Mobile devices in mining and heavy industry
Mines, quarries, steel mills and large plants use more mobile devices every year. Rugged tablets show maintenance tasks and machine data. Handhelds record inspections and inventory. Devices on vehicles and in control rooms run one operational app all day.
These devices are tools, not personal phones. They need to start in the right app, stay there and keep working in dust, heat and poor signal. A mobile device management (MDM) system sets them up that way and lets a central team keep them consistent across all sites.
Single-purpose devices with kiosk mode
Kiosk mode locks a device to one app or a small set of apps. The user cannot open settings, install apps or switch to something else. For devices that several shifts share, this is the simplest way to keep them working the same way every day. The kiosk and dedicated devices page shows how this is set up.
How a typical rollout looks
- Check the hardware. Make sure the rugged models you plan to use support fully managed (device owner) enrollment.
- Install the server. Many operators install DeepManage on-premises, at the head office or a main site.
- Enroll devices with a QR code before they go to the site, so they arrive ready to work. See device enrollment.
- Set kiosk and restriction policies per device type: control room, vehicle, inspection. See policies and restrictions.
- Share documents. Safety procedures, forms and manuals are sent with content management.
- Support and protect. Use Live Control for remote help and remote lock and wipe for missing devices.
Embedded and special devices
Some industrial equipment runs Android inside, without being a tablet at all. The embedded and rugged devices page explains what is needed to manage such hardware.