Category: Cost Savings

Thin client technology saves times and money by reducing time spent on configuration and maintenance of computer networks.

ACP Press Release

Tom Jordan

News Release

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2012
 
ACP ThinManager to release Munici-Pack Licensing

ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA—ACP (Automation Control Products), a worldwide leader in the automation industry that provides full-feature centralized thin client and terminal server management software, has announced that they will be releasing a new “Munici-Pack” licensing option. Unlike standard ThinManager license packs that require the full installation to be in one physical location, the Munici-Packs allow a municipality the flexibility to use purchased licenses anywhere within their jurisdiction.  This licensing option uses the recently released ThinManager 6.0 Platform which has several new functions and features such as iTMC, which allows any Apple iPad to run as a portable, wireless thin client, as well as worldwide remote access capability and improved support for a wide range of hardware and components.  Specifics of the Munici-Pack License model can be found via the following link: [...]

From the Factory Floor to the Front Office

Tom Jordan

Over the course of the last decade, the growth of thin client computing in factories and industrial environments has continued to increase as demand has steadily risen.   In these facilities, where environmental and safety factors are often the primary influence when deciding on a reliable computing platform, there is a definite need for technology that replaces the PC.  As a machine, the PC is not intended to operate in an area filled with vibration, airborne particulates, or hazardous gases.   Such concerns and factors explain why there is constant growth in the industrial thin client computing arena.  But this beckons the question, if industrial operations continue moving to the thin client because they HAVE TO, then what is the impetus for the front office CHOOSING TO? [...]

How Does Citrix Compare to ThinManager?

Tom Jordan

With the completion of the ThinManager 6.0 Launch & Training event, we are gearing up for the inevitable landslide of reviews and requests that follow a successful launch.  Some people are just hearing about ThinManager for the first time, while long-term end users are making plans for upgrading the ThinManager centralized management platform currently running in their facility.  One of the most common questions we are asked is, “Why do I need ThinManager if I already have another centralized management solution running my daily operations?” [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 10

Kevin West

Mining

PROBLEM:
• User interface needed underground in dusty, harsh environment.

SOLUTION:
• Servers installed at ground-level in controlled rooms.
• Thin clients deployed in the mine.
• IT maintains and monitors from the ground-level.

One of the shafts in this mine extends over a mile into the earth into an extremely dusty environment that is particularly hostile to computers. A PC failure meant an hour delay while a replacement is brought down from the surface. The only alternative was to setup a computer shop manned by IT underground. Neither alternative was acceptable. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 8

Kevin West

Warehouse

PROBLEM:
• Paper oriented dispatch system forced operators to central area for each new order.

SOLUTION:
• Wireless thin clients mounted on forklifts allowed operators to receive instructions “on the go”.
• Scanners on serial port allowed verification using barcodes on delivered products.

A manufacturer used a primitive paper system for dispatching the forklifts to deliver materials used in the process. After each run the forklifts would need to return to the dispatch office for the next package of paperwork. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 6

Kevin West

Manufacturing in a Dusty Environment

PROBLEM:
• As many as 3 PCs failing each week requiring IT and maintenance support.

• Up to 6 hours of lost production time for each failure.

SOLUTION:
• No moving parts mean that ThinManager Ready thin clients are more reliable.
• Failures can be replaced by operator in 15 minutes or less..

A manufacturing plant had PCs in a dusty environment. The fans sucked in dust and debris causing overheating and failure after about a year. Since the company had 200 PCs, several had to be replaced each week. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 5

Kevin West

Power Generation

PROBLEM:
• Critical remote auxiliary gas turbine is rarely used but must be ready immediately when demand arises.

SOLUTION:
• Turbine area now controlled from main control room.
• Redundancy and Instant Failover make sure it’s always ready to be put into action.

A coal-fired power plant added a gas turbine generator to help meet power demand during peak usage periods.

The gas turbine generator has to be ready at all times but is used infrequently enough that it is unmanned. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 4

Kevin West

Chemical Processing

PROBLEM:
• PCs scattered throughout a multi-acre site made routine maintenance a major hassle.

SOLUTION:

• ThinManager Ready thin clients are managed in the central control room.
• Thin clients no longer need to be visited for maintenance.

A chemical plant had PCs all over a huge refinery, including some located in towers that were up 10 flights of stairs. Maintaining and patching the PCs took hours of walking and climbing.

ThinManager and terminal servers were deployed, allowing the PCs to be replaced with ThinManager Ready thin clients. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 3

Kevin West

Cheese Manufacturing

PROBLEM:
• Humid environment causing frequent PC failures.

SOLUTION:
• Replaced PCs with thin clients
• Thin clients are more reliable and less sensitive to harsh environments than PCs.
• Small form factor allows thin clients to be placed in a protective panel to combat humidity.

Part of the cheese making process requires a saltwater rinse to cure newly made cheese as it passes through an extruder. The mist from the process coats the entire room with a thick condensation. Because of the requirements of the food manufacturing process every surface is hosed down each day with strong cleansers to maintain sterility. Even though bags of silica gel were stacked in the panels to try to protect the PCs from the moisture, the elements were still affecting the PCs as fans circulated air through them for cooling. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 2

Kevin West

Chemical Plant

PROBLEM:

• Outmoded paper strip charts were a hassle and did not give instant real-time trending.

SOLUTION:
• Replaced strip charts with thin clients.
• Collected I/O in SQL server and backed up and archived.
• Archive gave operators the ability to see trending patterns in a more efficient manner.

Emission monitoring charts are critical to pollution control. Before their thin client installation this company captured this data on paper strip charts printed on machines that require oiling, inking, and paper refills. [...]