Report Ajit

Executive Summary
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ALLIANCE BUSINESS ACADEMY
The laptop market has been continuously growing by more than 50% year-onyear since 2005. Rugged laptops are a completely new concept to India. India's personal computer market is undergoing a major transition. Rugged laptops are most beneficial for the industries who need devices under harsh environmental conditions. Ruggedized mobile computers are designed to operate under challenging conditions, exposure to extreme temperatures, drops to concrete and interference from other radios. Ruggedized computers last much longer and have considerably lower failure rates compared to the normal laptops. In other words, Mobile computers include wearable, handheld tablet PCs. The verticals do face losses due to non ruggedness of the laptops which makes the use of these devices obvious. It not only includes the financial losses occurring due to the loss of the laptops , but the losses which have the most devastating effect are the loss of data and other information which can be vital for the company. Toughbooks have a very niche market. Due to this, the marketing techniques used by commercial laptop companies in the market cannot be put to use. Toughbook as a brand entered the Indian market in 2005 after conquering the world rugged laptop market. It does faces some competition from the other laptop manufacturers in the Indian market but enjoys the first mover advantage, what it has to fight is the ignorance and the lack of knowledge about the product. Panasonic is known for its Toughbook world over and has global market share of 74 percent in the field of rugged mobile computing. Panasonic has outsourced its Toughbook distribution in India to Third Wave Exim. Third Wave Exim presently has offices in 5 cities namely Mumbai, Ahmadabad, New Delhi, Pune and Bangalore. Third Wave Exim also undertakes personal selling in institutions and product promotion activities to support their distribution network. All the media and paper advertisements contain the reference to their premium partner and whatever sales are made due to the efforts of Third Wave staff are also made through one of their premium partners.
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The study is focused on Panasonics company profile as well as its armed distributor in India. Also, the second part of the report focused on what are the product requirements of Third Wave Exims potential customers in the different areas as far as rugged laptops are concerned. The main aim of the project was to understand Panasonic as an organization. This helped not only in understanding the way Panasonic operates, but also brought out the various practices followed by the organization in order to be successful worldwide. The second part of the study specifically focused on the introduction of Toughbooks to the different verticals Karnataka State government. It focused on finding the level of awareness in the Indian market on the rugged laptops. Also, the later part of the study focused on finding which features are considered an important part of mobile computing in the different verticals.
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Chapter-1 Industry Overview
1.1 Ruggedized Computers Industry
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In this era of modernization, almost every possible field uses computers for their day-to-day applications. Today computers form an integral part of any business. Mobile computing devises are playing a greater role in business like never before. Reliability plays a very important role in mobile computing as the chances for any kind of damages are very high. Valuable data on a mobile computing device if lost can cause huge losses to the company. Companies operating in industrial and harsh commercial environments consider implementing ruggedized mobile computers to lower the cost of owning mobile devices. Ruggedized mobile computers are designed and built specifically to operate under challenging conditions, enduring particulates and liquids, exposure to extreme temperatures, drops to concrete and interference from other radios. Able to withstand these extremes on a daily basis, ruggedized computers last much longer, have lower failure rates and therefore have a much longer replacement cycle than commercial grade devices. Usually rugged laptops come with superior communication capabilities. This is again done keeping in mind the remote locations the laptops might have to function in. the laptops are also compatible with high end satellite phones so as to enable communication from the remotest parts of the world. Ruggedized laptop computers were designed to be much more reliable in extreme conditions. Ruggedized computers are designed to be fault-tolerant under adverse operating conditions. Their designs may include shock, dust, and moisture resistant features. They may be designed to withstand temperature extremes. Most of these products have been designed for the military and law enforcement markets. Other markets using ruggedized mobile computers include shipping, transportation, and geologic exploration. Few if any ruggedized mobile computers have been designed for health-related field data collection.
1.2 Rugged laptops
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A rugged (or ruggedized, but also ruggedized) computer is a computer specifically designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions, such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures and wet or dusty conditions. They are designed from inception for the type of rough use typified by these conditions; commercial units upgraded for this purpose make poor substitutes. In general, ruggedized and hardened computers share the same design robustness and frequently these terms are interchangeable. The difference between the two terms is that hardened generally refers to computers that can withstand a bit more shock and/or more adverse environmental conditions. When used by mobile employees, devices are in constant, heavy operation. Theyre often dropped and knocked, subjected to vibration, and exposed to dust and rainconditions that will quickly reveal any vulnerability. If dropping a mobile device on a hard floor causes sudden failure in a mission critical application, the consequences can be disastrous. Moreover, light-duty devices arent likely to stand up to hard use in the environmental conditions of warehouse, delivery truck and outdoor use for long. Thats because these devices arent designed for continuous dutyor to provide high levels of wear, water, dust and shock resistance. According to the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model which includes all costs associated to the device over its lifespan, from acquisition to disposal, it was reported that the total cost of ownership annual savings is up to 17% in Field Profession applications and up to 32% in Supply Chain applications for rugged hardware deployments. Consequently, even thought the purchase price of a rugged device is often higher than a commercial device, it is usually money well spent in the long run. Common reasons for choosing rugged devices over commercial handhelds: 1. Ruggedness/Environment is too harsh for commercial grade 2. Sustainable increase to productivity 3. Lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
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There are various standards that determine how rugged a laptop is. They are as follows :-
1.3Standards of ruggedness
MIL-STD-810 The MIL-STD-810 series of standards are issued by the United States Army's Developmental Test Command, to specify various environmental tests to prove that equipment qualified to the standard will survive in the field. The current revision, as of 2006, is revision F, issued January 1, 2000, superseding revision E from 1989. The under, and different methods test for different things. For Instance: MIL-STD 810E Method 500.3 Low Pressure (aka Altitude testing) MIL-STD 810E Method 501.3 High Temperature (Both storage and operating) MIL-STD 810E Method 502.3 Low Temperature (Both storage and operating) MIL-STD 810E Method 503.3 Temperature Shock (How well does the device handle going from high to low temps, and back) MIL-STD 810E Method 506.3 Rain (How does the device do in wind blown rain) MIL-STD 810E Method 507.3 Humidity (Can the device handle high Humidity) MIL-STD 810E Method 508.4 Fungus (device is exposed to warm moist air in the presence of Fungus to see if it grows on the device) MIL-STD 810E Method 509.3 Salt Fog (does the device rust/fail when exposed to salt fog) MIL-STD 810E Method 510.3 Sand and Dust (how well does the device work when exposed to sand and dust)
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MIL-STD 810E Method 511.3 Explosive Atmosphere (does the device create enough sparks/etc to cause an explosive atmosphere to blow up) MIL-STD 810E Method 512.3 Leakage MIL-STD 810E Method 513.4 Acceleration (constant acceleration) MIL-STD 810E Method 516.4 Shock (either Shock Response Spectrums, or Triangle/sine/square wave shocks) - also transport shock MIL-STD 810E Method 519.4 Gunfire Vibration MIL-STD 810E Method 520.1 Temp, Humidity, Vibration (Traditionally sine wave (pre D) - later random vibration - combined with Temp testing) MIL-STD 810E Method 521.1 Icing, Freezing Rain (what the device sounds like) IP (INGRESS PROTECTION) The IP Code defined in international standard IEC 60529 classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures.[1] It consists of the letters IP (for "international protection rating"[2], sometimes also interpreted as "ingress protection rating") followed by two digits and an optional letter. The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as "waterproof". The digits ('characteristic numerals') indicate conformity with the conditions summarized in the tables below. Where there is no protection rating with regard to one of the criteria, the digit is replaced with the letter X. For example, an electrical socket rated IP22 is protected against insertion of fingers and will not be damaged or become unsafe during a specified test in which it is exposed to vertically or nearly vertically dripping water. IP22 or IP2X are typical minimum requirements for the design of electrical accessories for indoor use.
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The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
Leve Object size l 0 protected against
Effective against
No protection against contact and ingress of objects Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a
>50 mm
hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
2 3 4
>12.5 mm >2.5 mm >1 mm
Fingers or similar objects Tools, thick wires, etc. Most wires, screws, etc. Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must
dust protected
not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact
dust tight
No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact Table 1.1
Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water. Leve Protected Details 9
l 0
against not protected Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
dripping water dripping
water Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect its normal position. Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60 from the vertical shall have no harmful effect. Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect. Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
when tilted up when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15 from to 15
spraying water
splashing water
water jets
powerful water Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure jets from any direction shall have no harmful effects. Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be
immersion up to possible when the enclosure is immersed in water 1m under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. NOTE: Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effects. Table 1.2
immersion beyond 1 m
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1.4 Levels of ruggedness
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Table 1.3 There are different types of rugged computing devices .some of theme are as follows :1. Notebooks 2. Ultra mobile PCs 3. Handheld computing devices 4. On board computing devices (fixed in vehicles ) 5. Tablet PCs 6. PDA 7. Luggable /lunchbox 8. Sub notebook 9. Wearable
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1.5 General features of rugged computing systems

Shock mounted LCDs and hard drives so as to withstand situations in which the computing devices have to take lots of vibrations and pressure Electronics are more firmly secured in the computing device so as to withstand drops from heights and also withstand high vibrations More gap between the LCD and the keyboard so as to enable it to withstand pressure applied on it. In non rugged computers pressure on the body would cause the LCD to crack. Keyboards are sealed to protect the computing device from moisture and dust. This enables the laptops to be used in the rain and in dessert conditions
Ports are sealed so as to protect it from moisture and dust The outer body of the computer is made of extremely hard and light material such as magnesium alloy, carbon fiber, and titanium.
The screens are built to be outdoor readable. This is very vital for those using computing devices in the field.
Superior batteries which have a very long life and can be charge using a power sources such as car batteries
Touch screen displays so as to enable operation even with one hand. Wireless communications for mobile applications. These computing devices usually include built in GSM, CDMA, GPRS, EDGE. These computing devices can also be connected via satellite phones so as to enable communications from the remotest locations
These laptops usually comply with US military standards such as MIL-810 which are the highest standards for ruggedness in computers.
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These laptops are generally costlier than normal computers. In the long run however they prove to be much more cost effective than normal computers.
1.6 Competitor analyses

The rugged computer industry is very different when compared to consumer market computer industry. The rugged computer industry caters for very niche markets. Unlike the demands for in the consumer market for computer industries the demands of various consumers at times greatly differ. The needs of the defense vertical may greatly differ from the automobile vertical. The manufacturers of hardware, software, peripherals are mostly unknown to those outside the industry. Some manufacturers of rugged computers manufacture most of the components themselves rather than merely assemble the components in the form of a finished product. This is generally because the quality requirements of each component that goes into a rugged computer are very high. The big names in rugged computing traditionally have not been Dell, Hewlett Packard or IBM. Those giants of the consumer and business computing market generally are not in the rugged computing game to a meaningful extent. That has been changing in recent years to some extent as some large companies have entered the market via acquisitions. For example, Itronix is now part of General Dynamics, Motorola has taken over Symbol Technologies, and Dell released a rugged notebook in early 2007. Consumer markets are all about volume low prices and new features. In the rugged computer industry the needs are usually special and the sales volumes are lower to normal computer industry. In addition, whereas consumer markets are almost exclusively hardware sales, rugged and vertical markets are often about turnkey solutions that may include custom software application development, service agreements, and systems integration. As a result, the sales cycle can be long, and equipment service and maintenance assumes a much more important role. The sales cycle is especially long in the 14
vertical of defense where the product has to go through rigorous testing and long negotiating process. Thus companies have to take considerable risk in investing on new cutting edge technology even when the sales volume is bound to be low. The other side to the situation is that if the company enters such niche markets successfully it stands to make huge profits.
1.7 Some of Toughbooks competitors world wide Tablet PCs and slates
Acer Averatec DRS Electrovaya Fujitsu Gateway GETAC Glacier Computer Hewlett Packard Itronix LG Electronics Lenovo MobileDemand Motion Computing TabletKiosk Toshiba ViewSonic
Rugged Notebooks and Vehicle Mounts

Amrel Andere Dolch (now part of Kontron) DRS Fujitsu Glacier Computer (also resells GETAC and DRS) GETAC Itronix MicroSlate MobileDemand Motorola PacStar Parvus Siemens Talla-Tech Twinhead VT Miltope Table 1.4
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1.8 PEST analysis

Political factors India is the worlds largest democracy. This is a huge advantage for the people of India in many respects. However at times having such a multiparty system of democracy may lead to confusion and unnecessary delays in the procurement process. Rugged laptops are used in verticals like defense, public safety and health services. These computing systems indirectly help the people of the country. Thus the government does not put lots of constraints on the laptops sale. The Japanese government does not allow Panasonic to sell these rugged laptops in the international market directly other than countries like the USA and Britain since some of the components used to manufacture the laptop are missile grade. The funding for such equipment is almost abundant as the government allots huge budget for the defense, health services and public safety. The government is now gearing up for was of the future which will be mostly technology driven. Even though India has a multiparty system the government procurement policy is not unstable. This is because the procurement decisions are in the hands of bureaucrats who are relatively more permanent in their offices than the politically appointed ministers. Economic factors Inflation in India is a cause of concern. One of the measures the government uses to combat inflation is to cut spending so as to reduce the money circulating in the economy. This may affect the rugged PC industry in the short term as most of its sales are to the government.
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One of Indias greatest strengths is its IT sector. There are huge concessions given to this industry. There is an abundance of talent in this industry hence there is a low cost of production of IT related products in the country. The level of IT awareness in the country is relatively higher and hence the demands of the clients are also higher.
The trade cycles in the rugged PC market are relatively longer as the procurement procedures of the main clients namely the government are relatively longer and more detailed than other industries. It can at times run into years.
The rugged pc industry caters to very niche clients. This is mainly because the products are much more costly than their non rugged counterparts. The clients who are willing to pay such prices are those who require the rugged features in their very specialized work environments.
Rugged PCs in India are sold through middlemen or sister concerns. One of the main reasons for this is that some of the components used in the Pcs are missile grade. The distribution systems in the country for rugged PCs are in its infancy and are mostly within the last three years. These distribution agencies also have a strong presence of ex-military personnel.
Social factors Customers are usually willing to pay a huge premium for the rugged features in the computers they procure. This is mainly because very few companies provide such products. Among the few companies that provide the product very few have the required certification to prove that they on par with international standards of ruggedness. After sales service also needs specialized engineers as its clients have very unique working conditions and applications for its computing systems. Brand, company, and technology image play a very important role in the rugged PC industry. This is because the costs of the rugged computers are much higher than the normal computers. The deal may be of very huge amounts so the companies want to be doubly sure that they buy a 17
computer from a company that has a good reputation. This is especially true as the market is still in its infancy and word of mouth has not much of an influence within the organizations. The only image of the company is from the media. They at times base their decision on the basis of the size and reputation of the parent company. Parent companies advertise heavily abroad through all kinds of media such as print and television. However the local countrywide distributors have no advertising on television and print what so ever. The only source of exposure comes from the stalls they have at various exhibitions all over the country. Today in India there are lot of second generation computer users. These second generation users emphasize on reliability of the computer and not only on the configuration. They realize the huge losses that can occur from work stoppage and loss of stored information. They realize that rugged laptops even though higher in costs are in the long run more economical. Indian organizations both civilian and defense are getting more exposure. They are involved with joint exercises and operations with their counterparts around the world. This is extremely good for the rugged computer industry as it is extremely popular in other developed countries. Technological factors There are only a few companies in this industry as the technology and infrastructure required is huge. However among these few companies there is stiff competition. There is abundant research funding as there are huge profits to be made. The profit margins in this industry are extra ordinarily high. Thus any investment made now is bound to give huge returns. These companies are usually part of huge parent companies like GE or Panasonic which have huge financial muscle. This industry has huge innovation potential as the companies are part of huge parent companies like GE and Panasonic. These companies are 18
financially strong and can hence can hire the best talent and can fund huge R&D projects. These companies have been around for many decades and hence vast amounts of accumulated intellectual resources. The computer also come with various associated and dependant technology. This is usually done by third party integration. The clients may want equipment like PCMCIA card with synchronous slots or 1553 converters with the laptops. These equipments may be made by other companies but have to be procured in order for the laptop to function efficiently in the unique applications of the clients.
Chapter-2
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Company Overview
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2.1 Introduction to Panasonic

Panasonic is the one of the brands of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd decided to change its name to Panasonic corporation on January 10, 2008. Under this name it sells plasma and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, laptop computers (under the sub-brand Toughbook), portable CD, analog tape decks and home stereo equipment, electronic components and semiconductors, all of which are marketed under their slogan Ideas for Life. Based on 2004 annual sales of electronics, Matsushita is the largest Japanese electronics maker ahead of Hitachi. Within the category of white goods, Matsushita is the worlds largest manufacturer. It comprises of over 600 companies. It manufactures and markets over 15000 products all round the world under brands such as Panasonic, National, Technics, and Quasar.
2.2 History of Panasonic

Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Company was founded by Konusuke Matsushita in 1918 Matsushita over the years 1918: Matsushita Electric Factory was founded 1927: National brand name was introduced 1931: Production of radios began. 1932: Purchased patents crucial for building radios, and disclosed the information freely to other radio makers as a contribution to the development of the electronics industry in Japan.
1933: Adopted a system of enterprise divisions. Constructed a large-scale factory at Kadoma, Osaka, and moved production facilities there.
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1935:
Restructuring
of
Matsushita
Electric
Industrial
Company,
establishment of the branch company Matsushita Electric Works. 1941: Joined military production, manufacturing wooden boats and wooden airplanes
1946: Designated a restricted company by the Allied Powers General Headquarters.
1952: With technical cooperation provided by the Netherlands Philips Electronics, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company was established. New factory construction and expansion followed.
1954: Began cooperation with Victor Company. 1957: Began the National Shop systema sales distribution network solely for National products. It was a very effective sales network during Japans high economic growth period.
1965: Began enforcing weekly two-day worker breaks. Adopted a new sales system that decreased the number of channels involved in the sales process
1977: Began sales of VHS video 1983: Launched the Panasonic JR-200 home computer. 1986: Begin using Panasonic as a brand name in Japan. 1989 August 1: Began large scale reform of technology departments 1990: Consumer electronics products in Japan switched from the National to the Panasonic brand.
1993: Panasonic attempted to profit in the video game market with the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. However, stiff competition from Sonys PlayStation forced the system to be discontinued by the end of 1995.
1993: Cancelled the joint venture agreement with Philips, and changed their contract to closed license. 22
1994: Established joint venture Panasonic Shun Hing Industrial Sales (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd and Panasonic SH Industrial Sales (Shenzen) Co., Ltd in China with Shun Hing Electric Works (Hong Kong). Shun Hings Rasonic brand becomes a Panasonic subsidiary.
1997: A group consolidation policy was introduced, reducing the number of subsidiary companies.
2001: Panasonic releases a DVD-capable Nintendo GameCube called the Q (Japan only).
2002: Technics products sold in the USA and Europe are renamed
Panasonic.
2003: Introduced the global brand and slogan, Panasonic. Ideas for life. 2008: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Is to be renamed as Panasonic Corporation (pending approval at the shareholder meeting in June).
Panasonic more specifically was created by Matsushita in 1955 for the US, Canada and Mexico because the National brand was already registered by others. The Panasonic brand was created from the elements pan meaning all combined with sonic meaning sound, because it was first used for audio equipment.
2.3 Company profile

Panasonic India is part of the US $ 69 billion dollar Panasonic corporation. It is ranked 59th in the fortune 500 company list. It was formerly the main brand under the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd . the name was changed in the beginning of 2008. It is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. . Based in Osaka, Japan, the Company recorded consolidated sales of US$71.92 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004. Panasonic corporations shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, 23
Nagoya, New York, Euro next Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. , Konosuke Matsushita in 1932 set forth the basic business objective for the company which reads through the manufacture of high-quality, highperformance products that meet the needs of our customers, we will devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well being of people, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world. This is the objective Panasonic keeps in mind while doing business all around the world. Until recently Panasonic corporation consisted of brands like National, Technics, Quasar and Panasonic. All electrical home appliances were under the brand National. National was formerly the premier brand on most Matsushita products, including audio and video and was often combined as National Panasonic after the worldwide success of the Panasonic name. Under the brand name Technics, the company produced a variety of hi-fi products, such as turntables, amplifiers, receivers, tape decks, CD players and speakers for sale in various countries. It was originally conceived for a line of high-end audio equipment to go against such companies as Nakamichi, but most of its home products have been rebranded as Panasonic starting in 2002 (except in Japan, where the brand is still popular). DJ equipment, electronic pianos and Micro Hi-Fi Systems are some of the Technics products currently being sold in the USA and Europe. Quasar was Motorolas television and radio manufacturing arm until it was bought by Matsushita so as to set up base in America. Under the brand Panasonic the company sells plasma and LCD display panels, DVD recorders and players, Blu-ray Disc players, camcorders, telephones, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, shavers, projectors, digital cameras, batteries, laptop computers (under the sub-brand Toughbook), portable CD, analog tape decks and home stereo equipment, electronic components and semiconductors, all of which are marketed under their slogan Ideas for Life. . Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC) is the worlds leading supplier of in-flight entertainment (IFE) and communication systems. Headquartered in Lake Forest, California where engineering, development and testing is performed while system installation, field engineering, major quality functions, certification and program management are performed at the Bothell, Washington facility Panasonic Avionics 24
Corporation employs approximately 2,800 employees based in over 70 locations worldwide, with major facilities in London, Toulouse, Hamburg, Dallas, Dubai and Singapore. A majority of the component manufacturing is carried out in Osaka, Japan. The company provides airline passengers with a wide array of interactive applications at their seats, combining entertainment (digital music and movies on demand, games, interactive moving maps, satellite TV, and online shopping) with business tools (E-mail, live flight schedules, and in-flight internet access). PAC is also one of the chief suppliers to both Boeing and Airbus and their IFE systems will be featured on both the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A380 aircraft. Among the many worldwide customers that use PAC systems are awardwinning airlines such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Panasonic Avionics Corporation is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America (PNA). More than 50 principal research laboratories & independent laboratories at the product manufacturing divisions are involved in basic research & new product development to meet the needs of modern homes & offices in India & the World over.
2.4 Business at a glance
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Fig 2.1
Business domain companies and group companies Panasonic AVC networks company Panasonic communication Co,.Ltd Panasonic mobile communications Co.,Ltd Panasonic automotive systems company Panasonic systems solution company Panasonic Shikoku electronics
Main products Plasma, LCD and CRT TVs, DVD recorders/players, VCRs, camcorders, digital cameras, compact disc(CD), Mini Disc (MD) and Secure Digital (SD) players, other personal and home audio equipment, SD Memory Cards and other recordable media, optical pickup and other electro-optic devices, PCs, 26
optical disc drives, copiers, printers, telephones, mobile phones, facsimile equipment, broadcast- and business-use AV equipment, communications network-related equipment, traffic-related systems, car AVC equipment, etc.
Business domain companies and group companies Home Appliances Group Healthcare Business Company Lighting Company Matsushita Ecology Systems Co., Ltd.
Main products Refrigerators, room air conditioners, washing machines, clothes dryers, vacuum cleaners, electric irons, microwave ovens, rice cookers, other cooking appliances, dish washer/dryers, electric fans, air purifiers, electric heating equipment, electric hot water supply equipment, sanitary equipment, healthcare equipment, electric equipment, etc. Business domain companies and group companies Semiconductor Company Panasonic Electronic Devices Co., Ltd Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd Motor Company lamps, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, car air conditioners, compressors, vending machines, medical
Main products Semiconductors, general components (capacitors, modules, circuit boards, power supply and inductive products, circuit components, electromechanical components, speakers, etc.) electric motors, batteries, etc.
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Business domain companies and group companies Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd PanaHome Corporation
Main products Lighting fixtures, wiring devices, distribution panel boards, personal-care products, health enhancing products, water-related products, modular kitchen systems, interior furnishing materials, exterior finishing materials, electronic and plastic materials, automation controls, detached housing, rental apartment housing, medical and nursing care facilities, home remodeling, residential real estate, etc Business domain companies and group companies Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
Main products LCD, rear projection and CRT TVs, VCRs, camcorders, DVD
recorders/players, CD/DVD/MD audio systems and other audio equipment, car AV equipment, business-use AV systems, motors and other components for precision equipment, recordable media, AV software for DVD, CD and video tapes, AV furniture, etc. Business domain companies and group companies Panasonic Factory Solutions Co., Ltd. Matsushita Welding Systems Co., Ltd.
Main products Electronic-components-mounting machines, industrial robots, welding
equipment, bicycles, imported materials and components, etc
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2.5 Vision
Panasonic aims to become the No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry in 2018, the 100th anniversary of our founding. Panasonic will make the environment central to all their business activities and take the lead in promoting the Green Revolution which is taking place around the world for the next generation. Specifically they will work to realize their vision with these two innovations.
Fig. 2.2 Green Life Innovation : We will offer better living which provides people around the world with a sense of security, comfort and joy in a sustainable way. For example, Living with virtually zero CO2 emissions for the entire home and building. Living surrounded by recycling-oriented products. Living which sees the evolution and spread of eco cars.
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We will realize this green life by creating innovative businesses, products and services one after the other, and offer them throughout the community.
Green Business Innovation : There is the concept that the ideal goal of a manufacturer is to realize Zero cost, Zero time, and Zero inventory. Zero represents the ideal, and our aim is to get as close to this ideal as we possibly can. We will add zero emissions, in other words, zero emissions of CO2 and other wastes are to be considered equal in importance to the other zeroes. For example, We will minimize the amount of CO2 emissions throughout the entire business process. We will implement recycling-oriented manufacturing which generates minimum waste. This know-how will be offered to and shared with the public.
2.6 Panasonic management philosophy

Panasonics commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility is based on its unwavering management philosophy of contributing to society as a public entity. As a specific guide to the actual implementation of this basic principle, the code of conduct was updated to cover the companys global operations in January 2005. Basic management objective- recognizing our responsibilities as industrialists, we will devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well being of people through our business activities, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world Since its establishment, Panasonic has sought to contribute to society through its business activities. This is based on the idea that customers and the public at large are stakeholders in corporations, not just certain individuals and shareholders. The Companys founder, Konosuke Matsushita, believed that raising both material and spiritual wealth was the key to human happiness. 30
Accordingly, he reasoned that the true mission of a manufacturer was to supply basic necessities at a price anybody could afford to help eliminate poverty worldwide. This idea that companies can contribute to the prosperity and well-being of mankind remains an integral part of the Panasonics business activities today. Code of Conduct- The "Code of Conduct" embodies our Basic Business Philosophy in the form of clear, practical guidelines. The Company's Code of Conduct was first established in 1992, and revised twice since then. On October 1, 2008, the revised Code was introduced as the "Panasonic Code of Conduct," in conjunction with the renaming of the Company and unification of its brands. The purpose of this latest revision is to globally share among all employees the "Panasonic brand image to pursue" and the Company's basic approach to responding to social demands regarding corporate social responsibilities (CSR).
2.7 Practice of CSR management in Panasonic

Panasonic believes that implementing this management philosophy in all its business activities is the core essence of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In terms of CSR, the Company recognizes the importance of three areas promoting environmental management, enforcing compliance, and reinforcing information securityas the main minimum standards for group wide CSR management. Based on these three areas, the Panasonics CSR activities focus on global procurement, human rights, occupational health and safety, product quality, customer satisfaction, universal design, and corporate citizenship activities. In this framework, Panasonic is implementing CSR initiatives linked to its business activities and actively promoting its own corporate citizenship activities in Japan and overseas.
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Fig 2.3 Working to Retain the Trust of Stakeholders Global compliance initiatives: compliance activities tailored to the characteristics of each overseas operating region. Enhancing Compliance Month: activities such as sending messages from the president and distributing guidebooks to employees designed to raise awareness of compliance throughout the Company Ensuring information security: measures to protect information about customers, business partners and third-party assets, as well as personal information, and steps to reinforce related systems Reports by the Company concerning its response to issues with FF-type kerosene fan heaters: ongoing and rigorous steps to deal with remaining issues through the Corporate FF Customer Support & Management Division
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Protecting the Environment Basic Environmental Policy Coexistence with the global environment is one of Panasonics corporate visions for the 21st century. Panasonic strives to create new value for living by minimizing environmental impact while improving customer quality of life with its products. The Company is thus promoting environmental management based on its Green Plan 2010, a global environmental action plan with targets to be achieved by 2010. And under a new symbol called eco ideas, representing Panasonics commitment to achieving environmental global excellence, the Company will roll out a number of groundbreaking environmental initiatives. Initiatives Balancing Business Activities With Environmental Preservation are as follows:
Matsushita Eco Technology Center (METEC) conducts research into making home appliances more recyclable, while collecting resources from end-of-life products. All parts of the Panasonic Group receive feedback from the R&D programs conducted by METEC into designing easy-todismantle products, disassembly technologies and related work on materials. The results filter down into a wide range of products. In fiscal 2007, METEC recycled a total of around 2,220,000 appliances.
Panasonic has developed the worlds first lead-free PDP. Although the creation of lead-free substitute materials presented significant difficulties, the Company overcame these challenges with the development of new materials featuring unique additives that have characteristics similar to lead. Lead-free products were then realized by optimizing heating processes during manufacturing.
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The Company is actively implementing activities to reduce CO2 emissions at its plants in China. In fiscal 2007, the Company ran an internal energy conservation competition featuring 213 energy use-reduction projects from 35 companies. By implementing best practices across its manufacturing sites in China, CO2 emissions were cut by 53,000 tons compared with the previous fiscal year
At its factories in Malaysia, Panasonic applied for clean development mechanism (CDM)* registration for 26 projects such as the replacement of compressors, boilers and other equipment with high-efficiency versions. Approval was received from the Japanese government in February 2006 and the Malaysian government the following July. Subsequently, after gaining approval from the United Nations in March 2007, Panasonic became the first company in Japan to gain CDM accreditation for energyconservation projects.
Creating Better Workplaces
Corporate Diversity Promotion Division established: In April 2006, Panasonic set up a Corporate Diversity Promotion Division headed by the Companys president. The councils aims are to promote greater participation by women in management, and encourage the creation of a more diverse workforce regardless of age or nationality.
Promoting e-work: leveraging the advantages of ICT, Panasonic is promoting more flexible working styles unrestricted by time or place, and creating more diverse, comfortable workplaces.
2.8 Thirdwave Exim

Third Wave is the sole distributor of Toughbooks in India. It was established in 1980. Its headquartered in Ahmadabad. They have offices in Delhi, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Pune, Cochin, Mumbai. Its relationship with Panasonic dates back to the time it was the super distributor for Panasonic fax machines in western India. 34
It has footholds in IT retail, corporate business, and distribution of various IT products and services. Using its more than two decades of experience it is omitted in establishing a strong foothold in ruggedized mobile computing in India.
2.9 Organization structure
Fig 2.4 Chief Managing Director Chief Financial Officer Chief Technical Officer Chief of Operations Executive Vice President Head Services Import and Export Regional Heads North West Verticals Finance department Mr. Asad Ansari Mr. Sudhir Nair, Mr. Narendra Patel Mr. Tarun, Mr. Mani Mr. Himanshu Shah Mr. InduBhai Sheth Mrs. Jyotsnaben Sheth Mr. Vijay Sheth Mr. Kalyan Ram Tigulla Mr.Col Sen & Col Tarlochan Mr. Nikhil Soni Mr. Bindesh Shukla
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Back Office
Mr. Bipin Patel
2.10 SWOT Analysis

Strengths Has the distinction of being the no. 1 player in the rugged PC market The company is known for its superior R&D and engineering. It has brought out lot of innovations in its product line.
Panasonic itself is the OEM as well as the ODM, which makes it able to adapt to market requirements fast.
Battery backup boasts up to 10 hours. Foremost standards like MIL- 810F and IP-54 (ingression rating). In verticals like defense this is a very important advantage.
It has Global positioning system. Also superior wireless capability with 3G certification.
It is a global company which has a place among the fortune 500.
Weaknesses Poor customer service infrastructure as there are no proper service centers. It doesnt have offices in all the areas it supplies.
The companies products are very highly priced.
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Caters to very niche markets. It has to thus chare a high price for its products. Since its products are charged at such a high price it is not able to fully cater to its potential market.
Opportunities
Has huge potential in defense, automobiles and few government organizations where ruggedness is very important.
Businesses are expanding fast and venturing in rural areas where communication infrastructure may not be fully developed. Here the laptops superior communication capability will be very useful.
The emphasis while buying a laptop is on quality and reliability. Panasonic laptops are known for their quality and reliability. Panasonic is able to achieve this by manufacturing most of the parts for its products by itself.
Threats Commercial laptops are copying designs of Toughbook and are coming out with similar products without investing huge amounts on R&D. they are thus able to thus sell their products at a much lower price when compared to Panasonic.
Competitors like Dell who also manufacture rugged PCs are investing huge amounts of money in customer service. They are also reducing the number of service partners so as to have greater control in providing customer service. Dell is moving past Panasonic in this area.
2.11 Functional divisions
2.11.1 Human resources

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Conduct of Business a) Conflicts of interest

b) Gifts and favors
c) Customer relations
d) Public relations press releases
1) Personnel management a) Employment
It is the policy of Third Wave Exim to offer equal employment opportunities and take affirmative action with regard to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation. To the best of its ability Third Wave Exim shall; I. Recruit, advertise, employ, train, transfer, compensate, promote and retain persons for all job classifications without regard to religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation. II.
III.
Base employment decisions only on valid requirements for the positions being filled. Ensure that all personal actions such as promotions, compensations, benefits, transfers, training, education, programs sponsored by the firm and the use of facilities of Third Wave Exim be administered without regard to religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
IV.
Provide a discrimination free environment in which all employees can work without fear of intimidation or harassment because of their religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
The purpose of the above policy is to ensure the consistent and uniform application of employment procedure, to enhance the opportunity to employ qualified individuals and o comply with local regulations. It is the goal of the
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employment function to provide the company with a staff whose aptitudes, knowledge and experience will best serve the needs of the firm. b) Induction Once a prospective employee has accepted a position with the company, a letter of offer and employment conditions is sent to the individual. The head H.R will provide a copy of all the relevant documents. Upon commencement with the company all operational staff will have a comprehensive induction program. On completion of the corporate induction program each new employee will receive department specific induction, which would cover the standard operating procedures of the department.
Staff Induction An induction program, which would cover: 1. A Brief overview of Panasonic Third Wave Exim. 2. Introduction to all staff members & functions. 3. New employees would be introduced to all the staff present in the office. 4. Would be familiarized with the office environment and surroundings as well. 5. Brief expectations and required standards of professional conduct. 6. Briefing on office systems and procedures. 7. Briefing on prevailing rules and regulations. 8. Overview of HR & Personnel policies of the company. 9. Presentations by various division heads on capabilities and case studies. 10. Briefing on the corporate marketing division. After the induction program, an induction into department specific functions and operating procedures. c) Probation A probation period can be provided for.
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d) Severance In the event an employees employment is terminated where such termination is beyond the control of the employee, the employee may be eligible to receive severance pay. e) Exit interview This is done so as to understand the reasons why a particular employee has decided to leave the company
f)
Working hours Saturdays 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. A 45 min lunch break can be taken
Employees are required to work from Mondays to Fridays 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and anytime from 12:30 am to 2:00 pm. If the demands of the job call for work at other hours as may be required for the proper performance of his/her duties, then he/she will be required to report to work. g) Pay roll policy The employees are compensated for services provided in accordance with terms outlined in specific Letter of Appointment. The company has developed a Salary Grade Structure applicable to all staff, which defines the applicable salary range and benefit entitlement. The salary disbursement shall be paid in arrears in equal monthly installments on or before In the event an employee resigns after the full months salary has been credited into his/her bank account, then he/she is required to refund a pro-rata amount to the company. g) Salary review Salary reviews shall be conducted at the end of each calendar year and will take into account performance of the individual, responsibilities and contribution to the company and current economic factors. h) Bonus Every employee may be eligible for a bonus based on the companys and your own performance as assessed each year. 40
Your eligibility for this performance bonus and the amount, if any, payable to you will be evaluated against performance criteria and personal objectives based on the calendar year end. i) Employee security Provident fund Third Wave exim maintains a provident fund so as to make the future of its employees more secure. Employee state insurance
Third Wave Exim extends the facility of Employee state insurance to its employees Mediclaim insurance Third Wave Exim extends the facility of medical insurance to its employees (18000 exemption on medical bills)
j) Leave Salaried employees are entitled to paid leave in accordance with standard policy. (Saturday afternoons, Sundays and recognized public holidays are not included if taken in conjunction with approved leave). provided. Approved personal leave of absence is without pay and for a maximum duration of 30 calendar days. The purpose of the above policy is to enable employees to retain their jobs and Annual leave Personal leave of absence A personal leave of absence in certain exceptional areas may be
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benefits for a given period of time when they must be absent from work for unusual personal reasons. An employee has to clearly state the reason for requesting a personal leave of absence in detail on the application form. The company reserves the right to require the documentation for a personal leave of absence Failure o an employee to return to work on 2 working days immediately following a leave of absence without the prior approval will result in severe consequences. of a death of the employees parents/adopted parents/in-laws, spouse or child. In case of exceptional circumstances extensive travel, responsibility of arrangements etc, up to ___ additional days may be granted if approved by the director. be granted Marriage leave may be granted provided the employee has been employed for at least one year with the company preceding the date of marriage. Marriage leave Bereavement leave
The company will grant up to five (5) working days off with pay in case
In the event of an employees marriage five (5) days leave with pay will
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Marriage leave will be granted on only one occasion during an employees tenure with the company. Whether such leave will be granted or not, however, depends on the discretion of the company.
Maternity leave
A female employee who has actually worked in the company for a period of 80 days in the 12 months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery is entitled to receive maternity leave to a maximum of 12 weeks with pay. Maximum of 12 weeks with pay. Maximum of 6 weeks is permitted before the expected date of delivery. joining the duty they are required to submit the application form with the medical certificate in case the leave extends for more than 2 days. In the event of an illness all employees are personally required to contact the HR Head/ Divisional Head at the start of the working day. Failure to do so may be Sick leave and hospitalization leave
The employees are entitled to 8 days sick leave in a calendar year. On
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subject to disciplinary action. Employees who abuse this policy i.e. excessive Saturday and Monday absences will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination. to have a one additional day leave on their birthday if it falls on a normal workday. Birthdays falling public holidays or during the weekend are not carried over or accumulated. k) Performance appraisal Every employee will have his/her work performance assessed biannually. The vertical heads will conduct these appraisals. This process will be closely adhered to in order to ensure that all employees are aware of their performance levels and are given the opportunity to express any concerns they may have with their area of responsibility as well as ensure proper career development. The performance appraisal has been designed so that you and your Performance Appraiser can: Communicate your strengths and weaknesses Review areas of improvement Objectively assess your work performance Agree and decide what training is required 44
Birthday leave
After 12 months of employment all staff are entitled ( and encouraged)
Informal reviews between employees and division heads are encouraged to take place on a regular basis. Employees are welcome to discuss any problems or seek clarifications with their division heads.
2.11.2 Marketing management Product Segmentation
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The Indian market has been segmented into various verticals as mentioned below:-
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Table 2.1
Product Positioning
Models like the CF-30, CF-19 and CF-U1 are for people working in outdoor or indoor harsh conditions. Models like the CF-74 are positioned for people on the move such as sales people. 47
Models like the CF-51 is as a replacement to existing desktops. Models like the CF-W2 and CF-T2 are for white collar professionals or senior level executives.
Product differentiation
Fig 2.5
Panasonic laptops have made a place for themselves in the rugged computer industry by offering three features to a degree none of its competitors are able to give. These features are as follows : Rugged Panasonic are the most rugged laptops in the world . the laptops made for the field conform the most stringent standards for ruggedness such as MIL standards , ingress protection standards, intrinsic safety standards. Mobile Panasonic laptops are very light compared to any of its competitors. It also comes with a carry handle which removes the requirement of a carry bag.
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Wireless Panasonic laptops are 3G certified. Its communications not only cater to todays communication requirements but also cater to the developments that may come about in the near future. It has options of optional GSM,CDMA, GPRS and even future technologies such as EDGE, EVDO.
Market share
Fig 2.6
Panasonic is the global leader in the rugged laptop market. It enjoys 74% market share as per the study conducted by ABI research. Toughbooks have fully rugged and semi rugged laptops. The rugged laptops are targeted at people in the field and the semi rugged laptops are targeted at high net worth individuals and top executives. In India there are very few players in this sector. Toughbooks until recently enjoyed a near monopoly in the Indian market. However in recent times 49
companies like GETAC have come out with copycat models in the market. These models have been made to at times outperform the original Panasonic Toughbooks. One of the major disadvantages Toughbooks have is that its prices are considerably higher than the non rugged laptops. The Indian market is very price sensitive and thus might look at other options when other players come in the market. Toughbooks have the advantages of Japanese technical expertise and quality on its side. They have very well established brand image and goodwill in the rugged PC market.
Sales promotion
Panasonic truly believes in quality product. It believes that if any product is superior to its competitors in quality, there is no need for lavish spending on media publicity or print advertising. Panasonic concentrates on building awareness about its products through publications in industry specific journals. Panasonic mainly uses the method of direct sales to make sales. Direct sales is very effective in selling rugged computer systems because it is catering t a very niche market. The needs of each customer is very different from the next. Thus the customers need special attention and usually the procurement process is long. The big clients in the defense, automobile and research verticals also usually require a machine to be given to them on trial. So that they can see for themselves whether the machine caters to their specific needs. Panasonic takes part in various military exhibitions such as Defexpo, Aero-India etc. This is a very effective way of spreading product awareness among the target audience.
2.12 Product profile

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The Panasonic Toughbook is a laptop computer created for extreme environments. The system is designed to withstand vibration, drops, spills, extreme temperature, and other rough handling. While originally targeted at military, law enforcement, and heavy industrial users, Panasonic has expanded marketing towards a wider audience in recent years. The Toughbooks have an average annual repair rate of around 3.2%. Panasonic's fully-rugged Toughbooks have an average annualized failure of about 1.5%. Panasonic Computer Solutions Company market the Toughbook product family into North, Central and South American and European markets exclusively through their network of dealers. These units are not usually sold through retail channels, and most sales are to organizations, rather than individuals. Many law enforcement agencies use fully rugged Toughbooks in their patrol cars to run computer-assisted dispatch software. Utility companies similarly dispatch field workers, print work orders, and conduct inspections and repairs using these devices. They are often connected by WiFi Wireless LAN, embedded (internal) cellular wide area network (WAN), or via satellite to a dispatch center for real-time records checks and report taking. Virtually all Toughbook models can have CDMA 1X-EVDO, EDGE, or HSDPA countrywide Wireless WAN capabilities built into the laptop. Panasonic has been one of the earliest adopters of WWAN technology and was the first to incorporate it into laptops. They have extensive test facilities that allow them to finely tune integrated radio modems to deliver superior connectivity. GPS is also offered internally in the Toughbook 19, 28, 29 and 30. Panasonic markets the Toughbook series in several configurations ranging from business and semi-rugged to fully rugged in both laptop and Tablet PC configurations, as well as several specialty designs . Some models, such as the lightweight W5, are US versions of thin and light consumer laptops sold in Japan under the Let's Note name. The Toughbook 08 is a 10.4 inch fully sealed and ruggedized touch screen designed to connect to another computer 51
or server. These models communicate with a server via WLAN and a secured thin client. Used in campus area environments that require light, durable, touch screen equipment such as hospitals (no resident data and fluid resistant), restaurants (card swipe option, rugged), and EMS (lightweight, rugged, vehicle area computing). The Toughbook PDRC or Permanent Display Removable Computer is an extraordinarily bright 1250 nits, 12.1" Touch screen. This unit typically permanently mounts to a vehicles dashboard and connects to a removable computer mounted elsewhere in the vehicle. All models have a full magnesium alloy case which is 20 times stronger than the ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic commonly used in laptop construction. Many models have LCD panels designed specifically for visibility during daylight use. Other design elements include a shock-mounted hard drive and, on many models, a moisture and dust-resistant LCD, keyboard and touchpad. Available options include touch screens, digitizers and backlit keyboards. Panasonic markets itself as one of the only remaining core manufacturers of laptop computers, meaning that Panasonic manufactures most of the major parts used in the laptop and assembles the laptop itself. This is opposed to the practice of outsourcing the parts and assembly to a third party manufacturer. Fully rugged laptops from Panasonic conform to standards such as MIL-STD810F, MIL-STD-461E ,IP-54, NEMA. These certifications confirms Panasonics claim as one of the most reliable laptops for people in the field. TOUGHBOOK- The brand Toughbook is the trademarked brand name owned by Matsushita Electric Industrial and marketed by their international brand name Panasonic. Toughbook refers to its line of semi-rugged and rugged laptop computers. In 2005, Panasonic added the Toughbook Arbitrator mobile digital camera and mobile digital video recorder (DVR) system to their line. Toughbooks are 52
commonly used by public safety (police, fire and emergency medical services), utilities, field service, construction, and military personnel. Key features of Toughbook Toughbooks features a magnesium alloy casing which allows it to comply with the US Military standard MIL-STD 810F for vibration and shock resistance. The hard drives are encased in damping foam in order to help it withstand falls from heights of up to 90cm, while a hard disk heater allows it to operate in extreme cold. The casing is coated in anti-sun reflective silver paint in order to protect the internals from extremes of heat. The joints are all sealed, and all ports and connectors are protected by covers that provide dust and water resistance to the IP54 standard. Display Toughbooks have very high resolution display. The display is bright and designed to be read outdoors in direct sunlight. Toughbooks have some of the brightest laptop screens in the world. An touch sensitive display is optional on this model, incorporating passive touch-screen electronics that allow the user to use a fingertip as well as the provided stylus, which stows conveniently in the carrying handle. This allows the Toughbook to be used in a range of unusual environments where using the keyboard and Touchpad is not feasible. Toughbooks are supplied with a 500 Nit LCD display as standard, or an optional sunlight readable 1,000 Nit LCD touch screen display. Toughbooks also have the capability of reducing the brightness of their screens to 3 Nit which is more than any other computer. This capability is very useful for the users using night vision goggles. 53
The screens itself is as tough as it is clear. They have an extra bright active matrix (TFT) color LCD panel surrounded with dampers and mounted in a shock absorbing magnesium display casing. Normally, a standard LCD is often difficult to view due to reflections from direct sunlight and its low brightness. Toughbooks sunlight readable option increases the LCD brightness by improving efficiency of the LCD backlight without increasing power consumption. Reflections caused by direct sunlight or other light sources are simultaneously reduced. By combining these two enhancements, the Toughbooks sunlight readable LCD can meet the requirements for rugged use. Water Resistant keyboard A membrane beneath the keyboard keeps it waterproof. In front of the keyboard is a convenient touchpad. The touchpad buttons are rubbery to the touch for maximum grip and, like the keyboard, are dust and water resistant. Protected Ports The ports and connectors on the Toughbooks are protected by solid plastic or rubberized hinged covers. The rubberized covers are designed to protect single connectors and close with a gentle push. The plastic covers are larger and held in place by a solid clasp. Fan less design Toughbooks laptops do not have a fan. The laptops have small cooling pipes around the laptop made of magnesium alloy. These cooling pipes serve to disperse the heat evenly away from the heat producing centers. The magnesium alloy out of which the outer casing is made acts as a heat sink thus allowing heat to escape but not to enter.
The Price v/s the Cost Studies have shown that, when used in a field or vehicle environment, commercial computers cost more than ruggedized computers. This is primarily a function of lower repair costs and less downtime experienced when 54
using the right tool for the intended job. Also the Panasonic Fully rugged Toughbooks are the one, which are cheapest in its category. Three-Year Warranty Almost all of the rugged computers come standard with a 3-year warranty, while most commercial, plastic computers come standard with only a 1-year warranty. Not only does this save you a lot of money in case of a failure, but it also speaks volumes of the quality that is built in to a rugged computer. If they were not extremely reliable, the rugged computer manufacturers could not afford to provide a 3-year warranty. Toughbooks also provides product support for its Toughbooks 10 years after purchase. This is extremely important while selling to governmental organizations like the defense and research organizations. Backlit keyboard Backlit keyboards are useful to those people who work in the field under low or poor lighting conditions. This feature is especially useful when the user is inside a vehicle or deep in a mine. Removable hard disk Toughbooks have a unique feature that its hard disk is easily removable; the hard disk is encased in a stainless-steel casing of which Panasonic is the only manufacturer. This feature is very useful to the defense and law enforcement fields. When a soldier in the army is in dire circumstances he can jettison the laptop and save the information by removing the hard disk the information on the hard disk is further protected by 128 bit encryption. Policemen in patrol cars can remove their own personalized hard disk during a shift change. Superior wireless communication capability Toughboks have state of the art communication capabilities. Toughbooks are 3G certified that is capable of 3rd generation communication capability. It has the option of built in GSM, built in CDMA, built in GPRS. This type of wireless 55
is sometimes referred to as wireless anywhere, cell phone network wireless, cellular modem wireless, radio card wireless or air card wireless. New models come with EDGE/ EVDO. Built in RF encrypted communications are also possible this is a major feature as far as the defense is concerned as security while communicating is of paramount importance to them. People who work in remote locations are greatly benefited by such advanced communication capability.
Integrated GPS receiver Toughbook is one of the few laptops to offer an integrated GPS receiver. For those in the field, this is really handy and does not require them to carry around an extra device (an external GPS receiver). The type of GPS used is called WAAS ( Wide Area Augmented System), the antenna is built-in to the computer and provides the best reception using the 12 satellites available. However if the user is in a moving vehicle or in a deep mine he or she has to use an external antenna which is attached to the laptop.
Models currently sold in India by Third Wave Exim CF-30
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The Panasonic CF-30 has redefined the concept of a ruggedized mobile computer that is tough enough to be used in the field while still remaining affordable. The CF-30 has been designed to withstand dust, water, heat, cold, vibration and shocks. The CF-30 is constructed of magnesium alloy and includes a shock-mounted touch screen and hard drive. The CF-30 delivers one of the brightest displays currently available without compromising battery life. The Intel Core Duo powered Panasonic Toughbook CF-30 is certified to the MIL-STD-810F standard, tested to withstand drops, shocks, vibration and extremes in temperature. The CF-30 features WLAN, WWAN, GPS and Bluetooth wireless options and battery life of up to 16 hours.
CF-19
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The Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 is the perfect 2-in-1 solution. Built from the ground up as a full rugged convertible PC, the Panasonic CF-19 can be used at all times, even in extreme levels of damp, dust, heat, cold or vibration. The optimised display technology with extra low reflection rate ensures excellent clarity of display even in bright ambient light. The integrated Intel Core 2 Duo Technology promises the highest performance with efficient energy consumption and the high performance lithium-ion battery provides an operating time of up to 8 hours. The industrial-design magnesium-alloy top panel with black hard rubber bumpers offers excellent protection against all manner of harsh environments. All of the ports on the back and sides are protected behind hinged plastic doors. An ingeniously placed clasp on the front panel can clamp down the screen in either Tablet or notebook mode and can be hidden out of the way when not needed. The CF-19 is based around a 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and an 80GB hard drive, however a wealth of additional wireless connectivity options are also available to expand its operational performance.
2.13 Application of Toughbooks in the industry
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Telecom
Telecommunication is growing around the world at a blistering pace. To keep up with this pace the companies should be able to get new clients as well as maintain them. In order to maintain these new customers the telecommunication companies should have a wel thought out and executed maintenance and customer service force. . Equipping Telecom Field Technicians with the correct tools for the trade can go a very long way in enabling them to be highly productive while achieving greater returns for the industry. Panasonic Toughbooks with their legendary features such as ruggedness and durability in field conditions are proving to be of enormous benefit in creating The Augmented Telecommunication Technician. Panasonic Toughbook offers a unique solution for Implementing CRM application providing vital customer data at the fingertips of the Technician using Toughbooks unique GSM/GPRS, 1 X RTT/CDMA communication modules Automating currently lengthy paper based process and improve turnaround time GIS application to plan & speed up the process of network design and bandwidth provisioning Maintenance, diagnostics, fault reporting and troubleshooting Telecom, Broadband and Data-com lines using integrated optional Virtual Instrument Package. Monitor entire Network Setup and Field crew online, manage installations in real time Make the entire Field Technician team location aware and help them reach fault locations faster Accept customer receipts online using the unique outdoor readable touch screen LCD of the Toughbook. At the end of the service if the customer wants a receipt in the hard copy form the technician has the capability of attaching a printer and printing out a receipt. Some of Panasonic Toughbooks customers are as follows: Bell Canada British telecom Eircom NTL SBC 59
Toughbooks unmatched communication capability makes it a favorite with such huge telecommunication giants. These wireless capabilities include GSM, CDMA, GPRS. The Wireless WAN Communication modules enable field crew to ask for expert advice if necessary and also send reports straight from the fault location using his Toughbook. The GPS module can make a field technician team location aware, enabling the management to know the nearest available member and reach fault points faster, thus reducing turnaround time for diagnosis, rectification and restoration of normal services. This in turn save huge amounts of money for the company and also maintains high customer satisfaction levels. The Toughbooks rugged features come into the picture when we consider the type of jobs a telecommunication technician is asked to do. The Toughbooks rugged features that conform to MIL-STD-810F are useful when the technician has to climb various telecommunication towers so as to run diagnostic tests and carry out repairs if need be. The laptops unique quality of low electromagnetic induction and conduction hes technicians work in close proximity to the electronic equipment without disrupting their functions . Toughbooks have MIL-STD-461E certification for EMI&C standards.
Law enforcement
Police force of any country is a very vital organization for it. Most of the jobs of law enforcement officers are out in the field. The have to be extremely mobile. The exponential rate at which the population is affecting the work load of the law enforcement agencies. They need to use technology very intelligently in order to cope up with this increased work load. Law Enforcement officials handle an enormous amount of Crime and Criminal Data. Easy & instant access to this data can greatly ease the task of tracking down and apprehending criminals and terrorists and can ease the pressure in a life or death situation. This further allows officers to spend more time on patrol and field investigations controlling crime. Mobile & wireless computing devices are the much needed force multipliers for forces in order to access and send critical data right from the field.
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4500 Police Departments world over have standardized on Panasonic Toughbooks as a crime prevention tool. Toughbook has been conceptualized, designed and developed keeping such tough jobs in mind. With its unequalled Wireless Wide Area Networking Capabilities, day light readable touch screen LCDs, rugged features built as per norms laid down by the US Armys MILSTD-810F and MIL-STD-461E makes it an ideal tool for transforming our Law Enforcement Mechanism into one of the most efficient in the world. Panasonic Toughbooks have been the trusted aides for Law Enforcement Officials in many developed countries, have augmented their routine tasks and made entire Police Forces more efficient. With their instant communications capabilities, Toughbooks have become an indispensable rugged, mobile and wireless communication tool. Tested to comply with MIL-STD-810F Standard, Toughbooks withstand extremes in temperature from -20C to 85C, moisture, dust contamination, salt fog and fungus, temperature shocks, high vibrations, pyro-shock, Low Pressure, Solar radiation, High acceleration, altitude acoustic and noise, acidic rain. atmosphere, gunfire vibration, high icing/freezing
Toughbooks can be specified to comply with the EU AREX directive, which means that they're authorized to be used in potentially explosive environments. They are tested to MIL-STD-461E-Standard to make sure that they dont emit excessive levels of electromagnetic interference and aren't susceptible to damage from external emissions. Toughbooks come with features specifically developed for Law Enforcement agencies which enable them to perform their task more efficiently in a smaller time frame. A detachable touch screen, which can be used within 50 meters of the CPU and can be mounted in any vehicle using customized vehicle mounts enabling traffic management personnel to issue violation notices and immediately accept citizen acceptance signatures for the same. An integrated GPS module identifies the patrolling units at various locations to enable them to reach crime scenes faster. This feature can be combined with GIS Software putting high/low crime density area information at the fingertips of the Police. 61
The superior wireless communication capabilities of Toughbook enable patrol units and beat police officers to be connected to the control room in real time if required. They can share crime scene information to specialists not able to be present on the field. This may be done by sending voice, video, data or pictures. This enables getting expert help for solving cases. It also enables briefing of various units like special weapons and tactical teams (SWAT) while on is way to the crime scene. Forensic units can collect ital data from the crime scene using Toughbooks. Forensic labs around the world are deploying Toughbooks for field work.
Oil and gas

Oil and gas drilling operations and explorations are usually in very remote in inhospitable conditions. These are environments where Toughbooks excel over other types of notebooks or laptops. Oil and gas companies are always looking for way to cut costs and improve productivity. This is being done by increasing efficiency in the various operations carried out in oil and gas platforms. Apart from the more obvious reason of profits safety is a diving force is a driving force to increase productivity and efficiency. The oil workers work in very dangerous conditions such as high explosive conditions. apart from the production side of the oil and gas industry the customers relation side is equally challenging. To retain valuable customers the company have to have a very efficient and well oiled service engineer force Toughbook are designed and built in accordance with US Military standard MIL-STD-810F. Rugged features makes TOUGHBOOK an ideal mobile computing solution that can withstand accidental drops up to 90 cm, shocks, rain & water, dust, vibrations, temperature range from -20 to 90C, electromagnetic radiations and interferences, humidity at oil exploration sites, salt fog & fungus at Oil & Gas basin, pyro-shocks and what not. Toughbooks are certified to work in the most hazardous and high explosive atmosphere even at Oil & Gas exploration sites, storage area, refineries and pipelines. An essential factor such as spark formation and surface temperature determines the danger of using electrical equipment such as notebooks in explosive atmospheres. In order to avoid spark formation, 62
modifications have been conducted on the battery boards of Toughbook. Since explosive atmospheres could ignite at contact with hot surfaces of any electrical or electronic equipment, Toughbooks have been designed as explosion proof thereby eliminating surface temperature ignition possibilities. Toughbook offers an exclusive solution platform for Field service including fault & repair maintenance, diagnostic of equipment at refineries & pipelines, emergency service, troubleshooting, call scheduling, workforce management, customer service and Document & Information Management offering customers a truly mobile workforce that is highly responsive to their needs. Each field engineer can easily access current manuals, repair procedures, and safety checklists for the equipment they service which was virtually impossible with the old paper-based system. When an engineer completes a form for the service call, it is automatically uploaded to the company's central server. This action prompts the scheduler to generate a new assignment and send the details to the engineer's Tablet PC. Dynamic scheduling is now possible using Wireless LAN capabilities of TOUGHBOOK through GSM/GPRS/1 X RTT/ CDMA. The electronic records can also be tied to the parts system to track the inventory of parts in the van and reorder any parts used during the call. Bluetooth enables the printer to stay mounted in the mobile vehicle and eliminates the need to deal with unreliable printer cables. In the near future Bluetooth will be used to communicate with specialized analysis equipment such as fuel gas analyzers. These analyzers are used by engineers to diagnose problems with the burners in heating appliances. Bluetooth will allow the data to be transmitted directly into the service call application, eliminating the need to enter data manually and reducing the potential for errors during transcription. Toughbook integrated with GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver improves the dynamic scheduling system and more closely match customer needs with the closest engineer available. This improved scheduling system will reduce the time spent driving between assignments, help engineers complete more calls per day, and improve response times. The GPS also helps in oil and gas platforms. GPS help in guiding various resupply ships and 63
aircraft that help keep the logistical side of the drilling operation in good shape.
Adventure
Bhavik Gandhi, a former Bombay Scottish student had recently started a world record attempt for the fastest solo Atlantic crossing, the first by an Indian. Gandhi used a 23ft rowing boat and followed a similar route to that taken by Christopher Columbus from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua in Barbados. It was a 5000 kilometer journey. Only32 people have attempted such a record in the past. Gandhis sole companion in the expedition was Panasonics rugged water resistant Toughbook with built in GPS and essential navigational gear. The Toughbook will be the only connection to civilization for about three months. Toughbook is the only laptop in the world to have been on top of Mount Everest at 28750 feet. Toughbooks special hard disk and LCD heater enable it to operate in such low temperatures as are found on top of mount Everest. Toughbooks superior wireless communication capability enabled the climbers to keep in touch with base camp so many thousands of feet below. With its internally heated hard drive, you can take it to your climbing expeditions without a second thought. Integrate it with the GPS and Satellite phone modules and you can be location aware to the nearest co-ordinates and keep sending those wonderful photographs and keep emailing people. You need not worry about batteries running out, since you can charge it with its Solar Battery Charger. Being water resistant, your river rafting and hiking expeditions need not be an isolated event. Just lug it along - and you dont even need a bag, the Toughbook comes with its own rugged handle. You can communicate with base camp, keep in touch with home, and check important mails. In times of a mishap one only has to punch in some keys on the keyboard of the Toughbook to communicate with the outside world. You will never feel cut off on your wild outback excursions, thanks to Toughbook and its unique 64
Wireless Wide area network modules like GSM/GPRS/1 X RTT/CDMA, transfer of data, voice, videos, pictures can be sent and received instantaneously from anywhere and everywhere. Another major advantage of Toughbook is that the laptops have unmatched battery life in the CF-30 model the battery life is up to 8 hours on the first battery. The user has the option of replacing the CD-ROM with a second battery, increasing the battery life of the laptop to 16 hours. The battery of the laptops can be charged using power sources available in the field such as automobile batteries or 28 V DC inputs available in aircrafts. Toughbooks have some of the brightest screens in the rugged laptop industry. This is invaluable in extremely bright conditions such as sunny days and areas covered in snow.
Civil Aviation industry

The aviation industry is going through tough times especially after 9/11 terrorism attack and the recent rise in aviation turbine fuel prices. In order to survive in such a tough environment the companies operating in the industry have to cut their excessive fat and increase the efficiency with which they operate. They need to use technology very intelligently so as to improve efficiency, productivity and reduce downtime caused by equipment failure. Most airlines are able to sustain themselves by reducing the turn around time of the aircraft that make up their fleet. Toughbooks provide uninterrupted computing while conforming to MTFB ratings and equally important MIL-STD 461E rating. MIL-STD 461E is so important because it certifies equipment that can be used around other electronic equipment with interfering with their functions. This is crucial in the aviation industry because a aircraft technician cannot afford to disrupt the aircraft systems he is trying to test because it would entirely defeat the purpose of his job. Equipment that is not MIL-STD 461E certified cannot be used in aircraft cockpits as it interferes with the radios and other navigation equipment of the aircraft and may lead to major mishaps. 65
Paperless cockpits through Electronic Flight Bags, Online reporting of Pre and Post Flight Aircraft checkup, Online post Checkup air worthiness report leading to faster processing of ground procedures. Electronic Plane and Flight operations manual loaded on the Toughbook can reduce paper in the cockpit and lead to reduced overheads and faster access to critical information. Reduction in Pilot workload by EFB enabled Taxi Position Awareness, Online Maps, Airport Diagrams, Flight information such as weight and balance data, Online navigation charts and co-ordinates, Online logbook for the pilot Electronic, transparent and secure wireless distribution of critical documents to flight crew and ground support staff. All information is updated without any pilot or crew interference since the EFB is connected wirelessly to the backend server. So the aircraft crew is always updated with the latest document available. Comprehensive video surveillance of entire aircraft can be done in accordance to air Safety regulations with the help of Toughbook . EFBs based on Toughbooks provide accurate real-time performance measurement parameters for take-off, in flight and landing performance of the aircraft engine, its weight parameters, fuel consumption, wing performance etc., and electronic real time distribution of all aircraft maintenance related parameters same. Online weather updates downloaded from back end server or directly from weather satellites provides mission critical information to the cabin crew and enables them to take more informed decisions. Online Embarkation and debarkation process, online customer service throughout the flight. Deployment of Panasonic Toughbook in the Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling operations has delivered the following immediate tangible benefits to the companies where they have been deployed in Reduction in Aircraft Maintenance Time, Higher In-Flight Time for Aircraft fleets, Online Plane specifications, diagrams and fault list, Online integrated database for parts and inventory and online ordering of parts, Online scheduling of repair 66
to
maintenance
crew
for
enabling
faster
response
to
maintenance, repair and overhauling requirements and preparedness for the
and maintenance jobs - leading to reduced paperwork, Real time notification of problems and malfunctions to ground crew and maintenance staff leading to higher preparedness for handling emergencies For usage in aircraft the DO160D standard (Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment) of the Radio Technical Commissions for Aeronautics applies. The Toughbook models CF-18 and CFT2 were tested in accordance with various sections of RTCA DO160D, such as Temperature & Altitude, Magnetic Effect and Emission of Radio Frequency Energy, and passed with flying colors. This has lead to Toughbook deployment in companies like
Air Deccan Kingfisher Emirates American airlines
Toughbooks can also be used by airhostesses to function more efficiently in the flight. They can use Toughbooks ultra mobile PCs in order to keep track of what the passenger want and even record what frequent flyers want. This would lead to beter customer service and help the flight crew serve customers better.
Heavy construction
Infrastructure of a country is its backbone. In order to develop infrastructure in a country such as roads, bridges, buildings etc a lot of people are involved in heavy construction. Most of the time heavy construction involves working in the field in especially harsh conditions. The construction industry needs to start using its resources more efficiently so as to survive in the midst of such stiff competition and rising prices. Construction projects involve hundred of people in disparate teams responsible for different tasks at multiple sites. The people of the industry should be equipped with the right set of tools so as to do their work more efficiently with less downtime. Panasonic Toughbook is the best suited computing tool for Construction giants worldwide to implement project management solutions. Toughbooks 67
have been deployed in the construction industry for managing Design documents- including drawings and specifications, Construction schedules and cost estimates, Quality control and assurance records, Chronological files of project correspondence and memorandum, Construction field activity and inspection logs, Structural analysis data, Calculations involving area, volume and materials quantities calculations, Inventory of parts, construction material, Legal contracts and regulatory documents and implementing project management solutions making judicious use of the Toughbooks unique Wireless Wide Area Networking capabilities including GSM, GPRS, CDMA and compatibility with various types of satellite radio phones. Toughbooks comply with MIL-STD-810F Standard, Toughbooks withstand extremes in temperature from -28C to 65C, moisture, dust contamination, salt fog and fungus, temperature shocks, high vibrations, pyro-shock, Low Pressure, Solar radiation, High acceleration, altitude acoustic and noise, acidic rain. atmosphere, gunfire vibration, high icing/freezing
Toughbooks can be specified to comply with the EU AREX directive, which means that they're authorized to be used in potentially explosive environments. Toughboks comply with MIL-STD-461E-Standard to make sure that they dont emit excessive levels of electromagnetic interference and aren't susceptible to damage from external emissions. This is especially useful while working around other electrical equipment. Panasonics new ultra mobile PCs will be especially useful in the construction industry as they weigh less than a kilogram and have battery backup of 10.5 hours. These computing devices are used to keep track of various logistical aspects of the project and enable the construction engineer to check the status or order for supplies online.
Logistics and transportation
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Today all around the world one hears of management concepts such as just in time, lean management, kanban etc. Panasonic being a Japanese company understands the importance of logistical management. Thus its Toughbooks are extremely useful in the field of logistics and transportation. In order to meet the challenges of logistics, supply chain management must adopt new technological platforms. Some uses for Toughbooks in logistics and transportation Managing inventory still in the transportation phase Implementing online inventory, warehouse and dispatch management solutions Coordinate Supply chain logistics between manufacturers, distributors and dealers Managing movement of inventory from one department to the other Avoiding stockpiling of supplies in the warehouses or factory floors. This causes valuable financial resources to be held up thus increasing the risk taken by the company dispatch and delivery notifications from various delivery points. This brings greater coordination in the logistical management system
Toughbooks have some of the brightest screens in the world so as to enable outdoor readability in extremely bright conditions. This helps people working in logistical jobs function better in the field. Toughbooks can be used to receive and transmit crucial package information such as pick up and drop points, track the movement of the fleet in real time. Truck drivers in the way can notify their status to head office online itself or can be notified themselves of a change in delivery location or time. Toughbooks inbuilt GPS enables efficient transportation. It helps drivers to choose the most efficient way to their locations thus saving valuable time and money. Touch screens available on the laptop help easy usage in the field. Drivers on the way can check their GPS data or any other information they might need while diving. Toughbooks comply with MIL-STD-810F which are the highest standards of ruggedness in the world. Toughbooks withstand 69
extremes in temperature from -20C to 85C, moisture, dust contamination, salt fog and fungus, temperature shocks, high vibrations, pyro-shock, Low Pressure, Solar radiation, High acceleration, altitude acoustic and noise, acidic rain. atmosphere, gunfire vibration, high icing/freezing
Toughbooks can be specified to comply with the EU AREX directive, which means that they're authorized to be used in potentially explosive environments. It also conforms to MIL-STD-461E standards for electromagnetic induction and conduction. This property enables the user to use the Toughbook in close proximity with various navigational radios or other equipment without disrupting their functions.
Power and utility services

Power and utility services address the basic needs of the people of a country. Today people find it tough to survive even through short interruptions in power and utility services. With the growing rate of population and infrastructure the work load on power and utility services is increasing dramatically. In order to survive in such a demanding industry they have to use the latest technology in very intelligent ways. Service engineers have to be constantly on the move attending to various complaints and running various diagnostic tests on their companies infrastructure. Service engineers have a tough job and they require tough equipment with them. That's why Panasonic makes the utility industry's most versatile and reliable PCs, built to endure the most extreme conditions and meet every challenge of mobile workers. Whether you're dispatched for a trouble call, turn on/turn off, routine maintenance or service restoration. Toughbooks lead the industry in reliability, which translates to reduced downtime, low repair costs and a significantly lower total cost of ownership. One can access blueprints, diagrams, customer data, maps and other information while laying down and maintaining pipelines, sewerage lines, power stations, sub stations, transformers in the field using the Wireless LAN capabilities of TOUGHBOOK through GPRS/GSM/1 X RTT/ CDMA as well as 70
next-generation technologies such as EDGE and EVDO. Toughbooks give technicians and engineers direct access to all the real time maps being the preferred platform for deploying GIS (Geographical Information System) software and application. The Outdoor readable LCD will give you the clear picture or map of the site even under direct sunlight. Toughbook with its extraordinary battery performance will give you up to 8.5 hours of continuous computing support right in the field. Ruggedized Toughbooks are built to survive the harshest of the environment with a smile. These are made to perform in dust, rain, humid, hot and ruthless outdoor environment. They are even certified to perform after an accidental drop of 3 feet. The proprietary magnesium alloy casing with handle gives the convenience of carrying the laptop without any bag. This gives the user convenience to open and close the laptop even 20 times a day without any problem. The Touch screen LCDs help you to navigate through maps at a finger tap. Service personal can plan jobs, send work orders and manage resources to easily direct workflow. It is possible to access information instantly to improve efficiency which results in faster customer service with increased efficiency, and productivity, which in turn brigs in more revenue for the company. Toughbooks can work in unison with many complex instruments without any problems. This gives a rugged platform for the service engineers to run various applications for instrument calibration, leak detection and remote diagnostics, increasing efficiency ,testing strength of materials etc. the engineer can run these tests in extreme conditions. Toughbooks superior wireless communication capabilities enable users to easily communicate with the office, receive work orders or make schedule changes while in the field. Accurately dispatch the field staff or service crew sending the right team to the right job-and more efficiently manages your day to maximize the number of jobs you complete. Have instant access to customer service histories, parts inventories and repair manuals so you one can quickly solve problems, eliminating unnecessary wastage of company resources.
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Toughbooks inbuilt Global Positioning System allows the service engineer to access maps street, locations, plant locations. This reduces the time taken to attend each complaint. The user can also use Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system to track the vehicles of the companies fleet. Knowing the location of crews with specific skill helps the company send the right crew for the right job, thus cutting down of wastage of company resources. The company can also keep track of the crews during night shifts or when they are going to remote locations thus monitoring the safety of the crews.
Defense
Defense is one of the most powerful and responsible organizations of the country. They guard the extremities of a country, at times far away from civilization. These locations that make up the extremities of the country are usually inhospitable having extreme conditions. Toughbooks are made keeping these locations in mind. The laptops have built in heater on the hard disk and LCD this helps keep the laptop in working condition even in temperatures of -30 degree centigrade. The laptop itself is made up of magnesium alloy which acts as a heat sink, keeping heat from coming in while at the same time allowing heat from inside the laptop to escape. The intelligent use of magnesium alloy also eliminates the need to have a fan in the laptop. Not having a fan in the laptop is a huge advantage as it eliminates the problem of fans clogging up in extremely dusty conditions such as the desert. The laptops LCD and hard disk are shock mounted. This allows soldiers to concentrate on mission critical activities rather than worry on the well being of the laptop. The outdoor readable LCD screen is of great use while soldiers are viewing information on the LCD screen in broad daylight. The hard disk is a removable hard disk is a removable hard disk. When a laptop is shot or damaged beyond repair the operator can save the valuable data on the computer by just removing the hard disk. Even if the laptop falls in 72
the hand of the enemy it doesnt pose a threat because all the information on the hard disk is 128 Bit encrypted. Communication capability of the laptop is of great importance while operating in remote locations. The defense is very particular about secured communication as there may be lots of anti national elements listening to their conversations. Toughbook provides various communication alternatives such as built in GSM, CDMA, GPRS, and even next generation EDGE/EVDO. Toughboks also provides facilities for secured communications by being compatible with secure tactical radios such as STAR-V and other encrypted radio sets. It is even compatible with satellite radios so as to ensure communication from almost any part of the world. Such rugged laptops are of real use when it comes to certain elite units like the Para commandoes, Marine commandoes, Special Protection Group. These elite commando units undertake extreme missions. The Para commandoes and the marine commandoes have to jump from aircraft deep within enemy lines. These jumps are from heights ranging from 10000 feet to40000 feet. These jumps put the equipment they carry through intense vibration, shock and pressure. No other type of laptop could possibly survive. These elite units operate in a range of hostile conditions ranging from deserts ,jungle, high altitude snowy conditions. Toughbooks can also function comfortably at high altitudes Other groups in the army such as the Madras Engineering Group require rugged laptops to run tests on the various infrastructure of the Armed Forces. They conduct tests on runways so as to certify them safe for landing. They also have uses for Toughbooks as mobile tactical centers in times of war. Mobile tactical centers serve as mobile communication and planning platforms. Such armed forces engineering groups also require Toughbooks to coordinate and plan disaster relief missions such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis etc. they use such rugged computing devices as platforms for various search and rescue devices. The Global Positioning System helps military personnel to navigate through uncharted territory. The GPS used is a Wide Area Augmented System 73
(WAAS). This kind of GPS is 12 channel. Toughbooks are also compatible with various types of night vision goggles. This feature enables soldiers to take the Toughbooks along with them in night missions. Toughbooks are of great use for aircraft maintenance for the Air Force. Toughbooks have been standardized for ground maintenance for all Sukoi 30s in India. Toughbooks allow maintenance staff to milk data from various data acquisition systems. This data can be conveniently displayed on the Toughbook LCD so that the technician can see the performance of the aircraft and if need be he can carry out modifications. The technician can see detailed blue prints of the aircraft he is working on. This helps in maintaining a more organized and paperless environment. If need be the technician can also compare one aircrafts data to data from other aircraft of the fleet. Rugged laptops can also be used in aircraft testing establishments to flight test aircraft. This is a very important function of the Air Force as only through such flight testing can newer aircraft be developed in the future. Test pilots fly in various new aircraft and test the aircraft in various conditions. They push the aircraft to the limit and record how it performs. The information is recorded by various sensors in various parts of the aircraft. Data from these sensors are collected on data acquisition centers. Toughbooks help milk this data from the aircraft and display it to the concerned personnel during flights. Toughbooks are perfect for these jobs as they are MIL-STD-810F certified. This means that they can be used in high altitude and can withstand the forces encountered in flight such as impulse and extreme temperature fluctuations.
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Chapter 3 Research Design
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The research design for analyzing any market situation consists of various stages which are represented below as follows
Fig 3.1
3.1 Introduction The industry vertical: Karnataka State Government
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The Government of Karnataka is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor who is appointed for a period of five years appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers. Even though the governor remains the ceremonial head of the state, the day to day running of the government is taken care of by the Chief Minister and his council of ministers in whom a great deal of legislative powers is vested. The IT infrastructure in Karnataka has gone through major changes over the years. Many departments in the Karnataka State government have implemented IT infrastructure and as such there are few departments which have great potential for rugged laptops. Some of them are: 1. Forest department 2. Public Works Department 3. Law Enforcement 4. Department of Mines & Geology 5. Water Resources Department Panasonic Toughbooks have huge potential in many of the verticals. GPS being the center feature for all the verticals where the Toughbooks can be applied will be very helpful for many of their applications. Forest department requires researchers to camp in the forest for most of their project activities and for this they require a very tough on-field computing device with GPS being the main feature along with high battery life and ruggedness. PWD is responsible for highways and road construction for which they need a computing device in a vehicle so that they can work on a real time basis. This is where Toughbooks would be handy. Karnataka Intelligence Services under the Police department has been supplied with two nos. of Panasonic CF-30 in 2008. 77
3.2 Title A Report on Applicability of Panasonic Toughbooks as Rugged Field Computing devices in Karnataka State Government verticals
3.3 Statement of the problem

Today the Karnataka State government is becoming technologically savvy, however there is huge potential for harsh environment friendly computing devices to be implemented. Its a virtually untapped market in the rugged field computing device segment. So this study isA report on applicability of Panasonic Toughbooks as rugged field computing devices in Karnataka State Government verticals
3.4 Objectives of the study

1. To identify awareness of rugged PCs in the vertical of Karnataka State
government
2. To analyze the main factors that affect decisions of procurement of rugged
laptops 3. To analyze the reasons for laptop failure 4. To identify the satisfaction level of people with regards to their existing laptops 78
5. To find out under what conditions can the Toughbooks be used in the
verticals
3.5 Scope of the study

The study was conducted in Bangalore city and the focus was only on some of the Karnataka State government verticals.
.
TYPE OF THE STUDY The study which has been adapted for this research report is Descriptive in nature, with questionnaire survey technique. The descriptive method uses survey techniques and fact finding enquiries of different kind. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of state of affairs as it exists at present. The main characteristic of this method is that researcher has no control over the variables as he reports the exact state of affairs found through his research. SURVEY TECHNIQUE The survey research method is used to conduct the research for Panasonic Toughbooks. The survey research method of collecting information was based on questioning the respondents with face to face conversation. The sample size was 30. The representative organizations were Forest department, PWD, South Western Railway, Police department, National Centre for Biological Sciences and Karnataka Land Survey. On many occasions when the sample size was not known snowball sampling was used to reach the concerned people. Respondents were asked a series of assorted questions regarding their awareness towards rugged laptops, criteria in selecting laptops and their satisfaction level in the existing laptops.
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Structured data collection, a formal questionnaire was prepared and the questions were asked in a prearranged order. Personal interviewing was administered for survey questionnaire . The potential respondents for the survey along with their organizational profile had to be studied before approaching them in order to understand their functioning and potential requirement in terms of operating environments and compatibility with technology used by them.
Limitations
1. The sampling methods selected are judgment and snowball sampling
techniques which are non judgmental sampling methods.

2. No statistical tool was used which means the findings may not be fully
accurate
3.6 Organizations in which the study was conducted

Forest department of Karnataka Karnataka, one of the Southern States of India has 4.33 Million ha of recorded forest area which is around 22.61 percent of its geographical area. Karnataka is endowed with most magnificent forests in the county ranging from majestic evergreen forests of the Western Ghats to the scrub jungles of the plains. The activities include doing research on best soil for plantation, forestation programmes, doing research on existing trees in the forest, etc. Panasonic Toughbooks have wide scope in Forest department as it can be used in forestry areas which require devices that can withstand harsh conditions and at the same time could be efficiently used for wireless communication. PWD Public Works Department is responsible for state highways, road and buildings construction. They have base units at each construction site for communication purposes and they would require laptops to carry along in the vehicle to measure roughness of roads and other activities. South Western Railways 80
There has been a circular sent by the Ministry of Railways to all the Divisions of railways for the procurement of rugged laptops as a data extraction equipment to deal with the microprocessor of locomotives especially for extracting data during accidents. This would ensure that no loco is unnecessarily detained for want of data extraction equipment. National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS) NCBS has a dedicated branch for wild life research activities where rugged laptops are best applicable. The researchers are required to camp in the forest and conduct activities like tracking the movement of animal/s. They would carry a handheld GPS device as well as a laptop for taking readings and communicating the data. The situation gets very harsh under rainy conditions and when at higher altitudes. So NCBS has wide scope for Panasonic Toughbooks. Police department Police department comprises of Police Crime Record Bureau and Traffic police where rugged laptops find applications. Panasonic Toughbooks could be mounted in Police patrol vehicles, used to call dispatchers to report incidents and obtain background information on potentially dangerous suspects. They can also be used to issue e-challans to traffic rules offenders which makes the whole system that much faster.
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3.7 Research Methodology
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Chapter 4 Data analysis
IV.1 Awareness study This study was conducted to know the

awareness level of rugged laptops by interviewing 30 respondents directly. Following is the set of data collected.
Conditions Number
of % of people
84
Never heard Familiar Aware
people 24 4 2
80 13.3 6.7
Table 4.1
Fig 4.1
80% of the respondents had never heard about Toughbooks.
This is mainly because of the lack of awareness and the government prefers low cost alternatives.
However Delhi police have ordered 45 nos. of Panasonic Toughbook CF30. With this the Law enforcement vertical would become well aware of Toughbooks.
Most of the government organizations are unaware that Panasonic deals through Government Rate Contract.
13.3% of the respondents surveyed are familiar of Toughbooks.
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The Diesel loco sheds are looking for such sophisticated devices which has helped them look into Toughbooks, although they need to know the product much more in detail.
The Karnataka Fire and Emergency services are building the infrastructure required for these kind of devices for their applications.
Its been 5 years now with Toughbooks being launched in India.
6.7% of the respondents were aware about Toughbooks. The South Western Railway were aware after the circular sent by the Ministry of Railways for the procurement. 2 nos. of Toughbooks were supplied to the Police Crime Record Bureau and they are satisfactorily using it.
Inference: Panasonic needs to promote the product more aggressively with a check on the competitors strategies.
IV.2 Operating conditions of existing laptops: We conducted

this study to understand under what conditions do the departments want to use/are using the laptops. This would help to position the product appropriately.
Conditions of use Indoor
Number people 0
of % of people 0
86
normal conditions Indoor harsh 3 conditions Outdoor harsh conditions In-vehicle mounted condition Others 0
Table 4.2
10 83.3
25
6.7
Fig 4.2
10% of the respondents said they would need laptops for indoor harsh conditions
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The Diesel loco shed would need them to test the loco engines where the conditions are harsh indoor.
South Western Railway also needs the Toughbook to operate under conditions which are harsh.
83% of the respondents replied they would need Toughbooks for outdoor harsh conditions These include Forest department, NCBS, Water Resources
department, etc where it requires them to be on the field with their laptops with GPS, GIS applications for their usage. 6.7% people said they need Toughbooks for in-vehicle applications
These include PWD, Police patrol vehicles where they need to gauge the road surface conditions and to have a check on incidents happening on highway patrolling for Police.
Inference : This study reveals that the rugged laptops should be marketed considering their usage in outdoor harsh conditions.
4.3 Key criteria for selection of laptops: This study was important to
know the basis on which the decision is taken to procure laptops. With this information the company can do right positioning.
Features Rugged Battery Weight Sunlight
Number people 4 4 0 0
of % of people 13.3 13.3 0 0 6.7

88
readable Communication 2
GPS Price Brand After service Others
8 12 0 sales 0 0
Table 4.3
26.7 40 0 0 0
Fig 4.3
13.3% of the people surveyed said that the key criteria they look at while buying a laptop is its ruggedness
The PWD requires laptops to carry in the vehicle to measure the roughness of roads for decision making for highways and road construction.
The South Western Railways has received a circular from the Ministry of Railways for the procurement of rugged laptops which they require for data extraction from the diesel locomotive during accidents.
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13.3% of the people surveyed said that the key criteria they look at while buying a laptop is its battery backup.
National Center for Biological Sciences prefer Toughbooks with high battery backup as the top priority as they would be on the field for most of the time during the day.
6.7% of the people surveyed said that the key criteria they look at while buying a laptop is wireless communication features in the laptop. Diesel locomotive shed require devices with Bluetooth and GPRS facilities to connect to the LAN within the departmental premises. Toughbooks have all the features and along with ruggedness, it makes and ideal choice for their applications.
40% of the respondents have price as the main priority before the purchase. As the awareness level is low in many government verticals regarding Toughbooks, officials have limited role and are restricted by feeble funding for the IT infrastructure. These include Water Resources department, Mines and Geology, Police department.
26.7% of the respondents said GPS was their main priority before the selection. Forest department and Land Survey department require near accurate GPS enabled devices along with host of other rugged features.
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Inference : From the above chart it is clear that price plays a major role before purchasing the rugged laptops in the government organizations.
4.4 Reasons for failure in laptops: This study helps us determine the
various reasons of their existing computing devices failures and how can the company make up to provide a better product.
Reasons
for Number people 13 1 2 7 3 4
of % of people 43.3 3.3 6.7 23.3 10 13.3
laptop failure Drop Spillage Dust Vibration Temperature None of the above reasons
Table 4.4
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Fig 4.4 43.3% of the respondents told their present failure of laptops is due to frequent drops. Normal laptops are delicate and holds risk of getting accidently dropped on the field. In such cases rugged laptops could be very handy.
23.3% people felt their laptops were not useful in conditions where there are lot of vibrations that a computing device should resist, like in-the-vehicle mountings, in the mine field, etc. Rugged laptops are very sturdy which are built to be used in such kind of conditions.
10% respondents felt temperature was the reason behind their laptops failure. They would require laptops to be operated under extreme temperatures, like under bright sunlight, in rains, high altitude areas, etc.
Rugged laptops have sunlight viewable displays and can also be operated in rains. These are also suitable in high altitude areas where there are ,ot of temperature fluctuations.
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6.7% respondents told their laptops broke down because of dust particles damaging the laptops. The magnesium alloy casing not only makes the laptop sturdy, also prevents any dust particles to damage the laptops.
3.3% people voted spillage as the main reason for laptop breakdown. In certain watery and greasy conditions one cannot prevent any kind of spills. As the rugged laptops are completely resistant to any kind of liquids spilt over the keyboard or the screen, this is most suitable under the said conditions.
Inference : The existing laptops fail due to frequent drops and thus the rugged feature of Toughbooks is very important in terms of positioning.
4.5 Satisfaction level in existing laptops: This study would help us

determine how satisfied are the departments in terms of its handling of its existing computing devices.
Rating Highly satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied
Number people 4 22 4
of % of people 10.3 73.3 10.4
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Fig 4.5
73.3% of the respondents were satisfied with the way the computing devices performed in terms of handling and they were not willing to replace these in the near future. 10.3% people felt they were very satisfied with the functioning of the devices as far as its handling was concerned and they did not feel any need to go for highly sophisticated devices. Remaining 10.4% respondents were dissatisfied with the way their devices responded in terms of handling and they felt the need to replace the existing devices. Inference : High percentage of people were satisfied with the handling of existing computing devices, which means that the field work is not very demanding and they are happy with the devices as they can sustain a particular level of field issues of handling.
94
4.6 Satisfaction in performance: Apart from the way laptops

performed while handling, this study revealed what was the satisfaction ratings in terms of the performance of laptops.
Rating Highly satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied
Number people 2 23 5
of % of people 6.7 76.7 16.6
Fig 4.6
76.7% respondents said they were satisfied with the overall performance of the computing devices that they use and felt no need of any change in the devices in the near future. 6.7% people were very satisfied with the performance and did not find it necessary to change the existing devices. 16.6% of the respondents were dissatisfied as they felt the need to go for more sophisticated devices.
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Inference : The findings from this study is closely related to the previous study as there is marked difference in the approach towards the more sophisticated computing devices.
96
Chapter 5 Findings, Recommendations and Conclusion
5.1 Findings
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The main objective of the study was to conduct market research in the Karnataka State government verticals to analyze the potential for Toughbooks. This was done by some analysis like the level of awareness in the potential market for Toughbooks, the key features looked at by customers while making the buying decision, satisfaction level in terms of performance, etc. During the course of the study various government departments were visited to study the above mentioned factors. The following were the major findings:1. There is big potential in many verticals for Panasonic Toughbooks. Most of
the government departments carry out their work in outdoor harsh conditions. Normal laptops would not survive for a longer period of time in such conditions. Rugged laptops can be used in departments such as Forest department, Police, PWD, Railways.
2. The biggest potential in the vertical of defense lies in the department of
Forest and Police as most of their field work is under extreme business and environmental conditions and they would need real time data in number of cases.
3. Changing the computing devices in some departments like Land Survey
would take some time as the work is not very demanding and continuous updation is required regarding the different projects coming up. Price also plays a huge part in the selection process.
4. Awareness level is low in the potential market but has improved from
earlier levels in the past 2 years. Panasonic has to be more aggressive in its marketing campaign if it has to realize the full potential of the different potential departments.
5. People are largely satisfied with their existing laptops because of low
levels of awareness. The customers do not really know what they may be missing out on because they are not aware of the advantages of rugged computers.
98
5.2 Recommendations Rugged PC market is all set to grow at a very fast rate as there is an increase in awareness in the Indian market over the last two years. There is already an increase in demand because among the Police department with Delhi Police leading the way and setting an example. They are procuring equipment that are meeting American standards of MIL-STD-810F for ruggedness and MILSTD- 461E for electro magnetic induction and conduction. The Indian Police department is improving its standards as a result of the increased exposure they are getting. Panasonic Toughbooks are the market share leaders of the world in the rugged PC market. They have 74% of the market share. This is mainly because of the superior features Toughbooks provide. They give unmatched rugged features that conform to MIL-STD-810F that are the most stringent standards. They also provide unmatched wireless communication capabilities such as built in GPRS, CDMA, GSM. They also provide security features like removable hard disks, RF encrypted communication. Despite having such superior features it is not close to selling its true potential in the State government departments. This is mainly due to low awareness, high selling price and intense competition from companies selling carbon copies of its products. Based on the research study some of the recommendations that can be made with respect to Panasonic Toughbooks are as follows:1. The company Third Wave EXIM should concentrate less on direct sales
and also organize conferences so that potential customers from a local area can be jointly addressed. This is especially useful in the present scenario as the awareness level among the potential customers is low. In joint conferences and seminars the potential customers can even learn from one another the applicability of this rugged laptop in their work. This is slow as the work carried out by them is very complex. Third Wave EXIM should also participate in various technology events conducted by the State government to showcase the product and get good leads. 99
2. The company should have more business units to better cater to the needs of the potential market. As of now the offices they have in India are located in five cities. However other than Ahmadabad and Delhi the other locations are not really offices but stop gap arrangements. By increasing the amount of staff members the office can afford to hire specialists in various fields such as technical, management etc. Bangalore is on a major recruitment drive.
3. Prices of the laptops are definitely on the higher side. According to the
study carried out pricing is one of the major factors influencing the buying decision. This has a very significant role to play especially in government institutions. Thus a slight increase in price will definitely go a long way in increasing sales.
4. After sales service is an important criterion taken into consideration while
buying a laptop. Third Wave EXIM does not have a strong enough service staff in the south. The country service head has to travel a lot managing a lot of locations. By having service centers in every major city and hiring more service engineer the company can have a quicker response time thus reducing the financial loss to the customer caused by downtime.
5.3 CONCLUSION Toughbook has a good potential in the Indian market specially the rugged range but Panasonic surely has to apply cost cutting measures in the highly competitive market. The marketing and sales promotion efforts have to be strengthened and concentrated to specific verticals in order to create awareness and increase the brand value of Toughbook. The distribution network of Toughbook has to be strengthened. If Toughbook is able to create awareness about their product amongst their target consumer base they can be far ahead of the competition but they have to make a move fast as its competitors on the global basis are almost read to enter the Indian market and if they utilize the opportunity first it could spell doom for Toughbook. More
100
focus should go into making people aware of the obvious superiority of Toughbook over other laptops. The study also brought forward the fact that Panasonic Toughbook has a very good potential in the Indian market and organizations as many industries work in inhospitable terrains where one has to face various adversities of nature. But to stay connected, all the bases need to connected 24x7 without fail. And due the terrible conditions the failure rate in the computers or similar devices is very high. Plus not many computer machines come inbuilt with GPS, CDMA, GSM, EDGE, 3G and communication options which make the Toughbook as a compiled machine of many different gadgets. There are no competitors in Indian market for rugged laptops and this makes Panasonic market leader in India. Its also the market leader in International market with a huge market share of 64.4%. Overall it can be said that they are leading in Indian market with a large margin and are having a great market potential in future.
101
My Learning
102
1. This internship has helped me learn the entire process involved in
business marketing starting from identifying potential customers right, relationship marketing, personal selling, conducting organizational mapping, to identifying the potential of the particular product in the market
2. It has helped me understand the working of the State government, how far
they have gone in terms of technology adoption, by visiting many verticals.

3. It has given me the opportunity to meet senior officers of the State
government verticals to understand their working environment and operational conditions. 4. It has helped me learn the policies of different State government departments in procuring any devices through the tendering process. 5. It has given me the opportunity to accompany various senior executives to sales calls. This has helped me learn a lot about the selling process and improve my selling skills.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books Kothari C.R, 2005, Research Methodology Methods & Techniques, Second Edition, New Delhi, New Age International (P) Ltd
Websites
www.panasonic.com www.ruggedpcreview.com www.toughbookindia.com
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ANNEXURE
105
Questionnaire for Field Survey

Organization Name 1 2 Contact Details Name Contact number Mobile number Designation Department of [ ] Never heard of them [ ] Familiar but need information (please specify) [ ] Know about them in detail
How aware are rugged laptops?
you
Does your organization use [ ] Indoor normal conditions (or need to use) [ ] Indoor harsh conditions [ ] Outdoor harsh conditions? notebooks/PCs in: [ ] In-vehicle mounted conditions?
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[ ] Others? (please specify)
What is (or would be) the key criterion in selection of a notebook for the above conditions?
[ ] Rugged and reliable against shock, drop, water, vibration and dust [ ] High battery life [ ] Light weight [ ] Sunlight readable LCD screen [ ] wireless communications capability [ ] GPS [ ] Price [ ] Brand [ ] After sales service [ ] Others (please specify)
Which of these are the main [ ] Drop reasons for the failure of laptops in your organization. [ ] Water Spillage [ ] Dust [ ] Vibration [ ] Temperature [ ] None of the above
How would rate the [ ] Highly Satisfied current laptop in terms of handling? [ ] Satisfied [ ] Dissatisfied
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How would rate the [ ] Highly Satisfied current laptop in terms of Performance? [ ] Satisfied [ ] Dissatisfied
Are you satisfied with the [ ] Yes procurement procedure in your organization? [ ] No [ ] Cant say If no ,what suggestions would you give?
10
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Executive Summary

Chapter-1 Industry Overview

1.1 Ruggedized Computers Industry

1.2 Rugged laptops

Leve Object size l 0 protected against

hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part

>12.5 mm >2.5 mm >1 mm

No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact Table 1.1

dripping water dripping

when tilted up when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15 from to 15

1.4 Levels of ruggedness

1.5 General features of rugged computing systems

1.6 Competitor analyses

Rugged Notebooks and Vehicle Mounts

1.8 PEST analysis

2.1 Introduction to Panasonic

2.2 History of Panasonic

1946: Designated a restricted company by the Allied Powers General Headquarters.

ALLIANCE BUSINESS ACADEMY

2.3 Company profile

2.4 Business at a glance

Main products Electronic-components-mounting machines, industrial robots, welding

equipment, bicycles, imported materials and components, etc

2.6 Panasonic management philosophy

2.7 Practice of CSR management in Panasonic

Creating Better Workplaces

2.8 Thirdwave Exim

2.9 Organization structure

Mr. Bipin Patel

2.10 SWOT Analysis

It is a global company which has a place among the fortune 500.

The companies products are very highly priced.

2.11 Functional divisions

2.11.1 Human resources

Conduct of Business a) Conflicts of interest

1) Personnel management a) Employment

The employees are entitled to 8 days sick leave in a calendar year. On

After 12 months of employment all staff are entitled ( and encouraged)

2.11.2 Marketing management Product Segmentation

2.12 Product profile

Models currently sold in India by Third Wave Exim CF-30

2.13 Application of Toughbooks in the industry

Oil and gas

Civil Aviation industry

maintenance, repair and overhauling requirements and preparedness for the

Air Deccan Kingfisher Emirates American airlines

Logistics and transportation

Power and utility services

Chapter 3 Research Design

3.1 Introduction The industry vertical: Karnataka State Government

3.3 Statement of the problem

3.4 Objectives of the study

3.5 Scope of the study

techniques which are non judgmental sampling methods.

3.6 Organizations in which the study was conducted

3.7 Research Methodology

Chapter 4 Data analysis

IV.1 Awareness study This study was conducted to know the

Never heard Familiar Aware

80% of the respondents had never heard about Toughbooks.

13.3% of the respondents surveyed are familiar of Toughbooks.

Its been 5 years now with Toughbooks being launched in India.

IV.2 Operating conditions of existing laptops: We conducted