Overview
Metromatics offers two distinctly different
rugged high bright LCD designs typically used for Passenger Information
Displays (PID’s) at bus, tram and train stations. Both are highly reliable and
backed by almost a decade of Engineering expertise, but by changing the
physical design we have been able to slash manufacturing costs by 40%. The
X-series, equipped with a door, makes on site servicing possible. H-series does
not have a door, making it cheaper and reducing your capital expenditure.
In this discussion paper we will compare
the two distinct designs to help you decide which design is right for you and
your organisation. Ultimately, you want to answer this question.
“What do you want your maintenance philosophy to be?”
Do you want to employ the technical
expertise to manage servicing yourself, or use a pool of rotatable spares which
get swapped out by low skilled workers and send the broken unit to a 3rd
party for repair?
Servicing
So why would anyone even care about a door
on the front of the X-series display? In a word, serviceability. A door allows the display to be
serviced on site and for period inspections to be performed. A door can be replaced in the
event of vandalism.
· Faults can often be diagnosed
and rectified on site by a single technician with no special equipment other
than a ladder, screw driver and multimeter.
But that is not to say the H-series is not
serviceable. It most certainly is, it just requires a different service and
maintenance philosophy. By having a rotatable pool of spares, displays can be
quickly swapped out and sent to a service technician for repair. This means
·
Maintenance staff do not need a
high degree of technical knowledge. They simply swap out the faulty display
with one from the rotatable pool of spares and send the broken display away for
repair. The H-series is up to half the weight of an X-series, making this a
viable option.
·
For serious faults, like an LCD
failure or smashed glass, a rotatable pool of spares means display up-time can
be kept high. This is of particular importance at critical transport hubs
servicing tens of thousands of people every day.
Mean Time To
Repair (MTTR)
As already mentioned, both the X and
H-series are highly reliable. Both use components with mean times between
failure (MTBF) in excess of 50,000 hours. That’s 24/7 operation for more than 5
years. But what about mean time to repair (MTTR)? MTTR is a basic measure of
the maintainability of repairable items and represents the average time
required to repair a failed component or device.
Serious damage caused by vandalism can take
weeks to repair, blowing the MTTR way out and impacting customer service. By
leveraging the lower price of the H-series to create a pool of spares, the MTTR
can be pulled in, improving your operational availability.
Cost –
Capital vs Maintenance
So if having a door is so great, why create
a door-less model in the first place? Well, it’s cheaper. If you do a like for
like feature cost comparison of X-series and H-series, the H-series will cost 40%
less.
With purchasing departments are under more
pressure than ever to keep capital expenditure low, the savings offered by cheap
imported products can be tempting. But with poor reliability these cheap
imports mean sacrificing the long term maintenance budget and increased down
time.
The H-series lets you have your cake and
eat it too. Thanks to some smart design choices of our Engineering team, the
H-series is a rugged extremely reliable high bright display at a rock bottom
price. Typically, three H-series displays will cost less than two X-series
displays. This means for large installations you can hold a 10% pool of spares
and still reduce your capital cost by as much as 34%.
The X-series does have a higher capital
cost, but long term maintenance can be lower. It really depends on the
expertise within your organization, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) rules
and the size of the display in question. The X-series might be for you if
·
You already employ technicians
on staff capable of servicing on-site.
·
Your OHS rules don’t require a
team of people to change a light bulb.
·
You don’t have the tools (i.e.
scissor lift) to safely remote larger displays mounted high off the ground.
Why such a
big price difference?
A door adds a lot of material and labour to
the build cost. Metal needs to be folded and welded. Locks, hinges, door stays
and rubber seals need to be fitted. The bezel around the screen needs to be
larger to accommodate the door seal, leading to more materials being used in
the construction of the enclosure.
Handy
comparison
The table below is a handy comparison of
the X-series and H-series, highlighting their relative pro’s and con’s when
going head to head with each other.
|
X-Series
|
H-Series
|
|
Pro
|
Con
|
Pro
|
Con
|
|
Same reliability as
H-series.
|
More expensive.
|
Same reliability as
X-series.
|
Pool of spares need to be
kept.
|
|
Same IP rating as H-series
(IP65)
|
Heavy. It is up to twice
the weight of an H-series display.
|
Same IP rating as X-series
(IP65)
|
Whole display must be
replaced in the event of glass vandalisation.
|
|
Can be serviced on site.
|
Damage to door seals may
reduce the IP rating.
|
40% lower cost.
|
Lifting devices or work
platforms required to remove large units for repair.
|
|
Except for major faults
(i.e. LCD failure), system can be repaired within 30 minutes or less where
spares are taken to site.
|
Requires qualified
technicians to service.
|
Thinner and lighter*.
|
Whole display must be
swapped out in the event of any component failure.
|
|
|
X-series
|
H-series
|
|
32”
|
34kg
|
12kg
|
|
38”
|
40kg
|
21kg
|
|
42”
|
45kg
|
25kg
|
|
47”
|
60kg
|
38kg
|
|
Enclosure is large enough
to house extra client equipment and the door provides easy access.
|
|
While the H-series is
typically smaller, its depth can be increased to house client equipment at an
additional cost.
|
|
|
Door can be replaced in the
event of vandalism.
|
|
Maintenance staff do not
require technical training. Repair work can be outsourced.
|
|
|
|
|
Smaller bezel allows larger
displays to be fitted in small spaces.
|
|
|
|
|
Pool of spares leads to
lower down time in cases of LCD failure or smashed glass.
|
|
*Final weight will vary depending on
internal equipment and glass options.
If you are still not sure which design is
right for you and your organization, give us a call on +61 7 3868 4255 or send
an email to sales@metrospec.com.au We would be happy to help you make the right choice.
