Everything has its limits. However, we must be careful not to limit our expectations – especially when it comes to technology.
Case in point: we have known for years that the Zebra 3600 Series Ultra Rugged Scanners were tougher than other barcode scanners in their class. They are practically indestructible. But we had no idea how much more they could really handle until recently.
A couple months ago, Zebra was challenged to a rough and tumble duel. Well, not directly. But we were dared to push Zebra 3600 Series scanners to new limits. Operations are becoming more intense in real-world manufacturing and warehousing environments, and scanners are enduring new physical challenges as a result. So, we decided to put the whole family through the most rigorous testing of its life using industry-recognized standards.
Our expectations were high, but perhaps not enough because the Zebra 3600 Series Ultra-Rugged Scanners far exceeded our performance expectations!
Every single one…
Did you fall out of your chair like I did the first time I heard this news?
If you did, I get it. This is really big!
Every single Zebra 3600 Series Ultra-Rugged Scanner has the same ultra-rugged body and design as it did the day it entered the market. That means your scanners actually have a higher IP rating, drop rating, and tumble tolerance than they did when you first bought them. So, you got an even better deal than you thought, and the scanners should last you even longer than you probably expected.
(Still in that chair?)
Now that we’ve substantiated the claims on the spec sheets and inadvertently raised the bar – and value – even higher for ultra-rugged scanners, the conversation should shift to scanner configurations. Though every 3600 Series scanner has the same ultra-rugged design, the functional design does vary from model to model. That’s intentional.
As I mentioned in another recent post, things like keypads, color displays, scan range, and software influence productivity and your return on investment (ROI) just as much as durability. Even the most rugged scanner may limit your operational capacity if workers can only scan one barcode per trigger pull or the data isn’t properly parsed, formatted, and sent to your application systems for reporting or further action. Therefore, it is equally important you choose scanners that can be updated to support new applications. Data must be able to reach the right inventory management systems given how much workers and their devices multi-task these days. So, be sure you rank scanners using a holistic set of criteria when deciding which one is best for your business today and considering which one will still be best five years from now.
If you’re looking at Zebra scanners (which I hope you are, considering you’re still reading this), there’s a really cool Scanner Selector tool that can walk you through all the current options and help you find the right device based on your responses to a few questions. You can also set up time with a Zebra representative to talk through your goals, challenges, budget, current applications, worker expectations, and more.
In fact, you might want to take both routes because there are a lot of ultra-rugged 3600 Series scanners to choose, including the DS3600-KD we just launched a couple months ago:
As you can see, we aren’t kidding when we say we design purpose-built devices. And I know that’s a lot of info to scan through in one sitting, so I’m going to sign off for now. But I do encourage you to check out the Scan Selector tool when you have a few minutes and then call us with any follow up questions.
Matthew Petito is currently a Senior Product Manager at Zebra Technologies where he is responsible for Zebra’s 3600 Series Ultra-Rugged Scanners. Matthew has more than five years of experience within the Industrial Data Capture industry and has launched several products while at Zebra. Matthew holds a BS in Business from The University at Buffalo.