complexity of these systems is set to increase, with many new applications still to be found and even more efficiency savings yet to be created.

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Category:  Hazardous Area Electricals & Lighting

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