Ford Work Solutions – The Future is Now
As the years go by, technology continues to grow with shocking speed. We are seeing new ideas emerge, turning the plots of vintage sci-fi flicks into reality. The auto industry is not immune to this phenomenon.
Ford, with a grasp over forty percent of the United States commercial vehicle market, recently announced a new digital technology called Work Solutions. One of the major additions in this realm is a Windows CE powered in-dash computer with high-speed internet access. Businesses can now use vehicle management systems which interface with the on-board computer to keep track of their mobile work force. Not only does this system pinpoint the location of vehicles, but it also keeps track of various vehicle maintenance parameters; it can even diagnose vehicle problems! The computer fits in a standard double-din audio slot and features a six and a half inch touch screen monitor. It uses a Bluetooth-enabled high-speed broadband connection from Sprint. Garmin GPS is also included, so drivers can navigate to and from their job sites with ease.
Part of the Work Solutions system available soon on select Ford trucks is another new digital wonder – the Tool Link system, developed with DeWalt and ThingMagic. Tool Link uses radio frequency identification (RFID) readers in the truck bed, hooked in to an application on the computer. RFID tags are applied to the tools and entered into the system. Lists of tools for different jobs can then be created. The RFID readers sense when tagged tools are in the truck bed. Selecting a job list will notify the user if all the necessary tools are on board.
Ford Work Solutions will be available this fall on the 2009 F-150, F-Series Super Duty, and E-Series vans. Transit Connect vans join Ford truck’s commercial vehicle lineup with this technology in mid-2009. Ford’s flexing of their technological muscle illustrates the direction our daily lives are headed, straight out of the old sci-fi’s.
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