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User Confusion Hampers
Wireless Manufacturing
Manufacturers will increase their use of wireless technology
significantly in the next 24 months, but many potential
users are confused about the real benefits of wireless
and how to justify the cost of implementing the technology,
according to a recent study by Cahners In-Stat Group.
That confusion is a drag on growth, the study found.
Wireless monitoring of inventory and assets, movement
of goods, process quality, job control and other functions
could significantly boost productivity in many factories.
Despite that compelling notion, many users are hesitant
to fully embrace wireless technology. More than 40 percent
of respondents to the In-Stat survey on wireless technology
said "the number of wireless data alliances forming make
it confusing for my company to understand the industry."
More confusion - about the real benefits of wireless
data and the investments required to reap real benefits
- may be hampering deployments as much as the spate of
competing radio frequency (RF) technologies, says Rebecca
S. Diercks, Cahners In-Stat Group's director of wireless
research. "It's real important that vendors provide potential
customers with white papers and studies to explain how
much it costs to implement wireless," Diercks says.
Customers that have already implemented wireless manufacturing
systems are eager to roll out the technology further.
Today, 15 percent of employees at companies that have
wireless data solutions in place actually use wireless
data. That number will double to 30 percent of employees
within 24 months, In-Stat projects.
Equipment Planned to be used for
Wireless Data Solutions in the Next 24 Months
Source: Cahners In-Stat Group
Most users believe that wireless systems can increase
the accuracy of real-time inventory reporting and reduce
data entry errors and costs. Yet, nearly half see a barrier
to deployment in their inability to justify the cost of
wireless systems. More than half the respondents to the
In-Stat survey don't know how much wireless data services
cost per month per employee. One-third of respondents
planning to implement a wireless data system were not
sure about how best to purchase one.
Wireless manufacturers, consultants and the publishing
world should seize the opportunity to launch focused educational
campaigns to make the purchase and justification of wireless
devices and applications easier, Diercks says. Furthermore,
wireless data prices must drop considerably before corporate
users justify widespread implementation.
Several other important findings emerged from the study
including:
- Future wireless data users would like wireless data
technology to integrate with manufacturing requirements
planning (MRP) systems, warehouse management systems
(WMS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)
systems, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
- Radio Frequency (RF) LANs are in most demand by the
manufacturing industry, followed closely by cellular
digital packet data (CDPD) wireless IP networks, and
by infrared local area networks.
- Handheld computers and scanners will soon surpass
the PC and notebook computer for use in wireless applications.
Report
Information
This study reports IT managers'
expectations for adoption of wireless data in the manufacturing
industry through 2001, as well as the key issues driving
this deployment. Detailed information is provided about
the key applications in this industry, preferred access
devices and pricing, and planned networks, including wireless
LANs and wireless IP (CDPD). The impact of new technologies
such as the 802.11HDR standard and BlueTooth are also
discussed.
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