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Issue 95
Rugged Hardware
Industry Specific Software
Full Service Support
www.touchstargroup.com
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TS GasPac’s global technology benefits rural customers, bottom line… Just six years ago, Jan Whitley worked for a large propane distributor in central Georgia. The second generation in her family to provide propane distribution services to rural residents, Whitley saw that the needs of customers on its smaller, more remote routes were not being met.
“The rural customers we were working with wanted dependable propane delivery but, at the same time, they wanted to deal with someone local, someone they knew – not a big corporation,” Whitley said.
Whitley formed Partners Propane of GA, Inc. in 2003 with the goal of addressing Georgia’s rural propane distribution market. Starting out with a building, a few trucks and a handful of customers, Whitley made a critical decision early on that would shape the future of her fledgling company.
“We wanted computers on each of our trucks,” Whitley said. “We loved the TouchStar system and saw the benefits it could bring to us and our customers.”
Partners Propane of GA, Inc. began using the mobility automation technology of GasTrack, TouchStar’s original DOS application, along with other TouchStar services and applications such as HyperDocs, Touch PC and Blaster Printers, and is currently in the process of updating to Windows CE GasPac. Almost immediately, Whitley says, Partners Propane of GA, Inc., its customers and its employees were seeing measurable results.
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Before GasPac, drivers had to take time out of their delivery schedules to go into the office and work on reports, as well as figure out delivery routes. Now, all of that important information was available at the touch of a button.
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“The efficiency we gained with TouchStar’s GasPac freed up one-and-a-half to two hours per driver per day. Our drivers were able to get in more deliveries each day which allowed us to go from four to three drivers at our main branch location,” Whitley said.
One initial concern Whitley had was the acceptance of TS GasPac and its associated applications by Partners Propane of GA, Inc.’s employees.
One of our drivers had worked for my dad for 30 years and was 65 years old when we introduced the new TS GasPac technology,” Whitley said. “He came in and said he wasn’t sure he could use it, but we received wonderful training and support from TouchStar. That driver, who is now 70, absolutely loves his handheld.”
Best of all, its small town customers embraced the use of Partners Propane of GA, Inc.’s new delivery tracking software. “The transition was transparent to them,” Whitley said. “What they did notice was that there were less billing errors and we were able to keep our same-day delivery promise.”
Five years and 6,000 customers later, Partners Propane of GA, Inc. continues to utilize TouchStar’s mobile automation technology in its six Bobtails and one transport truck, adding efficiency, accuracy and customer satisfaction directly to its bottom line.
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HyperDocs: The Power of Going Paperless
Efficiency, security, speed and resource conservation are important benchmarks from which any company’s success is measured. With this in mind, TouchStar offers TS HyperDocs – digital document management software for doing business in today’s fast-paced, high-tech world.
TS HyperDocs is an easy-to-use archival, retrieval and record storage system that securely and seamlessly digitizes all documents, transactions and signatures, thereby eliminating the need for enterprise-based paper copies
Designed for network and web-based servers, TS HyperDocs provides system managers with instant access to digital records and field-printed documents – all of which are stored as print images in the TS HyperDocs database and are accessible instantaneously.
TS HyperDocs Highlights
Go Paperless: All field print-outs, invoices and reports generate an identical copy of the original image and are immediately stored in a company’s database. Customers can even receive real-time delivery confirmation via email or other communications tool. Add to that TS HyperDocs’ electronic signature and powerful field back-up system capabilities, and you’ve done away with the need to make paper copies of your field transactions.
Simple User Interface: Each transaction data field is searchable through an easy-to-use operator interface that provides both field and office staff with immediate and accurate information.
Easy Customer Access: Customers can utilize TS HyperDocs’ self-serve functionality to summarize transactions and securely view/download documents online, resulting in accelerated payment schedules and reduced account disputes.
Document Reproduction Options: Stored documents can be reproduced in several forms: simple screen display, hard copy printout, email, fax, web download or automated export file format for ERP systems.
Scheduled Processing Options: TS HyperDocs is equipped with a number of automated and rules-based scheduled processing options that can be defined to meet user parameters. For example, managers can receive vehicle inspection reports daily while dispatchers are sent PDF images of same-day transactions. Or, have TS HyperDocs compile and automatically transmit weekly reports of all regional delivery tickets to locations nationwide.
Powerful, Secure Archiving: TS HyperDocs’ automated, rules-based archiving technology ensures high-speed, efficient document retrieval while all transaction images are securely reproduced via binary encryption and cannot be altered.
Flexible Installation: TS HyperDocs can be a single installation in an office, or can be installed as a web-based product allowing all branch locations to retrieve documents from a single source.
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Apple takes the early lead
There have been plenty of product announcements and strategic power moves in the mobility market already this year – and the players are just getting started.
Apple has sold nearly four million iPhone devices worldwide in the last six months, putting the company just behind RIM as the number two shareholder in the U.S. smartphone market. Fuelling the boom was the March release of the highly anticipated iPhone SDK. The SDK announcement included a lucrative arrangement for developers, namely, a 70 percent cut with relatively free distribution through iTunes/AppleStore, along with $100 million (USD) in available venture capital. This move echoes Google’s offering of $10 million for developers on the Android platform.
Apple has also announced the introduction of enterprise functionality, slated for version 2.0 in June of this year. With its sights set firmly on the top spot in the market, Apple licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft to provide push e-mail/calendar/contacts support.
One noteworthy application recently added to the iPhone is the “locate me” feature. Apple and Skyhook Wireless developed “locate me” using a combination of cell tower data and information from a smart, self-repairing database that tracks signal strength against both WiFi Access Points and cellular network towers. Integrated into Google Maps, “locate me” can reasonably pinpoint the iPhone user’s location without a GPS receiver.
And, while it can’t provide turn-by-turn navigation, iPhone’s “locate me” technology opens up the possibility of low cost location-aware applications and services – an amazing feat which I suspect will drive many of the platform’s future functionality options.
Google has just released Google Gears for Windows Mobile. A tremendous achievement, Google Gears brings Google’s occasionally connected browser extensions to IE Mobile. This allows software vendors to create web applications that seamlessly transition offline. Google has also introduced a new version of Android SDK which addresses issues and concerns with the initial software release.
In Microsoft’s corner of the mobility market, there has been little new activity as work continues on the next version of Windows Mobile 7 which is expected to be released next year. Microsoft did finally succumb to licensing Adobe’s technology and is expected to offer a PDF Reader and Flash Lite integration into IE Mobile.
This news came just days after Steve Jobs said that Flash is too demanding to be supported on the iPhone (rumour has it there is more to this than meets the eye). It’s interesting to note that this statement was made just after it was revealed that SilverLight, Microsoft’s direct competition to Flash, will soon be available on Windows Mobile.
There is an interesting chess match being played out among the top three players in IT mobility (with the exception of RIM). While the underlying hardware platform is still a driving force behind user adoption and overall experience, the playing field has become increasingly focused on the development of browser extensions.
Undoubtedly, the iPhone has far surpassed all expectations. I have faith in Microsoft, but it must establish Windows Mobile 7 as a worthy player in the mobility marketplace. Otherwise, Microsoft might find itself in “check mate” by the competition.
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TouchStar will be an exhibitor at the 60th Annual National Tank Truck Carriers Conference in New York City May 18-20. The NTTC Conference draws high-level tank truck carrier executives, private fleet managers, shippers and industry suppliers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
TouchStar Introduces FuelWare LT and GasPac LT
TouchStar is bringing its FuelWare and GasPac applications to a wider market with the offering of two new mobile computing solutions: FuelWare LT and GasPac LT. Working with its existing FuelWare and GasPac technology, TouchStar has developed LT versions of both products to allow for greater affordability and simplified hardware installation while still delivering best-in-class mobility solutions.
The full-featured software of FuelWare and GasPac – which typically run on a more rugged, intrinsically safe CEagle handheld – is the basis of the new LT series and provides customers with the same mobile computing benefits, including: digital ticket reproduction and document management, electronic signature technology, automation of transactions in real time, web-based or email invoice access, and more. The only difference is that FuelWare LT and GasPac LT feature a smaller, lower-cost handheld device.
TouchStar created FuelWare LT and GasPac LT utilizing the latest data gathering and reporting technology developed by TouchStar. This technology cuts the cost of the LT series in half because it can be installed by the user in minutes versus the more complex and time-consuming task of installing hardware that directly interfaces to the electronic register.
According to a new report from the ARC Advisory Group in Boston, Mass, wireless growth is booming in process manufacturing sectors – chemicals, oil refineries, gas and electric and mining…
- 2007 spending on wireless products for these markets reached $281 million
- Up from $163 million in 2005
- ARC expects this market to $1.1 billion by 2012
- A compound annual growth rate of 31.8%!
* As released in the “Wireless In Process Manufacturing Worldwide Outlook”.
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Customer Spotlight:Partners Propane of GA, Inc. |
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TouchStar Product Spotlight
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Tech Talk with David Thornley |
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