Many companies have a report that goes out every Monday. It is carefully made, it is correct, and three people read it. The forty whose work it describes never see it, because they have no inbox at their workplace. On the shop floor, at the loading bay and in the workshop the situation stays what it always was: a matter of feel.
Numbers work where the work happens
A number only changes behaviour if it is in view and current. A screen on the wall does both. What belongs on it, though, is rarely what the weekly report contains. The report explains the past; the wall has to show the day: open orders, what ships today, where things are stuck, how many enquiries are unanswered.
The most common mistake with a first wallboard is putting too much on it. A screen meant to be read in passing from four metres away carries three to five numbers, not fifteen. Anything beyond that is decoration nobody notices after a fortnight.
Displaying is only half of it
A display-only device is quick to put up. It gets more interesting when something can also be entered in the same place. A terminal at the machine where an operation is booked on. A control panel in the meeting room. A till in the shop. An access terminal at the door. A scanner at goods-in.
The practical advantage is that all of these devices share the same base. Anyone running a wallboard has already built the path to a terminal: same setup, same remote maintenance, same updates. “Let's put up a screen” does not turn into a second IT estate.
What a device on the wall has to handle
The hard questions about fixed hardware are not about features, they are about what happens when things break. Three of them decide daily life.
What happens after a power cut? The device has to come back on its own and show the right view, without somebody turning up with a keyboard and mouse.
What happens when the network drops briefly? A screen that shows an error page at every hiccup gets switched off. It has to hold the last state and carry on quietly.
How do updates get on there? If somebody has to drive out for that, devices stay on the state they had the day they were installed. Remote updating is a convenience with two devices and a requirement from ten.
These three points sound unspectacular. They are the reason so many screens in businesses are dark, or have been showing the same frozen view for months.
A sensible start
Take the place where most questions get asked today, and the number people ask about most often there. Usually that is the loading bay or order intake, and usually it is about dates. One screen, one view, three numbers. The requests come along on their own after that, and then you also know which ones.
Frequently asked questions
Does every device need its own login?
A display device runs without one, otherwise it sits on a login screen after the first restart. Devices where something is entered need a login, typically by badge or PIN.
Can different sites show different views?
Yes. The view belongs to the device, not to the company. A screen in the workshop shows something different from one in sales.
What does it cost to start?
The screen is the larger item; the device behind it is small and inexpensive. The real effort sits in deciding what should be displayed.
You can see the available devices under wallboard and terminal. The hardware page gives the overview.