Handheld terminals play a significant role in the management process of goods. When handheld terminals fail to operate properly, users get frustrated, and companies are often faced with high costs for the repairs of the devices for mobile data collection, for the delays or even for order cancellations.
A recent study conducted by Opinion Matters shows that handheld terminals with barcode readers fail on average more than 1.7 times a year. Whereas the repair or replacement of the handheld takes 3.3 days or longer.
The handheld specialists from DENSO WAVE EUROPE, part of the Toyota group, know how important a functional handheld is in logistics or warehousing. Dirk Gelbrich, General Manager Technical Department, explains: “In the industries that use handhelds, like for example logistics and warehousing, the pressure is high, because every second counts. The work environment there is often rough, which affects the number of handheld breakages and failure rates. These factors need to be taken into consideration when developing handheld devices.”
Despite all of this, DENSO’s BHT-1700 handheld terminals and BHT-1800 handheld terminals, as well as the SP1 RFID scanner can withstand rough handling and extreme conditions due to their ergonomic design and robustness.
Industrial Challenges and how Handhelds can meet high Expectations
More than 71 per cent of the respondents of the study believed that their handheld failed more often than other devices that they used. However, the users of the handhelds also admitted not to handle the devices for mobile data collection well, given the high time pressure generally found in their work environment. Respondents stated that damage can be caused by different factors: dropping handhelds down, spilling liquids or leaving the handhelds in icy-cold or very hot areas. The handheld terminals can also be trampled over by vehicles, especially in logistic environments and in warehouses.
The BHT-1700 handheld terminal, BHT-1800 handheld terminal, and the SP1 RFID scanner are particularly robust. Furthermore, these devices for mobile data collection can be easily used with thick gloves, and their built-in barcode reader can capture barcodes very precisely, even when the barcodes are damaged. These were among the main factors that the participants of the handheld study pointed out: 36 per cent could not use the screen of their handheld terminal properly when wearing gloves, and 21 per cent spoke of a slow or imprecise barcode reader.
Saving Time, saving Money, saving Nerves – DENSO Devices are Key
The BHT-1700 handheld terminal and BHT-1800 handheld terminal both have extra-large screens, measuring 4 and 5 inches respectively. The 4-inch display of the BHT-1700 handheld terminal comes with a physical keyboard, while the 5-inch screen of the BHT-1800 handheld terminal is the biggest display on a DENSO mobile data collection device. Both handhelds offer crystal clear viewing – solving problems for 29 per cent of the respondents as they wish to have a better legibility on the screens of their handheld devices. For 19 per cent of the participants, problems were caused by a broken screen – which is the past for these two DENSO handhelds. The handhelds are fitted with crack-resistant Asahi Dragontrail™ Pro Glass as a standard, making them extremely robust. Users, for example in logistics and warehouse management, can choose between six different model types, and there is also a BHT-1700 long-range version with a gun-grip, which is especially convenient in logistics and warehousing.
In addition to these handheld terminals, the SP1 RFID scanner from DENSO, part of the Toyota group, offers various advantages. The SP1 RFID scanner can accelerate processes by more than 50 per cent thanks to its world-leading scanning performance. With the scanner’s reading speed of 700 tags per second and a reading distance of up to 13 meters, this High Speed UHF RFID reader has the best level of reading performance in the industry. And the scanner turns smart devices into an RFID reader easily.
