SmartPad: Shop Floor PDA Aims To Reduce Paperwork

ByJohn Teresko Personal digital assistants (PDAs) usually are depicted as an executive tool, but not by Clinical Dynamics Corp., Wallingford, Conn. Its new line of PDAs is designed for the shop floor -- specifically for service technicians and maintenance professionals. "Based on our strong history within the biomedical testing industry, we literally see thousands of maintenance workers buried knee deep in paperwork throughout all aspects of the repair process," says sales manager Joseph Rebot. SmartPad allows the user to digitally view, edit, open, and close new and existing work orders directly at the service site. It comes preloaded with database software, usually from a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that is then synchronized with a company server at the end of a shift. Other features include a server-less data exchange, integrated hardware and software, and portability to any palm-sized platform, including Palm OS and Windows CE. The company claims compatibility with virtually all CMMS databases, including PSDI's Maximo and DataStream's MP2. ECS -- as well as such consumer-based applications as Microsoft Access.