Warehouse & Logistics Interview

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ATTACHMENTS www.ram-mount.co.uk

RAM Mount UK Rob Earley Design & Marketing, RAM Mount UK Ltd

RAM Mount UK offer an extensive range of revolutionary industrial-strength mounting solutions RAM Mount UK offer an extensive range of revolutionary industrial-strength mounting solutions for a wide variety of mobile electronics used within the warehouse & logistics sector. Featuring patented, interchangeable, vibration resistant ball & socket systems that provide an inventively simplistic solution to mounting and adjusting any mobile device in any environment - RAM products deliver a unique and unrivalled concept to a number of vital applications worldwide.

From smartphones, GPS and dash cams to tablets, rugged systems, PDA’s and more; with the ability to connect any device to any surface utilising a vast product range of over 3000 components, with a lifetime warranty included; RAM mounts are the logical choice.

Rob Earley, Design & Marketing at RAM Mount UK Ltd, spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.

WLN – What are your best-known products and services?

Our stand out product regardless of industry has to be the X-Grip universal phone mount. It’s a unique spring-loaded phone mount like no other that can hold any device with or without a skin or large protective case. As any phone can fit in it, with our lifetime warranty it truly is a mount for life. We’re also very well known for our custom GPS mounts in the car, fleet and motorcycle markets where RAM Mounts are supplied in the box for the TomTom Rider and the Garmin Zumo.

WLN – Which market sectors and countries are your customers in?

RAM as a brand operate all over the world with distributors on every continent, but as a UK distributor we handle everything in the UK and Ireland. We work in every sector you

can imagine - any projects where mounts are needed for electronics. Our biggest customers reside in the fleet market, from defence and logistics to the emergency services sector.

WLN – Which ones are growing fastest?

It’s interesting to observe the growth of our customer base. As mobile devices become cheaper, lighter and more powerful - whether it be action cameras, tablets, phones or something else - every sector seems to be increasing their demand for and use of a variety of electronics. As technology becomes more central to life and streamlined with an individual’s occupation, we’re seeing everyone develop an understanding for the necessity of using high quality adjustable and interchangeable mounting systems to protect their increasing investments in mobile devices.

WLN – Who are your major customers and what do you do for them?

We have major upcoming developments within the emergency services network, but these projects can often take years to come to fruition. As an example; we have supplied our X-Grip mounts on our Tough-Claw base for in-flight purchases with several major airlines. On public transport our mounts are used with contactless payment systems and one other notable project for RAM has been to provide 300+ heavy duty (D-Size) ball mounts for use on the Royal Navy QE-Class aircraft carrier.

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WLN – How do your products benefit your customers’ businesses?

To be honest, when using a mobile device in or on a vehicle, they’re essentially useless without a mount. Considering this, when a client understands necessity it then comes down to function, price and longevity.

Functionally, no other system is as malleable as RAM - for example, with interchangeable components you can swap out the holder or base to enable the mount to hold any device and to attach to any surface without having to buy a new system for each device. With regard to price, you really do get what you pay for. If you’re mounting a £3-5k rugged tablet in a demanding environment, an £80-£150 mount to ensure its safety ties is nicely with it’s longevity as our mounts come with a lifetime warranty.

WLN – What’s business been like in the past year? How have conditions changed over this period and how have you reacted?

Business has been incredible. As mentioned, a combination of an increase in sales from new and existing customers and our increasing marketing and brand awareness efforts, we’re seeing a huge return on investment.

We’re also currently investing heavily into our 2018 trade show calendar with more elaborate presentation and an increase in investment for social media and in house production.

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systems and can be fitted in-vehicle, a forklift, in the warehouse, home or back office.

WLN – What factors do you see affecting your business in the coming year? How will you turn these into opportunities?

A thorn in our side at the moment is cheap Chinese imitation. Some international sellers have gone as far as to copy some of our product moulding down to the nanometer and are selling them for a fraction of the price using horribly cheap materials. In order to overcome this we’re working on emphasising the build quality and warranty with genuine RAM products.

Your average consumer will often opt for the cheaper option and will generally take more of a risk with quality, but where business matters to us e.g. our big clients with serious projects, they’re well aware of the manufacturing quality and the benefit of using genuine RAM parts.

World leaders in truly rugged, interchangeable mounting solutions that enable the user to mount any device in any location in order to enhance their overall user experience.

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WLN – How have you fine-tuned your offering in the last 12 months and why?

We now have more mounting options than ever before. As laws have clamped down on the use of mobile electronics in vehicle in terms of device placement, we’ve developed systems such as the Tough-Track and the Tough-Claw that enable drivers and also users that aren’t in vehicles to take advantage of our products like never before.

WLN – What new products have you brought out?

One of our biggest releases that we’ve been focusing on is the IntelliSkin & GDS docking systems. This is an entirely new product type under the RAM branding that focuses on smartphone and tablet protection (IntelliSkin) with in-built charging pins moulded into the skins. These pins connect seamlessly to our GDS docking

WLN – Are you planning to branch into any new areas, target new customers and take on more people?

At the moment we’re very focused on the mobility market. We’ve re-engineered our Tough-Claw base to help it withstand the pressures of mounting heavy tablets on long extension poles with no give something that is essential in the mobility and assisted living market as we often have to mount at the lowest point on wheelchairs and then extend up to the user.

Our mounts are receiving recognition in the mobility sector due to their flexibility of use where other brands are very limited and expensive.

WLN – Are you investing in new premises and extra staff? What about staff development and training?

We’re doing just that. For the time being our premises is serving us well, but we’ve

doubled the size of our team over the past few years. Christmas work do’s have gone from being a few blokes in a bar awkwardly keeping their eyes on the tab to a room full of diverse and unique individuals in multiple departments celebrating our continued success.

WLN – Are you involved in any major trade shows or other industry events over the next year?

We are indeed. We’re still confirming our schedule for 2018 but to name a few we’re attending Intralogistex, the BVE broadcasting event, the CV Show, the Emergency Services Show and a few more.

WLN – What big news from RAM Mounts can our readers look forward to seeing in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2018?

One word; IntelliSkin. It’s taken a while for users to embrace the concept but with new developments in the pipeline we’re convinced that every smartphone or tablet user from delivery and forklift drivers to warehouse managers and end users will want to own a number of IntelliSkin products and GDS docking units. Our new Materials Handling catalogue also intricately explains our range and removes many myths of how to mount on forklift vehicles.

WLN – And finally, if you had to sum up your company in a tweet what would it be?

World leaders in truly rugged, interchangeable mounting solutions that enable the user to mount any device in any location in order to enhance their overall user experience.

RAM MOUNT UK LTD 020 8894 1234 sales@ram-mount.co.uk www.ram-mount.co.uk rammountuk rammountuk

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RAM Mounts IntelliSkin with GDS Technology Launching our first entirely new product line since the conception of RAM Mounting Systems, we’re creating a market first that transforms consumer-grade phones and tablets into affordable, fully rugged devices ready to be used like never before.

Custom designed for the latest Apple and Samsung smartphones and tablets, the IntelliSkin provides military-standard drop test approved protection and connection for use in even the most demanding of environments.

With a built-in GDS (Global Docking System) contact connector moulded into every skin, the IntelliSkin completely eradicates cable clutter by allowing multiple devices to share the same GDS Dock for fast, no nonsense charging, data transfer and screen mirroring. This innovative grab-andgo system allows devices to be used repetitively in busy working environments without fear of damaging delicate charging ports and cables. This is especially useful for users moving between environments for roles such as order picking, forklift driving, delivery driving, stock control, office admin and even home use.

With the IntelliSkin, GDS docking systems and RAM Mounts, users are able to not only simplify their workspaces & dashboards but also expand the functionality of their devices to enhance their overall user experience like never before.

In addition to our IntelliSkin & GDS line, RAM offer an extensive range of revolutionary industrial-strength mounting solutions for a wide variety of light and heavy-duty electronics used within the

warehousing and logistics sector. Featuring patented interchangeable vibration resistant rubber ball & socket systems that provide an inventively simplistic solution to mounting and adjusting any mobile device in any environment - RAM products deliver a unique and unrivalled concept to a number of vital applications worldwide.

The ball & socket design enables the user to easily adjust the angle and rotation of the mount by simply loosening the connecting arm, repositioning the device and retightening. Using a 3-part system; the base component connects your mount to the desired surface, the holder securely holds your device or GDS dock in place and the connecting arm joins the two, allowing for unbeatable stability, security and manoeuvrability.

Ideal for logistics, RAM also lead the way in rugged and tamper-proof GPS mounting

solutions. With a range of innovative solutions for essential road-mapping technologies such as the TomTom Bridge™, the Garmin Dezl® 560/760 and more, RAM has long been a huge player in the GPS market.

Featuring a reputable locking holder with an intuitive 4-cornerscew-lock casing for the Garmin Dezl® line, RAM offer a patented Pin-Lock system for the mount arm that can be used for any other device, providing the user with an all-round unbeatable secure solution for long, treacherous journeys where reliability and anti-theft integration is key.

All in all, from smartphones, GPS and dash cams to tablets, rugged systems, PDA’s and more; with the ability to connect any device to any surface utilising a vast product range of over 3000 interchangeable components, with a lifetime warranty included RAM mounts are the logical choice for any profession user and integrator.

To view the full IntelliSkin catalogue, please visit: issuu.com/rammount/docs/ gds_catalog?e=13067616/32275290

RAM MOUNT UK LTD 020 8894 1234 sales@ram-mount.co.uk www.ram-mount.co.uk rammountuk rammountuk

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