Further information about iPlanTables (dealers sought)

Last week, I did a couple of posts on Reprographics 101 about iPlanTables, a relatively new company that Kevin Rowe is involved in. Here are links to those two previous posts:

Kevin Rowe is now National VP of Sales of iPlanTables

http://reprographics.blogspot.com/2011/06/kevin-rowe-is-now-national-vp-of-sales.html

Further Information about iPlanTables

http://reprographics.blogspot.com/2011/06/further-information-about-iplantables.html

After I initially posted about iPlanTables, I e-mailed Kevin to ask him to share with me, so that I could share with visitors to Reprographics 101, a bit more information about iPlanTables. And, this morning, I received a reply from Kevin, and I’d now like to share his reply with you:

iPlanTables provides a professional level turn-key viewing workstation for any organization.

Although designed for the AECO market, it has spread across several markets after it’s introduction. The biggest inquiries have come from the software industry; firms in the software development business see iPlanTables as the missing link in the information management chain. Sophisticated companies that have already developed tablet, iPhone and Android solutions have quickly partnered with us for a complete solution. (I had missed that angle in my preliminary research!)

One of our partners has already committed to 74 iPlanTables for just one of their clients, in just one department of their client’s locations – that’s cool

iPlanTables works with all of the leading software solutions; as you may be aware, there are hundreds of software solutions out there.

Just want to make special mention of this - we won’t compete with our dealers’ software solution offerings.

We feel our role is as a hardware solutions provider and our strength will be in working with the “best of class” software providers, providing “best of class” project workstations and facilities maintenance workstations.

iPlanTables has a dealership program for those who are willing to commit to a demo unit and are willing to pursue a professional level sales campaign. iPlanTables provides marketing support to help our dealers in this endeavor; call lists, mailing lists, e-mail campaigns, direct mail, CRM solutions and trade show assistance are all part of the marketing support we can and do provide to our dealers.

Of course, manufacturing the workstations is a part of the puzzle – but we’ve got that part handled. Truly helping our dealers sell the iPlanTables solution will help them be successful, and will, we think, set them up for the other products we have in the development pipeline.

Although iPlanTables was designed to be a “standard” hardware solution, we do have the ability to - (and we’ve already done this) - develop custom-fabricated solutions to meet specific, individual client needs.

I hope this helps you better understand iPlanTables. Keep in touch.

Joel’s comments:

Kevin clarified that iPlanTables is a “hardware” product/solution.

Kevin also clarified that iPlanTables supports all software applications.

So, if my conclusions (about the further information Kevin provided and the initial information I read and watched) are accurate, if your company sells (or otherwise distributes) software applications for document management, document viewing, and/or project collaboration, it “sounds to me like” iPlanTables is something you should consider adding to your product mix.

I think I stated this in an earlier post about iPlanTables, and, if I did, please excuse the redundancy (those who know me know that I am often redundant!) - - -

a) I’d want to promote iPlanTables to those who manage facilities. Years ago, I visited a very large hospital complex; in particular, I visited the “facilities maintenance office” and found that they stored all of the documents (for all of their facilities) in honeycomb storage shelves – drawings were rolled up and stored in the honeycomb storage units, specs were in boxes on shelves above. When I asked “how” do you retrieve drawings – and make sure that, after they are pulled out, they are put back where they belong – I got the answer I expected to get. Lots of wasted time and effort. Given the fact that there are a number of software solutions on the market that deal with “hosting” scanned (and digital file) images of documents – plans, specs, maintenance logs, operating manuals, etc., etc., why would a facilities maintenance manager not want to have a) a digital archive of all documents, b) a giant display-workstation, where every document can be displayed and easily read?

b) I’d want to promote iPlanTables to A/E firms for their conference rooms where they meet to review documents with clients. I’d want to promote iPlanTables to G/C firms for the same reason and GC’s could also use them in their estimating departments, in their project management departments and at their construction job-site offices – yep, right in the trailers. And, I’d want to promote iPlanTables to real estate developers. A real estate developer (project manager) could use an iPlanTable as his/her large-screen, electronic display device for an entire set of plans (and, for that matter, for specs, if need be). Why would the R.E. developer’s Architect print and send a set of plans when the plans can be electronically retrieved (say, over the Internet from an e-planroom) and electronically displayed, at “full-size”? No panning, no zooming, no scrolling – and no squinting – involved.