Manufacturing - Vehicle Distribution
Mitsubishi Motors Uses Dolphins to Track Cars
Executive Summary
The distribution of vehicles by large motor manufacturers and importers can be a highly complex operation. When Mitsubishi Motors needed to keep track of its vehicles – which are distributed to over 120 UK dealers – it opted for a wireless solution from Codegate, based around Hand Held Products’ Dolphin® 9500 family of mobile computers.
Company Profile
Mitsubishi is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. Mitsubishi Motors in the UK imports some 23,000 cars per year, most of which pass through its Portbury Preparation Centre. Some 500 cars are moved through Portbury every week and about 6,000 vehicles are also stored onsite at any one time. The logistics behind the distribution of the vehicles is therefore extremely important.
The Business Challenge
Mitsubishi is renowned not just for its car manufacturing, but also for its use of the latest technology throughout its business. Mitsubishi Motors wanted to use the most advanced methods of tracking vehicles at its Portbury site, as it needs to keep track of individual vehicles with values ranging from £10,000 to £35,000. The company already has a comprehensive Local and Wide Area Network, which supports the distribution of vehicles to the UK dealers. However, it needed to extend the network infrastructure beyond the constraints of the office. The solution was to provide the workforce with radio terminals, so that each employee would be able to update the system remotely via a link into the network.
The Solution
Katheryn Davies, Head of Mitsubishi's Project Team, says: "We knew what we wanted to achieve, but we then had to select a company with both the expertise and resources to meet the stringent demands of our project." The company therefore consulted Codegate, its preferred supplier. Codegate specialises in mobile computing solutions that increase workforce productivity and efficiency.
It is also a Business Solution Partner of Hand Held Products, the world’s leading provider of image-based data collection systems.
Having decided to opt for a Microsoft Windows platform to run the application, Katheryn asked for "a device that would be rugged enough to work both indoors and outdoors in all weathers, and offer the functionality that would fully support the software." After looking at the different possibilities, Codegate recommended Hand Held Products’ family of Dolphin® 9500 mobile computers. These fitted all of Mitsubishi’s needs, and provided the ease of use required for a scan intensive application. The Dolphin® 9500 is crammed with the latest technology, and gives exceptional performance levels - even in difficult lighting conditions or with poor quality bar codes. It is light but extremely durable and easy to use, and is packed with features that maximise its speed, efficiency and accuracy.
The Implementation
Taking great care not to disrupt Mitsubishi’s day-to-day business operations, Codegate subsequently installed a wireless network covering two of the company’s compounds at Portbury. The initial project has been very successful. Katheryn Davies remarks: "We are hoping soon to extend the number of handheld devices used, as well as the area of coverage. We are very pleased that Codegate and Hand Held Products were able to meet our needs and look forward to working with them again."
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