Underground Vaults & Storage Selects Symbol Technologies and O’Neil Software for Records Storage Management
Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Company™, today announced that Underground Vaults & Storage (UVS), a secure records and asset storage and management company, deployed Symbol mobile computers in its secure storage facilities to track the location and processing of stored records and records in transit via courier. UVS uses the Symbol enterprise mobility solution to monitor the location and processing of the sensitive records — in formats that include paper, movie film, microfiche and microfilm — stored underground.
UVS operates multiple storage sites, including a 850-acre space in a working salt mine located 650 feet below ground level, built during the Cold War to keep highly sensitive records safe from spies, as well as potential aboveground disasters. Inside the storage facility, UVS employees use the Symbol PDT8146 and PPT8846 mobile computers to scan stored items and provide automated updates to a central system in real-time, which increases the efficiency of the storage and retrieval process. UVS selected Symbol’s flagship rugged MC9000 mobile computer to meet the demands of its highly mobile couriers. The couriers use MC9000 mobile computers to validate retrieved items and delivery; record the items once loaded on courier vehicles; and capture customer signatures. In addition, Symbol mobile computers interface with RSMobile™, technology supplied by O’Neil Software enabling UVS to offer online tracking information to their customers.
“In our industry, customers often need information about the location of their records immediately,” said Lee Spence, UVS’ president and chief operating officer. “The Symbol-O’Neil Software enterprise mobility solution enables us to maintain a ‘chain of custody’ for our records, and provide information quickly and accurately. With the increased efficiencies gained from using Symbol mobile computers and O’Neil’s RSMobile™ software, we better manage our processes and employees’ time resulting in better service for our customers.”
UVS saves a considerable amount of time using Symbol mobile computers that connect wirelessly to the Symbol wireless network infrastructure, which includes AP-4131 access points, AP300 access ports and WS2000 wireless switches. With its previous system, storage facility personnel would go to a central office to collect instructions on which records to retrieve or replace. With the Symbol- O’Neil Software solution, updates are sent to the employee’s mobile computer whether they are on-site or delivering materials to a customer. Personnel can access immediate updates, enabling them to retrieve more items per trip. Additionally, each step of the process is documented more effectively, meaning UVS can process more records with greater efficiency.
By using Symbol’s Wi-Fi network, O’Neil Software’s RSMobile can wirelessly communicate directly with O’Neil’s RS-SQLTM, database allowing couriers to be more mobile and productive when accessing and updating information directly from their mobile computer. RSMobile also offers a simplified user interface, real-time lookups from the database, signature capture, and a wireless interface to printers.
“Underground Vaults & Storage is an excellent example of using a Wi-Fi network to enable enterprise mobility in a unique environment,” said Jerry McNerney, senior director of Symbol’s supply chain industry solutions group. “The O’Neil Software application and Symbol mobile computers allow users to complete tasks directly from their wireless handheld devices, shortening process implementation time from hours to minutes. This empowers staff to act immediately at the point-of-activity, supporting customer demands and enhancing service levels.”
