"Before incorporating Palm devices into our quality control processes, data was collected on hundreds of sheets of paper and then entered into the system, whereas now it is collected directly onto a Palm computer," commented Washington Dutra, Ambev's engineering and packaging manager. "We have gone from hundreds of reports to just one and improved security and reduced costs in the process."

At Ambev's request, Compusol also developed three software applications that would aid in the data download from the handhelds. The first one involved increasing productivity within data collection; the second focused on quality performance of the system; and the third created a link with the Intranet.

"We have benefited from introducing Palm devices into our bottling lines because now we are confident that our supervisors receive consistent and precise information," commented Dutra. "In addition to achieving uniform data collection, we have saved time in the digitizing of information."

According to Dutra, "The mobility provided by the Palm devices is amazing and particularly useful in an environment such as a bottling line. The level of satisfaction and positive reaction we received from the staff using the devices has been impressive."

According to Gianfranco Coppola, territory manager for Palm, Inc. Brazil, "More and more Brazilian companies are using Palm devices and benefiting from the solutions offered by the Palm Powered platform because the technology is easy to develop applications for, easy to deploy, and the devices themselves require little user training."

Coppola is right about the proliferation of Palm computing in Brazilian companies. In fact, our next beverage manufacturer is another native of the plateau region of Sao Paulo state.

Carma Industria e Comercio Ltda.
Carma Industria e Comercio Ltda., the manufacturer of Casquinha soft drinks, is headquartered in Ipero. The company has recently automated its sales force by implementing wireless enterprise management software that runs on Palm handhelds.

The software was developed by Microsiga (at http://www.sigaabc.com.br) to run on Palm IIIe handhelds. Since the program was instituted, the atmosphere at the company has changed. According to Refrigerantes Casquinha's financial director, Sandra Regina Vieira de Campos, "Before Palm handhelds, the situation was stressful. Everything was written down on paper forms and faxed in by our salespeople. The forms were handwritten during field visits and passed to the data entry team at the end of the day. That system required a great deal of work on the part of our team who worked two shifts."

According to Vieira de Campos, the company invested approximately R$25,000.00 in the project, including software, solutions, and handhelds. This a relatively low amount, compared to the benefits it has brought to the company.

The Casquinha sales team serves a region covering a large part of the state of Sao Paulo. Because of the newly implemented program, when the sales team visits their clients to take orders, they can offer faster service since all the information is stored in their Palm devices. In the afternoon, the data is sent to the company headquarters for order processing.