As warehouses increasingly equip forklifts and other industrial vehicles with mounted rugged tablets, they’re experiencing a wide range of benefits — from streamlined paperless workflows to wayfinding to real-time inventory. But distracted driving can be just as dangerous on a warehouse floor as it is on the road.
There are roughly about 855,900 forklifts in operation in the U.S. Roughly 11 percent of them are involved in an accident each year — resulting in 34,900 serious injuries and 85 fatalities. If forklift drivers are suddenly distracted by tablet screens, those numbers could start to rise.
That’s why Samsung SDS developed Inertia, a new mobile solution that helps industrial truck operators use tablets to work more efficiently and effectively, without dangerous distractions.
Why tablets are trending in manufacturing
Over the last few years, businesses have struggled to meet demand amid significant talent shortages and supply chain disruptions. Forward-thinking manufacturers have continued to modernize warehouses and factory floors — including their forklifts, tuggers, stackers, hi-los, and other vehicles.
Mounting tablets on forklifts help drivers move seamlessly from one task to another. With the right software integrations, drivers can view tasks, find the most efficient route to wherever they need to go, and scan pallets — without getting off the forklift. Rather than leafing through printed order lists (which quickly become outdated) or answering frequent walkie-talkie calls with new pickup requests, drivers get all the information they need in real time and from one device.
The Inertia solution makes sure these tablets are used safely, only when vehicles are not in motion.
How Inertia works
Partnered with RAM Mounts, Inertia is a simple and highly impactful solution designed for mounted Samsung devices in manufacturing environments. When a vehicle is in motion, the device locks down and the screen goes blank until the driver comes to a complete stop.
It features different configuration levels that can be customized for different vehicles and types of surfaces, so sensors on the device can distinguish between vibrations and actual movement. When drivers need information, they pull over, and the tablet is immediately available to them, but as soon as they start moving, the tablet goes to sleep.
3 benefits of Inertia
1. Fewer accidents
Inertia is a relatively new solution, but it has already been implemented by several large manufacturing facilities, including a leading global automobile manufacturer. Before deploying Inertia, this business had two or three distracted driving-related incidents per month. Now, these accidents are nonexistent. The lock-screen safety feature minimizes distractions for the driver, resulting in fewer accidents, injuries, and potential OSHA fines.
2. Lower costs
As of January 2023, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines businesses up to $15,625 per safety violation, and up to $156,259 for repeated violations. Industrial vehicle accidents cost even more, especially when you factor in equipment repairs and workers’ compensation. In 2022, over 140 workers were injured in forklift incidents, and such injuries can require multiple days away from work. Inertia can help keep employees safe and productive.
3. Easy to deploy
Similar tools often require external cameras and additional sensors, whereas Inertia is self-contained and requires no third-party peripherals. Using it is as simple as installing software on Samsung tablets. The solution can be remotely deployed quickly across fleets of industrial vehicles.
Deploy at scale and protect your investment
For large or multilocation manufacturers, even a simple solution can be time-consuming to deploy if someone from IT has to manually install, configure, and update each device. Samsung Knox Suite lets businesses remotely manage and configure devices and software, pushing updates to individual devices, groups of devices or entire fleets all at once.
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To help manufacturers deploy safe mobile solutions quickly and at scale, Samsung offers a bundle that includes Inertia, Knox Suite and Galaxy Tab Active3. Durable enough to meet MIL-STD-810H military standards for rugged devices, Galaxy Tab Active3 is well suited to manufacturing environments, and it can be fixed on forklift mounts. Enhanced touch capability allows the tablet to be used with gloves or in wet weather. And the S Pen — IP68 rated for dust, dirt, and water resistance — helps replace paper and clipboards.
Mobilizing industrial vehicle operations is a key step in modernizing manufacturing, but digital transformation should never come at a safety risk. Inertia is a simple, low-cost solution backed by a lifetime warranty that manufacturers can deploy quickly to help create a safer workplace.
Learn more about the mobile technologies that will help modernize your warehouse in this free guide. And discover more Samsung mobile manufacturing solutions, designed for efficiency and safety alike.
