How Manufacturers Can Leverage Samsung End-User Devices to Enable Digitization & Mobilization

By Tim Householder, Bill Vanleeuwen and Rocky Rickard

One way manufacturing companies can strengthen IT / OT alignment as they transform digitally is to leverage unified technology solutions already deployed by enterprise IT and scale them into their factory environment. This approach increases operational efficiency, reduces cost, and expands visibility across the business. Ideally, these solutions integrate wired and wireless network design and apply industry-leading technology from Samsung to move data quickly, enable frontline workers and secure the data flow throughout—while providing more security, deeper insights and better manageability for IT.

Manufacturing organizations are steadily transitioning to digitalization and mobilization. This seismic shift is fueled by several converging trends. First, modern devices have quickly evolved into high-powered, multi-functional tools, as technologies such as hybrid cloud, 5G, augmented reality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) have matured. In addition, next generation workers are digital natives and extremely comfortable with mobile technology and the digital world. And finally, OT leaders have recognized the immense value of adopting solutions that utilize modern devices to move data quickly, enable frontline workers and secure the data flow throughout the manufacturing process.  

WWT can help you develop or extend your digitalization and mobilization efforts with strategic, holistic solutions that include Samsung technology. Samsung's integrated solutions include software, hardware, mobile enhancements, services and support, as well as a robust partner ecosystem. Samsung has a large and wide variety of devices, such as its field-ready products, which are rugged, versatile and ready for anything, meeting US military standards for durability.  

These devices are dust-proof and water-resistant, and work in the harshest environment–extreme heat or cold–even with gloves. XCover and Tab Active devices include Galaxy XCover Pro and Galaxy XCover6 Pro (HHP) and Galaxy Tab Active 3, Galaxy Tab Active Pro and Galaxy Tab Active Pro4 tablets. 

Production and operations managers can leverage Samsung field-ready devices for a variety of purposes, including visualizing the production environment so they can manage productivity more effectively; providing immediate feedback, even visual instructions, in real time to frontline workers to improve quality and experience; and empowering frontline workers with access to the applications, information or resources they need anytime, anywhere, from any device. 

Manufacturers can realize numerous overall benefits by introducing unified digital solutions wrapped around mobile devices, including:

• Increased employee engagement, driven by creating accessible knowledge networks and enabling team-building through the sharing of best practices and recognition. Higher engagement is tied to faster time to competency, higher employee retention and increased profitability
• Enhanced communications with push-to-talk (PTT) and SMS voice-to-text for clear, real-time communications and programmable buttons to make it easy to access the most important and most-used apps with just a click
• Integrated scanning with quick, powerful scans from devices that are more flexible than single purpose, dedicated devices
• Improved employee safety through better standardization, auditing, process management, and removing the digital friction to foster a better safety culture

Samsung's integrated solutions are affordable and enable you to start small or with a specific use case, while preparing you for the future. For example, say you aren't planning a complete digital transformation right away, but you just need to scan barcodes on the factory line. Like a Swiss army knife, multi-functional Samsung solutions enable you to not only meet your current need—scanning barcodes—but to also provide numerous additional capabilities you may need in the future. In fact, Samsung modern devices are ideal for solving these common OT use cases:  

• Safety: Prevent forklift accidents by utilizing AR / AI capabilities and enabling real-time alerts.
• Communication: Improve communications with push-to-talk (PTT) and enable company announcements and plant communications.
• Training: Increase efficiency and improve training with workflow management and AR / AI training and enablement tools.
• Productivity: Easily and remotely maintain work-orders, review manuals, execute diagnostics, and have instant access to training and technical support.
• Mobile workstation / Desktop replacement: Replace multiple devices with one mobile device that can become a mobile workstation using Samsung's Desktop Experience (DEX).
• AR or mobile smart assistance: Provide workers with real-time access to remote workforce expertise.
• Plant mobile management: Increase efficiency and improve monitoring of operational activities through wearable and mobile devices.

In short, you can make substantial progress in your digital maturity just by adopting these devices, without boiling the ocean or breaking the bank. Whatever use case you start with, we can leverage Samsung solutions to transform your manufacturing and field services.

WWT and Samsung help ensure your mobilization initiatives are successful. WWT brings a holistic view and methodology to provide the right solutions to IT and OT teams. From strategy to architecture, design and deployment, WWT can help you identify the best solutions for your specific environment and needs to drive improvements in collaboration and productivity, while keeping your sensitive business data secure. We can work with your team to prioritize initiatives, establish early wins and build internal alignment about your digitalization roadmap. WWT in partnership with Samsung can ease the buying, integration and deployment cycles of end-user devices on and among the plant floor.

Together, WWT and Samsung scale globally and can ensure you have the best experience with acquiring and adopting your devices, as well as getting the most value possible from them. First, WWT seamlessly delivers ready-to-use, provisioned Samsung devices though its four logistics centers, located in Amsterdam, Mumbai, Singapore, and St Louis. Once you receive the devices, WWT's Adoption Services teams deliver training and adoption programming to ensure your teams know how to fully leverage your devices and applications to maximize your investment.  Once your products are in use, Samsung provides end-to-end global support for its family of products. 

Our approach

WWT partners with you from strategy to execution, applying real-world expertise and experience in manufacturing, data science, IT, and cybersecurity to help you solve your challenges, meet your objectives, and achieve your vision. We first identify your challenges and objectives, and then we work with you to develop solutions based on practices that best address your specific needs. Then, we execute at scale to ensure your desired outcomes are achieved.

The process for engagement includes the following steps.

1. We gather all of your requirements.
2. We develop a complete understanding of your business and technology needs.
3. We do a gap analysis between where you are and where you need to be.
4. We design an ideal architecture for you.
5. We help you identify the appropriate technology solution stack. You can experience the technologies in a facsimile of your exact environment, do a bake-off or proof of concept in our Advanced Technology Center (ATC).
6. We engage in protocol enablement.

This process ensures that you end up with a plan that will help you achieve valuable outcomes in practical, manageable ways, while bringing your enterprise IT and your OT closer together.