The EZ-Tech solution consists of a Panasonic Toughbook mobile computer loaded with diagnostic software and the vehicle interface cables. Navistar selected the fully-rugged Toughbook line because it was durable enough to withstand the service bay environment and would deliver strong return on investment. In addition, Navistar is able to remotely manage the software and push updates out to its dealer network.

Navistar recognized early on that it needed to work with a partner to manage the product orders, billing and administrative functions of the program. The company partnered with Bizco Technologies, a full service technology firm, to develop an online portal that allows dealers to purchase product directly. Navistar also works with Panasonic’s National Service Center, Heartland, where the devices are configured, imaged and shipped directly to the dealer – reducing the burden on a dealer’s IT department.

One of Navistar’s dealers, Diamond International, has been part of the EZ-Tech program and a Toughbook customer for 15 years. Diamond International, a full line International dealer, has Toughbook 29s, 30s and 52s running a suite of International software deployed in its service bays. On average, Diamond issues 50-75 repair tickets a day with at least 50-60 trucks on the lot to service. Toughbook computers are ideal devices for Diamond due to their drop/shock protection and ability to stand up to the dusty and dirty environment of the service bay. Port durability is also important as the USB ports are frequently used to connect vehicle-interface modules.

Through the EZ-Tech program, Navistar has deployed more than 3,500 Toughbook units to its dealers worldwide. Navistar and its partners have created a system that proves a centralized approach to service technology offers dealerships high-end solutions without the burden of management costs.

Click here to read the full Navistar case study.

Ozarks Medical Center, a not-for-profit hospital serving South Central Missouri and North Central Arkansas, approached the reseller looking for a mobile solution to replace fixed computer stations and pen and paper reporting.

The relationship between the two sprang from a webinar series, produced by the reseller, on how mobile clinical assistants, like the Panasonic Toughbook H1 Health, can aid healthcare providers. Following this webinar, the reseller provided the medical center with a number of computer models, including the Toughbook H1 Health, Toughbook T8 and the Toughbook 19 under its “Proof of Concept” program, which allows testing of a variety of units to determine which model works best for a customer. After trying each out, the Ozark IT department wasn’t convinced that any of the devices were the right fit for the medical center.

Despite this initial rejection, DataSource Mobility knew better and pressed on, insisting Ozarks take another look at the Toughbook T8. In a unique sales move, the reseller sent Ozarks a link to its self-produced informational video about the device in an effort to show them what they may have overlooked. Through the video, the medical center realized that the T8, a touchscreen tablet alternative, had the exact features it was looking for – the reseller had been right all along.

The T8 video shows everything from how to remove the hard drive to how to take advantage of the device’s ergonomic design. DataSource Mobility’s series of online educational videos allow prospective customers to better understand the products, how they fit into their workflow and how they compare to other products on the market today. This creative approach allowed DataSource Mobility to outfit an additional customer with the perfect device to take the efficiency of its staff to the next level. You can see all of the reseller’s product overview videos here.

This kind of dedication to ensuring each Toughbook customer is equipped with the right device for its environment is a testament to the passion our resellers have for our products. Because of resellers like DataSource Mobility, our customers are outfitted with devices that perform reliably, even in the most demanding and mission critical situations.

Resellers, have you made any creative sales lately? Let us know in the comment section below.

The Panasonic Computer Solutions Company team received the Tech Innovator of the Year Award while the Toughbook H1 received a Tech Innovator Award in the “PCs –Portables/Ultraportables/Netbooks” category. Everything Channel’s Tech Innovator listing celebrates technology vendors that have introduced new solutions that drive advances throughout the technology channel, and PCSC President Rance Poehler and I were both on hand to accept these prestigious awards last week.

Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita built the company around the idea that we should create products for the way our customers will use them, not for the way we want them to be used. We still employ this practice and it drives a level of innovation that benefits our customers and our channel partners. This philosophy is at the core of what sets the Toughbook brand apart from others and helped us earn this recognition. We appreciate CRN honoring our team who will continue to produce industry-leading solutions for years to come.

You can find CRN’s review of the Toughbook H1 here. If you’d rather watch than read, check out  this Sky Business H1 feature; it focuses on how the H1 was built to improve workflow and ease clinical loads for doctors and nurses, all while helping healthcare organizations maximize efficiency and reduce errors.

The TP3 event gives us the opportunity to meet with our reseller partners face to face and get immediate feedback on our channel program; we can find out what is working and what is not. We did that this year through numerous vertical breakout sessions, keynote speeches and one-on-one meetings.

We made some key changes to our channel program in order streamline the sales process. An important change was to our “Rules of Engagement.” Previously, a solution provider had to complete a few requirements before gaining access to special pricing. Beginning this month, special pricing advantages for resellers that bring business to us will be available from the very beginning of the sales process.

Additionally, we introduced an extended lease program that does not require any payments until January 2010 and have special pricing on the Toughbook 30 and 52 models until September 30. Programs like these help our partners get their foot in the door when a customer balks at a new mobile computer deployment due to immediate costs. These changes will help our partners make a strong finish this year.

Finally, at the event, we also honored our 2008 Resellers of the Year. The companies below had an outstanding year, both in revenue growth and in developing new market opportunities for reliable mobile computing.

2008 Panasonic Toughbook Reseller of Year award winners include:

• Enterprise Sector: TransCOR Information Technologies, Georgetown, MA
• Government Sector: CDW-G, Vernon Hills, Il
• Healthcare Sector: Atlanta Computer Sales, Atlanta, GA
• Arbitrator Mobile Video Partner: Insight Enterprises, Tempe, AZ
• Wireless Partner of the Year: Feeney Wireless, Eugene, OR
• Reseller of the Year: Software House International, Piscataway, N.J.
• Best New Reseller: CompuCom Systems, Dallas, TX

Steve thinks there are many groundbreaking solutions out there that could effectively help pull solution providers out of a tailspin.  Five of these products are listed in his post, including the Toughbook® H1.

Regarding the Toughbook H1, Steve says:

“Panasonic: A life saver. A 100 percent channel-focused company in a hot horizontal (rugged notebooks) that has just launched a slam dunk: the new H1 Mobile Medical Assistant. The H1 is a breakthrough product in a market that badly needs it.”

Click the following link to see Steve’s full post and the other four vendors/products that made his list:
It’s Time To Take Off The Blinders