GTS and ADD Batteries powering today's mobile workforce

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: GTS and ADD Batteries powering today's mobile workforce.

IT Reseller spoke with Annie Wilson, sales & marketing director at ADD Batteries, about the company's status as the Preferred UK Partner of Global Technology Systems, Inc., and how the company is looking to expand its UK presence as a leading provider of Honeywell Batteries and the complete line of GTS batteries, chargers and mobile power technologies.

Global Technology Systems, Inc. (GTS) is the exclusive worldwide designer and manufacturer of Honeywell Batteries for portable devices. The company is also a recognised leader in the design and manufacture of chargers and power management technology. GTS is now looking to increase its market share within the UK. GTS recently named ADD Batteries as a Preferred Partner supplying the complete range of GTS products, including Honeywell Batteries and all-new GTS Genius Batteries to both VARs and end users across the UK.

ADD's sales & marketing director Annie Wilson filled in the detail about the benefits that the GTS/ADD relationship affords VARs and end users. "Through our close ties with GTS we are able to offer high-quality, high-capacity and low-cost OEM rechargeable replacement batteries for all our customers' AIDC and printing requirements. Essentially, our main focus is on enabling customers using mobility devices to maximise their investment by optimising their productivity and reducing downtime often caused by power, charging and battery issues."

Wilson describes batteries as the critical 'engines' that drive thousands of different portable devices. "These devices are found in virtually in every facet of business; from security, transport & logistics and warehousing, to retail and field service," she remarked. "Mobility devices stand at the front line of business, helping to manage a company's supply chain and ensure that the enterprise is running as efficiently and cost effectively as possible."

However, she adds that if an organisation's device estate is not operating at its optimal level of performance, then a number of serious constraints can be suffered; including lost productivity and increased system downtime. "Power and battery issues are a very serious problem for manufacturers of portable devices and all the customers who use such devices," said Wilson. "Indeed, depleted batteries are one of the most common cause of product failure. In many instances what might appear to be a malfunctioning product may just be poor performance caused by weak or worn battery cells."

High quality

With this in mind, Wilson explains that ADD Batteries only supplies batteries that feature the highest quality lithium, Li-ion, ni-mh and NEOCELL cells. According to Wilson, many of the batteries ADD provides have 20 per cent or more capacity than batteries provided by OEMs. "This is mainly achieved by providing batteries that comprise a NEOCELL lithium polymer solution rather than a nickel-based solution," she said. "A NEOCELL battery can run 42 – 72 hours on a single charge under normal use while OEM nickel –based batteries only run 6 hours."

Wilson added that ADD can offer cost savings of 10 to 30 per cent compared with most OEM battery sales price. Moreover, she points out that ADD is a trusted second-source option for high-quality batteries in that the company is often able to provide batteries when the OEM is not. "In fact, we can often supply batteries when the OEM has discontinued the particular line in question," she said.

Although the reliability of AIDC devices has to be a core business focus all year round, it becomes even more critical during peak periods such as the lead-up to Christmas. In order for an organisation to be able to service its customers efficiently with little or no stock shortages, even during periods of increased demand, its mobile devices have to be capable of operating reliably during long shifts. "The last thing a company needs is for the batteries in its estate of mobile devices to perform at less than optimum efficiency – or even to fail entirely," said Wilson. "A reliable battery is invaluable for the efficient running of a business. After all, by operating, for example, a highly efficient warehouse, logistics or retail operation, with little or no operational downtime, you enjoy the dual benefit of keeping your staff productive and your customers happy."

To ensure the batteries are fit for purpose, particularly during such peak demand periods, all of GTS Honeywell Batteries go through a rigorous testing including temperature, vibration, shock, drop, short circuit and overcharge. "For each new product we conduct a T Sample report and undertake UNDOT tests," explained Wilson. "This is how we manage and verify battery safety, function and performance before mass production. We also conduct our own testing on all the criteria."

Attractive warranty

GTS and ADD offer a12-month warranty on scanner batteries covering material and workmanship to maintain 80 per cent of the battery packs' rated capacity. The companies also offer a full two-year warranty on all LMR and LMR LiP batteries covering materials and workmanship to maintain 80 per cent of its rated capacity along with material and workmanship. VARS and end-customers receive a new battery if returned to GTS or ADD within the stated warranty period. "This is a better warranty package than that offered by OEMs in the UK," said Wilson, who added that GTS and ADD also offer a capacity rating that is equal to or greater than most AIDC OEMs, and all at a lower price – up to 30 per cent.

Additionally, GTS reports a particularly impressive return rate of a half a per cent compared with the industry standard for rechargeable batteries standing at 3-5 per cent. "Each month GTS tracks occurrences, assemblies shipped, percentage acceptance and PPM returned," explained Wilson, "and GTS is particularly proud of currently having a 99.51 per cent acceptance rate on all 400+ SKU products."

All ADD's products are certified compatible with OEM equipment and do not void the original OEM device warranty. "OEMs are in the business of selling devices, and after a period of time they will stop supporting their older devices," said Wilson. "However, ADD Batteries & GTS continue supporting those devices together with their batteries, thus extending device life. Moreover, customers can delay capital expenditure for new devices and still maintain the performance of their devices. Recently we had customers come to us saying a particular OEM wasn't able to deliver the required batteries in Europe. This problem was solved through GTS having a plentiful stock of the required batteries."

Accessories

GTS also offers an extensive range of device cradles, charging holsters and chargers. These accessories are made to support the devices of brands such as: Symbol, Motorola, Intermec, Telxon, Honeywell, Denso, Vocollect, Zebra, Tec, Datamax-O'Neil, Norand and Comtech. "In the case of the Motorola MC9000 charger, our charger has 6 bays compared with the 4 bays offered by most OEMs," explained Wilson. "Also, our charger has a particularly small footprint."

Regarding GTS's plans to increase its presence this side of the Atlantic, Larry Murray, GTS's chairman, president & CEO, commented: "ADD Batteries is an ideal partner for GTS to expand our presence in the UK market. The ADD team have strong technical expertise and years of experience working closely with mobile users to solve their mobile power challenges. ADD exemplifies our 'customer first' philosophy and works closely with resellers and end users across the UK to demonstrate how our products can improve the productivity and performance of essential mobile devices and operations."