Thames Water rolls out 2,000 Panasonic Toughbooks

Thames Water has ordered 2,000 Panasonic Toughbook devices for rollout to its mobile field workers.

The CF-19 Toughbook (pictured) will be used by Thames Water's Below Ground and New Connection teams.

The handheld PC CF-U1 will be deployed to Above Ground engineers and Water Quality Sampling teams.

The devices will allow the engineers to interact with the company's new work and asset-management information system, enabling job allocation, scheduling, reporting and other communication.

All devices include a GPS system to help locate network pipes, record work against other fixed assets and provide live information to the scheduling teams – with the aim of improving the response to customer and operational calls.

The devices also provide information and data to manage and improve health and safety across the organisation.

The CF-19 has an Intel Core i5 vPro processor and a magnesium-thickened casing that offers maximum protection for the most sensitive components, such as the display.

The handheld CF-U1 has an LCD touchscreen and a 2-megapixel digital camera with a 9-hour plus, hot swappable battery life as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and optional 3G-mobile-broadband internet connectivity.

This follows a commitment by Thames Water to invest heavily in IT and processes following a deal with procurement firm Efficio announced in April to manage £2.5bn of goods and services over five years.