Qcom delivered a complex onsite firmware upgrade for this manufacturer of heavy-duty industrial IT devices.

At a Glance

• 2,253 ruggedized industrial devices upgraded
• Project completed across 70 sites in just 8 weeks
• Limited device availability added to project complexity

The Need

This manufacturer specialises in ruggedized industrial IT equipment for a variety of sectors from transportation to security and defence.

The company turned to Qcom when it needed to upgrade firmware on 2,253 devices across a total of 70 customer sites within an eight-week timeframe.

The Challenge

The major challenge on this project would be time pressure.

Just 50% of the devices on any given site would be available at any one time, meaning that Qcom engineers would be required to wait each time for the remaining units to come back to site.

The Solution

The project was managed in two phases. Phase 1 saw 917 devices upgraded across 27 sites within a 3-week timeframe. Phase 2 involved upgrades on 1,336 devices across 43 sites within 5 weeks.

The solution was designed with a focus on minimising end-user disruption. Careful preparation meant that Qcom field engineers were ready to deliver pre-rehearsed rapid device diagnostics and firmware upgrades on each site.

Qcom provided the firmware upgrade as a white label service, allowing the manufacturer to present it as part of the overall support package.

The Results

The entire project was delivered on time and with minimal disruption to the end-user customer base. By outsourcing this firmware upgrade to Qcom, the manufacturer did not need to employ additional engineering resources. This ensured significant cost and time savings.