Xplore Technologies (NASDAQ: XPLR) has revealed that it has received a follow-on order for 200 Xplore Bobcat fully rugged tablets from one of the nation’s largest railroad operators. The long-time customer first deployed Xplore Windows® and Android™ rugged tablets in 2013 and recognised immediate efficiency gains in rail yard operations.

With consistently rising cargo transportation demands and an expanding workforce, mobility requirements at this customer have continued to increase since the initial implementation. These additional Bobcat tablets are equipped with top handles to facilitate fast check-in and inspection of inventory-filled trailers as they are transferred from the yard to the rail cars, giving the customer the speed, data and tracking capabilities necessary to keep up with rising demand.

"This high-volume railroad customer has opted to repeatedly expand its relationship with Xplore because of the flexibility and performance of our rugged tablet platforms in very physically demanding and highly complex logistical applications," explained Mark Holleran, president and CEO of Xplore. "Not only have our rugged tablets allowed them to broaden their operational capacity quite quickly, but our specialised feature sets enable them to consistently optimise asset performance and improve worker productivity as supply chain economics rise."

Xplore rugged tablets have been specifically engineered to support evolving rail transportation operations for over two decades. The 2.4lb Xplore Bobcat, in particular, features built-in satellite GPS technology and multiple data input capabilities that provide real-time tracking and recording of inventory movements. The C1Z2/ATEX (HazLoc)-compliant tablet also boasts Intel® processors, a sunlight-readable display and a glove touch capability, which allows workers in the rail yard to safely maintain visibility into critical scheduling and cargo data whether they’re on the forklift en-route to their next pick-up or on foot inspecting containers.

The Bobcat is waterproof, dustproof, shock proof and proven to work without issue in environments where extreme temperatures, vibration and fluid contaminants are commonly encountered. It also comes standard with multiple I/O ports, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi technologies, as well as several security options such as fingerprint scanners and SmartCard/CAC readers that help railroads protect both their sensitive cargo records and their IT investments.

The Bobcat was also one of four Xplore rugged tablet platforms recently Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT, giving railroads confidence that their current mobile computer investments will be interoperable with other technologies that they integrate in the future.

"Xplore rugged tablet solutions provide the precise level of mobility that freight operators and other global transportation leaders require to implement more simplistic business process designs," Holleran continued. "We empower them to maintain higher quality and cost efficiency standards without excessive, or continuous, capital investment requirements."

For more information on Xplore and its complete lineup of rugged tablet solutions for rail transportation operations, please contact Xplore.