Tuffscreen screen impact protectors from Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd are an innovative, globally unique, retrofitted screen protection system for industrial electronic devices, compatible with all devices including those with touch-screen data inputs. A low cost solution to a potentially expensive problem, Tuffscreens are often implemented for less than the price of replacing a single broken screen. They offer both impact and scratch protection for the screens of a whole fleet of devices, serving to protect the end user’s equipment and reduce the costs of repair, damage and downtime, and are suitable for all display screens on handheld and vehicle- or truck-mounted devices due to the anti-glare properties.
The typical warehouse or logistics operation invests considerable time, effort, and money in selecting the right devices for their requirements to make their operations more efficient, cost-effective and more profitable, so the last thing they want is screen damage. Replacement screens for electronic devices often cost hundreds of pounds, and in specialist bespoke applications the figure can reach over ?5,000. Take into account the cost of equipment repairs, plus the consequences of damaging the device itself and compromising the data contained in it, along with lost productivity and revenue, and the value of screen protection becomes clear.
Recognising a gap in the market, Tristan Fowler set up Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd in November 2011 to deliver Tuffscreen screen protectors to the global market. Tristan spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
Warehouse & Logistics News – First of all, Tristan, how did you come to set up Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd?
In my previous job I was working for an international IT solutions and point of sale provider, in their travel retail division. I was running their hardware department, and ensuring the delivery and ongoing maintenance and support of the handheld devices for their airline and rail customers.
Some of their customers were experiencing major problems with screen breakage, so as a side project I further developed and re-engineered the Tuffscreen product, which had been developed by them and was being traded by them on a very small scale. After an encouraging market analysis we decided that there was huge potential for the product outside their existing sales channels, but it was not an area they wished to explore so I left the company and incorporated Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd to drive the product forwards.
WLN – So what exactly is Tuffscreen?
It is a dual-layer screen protector providing both impact and scratch protection along with an anti-glare quality that makes it unique, unrivalled, and in our opinion the best screen protector available on the market today.
WLN – What are Tuffscreen screen protectors made of?
Tuffscreen utilises our proprietary Gel-core system, a dual layer technology consisting of a hard coated film which is chemical, scratch and abrasion resistant, bonded onto a water-clear gel which acts as both a shock absorber and self-adhesive. These layers provide maximum protection to the screen by dissipating the force away from the point of impact.
WLN – Does it make touch screens less responsive? What about reducing screen clarity?
Tuffscreen has a negligible effect on either tactile response or visual clarity. This, coupled with its anti-glare properties and matt finish, make them very user friendly indeed.
WLN – How thick is Tuffscreen?
Each Tuffscreen is approximately 0.7mm thick: that’s what makes it impact resistant.
WLN – Can you tell it’s in place?
No, you can’t – apart from noticing that your screen is not breaking, you probably won’t know you’re using one!
WLN – What size screens can Tuffscreen protect?
Tuffscreens can currently be made to fit any screen up to 15″ (38.1 cm) diagonal. However, our Production Department is working on tools to double this, which should be up and running in early October.
WLN – How is it cut to shape? Is it flush with the housing of the unit?
We manufacture the Tuffscreen in large sheets and laser cut each protector to ensure consistency and accuracy. Often it will fit within the housing of the unit and therefore add no additional bulk. We custom-cut each order according to our customer?s individual device and specifications so that we know each screen protector is cut to exactly the right dimensions.
WLN – Can you supply sheets of Tuffscreen to customers to cut and fit to their devices?
We can but we’d prefer not to, to ensure product quality. Customers may feel they can cut it themselves with craft knives and so on and be confident that doing so will fit their screens, but if they order pre-cut screens from us they are assured their screens will be laser cut for maximum accuracy. If they cut it themselves, we can’t be sure of that and we like to maintain responsibility for our high product quality.
WLN – How much does Tuffscreen cost to protect a device?
Our pricing model is based upon two main factors ? the number of devices you want to protect and the size of screen at risk. Tuffscreen will often protect your whole fleet of devices for less than the cost of repairing one broken screen, especially when you consider the costs of downtime, lost productivity and lost revenue on top of the costs of parts and labour involved in repair.
WLN – Just how tough is Tuffscreen?
Our tests show that Tuffscreen screen protectors improved the fail height of a 70g spanner being dropped onto a screen from 3 feet (85 cm) to 6 feet (185 cm.)
WLN – So, if you dropped a spanner from 6 feet onto a Tuffscreen protected screen, would it crack?!
That depends on a large extent on the spanner and the screen! We recognise that individual screens in different devices differ in their manufacture and qualities and therefore have different fail points, but the use of a Tuffscreen will undoubtedly protect them in all circumstances and applications.
WLN – Roughly how many Tuffscreens have you supplied so far?
Based on orders to date, by the end of August we anticipate that Tuffscreens will be protecting over 4,000 screens nationwide.
WLN – What kinds of screens, on what kinds of devices, can Tuffscreen protect?
Our screen protectors can be used on numerous devices in a wide variety of applications. Tuffscreen is suitable for any device throughout the range of industrial or ruggedised PDA’s,PoD hardware, precision measuring equipment, in-vehicle PC’s, EPoS terminals, and tablet or mobile PC’s, to name just some examples.
WLN – Can you name any brands of equipment Tuffscreens are being used to protect?
Tuffscreens are currently protecting devices from Casio, Verifone, Honeywell, Motorola, Belgravium and Advantech DLog, to name a few of the leading brands.
WLN – Are these device manufacturers and their resellers fitting Tuffscreens to their new products as an optional extra?
Some manufacturers have been more receptive to the idea than others, but we’re talking to most of them about doing so. Our main customers at the moment are systems integrators and hardware distributors, predominantly hardware suppliers and hardware programmers supplying their customers with devices protected with Tuffscreen as part of their solutions, along of course with the end-users themselves.
WLN – So you also supply Tuffscreens to end-users?
Yes, we do.We’re happy to supply end users who want to buy Tuffscreens for their equipment and are looking to protect their investment. We have one customer who has bought over 1,500 Tuffscreens to date, and as he so rightly said to us in a recent meeting, “If you’re incurring repair costs of over ?400 per screen, Tuffscreens’s a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you use one?!”
WLN – What is the minimum quantity of Tuffscreens you will supply to ends users in that situation?
We don’t operate with a minimum order quantity, as we’re more than happy to provide screen protectors to businesses of all sizes. Whilst the cost of manufacturing single screen protectors is higher than producing in bulk, it is often still considerably cheaper than the cost of repairing or replacing the device and the associated costs of downtime. If your business relies on a small fleet of devices, even losing one to screen damage can have a massive impact on your operations and profitability.
WLN – What applications are devices with Tuffscreens currently being used in?
To date Tuffscreens have been successfully utilised in a wide variety of applications on a range of devices, from warehousing and logistics, to meter reading and proof of delivery throughout the point of sale range, from hand-held devices on board aircraft to static terminals in restaurants and shops. We are protecting devices being used by airport baggage handlers, delivery personnel, HGV drivers, forklift and crane operators, along with devices in mines and shipping yards and all points in between.
WLN – Is Tuffscreen unique?
We believe so. Our research indicates there is currently no other product available on the global market offering these qualities. Whilst other off-the shelf scratch-resistant screen protection solutions exist, no other product combines the scratch and impact protection of Tuffscreens.
WLN – How easily can you remove it? Does it leave a mark?
Tuffscreen simply peels off with a fingernail, and is residue free on removal. That said, why you would want to remove one is beyond us. However we do recognise that some users will, over time, damage the Tuffscreen, requiring that it be removed, residue free of course and replaced. Better that than damaging the screen that it protects!! This does however offer any distributor or reseller of Tuffscreens a valuable additional revenue stream alongside their current product offering.
WLN – We all know how coins and keys can scratch or mark the screen on a mobile kept in a pocket without a case. Does a Tuffscreen scratch or scuff in the same way?
Eventually, yes. Tuffscreens are designed to be a sacrificial layer and they will, over time and use, show signs of wear. By the time this happens however, they have protected the screens behind them countless times at a very low cost.
WLN – Where are you based?
Tuffscreen HQ is in Bristol and it is from here we carry out all of our operations, including manufacturing and distribution, as well as the business administration.
WLN – Do you cover the whole UK?
We are able to provide our screen protectors across the UK, yes.
WLN – Do you supply Tuffscreen outside the UK?
No, we don’t at present, though some UK customers have bought them for their overseas operations.
WLN – Any plans to manufacture and supply overseas?
Supply, yes; manufacture, not currently. We are very proud to be a British company providing jobs and income to the British economy. For as long as it makes business sense to maintain this status, we will continue to do so. We are however looking to supply the product globally in order to increase our business size and operations, so we will accept and supply orders across the world if requested.
WLN – Are you looking for distributors in the UK and Europe? If so, what sort of companies should apply?
In a word, yes. We will discuss any available options to increase the distribution network of Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd in order to protect more screens than before.
WLN – Are you planning to bring out any new products?
At present we are focusing on what we are good at and what we know – unrivalled screen scratch and impact protection for all electronic devices. In terms of new products, the personal device market is our next target, however we feel that in order to best command that market we must first consolidate in the commercial device arena. We would not want to spread ourselves too thin and end up letting down our valued business customers by chasing the greener grass on the other side, as it were.
WLN – How can people buy Tuffscreen? How quickly can you quote?
Visit our website – www.tuffscreen.com, or call or email. We are a friendly bunch and will get back to you as soon as we are able to answer your queries. We will discuss with you your requirements, your devices and their environments, their breakage rates and costs incurred, before putting together a tailor made quotation based on the information you have provided. Rest assured however, that implementing Tuffscreen screen protectors on your electronic devices will very quickly save you time, money and inconvenience by drastically reducing the costs of breakage and downtime.
WLN – How quickly can you supply Tuffscreens to a customer?
The speed of supply will vary with the size of order and the device in question, but we can usually look to distribute Tuffscreens within a few days or sometimes up to a week in the case of a particularly large order. We prefer not to keep large stocks of screen protectors where possible due to the vast number of devices available to our customers, instead we stock sheets of the product and then cut these to order, hence the lead-time.
WLN – Are you exhibiting at any warehousing and logistics industry events?
We do not plan to as yet, but will always look at options as they become available.
WLN – Finally, where do you see Tuffscreen going from here?
As mentioned above, Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd is set to go in two directions in the near future – international supply and the personal device market.The time, distance, and therefore speed of travel in these directions however are unknown, even to us.
Tuffscreen Screen Protection Ltd
Tel: 0117 329 0858
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