#SSD | Tangent Blog

China’s Economy Grew Last Year, How Will This Affect U.S. Manufacturing?

January 18, 2021February 8, 2021 Michelle

While the pandemic sent most major economies reeling, China’s economy managed to do the unthinkable — rise. The Chinese economy rose 2.3% last year. The stock market in Shanghai rose on the news by 1%, after having already made considerable gains throughout the year. The Chinese response to the pandemic has proven successful on both a human and economic side, but what does this mean for U.S. Manufacturing?

U.S. Manufacturing, How Can It Recover?

While the Chinese economy overall rose during 2020, certain areas felt the pandemic-inflicted economic woes worse than others. The New York Times reports that blue collar workers are finding themselves hard pressed for work, as well as recent college graduates. So while China’s recovery has been successful, there are pockets of doubt.

But there are lessons to be learned from China. Chief among them is that protecting workers works. With stay-at-home orders imposed throughout numerous areas in the country, including large swaths of California, commerce is down. In order for the economy to safely reopen, places of business must do everything they can to protect both workers and patrons.

Keeping workers safe ensures that their families remain safe, and helps reduce the spread of the pandemic overall. Make sure that your employees have access to the best possible PPE that your facility can provide. More than this, make sure that your employees are actually wearing their PPE when around others.

Rugged Mini E3 Industrial Computer From Tangent

Social distancing, as always, remains one of the most important ways for workers to remain healthy at work. Consider having some employees use industrial grade computers rather than be exposed to each other on the floor. With industrial grade computers, certain aspects of your facility can be automated or done remotely, instead of having employees close together.

This can be especially useful in industrial areas such as meat processing. Meat processing plants have been a site for mass infections since the beginning of the pandemic, largely in part to poor PPE usage and lackluster social distancing efforts. By doubling down on these important points, workers can feel confident and comfortable at work, and at their homes.

The pandemic has caused strain across U.S. manufacturing and industry, but China’s swift recovery shows that there is light at the end of this tunnel. Tangent is here to help facilities of all kinds in their recovery efforts, contact a Tangent Specialist today for more information.

industrial computers for social distancing in meat processing plants

Protecting Workers In Meat Processing Facilities

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 Michelle

While many employees are essential during this pandemic, few fit the label as well as meat processing plant workers. These workers are vital to keeping the nation, and world, fed during these trying times. But more often than they should, these essential workers are falling to the virus at work. This cannot only upend their lives and livelihoods, but hinder the supply of one of the world’s most vital resources: food. Keeping meat processing plant workers safe is synonymous with keeping the global food chain safe, and Tangent is here to help.

Keeping Workers Safe With Social Distancing

The easiest way to keep workers safe in your meat processing plant is to ensure they keep their social distance from one another. While it may be difficult to achieve this when multiple workers are needed in one area, there are some workarounds. Creating “pods” of workers can ensure that if an infection does occur, it only affects a small portion of your facility’s labor force.

Outside of social distancing, replacing workers on the line with industrial computer solutions can help isolate potential outbreaks. With industrial computers, meat processing plants can space out workers while still maintaining the same — or even an increased — level of productivity.

Industrial grade computers by Tangent are built for food processing facilities. Industrial computers like the Rugged Mini O from Tangent are fully IP69K rated water and dust proof. This means that they can withstand the messy environment of meat processing plants, while still maintaining their computing edge.

Other industrial computers like the Rugged Mini E2 can withstand temperatures as low as -40°F — making them perfect for use in refrigerators and freezers. These industrial grade computers are perfect for keeping your facility running smoothly and safely.

Tangent: Here To Help

Tangent is committed to providing industrial facilities of all kinds with the tools they need to produce goods safely and efficiently. Tangent industrial computers are one way we do this. With Tangent’s lineup of industrial grade computers, your facility can promote social distancing and keep employees safe. Contact Tangent Sales Today for more information.

tangent industrial computers for automation

Automation With Industrial Computers On The Rise

December 1, 2020December 1, 2020 Michelle

Automation is on the rise both nationally and globally, in part because of the ongoing pandemic.85 million jobs are set to be upended by automation by 2025 — that’s according to a report by the World Economic Forum. However, this same automation is also slated to bring 95 million new jobs to the economy, and may help usher in a boom of manufacturing. In the short term, automation with tools such as industrial computers can help factories operate in effective, socially distanced ways. In the long term, automation can help manufacturing facilities survive the pandemic and prosper while doing so.

Industrial Automation With Industrial Grade Computers

It’s no coincidence that automation is on the rise currently. Automation in factories has seen a recent boom even before the pandemic thanks to the introduction of smart factories. Smart factories leverage the latest technology to create cutting edge facilities that often employ more robots than people. These facilities can serve as a blueprint for other factories, including your own.

Industrial Grade Computers-Tangent Industrial Grade Computers — S Series Of Industrial Computers

By using the latest industrial grade computers, your factory can run the latest industrial software with ease. Tangent’s lineup of industrial computers has been designed from the ground up to be ready for automation, and can help your facility cut down on labor costs and manufacturing time.

Social Distancing In The Factory

During this pandemic, every factory’s top priority should be the safety of its employees. By automating key steps in the manufacturing process, less workers can be stationed on assembly lines and on the factory floor at once. This can help guide social distancing efforts, and allow employees to work in smaller crews that limit their contact with other personnel.

Tangent industrial computers are the easiest way to increase your factory's efficiency

Creating More Productive And Efficient Factories

Above all, the biggest advantage to including Tangent industrial grade computers in your facility is the boost in productivity they bring. Tangent industrial computers can house up to 32 gigabytes of ram — more than enough to run multiple automation applications at once. Smaller, mini industrial computers can fit into your facility while taking up the lowest possible amount of space, no rearranging required. With Tangent, a boost in productivity is both possible and seamless.

Automate With Tangent

Tangent industrial computers are designed to help your facility make the jump into automation. With Tangent industrial grade computers in your factory, your facility can operate in a safe and efficient manner. Contact Tangent Sales today for more information.

tangent antimicrobial computers for hospitals

Preparing For A Possible Surge With Medical Computers

December 1, 2020December 1, 2020 Michelle

Top U.S. health officials are forecasting a post-Thanksgiving surge in the ongoing pandemic, according to the New York Times. With incubation times ranging from as little as four days to two weeks, we may be in a calm before the storm. The time for hospitals to prepare for a spike in cases is now, and Tangent is here to help.

Antimicrobial Medical Computers

Hospitals around the country are facing staffing shortages, with the usual source of extra staffing — hospitals in other states — being nearly depleted. Hospitals cannot afford for their staff to fall ill now, and especially if a post-Thanksgiving surge does occur. To combat this, every precaution must be taken. Hospitals are already employing numerous effective protocols to keep their staff safe, but Tangent can offer an extra layer of protection to doctors and nurses.

The New Medix 22 — Medical Computers From Tangent

These essential employees can make use of Tangent’s antimicrobial computers to stay safe and sanitary. Tangent’s antimicrobial computers are medical computers that have been treated with an antimicrobial coating which mitigates the growth of harmful bacteria on the computer’s surface.

This antimicrobial shield can help hospitals stay sanitary. With antimicrobial computers, doctors and nurses can feel safer while using their medical computers. Antimicrobial computers from Tangent also come equipped with IP rated water resistant screens, which can be cleaned with traditional disinfectants.

Make Clerical Tasks Faster

In addition to having antimicrobial properties, Tangent medical computers are lightning fast. Doctors can use Tangent medical computers as easily as they use their own smartphones, thanks to adaptive touch screens. Medical staff can also make use of Tangent’s medical tablets to do vital clerical work while on the move.

All of Tangent’s medical devices are designed to save doctors time, and hospitals money. With Tangent medical computers at your doctor’s side, they can reduce the time spent on clerical tasks and focus their efforts on treating their patients.

Prepare With Tangent

While a vaccine appears on the horizon, hospitals must remain vigilant in their efforts to combat this pandemic. Medical computers from Tangent can help play a vital role in hospitals’ handling of this crisis in a safe and effective manner. Contact Tangent Sales today for more information.

Is U.S. Manufacturing Back?

November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 Michelle

U.S. manufacturing, like most sectors, took a nosedive at the start of the pandemic. Since then, the sector has seen a drastic and rapid recovery. Today, signs suggest that U.S. manufacturing is finally rounding the corner. Factories are once again outputting goods, demand for these goods is rising, and the economy is seeing stability for the first time in months. But the pandemic is not over, and factories need to continue their vigilance in order to make sure this recovery stays on track.

Contact Tracing Efforts

Contact tracing is crucial to keeping U.S. factories open. When a worker falls ill, the potential for cases to spread is real. Keeping on top of workers with regular testing is key to stopping cases in their tracks, but contact tracing is just as important. Make sure that workers who test positive recall every other worker they interacted with, and all equipment they may have used.

Social Distancing With Industrial Computers

If workers share the same equipment, outbreaks in your facility may be more severe than they otherwise would have been. Giving workers their own workstations with industrial computers can potentially cut back on the potential of widespread cases in your factories.

Industrial computer workstations don’t have to be entire cubicles, with rugged mini PCs they can be as small as your factory requires. Rugged mini PCs are small industrial computers with all the power of their larger counterparts. With Mini industrial PCs, workers can have entire workstations without the square footage they require. Mini industrial computer-based workstations also promote social distancing by allowing every worker to do their tasks on separate devices.

Re-Energize With Tangent

Manufacturing is up, but so are cases. Make sure that your factory is equipped with the technology to keep your workers socially distanced and safe. Tangent industrial computers can help your factory do just that. Contact Tangent Sales today for more information.

Top 3 Reasons Why Hospitals Need Medical Grade Computers Now More Than Ever

November 10, 2020November 10, 2020 Michelle

While it may seem that every medical computer is built the same, this is simply not the case. During this pandemic, hospitals need the absolute best tools to use at their discretion. That’s why Tangent medical computers are designed to be versatile tools built for hospital use. Here are three reasons why hospitals need Tangent medical grade computers for their doctors.

Prevent Nosocomial Infections

Now, more than ever, preventing inter-hospital infections is more important than ever. Typically, infections that occur in the hospital are referred to as Nosocomial infections. These can include diseases such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli. Now however, this can also include infections due to the pandemic. As we head into flu season, preventing nosocomial infections of all kinds is crucial to the wellbeing of hospitals everywhere.

In order to help prevent nosocomial infections, Tangent medical computers come equipped with antimicrobial touchscreens. These touchscreens on medical computers like the M24T are fully adaptive and precise, allowing doctors to easily access patient records and information just as fast as they use their own cell phones. With antimicrobial coatings, disease causing pathogens are unable to survive on the surface of Tangent medical computer screens and quickly die off. This built-in sanitizing system can help prevent doctors from spreading infections to one another via commonly shared medical computers.

IP65-Rated Water Resistant And Dust Sealed

Tangent medical computers feature antimicrobial touchscreens to keep hospitals clean. In addition to these antimicrobial touchscreens, Tangent medical computers are IP rated to be water and dust resistant. IP ratings allow medical grade computers like the Medix 22 to be cleaned regularly without worry of internal damage to the computer. With medical computers from Tangent, both the front and back panels fo the medical computer can be cleaned easily and safely.

With the IP rating also comes a sealed design that mitigates the growth of pathogens inside the medical computer as well. With a fanless cooling system, the Medix 22 does not build up dust inside its enclosure, keeping maintenance requirements low and bacteria breeding grounds absent.

Built-in Telehealth And Telemedicine Capabilities

The pandemic has forced many healthcare providers to rely on telehealth and telemedicine services. Likewise, some medical computer companies have had to scramble to produce medical computers built for telehealth and telemedicine.

But at Tangent, every medical computer has been built with telemedicine in mind since before the pandemic began. Tangent believes that telemedicine is a vital technology that has allowed mobility-impaired individuals to get the quality medical care they deserve. Now, everyone from those who are healthy to those who are at-risk can make use of virtual medical appointments to get the care they need.

Tangent medical computers have built in front-facing cameras and solid network capabilities that allow for clear and accurate virtual appointments

Tangent Medical Computers: The Best For Hospitals

These are just three of many reasons why Tangent medical computers are needed in hospitals. To learn a few more, contact Tangent Sales today.

Top 3 Reasons To Incorporate New Industrial Computers Into Your Factory

November 10, 2020November 10, 2020 Michelle

Stocks are once again on the rise, approaching a new record. Signs seem to indicate that a quick recovery is in the works, and demand may soon rise. With this in mind, now is the time to plan for how your industrial facility will rescale its production to meet increased demand. One of the best ways to accomplish this is with Tangent industrial computers. here are three reasons why your industrial facility should recover better with Tangent.

Industrial Computers Are More Versatile Than Ever

Gone are the days where one-size-fits-all computers dominated the industrial landscape. Now, all-in-one computers have emerged. All-in-one industrial computers that have the full functionality of an industrial computer without the bulk. With an all-in-one industrial computer like the KW24, no keyboard, mouse, or even desk is necessary to have a full workstation. Simply mount the industrial computer and workers have access to every piece of industrial software they need.

VITA KW Line of Industrial PCs — VITA KW Line Of Industrial Computers

For the production line, Tangent offers a line of small, mini rugged pcs that are perfect for small spaces. Mini industrial computers like the Rugged Mini O are purpose built for industrial facilities with harsh environments. With full IP69K water resistance, the Rugged Mini O is perfect for meat packing facilities, factories, and oil rigs.

Create Better Smart Factories

We are in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution. By harnessing the power of industrial computers, the internet of things, and new manufacturing processes, many factories have adopted the mantle of being dubbed “smart factories.” These factories go above and beyond traditional manufacturing methods with their inclusion of technology. The common factor for all smart factories is a solid base of industrial computers.

With Tangent industrial computers, you can build up your factory into a smart one. Tangent industrial computers make use of some of the latest Intel processors, and sport massive amounts of RAM — up to 32 gigabytes. With this much RAM, Tangent industrial computers can run multiple industrial applications at once, both in the present and in the future.

Rescale Production

Most importantly, Tangent industrial computers can help your factory rescale production to levels seen before the pandemic. The economy has rebounded significantly in the last few months, and consumers are gearing up for the holiday season. The time to prepare for an increase in demand has passed, and factories must now play catch-up.

Accelerate Your Recovery With Tangent

Turning back production to pre-pandemic levels doesn’t have to be a capital intensive process. With Tangent, industrial facilities can recover in a timely and affordable manner. Contact Tangent Sales today for more information.

Medical Computers For Emergency Use

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 Michelle

As flu season approaches, crafting your hospital’s plan to deal with a potential influx of patients will be crucial to the wellbeing of your community. The combination of the ongoing pandemic and the encroaching flu season, as well as a swelling fire season in the west may combine to cause an uneasy strain on your hospital. Preparing for an emergency is not enough anymore. Hospitals must prepare for multiple emergencies at once, and Tangent is here to help. With Tangent medical computers, hospital resources can be effectively used.

Medical Computers For Field Emergencies

Emergencies can take on many forms, but those in the field are particularly hard on logistics. Organizing life-saving efforts with first responders is already a challenging task, but under the current circumstances it is increasingly difficult. As emergency rooms fill up, hospitals have had to turn away ambulances due to constraints on capacity. What can be done?

Ambulances would not have to be turned away from hospitals if they had an effective system of cataloging events. While this may seem challenging, this can easily be accomplished with medical grade computer tablets from Tangent. Medical computer tablets like the T-13 from Tangent are perfect for first responders, being small and sleek enough to carry while on the go.

First responders can use these tablets to communicate with local hospitals and organize where their patients should go ahead of time.

Medical Computers For The Emergency Room

Of course, quality patient care doesn’t stop when patients arrive at the hospital. Rather, this is where it really begins. As emergency rooms become more impacted, effectively organizing the order of care that patients receive will be vital to everyone’s health.

Tangent's Medical Computers Are There When You Need Them — Tangent’s Medical Computers Are There When You Need Them

Tangent’s lineup of medical grade computers are built to be the fastest available, and can help speed up these clerical tasks. Medical computers by tangent are built with fully-sanitizable touchscreens. These touch screens can be used to rapidly input patient data without the use of a mouse or keyboard. With full antimicrobial coatings, Tangent’s medical computers are an all-in-one solution to medical data entry that is both HIPAA certified and pathogen mitigating.

Medical Computers For The Intensive Care Unit

Where medical computers from Tangent can be of most use is in the intensive care unit. ICUs can quickly reach capacity as we have seen during the pandemic. To combat this, careful observation and analysis of patients can help alleviate some of the burden on your ICU. Medical computers can help doctors take detailed notes on a patient’s health during their stay in the ICU. This data can then be later compared to others who may need to enter the ICU, and decisions can be fairly made. With medical computers, this data can be easily recorded in multiple formats, as well as shared and accessed easily from anywhere in the hospital.

Be Prepared With Tangent

These are unpredictable times, but they don’t have to be uncertain ones. Tangent can help take over some of the logistics of the pandemic, and leave your doctors free to do their real job: keeping patients safe and healthy. Contact Tangent Sales today for more information.

Meeting Rising Oil Demand With Industrial Computers

October 20, 2020October 22, 2020 Michelle

While times still remain uncertain, there are signs that some industrial sectors may soon stabilize. One such sector is the oil sector. While demand for oil plummeted in the early months of the pandemic, prices have seen some stabilization. Last week, according to Bloomberg, Oil futures advanced in New York, suggesting that demand may be picking up. While cases continue to climb around the world, governments may be reluctant to impose as harsh of restrictions as they did in the early days of this pandemic. This may be a sign that demand for oil will continue to improve, albeit at a slower pace than is typically expected. With this in mind, oil companies may want to once again expand their operations to accommodate an increase in demand.

Increasing Oil Production

Increasing your oil production doesn’t have to be a costly endeavor. While the market may be trending towards stabilization, it goes without saying that there will be some hiccups. To combat this, having a versatile and customizable oil production facility is key. A versatile facility will allow you to scale production up and down to meet demand, without ever having valuable equipment sit idle.

Some of the most versatile equipment that oil production plants can make use of are industrial computers. Industrial computers like the Rugged Mini E3 from Tangent are purpose built for customization. Mini industrial computers are capable of being placed in a variety of situations to perform numerous tasks.

As in-vehicle computers, Tangent’s industrial computers are perfect for keeping your industrial vehicles operating at their maximum potential. Inside facilities, these industrial grade computers can multitask with their impressive 32 gigabytes of RAM. When it comes to industrial tasks, Tangent’s industrial grade computers can do it all.

What’s more, these industrial computers are small and easy to customize. Moving them from one task to another takes virtually no time at all. With Windows 10 built in, Tangent’s industrial grade computers can run nearly every program and industrial software possible.

This allows your oil production facility to scale back production in one area, while still making use of the computing power you’ve invested in. With Tangent, a fluid allocation of resources is not only possible but within reach.

Building Back With Tangent

With demand for oil once again on the rise, now is the time to plan ahead for the future. With Tangent, this can be done in an efficient and cost effective manner. Tangent’s lineup of Industrial grade computers are here to help you restart your oil production and build your capacity back. Learn more by contacting Tangent Sales today.

Are Pandemic Waivers For Telehealth Still In Effect?

October 13, 2020October 13, 2020 Michelle

Near the beginning of this pandemic, bold actions by the federal government, health insurance companies, and hospitals led to loosening restrictions and greater access to telehealth services. What transpired was a new telehealth ecosystem that saw dramatic increases in the use of medical computers by doctors to have virtual appointments with patients. The rise in telehealth use coincided with a rise in patients satisfaction with the service, which helped keeped at-risk patients from having to enter hospitals. Now, some of these pandemic related waivers have ceased. Here’s what’s recently changed:

Non-Pandemic Related Telehealth Appointments No Longer Covered

Health insurance companies like Anthem and UnitedHealthcare helped their customers during the early days of the pandemic by agreeing to reduce the cost to patients of telehealth appointments. This allowed patients with chronic illnesses that could put them at higher risk for transmission in the hospital setting to simply not go into hospitals. Remote monitoring systems also aided patients by allowing them to remotely monitor levels like blood sugar for their doctors to go over in telemedicine appointments.

Now, these cost reductions are over. Patients who use telehealth appointments for non-pandemic related illnesses will have to start paying their co-payments and deductibles once more. Make sure that your hospital’s patients know about this change well in advance of their next telehealth appointment.

Can Hospitals Still Use Telemedicine?

The short answer is: yes! Hospitals are still cleared to use medical computers for telemedicine appointments. Virtual appointments still have their place in the current moment as a third wave of the pandemic appears on the horizon.

However, with patients once again incurring costs associated with patients, some at-risk patients may be reluctant to schedule appointments. It’s important to consider the financial situation of patients during this time, especially considering those with chronic ailments are more likely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Whenever possible, try to reduce the costs for these patients or bring the cost inline with other, traditional appointments.

Telehealth In The Hospital

While using telehealth on medical grade computers in the hospital has gotten a bit more complicated, it still provides an essential service to both doctors and hospitals. Mounting public pressure may change the course of health insurance companies to reinstate their waivers. But even if the waivers are not reinstated, telehealth can still be used by hospitals and patients to help keep everyone in the community safe.

Be Safe With Tangent

Telehealth, in some form or another, will continue to be of use in the medical field. A pandora’s box has been opened, and closing it simply isn’t practical. Patients are finding that telehealth appointments are easier than in-person visits and enjoy the experience. You can help make these virtual visits even more enjoyable to your patients by employing the use of Tangent’s Medical Computers for telehealth. Learn more by contacting Tangent Sales Today.