Transportation Case Studies

In the shipping industry, on-time deliveries are the standard by which excellence is measured. When a company delivers perishable liquid food goods, such as fruit juices and milk products, these on-time deliveries become even more important. Agmark Foods needed a solution to take their fleet management into the 21st century. It also enabled Agmark customers to check the progress of their deliveries in real time, 24 hours a day. The company’s increased operational efficiency and reduced downtime has directly improved its bottom line.

Panasonic Toughbook fully-rugged computers were the perfect solution. Toughbook wireless technology enabled Agmark to digitally capture customer signatures onsite and process all their billing electronically. This completely eliminated the need for wasteful and error prone paper tracking. The result has been increased operational efficiency and a vastly improved bottom line.

Harley-Davidson's worldwide network of 1,450 dealers plays a vital role in providing service to its customers. In order to provide fast, responsive customer support and keep its service technicians productive, they needed a reliable mobile computing solution that could stand up to the harsh environment of service bays.

After careful consideration, Harley-Davidson decided to equip its dealers with Toughbook rugged laptops. The spill-proof keyboard, shock-resistant hard drive and durable magnesium alloy case of the Toughbook stood up to punishing use in the service bays. Bright touch screen displays provided easy use and a clear view, even in direct sunlight, allowing technicians to work outside the service bays. These advantages, coupled with the high reliability and low failure rate of Toughbook computers led to dramatic increases in productivity, allowing service managers to book more customers each day. Most importantly, customers left the dealer with a positive service experience that added to their loyalty.

International Truck and Engine sought a rugged, reliable laptop to increase the productivity of service technicians at nearly 1,000 dealers in North America. In 1999, the company chose Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers.

Over the years, the integrated wireless capabilities of Toughbook laptops have improved shop efficiency by allowing technicians to work anywhere on the shop floor, while delivering reliable performance and impressive uptime. One technician reported that his Toughbook laptop kept working after a six-foot drop. "We know that the machine is going to work when our customer pulls his vehicle into the shop," said Rob Burns, manager of dealer service tools. "We have a tool that can fix his truck and get it back on the road. He’s making money, and we’re all happy."

In order to boost productivity and improve customer service, Nissan needed to replace its aging, proprietary computer systems with a mobile PC-based diagnostic solution. The new computing solution would need to be highly reliable and rugged enough to withstand the dirt and grime of service bays.

Nissan decided Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers best met the needs of its vast network of dealerships worldwide. Takamitsu Eto, Manager, Global Service Engineering Department, remarked, "durability is a critical factor for any laptop considered for a service bay deployment" and "our new Toughbook solution offers both the dependability and flexibility we need". The rugged laptops not only stood up to the harsh environment of service bays, but the advanced wireless feature allowed technicians to quickly access technical, warranty and vehicle information. These benefits have led to increased productivity, bigger profits and sustained customer loyalty for Nissan.

Snap-on Incorporated is a global leader in professional tools, diagnostics and equipment. While designing its ShopStream software, Snap-on realized that they needed to couple the software with a rugged and reliable laptop. Snap-on chose Toughbook mobile computers for their ability to withstand drops, jolts, vibrations and spills and because of the anti-glare, daylight viewable touchscreen displays and integrated wireless capabilities.

As part of the ShopStream solution, Toughbook computers enabled shop technicians to communicate wirelessly with business management and repair information systems in the front office. This allowed technicians to achieve dramatic increases in productivity, so shop owners could book more repairs each day. In addition, part suppliers delivered orders faster and more accurately. Ultimately, these benefits resulted in highly satisfied ShopStream customers for Snap-on.