Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland has today revealed the results of a multi-industry research study into the use of rugged technology, which exhibit that nine out of ten workers (90%) currently using hardened devices keen to see more in their workplace.
The results showcased that rugged tech will form a pivotal role in the future of business, with 81% users believing that tougher devices will be essential in their workplace over the next two years. Feedback from those currently using rugged tech was resoundingly positive, with 86% users claiming that the devices are beneficial to their job.
The research* looked at employees and decision-makers across Construction, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, Health, Retail, Emergency Services, Utilities, and Automotive sectors to reveal attitudes towards rugged tech. Rugged tech refers to hardware – including smartphones, tablets, laptops and wearables – designed to operate in extremely harsh environments and conditions, such as the Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro and the Galaxy Tab Active2.
Building on its initial findings, Samsung uncovered an array of key insights into the benefits of and attitudes towards the wider adoption of rugged tech across industries, including:
- Financial efficiency: More than nine out of ten (91%) of those currently deploying rugged tech have said it has reduced their long-term company costs, with half claiming the reduced need for repairs and replacements as the major economic benefit.
- Lower the risk: Over 40% workers currently use their personal device for work, raising serious concerns around data security and associated business risks. By equipping employees with rugged devices, a third of users claimed that the standard of security improved.
- Productivity boost: Nearly half (45%) of those using rugged tech said that the improved level of productivity experienced when using the devices was a key benefit. With UK productivity currently 30% lower than the US, according to PwC, results suggest rugged tech could be a valuable tool to give businesses a boost.
- Tough tech: Over half (58%) of those using rugged tech said that its durability was the primary benefit, with 84% stating that their performance improved when not having to worry about the device breaking.
“At Samsung, we are committed to listening to the opinions and challenges faced by our customers and it is excellent to see that rugged tech is making a difference for its users and their businesses,” says Joe Walsh, Director of B2B at Samsung UK & Ireland.
“These results highlight a clear enthusiasm and demands for the growth of the rugged tech market, and it is encouraging to see how many users want to continue to invest, even in a challenging economic period. As more businesses adopt this technology, we only anticipate the appreciation for its financial and performance-based benefits to rise. At Samsung, our unyielding passion for excellence ensures we always enable our customers to thrive with innovative devices that are easy to use and hard to break.”
While most claim that they cannot imagine work life without it – 68% of all users – the survey also revealed a strong will from non-users to deploy rugged tech in the future.
- Over two-thirds (67%) of those that don’t currently deploy rugged tech would like to in the future.
- Over half of employees (55%) that don’t use rugged tech would like to use it in future.
- Over half (52%) non-users believe their company would perform better with rugged tech, supported by 81% of current users who say they have already seen an improvement.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) of businesses not using rugged tech have never considered the financial benefits, but more than nine out of ten current users say that it has already reduced their costs.
Looking forward, the results suggest that rugged tech will form a pivotal part of digital transformation projects across many industries. Almost two-thirds (60%) of respondents believe that rugged tech will become imperative for their industry in the next two years, with 61% users stating that tougher devices will form a vital part of the 5G revolution.
To find out more about Samsung’s rugged device portfolio, including the Galaxy XCover Pro and Galaxy Tab Active2, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/business/rugged-range/.
*The research was carried out by Ketchum Research and Analytics, on behalf of Samsung. A total of 1,202 people aged 18+ were surveyed in the UK, including 601 employees and 601 decision-makers across the following industries: Construction, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, Health, Retail, Emergency Services, Utilities, and Automotive. Fieldwork ran from 18th June – 6th July 2020 and was conducted by Vitreous World.
