Getac F110 Tablet: Engineered for Warehouse Operations

Traditional forklift vehicle-mounted units have represented a very expensive but necessary procurement for many modern warehousing organizations. Warehousing customers are increasingly looking for greater functionality from these devices, and are looking to run more applications than purely data collection, driving a shift in architecture requirements.

In the design of the F110, Getac addresses many of the common concerns facing even the toughest material handling environments, including: temperature and vibration resistance, safety precautions that eliminate possible driver distractions and the ability to integrate with long range barcode readers, among a host of others. In addition, the F110 costs thousands less than traditional VMU’s.

So let’s walk through the benefits of upgrading from a traditional VMU to a Getac rugged forklift-mounted solution. In terms of temperature resistance, this is crucial, considering the cold air, frost and condensation facing most forklift operators working in a warehouse, especially those in and out of a refrigeration environment. Additionally, the F110 takes advantage of a revolutionary LumiBond 2.0 touchscreen technology, bonding the display glass with the touch panel and LCD, creating a single pane that is more durable and readable in direct sunlight.

Throughout daily scanning, tracking and cycle counting, the F110’s solid state drive allows for use within a very wide temperature range of -5.8° F (-21°C) to 140° F (60°C). The higher temperature resistance helps to guard against the punishing conditions facing your forklift team in low and high-level order picking, stacking, pallet handling and replenishing outdoors. Using non-rugged devices in these conditions opens organizations up to a significantly elevated risk of failure that can cost labor downtime, schedule delays, lost productivity and unexpected repair and replacement costs.

As warehouse workers are familiar, forklifts do not typically include suspension systems; yet they may travel over uneven ground a lot, inconsistently vibrating and jarring the inside of the cab. This is why Getac manufactures rugged tablets down to the chassis. Engineered to protect the computer against drops, shocks, spills, vibration, dust, liquid and more, the F110 has been independently tested and certified to MIL-STD-810G, IP65 and MIL-STD-461G standards.

Several new custom features were added to Getac rugged computers, specific to warehousing. Motion sensor docking stations work in combination with a motion-activated safety software application to ensure forklift drivers concentrate on the number one task at hand – maneuvering the forklift. The software can be configured to black out the screen, pull up designated applications or simply lock out the mouse, touch screen or keyboard while the vehicle is in motion.

Getac devices can also be mounted on forklift docks that provide power via Pin 9 on the Serial Port. This means that handheld barcode scanners can be plugged into the dock serial port to provide power, so there’s no need to worry about using battery power. With Getac devices, warehouse teams can easily integrate with long range barcode readers to address challenging scanning scenarios.

The F110 is specifically designed to withstand the rugged demands facing the warehousing industry where wireless connectivity can be a challenge. It can be configured with pass-through antenna ports allowing you to simultaneously connect high-gain GPS, WWAN and WLAN roof mounted antennas. Featuring 802.11ac WiFi, the latest and fastest in wireless connectivity technology, the F110’s optional dedicated GPS offers twice the search capacity, faster location positioning and improved accuracy.

Weight and overall form factor are a plus, with the F110 weighing in at a lean three pounds in deference to typical VMU weights of over six pounds. Thickness is a benefit as well, with the F110 measuring at only one inch thick vs the VMU thickness of two inches. Lighter and leaner, the F110 is designed to be about the size of a typical piece of paper, featuring an easily readable 11.6” display.

Lastly, the warranty provided with each F110 allows for three years of bumper-to-bumper coverage, rather than the average VMU single year of basic warranty.

Heavily weighing the need for functionality, durability and connectivity in the warehousing market, Getac engineered a well-rounded solution that makes connected forklift operation safer, more convenient and less costly.

For more information, visit Getac.