Upwardly mobile Peter Goodwin joins the team

Peter Goodwin joins the Sales team bringing over ten years of mobile solution sales experience with him. Peter's previous employers include Microlise, Oracle, JBA International and Tradestone Software Inc. In his spare time Peter is involved in football coaching and is also a scout for Scottish Premier League Club Celtic.

An Advantedg in a recession

2009 has been a challenging year for all businesses throughout the globe. However, EDG, through future proofing its products, has been highlighted in the latest Plimsoll report as an excellent performer with a strong balance sheet. Whilst many competitors remain vulnerable in the downturn, EDG remains profitable and well placed for 2010.

'Although we have witnessed one of the worst global recessions in recent times, customers migrating from paper-based delivery systems to an EDG Advantedg solution experience significant benefits and business savings. When Advantedg is coupled with a telematic solution this reduces fuel and CO2 emissions; this has the added advantage of not only benefiting the customer but also the environment' Andy French, MD

A more rugged device can save you time and money

When a device leaves the office it can be exposed to dust, water and other potentially destructive elements such as shock, temperature extremes and vibration. Businesses that purchase rugged handheld computers will possess the right tool for outdoor environments. It is tempting to base buying decisions solely on a product’s purchase price, but, while not as obvious, the product’s total cost of ownership may prove to be a more important consideration.

In summary, businesses deciding which handheld computer to purchase face a high stakes buying decision: is it more cost-effective to buy a consumer-grade handheld for less money upfront? Alternatively, is it wiser to pay more money initially to purchase a more durable rugged handheld device?

What do you get for the money?
- Greater reliability- Rugged devices ensure fully functioning equipment for many years. Indirect costs related to downtime are significantly lower than that of the consumer-grade devices
- Higher performance – A longer battery life than a consumer-grade device ensuring full productivity for an 8 hour shift
- Long term security – The stable life cycle of a rugged device means you can plan ahead with confidence as you won’t be facing the maintenance and support issues that come with a mixed population of devices.
- Repair and not replace – One of our customers has been using their rugged devices for over ten years which is maintained / repaired in our dedicated repair facility.

Total Cost of Ownership
· Two years after deployment, 35% of consumer devices had been replaced compared to only 2% of rugged devices
· Three years after deployment the percentage of consumer grade devices still in use is only around 20%. After the same period, over 75% of rugged devices are still in use.
· The annual downtime suffered by users of consumer grade devices is almost double that of users of rugged devices.
Source: VDC Research Group

Mobile handheld devices are designed to increase productivity. The ability to do work on the move and in the field presents the opportunity for enhanced speed and accuracy. These advantages are lost, however, when devices breakdown, need repeated service or must be replaced. Therefore, for businesses concerned with obtaining the greatest productivity over the long term, rugged handheld computers are the clear and convincing choice.

edg are completely hardware agnostic, meaning that we only supply branded equipment from reputable manufacturers that best suit our customer’s business environment and needs. To find out more about rugged devices that suit your business, contact edg.

Medina Dairy expansion defies The Credit Crunch

In June Medina Dairy Limited (MDL) completed their acquisition of 12 milk delivery depots from Dairy Crest. Within days they had also rescued several Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFoB) sites following the collapse of the UK Farming Group. This prompt action has secured the employment of many ex-DFoB employees and continued the delivery to 1,000+ food outlets.

As part of the acquisition from Dairy Crest and the rescue of DFoB, Andy French, EDG Managing Director and Nick Curties, EDG Systems’ Support Manager worked alongside Terry Ziton, Medina Director, to ensure a secure transition of data and systems. The EDG Depos and RBook solutions were deployed into all sites and ensure that a consistent solution manages the business units. EDG’s FieldMaster and RoundMaster hand-held computer solutions (now sold under the brand Advantedg) are used to manage the semi-retail and doorstep customer base. EDG sourced the servers, which are hosted and managed at their Essex Head Office, reducing the timescale and ensuring that these devices are managed remotely. The EDG software solutions include features such as:

More efficient customer service

The customer receives an accurate delivery note or invoice at the point of sale. As the customer becomes satisfied that all deliveries are accounted for correctly they become more receptive to the roundsman's selling.

Total stock control throughout the van sales operation

All stock issued to the vehicle is automatically logged by either the depot software or the hand-held computers.

Reduced losses

The audit trail details the stock position at the end of the day. It shows the load at the start of the day, the issues made, returns collected and the stock that should be returned to the depot. This report is available by the time the vehicle has returned to the depot. Therefore the stock manager uses this report to check stock back from the vehicle and can pinpoint stock discrepancies.

For more information please contact the EDG sales team on 01245 380009.

New contracts

A variety of new contracts have fuelled our recent business growth:

Leading international dairy group, Glanbia, has deployed an EDG is system to 450 Motorola MC70 handheld computers and O’Neil mobile printers, with wide area (GPRS) and personal area (Bluetooth) wireless communication.

EDG is to supply, support and provide maintenance for a Europe wide deployment of handheld devices for EDF Energy. The project could total 2,000 devices during 2009.

EDG reports strong market position and confidence in the future

Eastern Data Group has recorded strong sales performance for the past nine months with new areas of investment and development giving confidence for the year ahead.

A recent Plimsoll report on independent software companies rated EDG as strong and out-performing industry leaders in a market under severe competitive pressures. In fact, EDG is investing across the board to meet demand in the UK and Ireland.

We have recently increased our office space by 30% to meet the needs of our growing base of customers. This has allowed us to double the support team and increase by 25% both market and product development teams.

Repairing handsets

Operators of Radix and Itronix ruggedized handsets requiring support in the UK have meant growing business for Eastern Data Group’s repair service, Salvedg. We have provided a maintenance, repair and replacement service from a dedicated facility in Milton Keynes since manufacturer support ceased in the UK.

More information >>