UK gas company chooses Panasonic notebooks
Panasonic Electric Works
Toughbook CF-19 notebooks
Northern Gas Networks is rolling out 540 of the latest Panasonic Mark 5 Toughbook CF-19 rugged notebooks to enable its field engineers to further improve operational efficiency.
The new CF-19s will be customised to include a GPS system to help locate network pipes and work locations and a 3G wireless connection to receive job allocation information.
The devices are being deployed by IT services company Wipro on behalf of Northern Gas Networks.
Half of the devices will be installed in the company’s vans and half will stay mobile with the field engineers.
Northern Gas Networks is responsible for distributing gas through a network of 37,000km of pipes to homes and businesses across the north of England.
Paul Tate, IT service and asset manager at Northern Gas Networks, said: ’We carried out extensive product testing as part of our evaluation process and we found the Panasonic Toughbook to be the best device for our field engineers.
’Any fault in a device reported by 15:00 will ensure a replacement device is delivered to the engineer by 9:00 the next working day,’ he added.
The Toughbook CF-19 is part of Panasonic’s Fully Rugged range and, equipped with the Intel Core i5 Vpro processor, is claimed to ensure durability and reliability.
A magnesium-thickened casing offers maximum protection for sensitive components, such as the display.
Hard drives are secured against impact and shock.
A fall from a height of 90cm does not affect functionality in any way, and a special protective coating provides dust and water resistance.
The CF-19 can be used as a conventional laptop or converted to a tablet PC for use in the field.
The lightweight device can be held with one hand and the bright touchscreen LCD display is designed to be convenient to use both inside and outside in bright light conditions.
Finally, the CF-19 is built for reliable communications when in the field, according to Panasonic.
The Northern Gas Network units contain 3G wireless communications and a GPS capability to ensure the engineers are always in touch with headquarters and can quickly find their next work location without having to return to base.
’Often, working in extreme weather conditions in remote parts of the country means the field engineers need a mobile computing device that can operate effectively in these difficult conditions,’ said Paul Davidson, corporate sales manager for utilities at Panasonic Toughbook.
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