Where's the repair manual? What quantity of what ingredient has to be added to the cocktail? With these symptoms, would it be better to see a doctor or is there something I can take at home? There seems to be an app for absolutely everything. These mini-programs make our searches easier and paper often superfluous, speeding up day-to-day decision-making. Used sensibly, they even make us more productive.
Depending on the generation, at least every second person carries the necessary hardware on their person. And now the hardware is available from a whole range of suppliers in an ultra-robust or "ruggedized" form for industrial use. But this hardware has to take a rather special form when explosion protection comes into the picture. A few devices with ATEX Zone 1 or 2 certification are already in use in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as in the oil and gas industry. But the latest Bartec devices are much more advanced. Smartphones and tablet PCs with all the relevant Ex certifications for anywhere in the world make life simple for users such as project managers or auditors with international responsibilities. Who wants to be forced to have one tablet PC for the Russian market, one for the US market and a third for the European market, each with the relevant certificates?
Bartec is an acknowledged specialist in explosion protection. The company's fully certified devices are well known to process industry operators everywhere in the world. They are always reliable. The company has gained this reputation over very many years. The "Bartec goes mobile" strategy is now demonstrating the route the company will take into the future. Nader Halmuschi, Bartec's Head of Automation Technology, sees the Internet of Things ("Industry 4.0") as the motive force driving industry towards its goal of working faster, with minimum possible defects and in a paper-free environment. The common denominator? The explosion protection directives and further industry-specific requirements such as FDA guidelines in the pharmaceutical industry. Bartec is offering a platform, which comprehensively covers all countries' explosion protection requirements. The system integrators are designing their software so that it is able to cover all necessary additional standards.
Laser pointer in the Ex area
One of the features which make the Bartec portfolio's Impact X smartphone and Agile X tablet PC stand out from the competition is their extremely long battery life. The hot swap functionality of the devices makes a problem-free batterychange possible at any time. A WLAN and Bluetooth interface, versions with or without LTE reception, a laser pointer, an RFID reader, connection technology for the docking-station in the office – whatever communication capabilities the client wants to use are already there. Bartec uses operating systems for its devices that are widely accepted in the market – Microsoft for the tablets and Android for its smartphones.
The range Bartec will showcase at Achema will impress exhibition visitors with its state of the art technology. "The 10 inch tablet PC and the smartphone form the cornerstones of the Bartec portfolio" explained Halmuschi. Potential customers in a whole range of industries are already showing intense interest. The only way for anyone already operating the three shift system to increase productivity even further is to adopt the systematic use of the very latest technologies. Project managers, for instance, can in future use their tablet PC in a docking station in the office and also take it with them when they enter hazardous areas in the plant so that they have on the spot access to data-bases and documents such as wiring diagrams. And if the next project is in Singapore, for example, nothing changes thanks to the world-wide Ex certifications. Only one tablet PC is needed.
Monitoring teams also become more productive; they can now report a leak quickly, attach a photo of what is happening and immediately trigger a repair order. Maintenance and repair centres also benefit, as it is easy to identify which maintenance team is in the vicinity, has spare capacity and the spare part needed. Bartec would not be Bartec if only one tablet PC and one smartphone were on offer. The Bartec specialists take care of a complete infrastructure solution, which also provides WLAN facilities in hazardous areas, engineering and commissioning wherever possible without interruption to production - all-in solutions from a single source.
The first Bartec devices are already on the market. "There is currently a turn-key project which we are in the process of equipping with WLAN and devices" reported Halmuschi. He finds it particularly fascinating that this equipment is being installed during ongoing operation in the plant. Everything must proceed at full speed. "Any company wanting to improve efficiency and productivity even further today to underpin its competitiveness in the long term can no longer avoid the systematic use of mobile technology" he emphasised.
Achema hall 11.1 booth E76
