Original Article via Phoenix Business Journal
The Chandler-based U.S. subsidiary of a Swedish company that makes rugged mobile computers for demanding environments recently expanded into a new, larger Chandler office.
The U.S. headquarters for JLT Mobile Computers Inc. moved into offices off Chandler Boulevard and Interstate 10. The company has hired three new employees and is launching its newest 12-inch logistics computer in the third quarter, said JLT Mobile Computers CEO Eric Miller.
“The JLT 6012 will use the latest technology, be thinner and lighter, and offer near field communication to enable employees to log in easier,” Miller said during a tour of the Chandler office. “It’s designed to customize quickly and easier. It’s a couple pounds lighter but has the same level of ruggedness.”
JLT’s 10-, 12- and 15-inch computers are encased in milled aluminum and hardened glass to work in a wide-operating temperature range, from a freezer to a desert.
Their ruggedness allows the computers to handle vibrations, drops and bangs in a work environment, and handle frost, light snow and heat, Miller said.
JLT’s computers are mounted on forklifts, heavy mining machinery and oil field pumping trucks. They are used in warehouses and mounted in cranes at ports.
With 100,000 PCs sold globally, JLT’s customers include Coke bottlers, Behr Paint, Hormel Foods, Toyota and Ernest & Julio Gallo Wines.
“We add about 50 new customers a year around the world,” Miller said. “A lot of people don’t know that JLT has the reach it has.”
The computers have touch screens, and many offer resistive touch screens, which means they work by pressure using any tool, glove or finger without damaging the screen.
“We’re known for our performance, reliability and ruggedness,” Miller said. “Since the computers can run for up to eight years, it has a great return on investment.”
JLT Mobile Computers started in Sweden in 1994. After a couple company sales, the original Swedish company that started the U.S. subsidiary now owns the company and is publicly traded (OMX: JLT).
The company has 25 employees globally, outside of its manufacturing contractors in Sweden. The seven-employee JLT Mobile Computers Inc. office in Chandler, along with the 13 total U.S. employees, are responsible for more than half of JLT’s global revenue and is responsible for customizing all the computers for their North and South American customers.
JLT sells five versions of its Verso series computers, which start at $4,000. The company is on its sixth iteration of its platform and the 12th generation of its product.
The Chandler office houses engineering, accounting, human resources and management, along with a warehouse to customize and prepare the computers for the customers. The computers are customized with different processors, hard drives, memory options and operating systems.
