Case Studies
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ADC Deploys Xirrus Wi-Fi at the Santa Teresa Warehouse to Move Products More Efficiently
Established in 1935, ADC has grown into a $1.2 billion a year global supplier of network equipment, software solutions, and integration services for cable television, broadcast, wireless, and enterprise networks. ADC’s Santa Teresa warehouse and distribution center located in New Mexico is roughly 320,000 square feet in size and manages the logistics of products worldwide.
To increase productivity at the warehouse, ADC decided to deploy wireless handhelds connected to a wireless network. To centralize network services, ADC also wanted to manage this wireless network like their wired network – from their corporate offices located over 1,500 miles away in Minnesota. ADC quickly realized that most Wi-Fi vendors required roughly 24 access points to be installed and tied to a WLAN switch in a local IT closet – this would be complicated and costly. In the end, they found the perfect solution to take the “less” out of wireless. What was that solution? The Xirrus Array.
Wanting More for Less
ADC’s Santa Teresa warehouse and distribution center wanted to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their center. Using wireless to quickly track and move products would save them time and enable the flow of information between their workers’ handheld devices and their core business systems, which in turn would enable them to respond quickly to customer demands, increase inventory turns, improve line-level accuracy, as well as easily share supply information with customers and vendors.
To make this happen, ADC would need to deploy a Wi-Fi network that would deliver 802.11a/b/g blanket coverage throughout the 320,000 square foot facility, provide enough Wi-Fi bandwidth for their initial roll-out of 75 wireless handhelds, and have the capability of being centrally managed from ADC headquarters in Minnesota. While investigating various Wi-Fi vendors, they discovered that the current generation Wi-Fi networks utilizing thin access points would require approximately 24 access points be installed throughout the facility and must be tied to a WLAN switch in a local IT closet – this would be complicated, costly, and difficult to manage from 1,500 miles away. Fortunately for ADC, the next generation Wi-Fi architecture became available and provided the coverage, bandwidth, manageability, and cost to stay productive.
Taking the “less” Out of Wireless
Why did ADC choose Xirrus for their Wi-Fi network deployment? Simple – Complete 802.11a/b/g coverage with 75 percent less networking devices.
“The Wireless LAN Array was the only Wi-Fi solution that could cover our entire warehouse without having a sea of access points and other unwanted network devices stashed in IT closets,” said Jeff Levy, Network and Telecom Services Manager for ADC.
Though four Wireless LAN Arrays could have covered the entire facility, ADC chose to deploy six of the 4-port Wireless LAN Arrays delivering 648Mbps of Wi-Fi bandwidth for their initial roll-out of 75 wireless handhelds. The six Arrays will provide ample coverage as more shelving racks are installed and more wireless clients are deployed within the warehouse. With the Xirrus solution, ADC increased employee productivity, cut cabling costs, and reduced support expenses, all with fewer devices than the current generation thin access point architecture.
The Xirrus Advantage
Today’s traditional Wi-Fi networks cannot keep pace with the trajectory of needed wireless capacity and coverage for Triple Play Wi-Fi. By combining the Wireless LAN Switch, Integrated Access Points, and Multi-Sector Antenna System into one easy to manage device, Xirrus delivered the next generation Wi-Fi solutions with the bandwidth, performance, and security that ADC needed to deploy a cost-effective Wi-Fi solution covering their entire 320,000 square foot facility. Take the “less” out of wireless!
