Automated Conveyor Systems, Inc. -
West Memphis, AR
DuraFon 1X - Overcomes Manufacturers’ Challenges & Becomes Essential Business Tool
Automated Conveyor Systems, Inc. (ACSI) manufactures dependable, long-lasting material handling conveyor systems for use throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company provides both standard-fit and custom conveyor solutions.
The Need: Excellent Range, Durability, and Call Quality for Manufacturing Plant
Finding the right tool for the job is essential – no matter the industry. It’s particularly important in demanding environments like manufacturing facilities. Prior to deploying DuraFon handsets, EnGenius customer ACSI struggled with phone communications in its 130,000-square foot manufacturing facility, and that affected daily operations and efficiency.
Brent Hampton, the Management Information Systems Manager at ACSI, recalls the challenges. “People all over the shop were constantly dropping calls, and the call quality was horrible. The callers on the other end of the line could hardly hear them (ACSI employees),” Hampton says.
Communications were failing. “It was constant. Someone would say their phone was acting up again and I’d be out there messing with it,” says Hampton. His time was routinely consumed by dealing with the inferior equipment. The company’s existing consumer-grade cordless phones couldn’t get the job done.
ACSI needed long-range cordless phones that would function anywhere in the sizable building, and durable handsets that could withstand a rough environment – including accidental drops onto concrete floors in the shop area.
Mr. Hampton searched for better options and came across the EnGenius product line. “The (phone-related) complaints continued until I got the first EnGenius handset and then folks were like, “Can I get one?” ACSI has been using the EnGenius DuraFon 1X ever since.
“There’s nothing out there, that I’ve found, that does what these phones do as far as call quality and range. The DuraFon is just a necessity.”
Brent Hampton
Management Information Systems Manager at ACSI
The Solution: The DuraFon 1X Cordless Phone System
The DuraFon is an excellent match for a manufacturing environment like the one at ACSI. In addition to delivering extremely long range that covers up to 250,000 square feet, 12 floors, or 3,000 acres, the ruggedized handset is ready for rough handling. The handsets are tested to withstand over 50 six-foot drops onto concrete. And though ACSI only makes use of the phone function, the DuraFon 1X also features digital two-way radio broadcast and intercom.
Mr. Hampton has been using the DuraFon 1X for the staff at ACSI for around 15 years. He currently has 14 DuraFon 1X handsets deployed at ACSI: three are used in the office and 11 are used out on the manufacturing floor. The base stations are primarily located in a phone closet, and because the range and coverage are so strong no additional antennas are used. “Setup is a piece of cake. It’s plug and play,” according to Hampton.
The DuraFon handsets are essential for ACSI’s business to thrive, and the Plant Manager, Production Manager, Facility Manager and Foreman are among the 14 staffers that use their cordless handsets daily. The company operator is also a DuraFon handset user. She can forward desk phone calls to her EnGenius cordless handset so that every call is answered, even when she steps away from her desk.
The Result: Excellent Phone Performance & Improved Efficiency
The DuraFon 1X has been a game-changer at ACSI. Inefficiency and frustration with past communications have been replaced with efficiency and enthusiasm – brought about by the DuraFon’s stellar range, durability, call quality, and call forwarding.
“Extremely long-range” is no exaggeration when describing DuraFon’s coverage. The entire 130,000 square foot interior of the ACSI building is covered, and phone service even extends to the rear parking lot. In fact, it goes way past that. Brent Hampton shared that a production manager was once a few miles away from the facility and received a call on his handset. “They definitely have a heck of a range to them,” says Hampton.
“The phones are very durable,” Hampton says. “I’ve seen these phones get run over by forklifts and still work. They may not ring, but they still function, and that says a lot right there!” (Users should not run over DuraFon handsets with forklifts, but it’s pretty neat to know that they can withstand such treatment and still make calls!)
“Another big benefit is being able to forward a desk phone to the cordless DuraFon handset, making it so I’m always available. In my position, I have to be available. If someone has to page me on the P.A. system, that’s bad,” says Hampton. The DuraFon 1X ensures that Mr. Hampton is seldom paged. In fact, the DuraFon 1X has made him so consistently available by phone that people tend to think he’s out of the office if they don’t immediately reach him by phone!
“I definitely recommend the DuraFon and have recommended it to folks both inside and outside the company,” Hampton says. “There’s nothing out there, that I’ve found, that does what these phones do as far as call quality and range. The DuraFon is just a necessity.”
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