Telxon Corporation (Nasdaq: TLXN) announced today that its wireless mobile pen-based computers are helping Chrysler Corporation (NYSE: C) to mount a first line of defense against defects at Chrysler's Detroit Jefferson North Plant, where the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee is produced.
While fixed station terminals still play a major role in the quality control process at Jefferson North, a Telxon wireless network has added a new dimension in which Telxon pen-based computers speed real-time information from anywhere in the manufacturing and test environment. According to Marco Ochoa, performance feedback system manager at the facility, the system is designed to catch assembly line defects before the problem becomes widespread.
``By going to wireless technology, it's just a matter of setting up mobile computers, giving it to a technician and telling him to take it with him,'' Ochoa said. ``I don't have to incur the expense of running cable which has reduced our costs significantly.''
One major application for the Telxon mobile computers is on the test track adjacent to the plant, which simulates inclines, hills and other actual road conditions.
``If anything is going to go wrong, it will go wrong on the test track,'' Ochoa said. ``As the technician in the vehicle notices a defect, he stops the car at that point, identifies the problem and touches that part of the vehicle illustrated on the mobile computer screen. The information is immediately transmitted to the mainframe computer to be accessed by everyone involved.''
If there is a problem, the vehicle is repaired and then returned to the track for another test before passing inspection. If a problem persists on a number of vehicles, technicians scour the assembly line to find the root cause and correct the situation.
``With Telxon mobile computers we walk along the assembly line and scan the vehicles to determine if a problem exists. That gets us a lot closer and helps us to pinpoint the problem.''
Ochoa said that as Grand Cherokee sales accelerate, Chrysler is expanding the production line at the Jefferson North Assembly plant, which will enable additional applications for Telxon wireless mobile computing technology.
Telxon Corporation is a leading global designer and manufacturer of wireless and mobile information systems for vertical markets. The company integrates advanced mobile computing and wireless data communication technology with a wide array of peripherals, application-specific software and global customer services for its customers in more than 60 countries around the world. Telxon's global web site address is: http://www.telxon.com.
