Ever bought a shirt in a rush, only to regret it later? You grabbed the first one you saw from the nearest store because it was cheap and easy. But a little later, you realize it doesn&#;t fit quite well, it&#;s too big and it&#;s made out of cheap fabric. It&#;s a suboptimal shirt. The same is true when you purchase a piece of equipment for your workplace. If you rush and opt for the easiest and cheapest solution when buying rugged computers, you may find yourself stuck with equipment that isn&#;t quite the fit for your workflow.
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Over the past 30 years, JLT has been providing rugged computers to all kinds of industries, and we&#;ve witnessed various approaches when it comes to the decision-making process. Here are five strategies we&#;ve pulled together to ensure you get it right when buying rugged computers.
Big purchases deserve careful planning, especially if it&#;s equipment for the long term that&#;ll last you many years, like rugged devices. The rapid pace at which technological advances are made these days requires you to stay ahead of the curve. So, if it&#;s been a while since you&#;ve made this kind of purchase, we suggest some mindful planning before buying rugged computers. Avoid the mistake of simply copying and pasting a purchase made years ago. Instead, look for solutions that are available on the market today, and make sure you look at future-proof solutions that align with your needs.
Not rushing the planning stages means you can involve the right people at the right time, such as people in your organization who will work with and use the devices. Involve them in drawing up the spec to make sure their needs are met and to encourage user acceptance, both of which may result to a smoother deployment later down the line.
Another important stakeholder is, of course, your purchasing department. A good working relationship may result in a better, faster and smoother procurement process when buying rugged computers. Take the time to make sure you understand each other&#;s drivers, stakes and targets.
Additionally, don&#;t forget to talk to potential suppliers to find out what rugged computers are available on the market. Speak with as many suppliers and producers as you can, and definitely speak to the ones with a good reputation. There may be new tech and functionalities available that you haven&#;t heard of, but really don&#;t want to miss out on to optimize your workflow.
While you&#;re in contact with the potential suppliers, we recommend spending a little bit of time in getting to know them to find out if you want to work with them. Try to look beyond their offer in terms of products or services and look for a supplier that understands your wants and needs. This way, you can be sure you get a supplier that offers you the whole package &#; for today, and for the future.
Is your future supplier interested in your business and do they understand your challenges? Do they offer extras, such as extended guarantees, repairs or support for your devices when buying rugged computers with them? Can they deliver to your sites on time and within budget? Do they fit any criteria your business has in terms of sustainability or ethics? Do they have the right partnerships to ensure that all pieces of equipment work together seamlessly? Are they willing to go the extra mile to meet your specific needs?
If you need help drawing up a shortlist of suppliers, we recommend you talk to other colleagues in your industry to find out their experience.
Once you have your stakeholders on board and you&#;ve compiled a list of interesting suppliers, it&#;s time for extensive testing. If you&#;re running an RFP, you can include onsite evaluation as part of the process to ensure you cover this stage.
Start testing as early as possible in the process and spend a good amount of time to get a real understanding of what you get for your money. Don&#;t forget to get your workforce or representatives involved. It&#;s one thing to read about rugged computers on paper, but it&#;s another getting them into the hands of those who need to use them.
By now, you should be in a good position to make the right decision for your business. But save yourself the pain of ending up being seduced by a good price. Buying rugged computers for cheap may help you save some money short-term, but it can end up costing more over the lifetime of the product.
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We recommend you think of the long term and keep in mind the total cost of ownership, as well as considering criteria beyond price. Additional value may be in terms of service and support, for example.
Of course, our advice isn&#;t just for buying rugged computers. You could apply this to any kind of purchase. Hopefully our tips will help you make the best purchasing decision, so you end up with an optimal solution, and not just with a suboptimal shirt!
Do you want to find out more about how we approach the purchasing process from a suppliers&#; point of view, or are you interested in hearing about our products and services? Feel free to get in touch with us, and we&#;ll do our best to help you find the best solution for your business.
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Ruggedized electronics are found worldwide in many markets today: military, industrial, marine, mining and others. While they are all seeking the benefits of longevity and durability, each application tends to have its own set of requirements. Sometimes these specifications come with a higher price tag when compared to off the shelf solutions that appear to fit the need. The temptation is to save money in the short term, hoping that the alternative from a lesser known supplier will perform as needed. But sacrificing either quality or requirements is a risky proposition.
Often, the risk isn&#;t immediately obvious. Competing options appear to meet the specifications. In other cases, buyers will knowingly take a chance, thinking that under-specking a piece of equipment won&#;t really matter. &#;Close enough!&#; they tell themselves. When are the consequences discovered? In the field &#; wherever the equipment is ultimately being used. Equipment that is meant to last fails on day one. The situation spirals quickly. Labor cost is wasted, downtime ensues, time is lost. People&#;s safety could be at risk.
Not to be all gloom and doom, but it usually gets worse. Often, the next course of action is to try and fix the mistake. The hope is by modifying the failed component, it could be brought up to the initial requirements. But this rarely works out. Eventually, it fails again. The cycle may be repeated until the buyer finally acknowledges that they&#;ve been defeated. It&#;s an unfortunate situation: an initial good faith attempt to sharpen the pencil results in good money going after bad. And still no viable solution.
For example, in airborne military applications, altitude is of critical concern. A while back, we had an overseas customer come to us with an issue. They quickly learned that off-the-shelf commercial displays from a different supplier weren&#;t designed to hold up well above 10,000 feet. The screens started falling apart above 10,000 feet. Why? They were not designed using an optical bonding process, which was specifically designed to keep screens operating in extreme environments. This process helps the display withstand shock, vibration and promotes excellent readability, even under intense sunlight. We were happy to welcome them back.
Under-specifying is just one side of this conversation. In other cases, the equipment may meet the stated specifications, but is of inferior quality. For example, the alternative solution may have lower quality cables, connectors or other components. These are just a few of the many places where manufacturers cut corners to earn a sale and beef up bottom lines.
Let&#;s look at another case. Our GenStar display is the gold standard, used in air traffic control towers around the world. The success of this product has inspired others to come up with a cheaper option. Let&#;s just say that they aren&#;t fully compliant, but &#;compliant enough&#;. Some buyers gave them a try. However, in safety-critical applications, sometimes commercial-grade just doesn&#;t cut it. Sunlight readability can be weak. Cables can fail. They can experience video loss. These design failures can possibly lead to catastrophe. Upfront savings, but at what long term cost?
While we appreciate the need to watch the budget, and save where possible, it&#;s clear that sacrifices should not be made when it comes to safety- and mission-critical applications. Be sure that your purchases meet or exceed required specifications, and that you are sourcing from suppliers known for their quality, and have the certs to back it up. Understand the true long-term costs of your purchasing decisions. Perhaps Ben Franklin said it best, &#;The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.&#;
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