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Elliott Loohire, the market leader in the hire of portable toilets and temporary fencing in the UK, recently streamlined its administration procedures by introducing Dolphin 7900 mobile computers from Hand Held Products supplied by Spirit Data Capture Limited.
Elliott Loohires Systems Manager, Martin Davies, explains: We handle a very large number of transactions, and therefore generate huge amounts of paperwork. To move the company forward, we started looking for a smart device that could be used for signature capture, enabling us to reduce the amount of administration. The company currently has over 15,000 toilet units and over 60,000 fencing panels for hire and wanted a device that was extremely rugged and reliable, as it would be used in the field in all types of weather.
Spirit Data Capture, an independent company that specialises in automated data capture technologies, recommended the Dolphin 7900, a versatile mobile computer manufactured by Hand Held Products, the leading manufacturer of image-based data collection solutions. The Dolphin can read a wide range of 1D and 2D barcode symbologies, has OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities and can also capture digital images and signatures and also provides seamless real-time data and voice communications.
Martin Davies continues: We had seen and considered other devices, but chose the Dolphin on the basis of its portability, ruggedness and its features. Elliott Loohire ordered 116 Dolphins, which were rolled out to the companys nine depots between September 2006 and February 2007. The mobile computers are powered by the firms vehicles and are mounted in vehicle cradles.
Previously, each job (over 8,000 per week) had to be manually checked from the paperwork, which was scanned into a paperless office system. Now, in addition to a visual representation of progress of deliveries and collects, the Dolphins automatically create and file the necessary paperwork, eliminating the time needed for scanning and indexing. If necessary, jobs can be moved to other drivers, and the Dolphins are automatically updated using the GPRS communications. They also enable the company to carry out same day deliveries without any paperwork.
With the Dolphins GPS ability, the company also expects to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the whole tracking process, which should in turn reduce the fuel costs.
Martin Davies concludes: I am very happy with the level of service we have received from Spirit. The Dolphins have proved to be extremely reliable and robust, and are giving the results we wanted. Furthermore, the drivers are very happy with them as it means they spend much less time filling out paperwork!
About Hand Held Products
Hand Held Products is the worlds leading provider of image-based data collection solutions - such as barcode scanners, mobile computers and transaction terminals.
The company has a worldwide network of partners, and an extensive client base across many different markets. Based in the US, its European headquarters are in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
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