Anycom, Inc. is in the final phase of one of the largest Bluetooth wireless connectivity deployment projects undertaken in the trucking and delivery industry.
IT communication and security specialist Biodata IT SA is the sole distributor for Anycom products in South Africa.
RFI Mobile Technologies AG, the leading distributor for mobile computing and communication in Germany, founded Anycom to manufacture and distribute Bluetooth products. The company develops and deploys total Bluetooth wireless technology solutions, including client devices, printer modules, access points and accessories for large enterprises, solutions providers and OEMs.
Bofrost, a company specialising in the direct sale of ice cream and frozen food to private households throughout Germany, used Anycom for the implementation of this extensive Bluetooth based wireless connectivity solution. The implementation has increased sales through enhanced customer service and convenience. It has also resulted in a cost reduction through increased efficiency in the electronic data exchange between sales/delivery personnel and their central warehouse.
The Bluetooth wireless technology products used in this project are exclusively Anycom products. Several thousand Bofrost delivery trucks have been outfitted with Bluetooth-enabled laptops, cell phones and printers.
En route, the wireless connectivity permits the dispatch centre to send current orders via a Bluetooth-enabled, always-on GPRS cellphone to the Anycom Bluetooth PC Card installed in the Panasonic notebook computer in the cab of the truck. The Anycom Bluetooth PC Card also makes it possible for the driver to take the notebook computer into the customer`s house to confirm or modify their order and then transmit the delivery sheet directly to the printer mounted in the vehicle.
By the time the driver returns to the vehicle the delivery sheet is printed and can be given to the customer with their frozen food order to eliminate claims. The time for each delivery is reduced, allowing more customers visits each day. Less time preparing paperwork means more time spent with customers. Costly errors are also minimised.
At the end of the day the drivers park their vehicles at the local hub and go home reducing overtime expense. Once the truck has returned to the depot, the laptop automatically connects to the centralised database via Bluetooth access points and synchronises its data. The next morning, the drivers are ready immediately to start their route with all the up-to-date data for that day`s deliveries.
With the new business model customer satisfaction has been improved. The Bofrost employees visit the home of the customer and take food orders on a sub-notebook. They have knowledge of the customers` buying habits and provide them with recommended buys as well as suggested recipes. Relationships are built between the courier and the customer.
Approximately 800 Anycom Bluetooth LAN Access Points are to be installed to guarantee smooth communication between the notebook computers in the vehicles and the servers in the dispatch centres. The total cost of the project was $30 million, with the Bluetooth technology making up $2 million of that amount.
Currently many South African distribution companies utilise the traditional approach of collecting large amounts of paperwork from their dispatch each morning before setting out on their routes.
Hand-written orders from the previous day are misunderstood and incorrect orders are generated. Sometimes orders are forgotten at the dispatch. Implementing a totally wireless electronic solution will streamline these businesses increasing in productivity and efficiency thus increasing revenue generation.
Sales executives adopting Biodata IT SA`s Bluetooth "mobile office" solution have discovered a market increase in their performance. By having the ability to generate quotations and orders and obtain current prices from the company`s centralised database whilst still in the presence of the client, the executive now no longer needs to return to the office to perform administrative duties. The client`s order can be processed immediately giving the executive the opportunity to visit more clients daily.
According to Ingrid Reimsch"ussel, Director at Biodata IT South Africa, there were several reasons why Bluetooth was selected as the preferred technology for this project.
"With the amount of printing being done, the repair costs are cheaper than servicing or replacing parallel cable connectors. The courier is saving time as the invoice is printed by the time he returns to the truck and at the end of the day the truck synchronises with the warehouse LAN without the removal of the laptop from the truck. And costs are cut due to the fact that one card is able to perform multiple functions," she says.
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Biodata Information Technology provides network, PC and communication security products. The company`s portfolio incorporates Internet servers that each include a firewall, router, web e-mail and file server as well as high-speed data and e-mail encryption products for IP-based systems and network services.
In the IT security market, Biodata positions itself as a One-Stop Shop Supplier of Communication and Network Security. Encryption secures the transmission of data packets via public telecommunication networks. Firewalls protect computer networks from unauthorised access (hacking) and data theft via the Internet. E-mail encryption and PKI solutions cover the security of communication.
Biodata`s activities stretch to each of these growing markets including ISDN. The company distributes a router, developed by Bintec Communications, designed to provide quick and reliable Internet connection via ISDN line. The company intends to achieve a total competitive advantage in all market segments by strong global expansion.
Biodata`s concept and market approach is to develop proprietary products for the individual areas of IT security including routers and content security.
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