MicroMain, Socket team up

By Plant Engineering Staff January 3, 2006

MicroMain Corp. and Socket Communications, Inc. announced a partnership to offer advanced mobile capabilities for maintenance professionals. MicroMain provides asset and facility management software and services. Socket develops and distributes data collection and network connectivity products for mobile devices such as PDA’s, Smartphones and tablet notebooks.

Maintenance technicians can increase their mobile productivity by using MicroMain’s xmMOBILE technology with Socket’s bar code scanners to accurately capture data in the field. The Socket products enable MicroMain users to instantaneously add bar code scanning capability to existing Pocket PCs. Socket’s plug-in card allows users to quickly roll out bar code scanning throughout the enterprise and improve mobile maintenance operations.

Maintenance supervisors use xmMOBILE to transmit work orders to technicians. With Pocket PCs, the technicians access the work orders, complete tasks and update the work order at the point of work performance in the field or plant floor. Creating new work orders on the fly, tracking time, adding parts and entering comments on the handheld are also common mobile maintenance procedures.

With Socket’s bar code scan card plugged into the Pocket PCs, technicians use the same equipment to scan a bar code on a compressor or forklift, for example, to see all work orders for that asset displayed on their Pocket PCs. If no work orders exist, or if an inspection reveals the need for additional work, the maintenance technician can generate a new work order using the handheld. Using a Pocket PC with bar code capability also allows users to easily scan equipment for inspections and scan parts for inventory adjustments.