Mobile data acquisition
Mobile data acquisition ( MDE ) is a concept that enables data to be acquired away from a computer workstation . Mobile data acquisition is used, for example, in industrial, production and trading companies.
definition
With the help of mobile data acquisition, process-relevant data is acquired and made available anywhere. This data comes from a backend system, e.g. B. an ERP or a merchandise management system , more rarely from a CRM system . The data is displayed and recorded using mobile devices. Depending on the purpose, solutions can be equipped with various data acquisition devices , such as a barcode scanner , or use RFID technology. As a result, business processes are optimized in such a way that time for information acquisition and recording is saved.
Areas of application
Mobile solutions can be used for a wide variety of processes. In the industrial area, this can be processes in the warehouse and production, for example, but also areas of application “outside the home” such as sales or service field service or in the delivery area. In retail, barcode scanners and PDAs particularly support the areas of goods storage , goods retrieval and inventory as well as chaotic warehousing . MDE devices make it possible to place articles in any free storage space without long walking distances, to scan articles and storage locations and to save the assignment in the system. This allows the warehouse to be used particularly efficiently, as every storage space can be used for every article. In principle, all processes are theoretically conceivable for the use of mobile data acquisition, in which there are strong advantages that employees can access the data of a system from anywhere. For example, there are now mobile solutions for nursing services and clinics. The nursing staff access the data from a hospital information system via laptop or PDA .
advantages
- Elimination of duplicate data entry
- Elimination of media breaks
- Avoidance of empty runs
- Avoidance of unnecessary walking routes
- Avoidance of "detours" (through route-optimized user guidance)
- Elimination of transmission errors
- Plausibility check when entering
- Always up-to-date database
- Increase in process efficiency
- Uncovering potential savings
Procurement
Depending on the process model, two concepts for the award of contracts are possible:
- With the push procedure , the orders are automatically transferred to the end devices and the user is instructed to carry them out. In this way, new orders with particular urgency can be assigned to an appropriate employee. One example is the field service deployment of service technicians: If a customer reports a service case that needs to be processed immediately, the employees in the back office can contact an employee in the field who is close to the customer and has the corresponding spare parts and the necessary know-how instruct this case. The customer is then automatically included in the technician's route-optimized route.
- With the pull process , the employee fetches the orders from the system independently. As soon as he has completed an order, he reports this back with his mobile device and receives a new order. This is useful for order picking, for example: An overview of the current orders to be processed is stored in the ERP or warehouse management system. These are then handed over to employees in priority as soon as they have completed their last picking.
Using web technologies, the devices can be integrated into any further process model - whether via a native app, progressive web app or a website.
Technologies
Depending on how up-to-date the data has to be, a mobile solution can use online or offline technology. With offline data transfer, the relevant data is regularly transferred from the backend system to the mobile device and stored there. Newly recorded data is also stored on the device until a connection with the backend system is established. The data itself is usually transferred when the device is connected to a station (batch solution).
The online technology relies on permanent data exchange via WLAN, GSM network or similar. This always ensures that the latest data is available in the backend system and also on the mobile device. When using online technology, ensure optimal network coverage. This is usually not a problem in your own home. A WLAN is provided with the help of radio coverage .
In the field service, a mixture of online and offline technology can be used if a permanent radio connection is not possible. The data is then cached on the mobile device until a connection can be established again. The data transfer can then take place via batch (transfer station) or via WLAN.
hardware
Just like the areas of application for mobile data acquisition, the possible mobile devices are also diverse. In addition to PDAs, for example forklift terminals, tablet PCs, mobile terminals, smartphones and others can be used, some with a scan attachment. In addition to the still widespread Windows Mobile, Android, Windows Phone and iOS can also be used as operating systems. A current operating system specially developed for such devices is e.g. B. Windows 8.1 Embedded Handheld - but the product has already been discontinued and the successor is not being developed any further. For this reason, most manufacturers have been turning to Android as the operating system since the end of 2018.
Due to the different requirements, which depend on the location and process, there is a wide range. In addition to "normal" industrial PDAs, hardware manufacturers also offer explosion-proof devices, hardware for special temperature requirements (e.g. in cold rooms), end devices for use in clinics and so on.
Common terms for the hardware used are handheld computers, retail handheld devices or industrial handheld devices.
For some time now, smartphones have been increasingly advertised as input terminals. In most cases, however, these are not suitable for the long term due to the low mechanical protection class and insufficient power management. The cell phone camera is currently unsuitable as a barcode scanner, as the slow focus does not allow efficient barcode capture.
literature
- Otto-Ernst Heiserich, Klaus Helbig, Werner Ullmann: Logistics: A practical introduction , Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-8349-1852-9 .