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Applied Materials' Human Resource Information Kiosk
Location: U.S.A
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Applied Materials, a semiconductor manufacturer with over 50 locations worldwide, and with net sales over $1 billion in 1997, desperately needed a way to cut their high costs of communication. It concerned benefit information for all 10,000 employees across the United States. In the past, Applied Materials had been spending thousands of dollars a year producing and distributing their 3 1/2 inch-thick manual, outlining benefits and company policies. Everything was distributed to every employee on an annual basis. The company also sent mail to employees' homes, posted information on company bulletin boards and distributed flyers.
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 Eventually, the company realized that there had to be some way to eliminate this problem and they started to test one possible solution. Two personal computers (PCs) were set up in the lobby of the company's U.S. headquarters building in Santa Clara, CA. The keyboard-operated computers, linked to the Applied Materials' Intranet, allowed employees to check company benefit information, insurance plans, vacation days and more. Eventually, there were about 300 to 500 employees using the computers each day. After testing these "mini kiosks" for one year, AM decided that implementing these computer kiosks company-wide could benefit everyone.
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Easy maintenance was a major factor in deciding to us the information kiosks. AM required an easy-to-maintain, all-in-one unit with touch screen, so they chose for Advantech's PPC-100T-T flat panel touch screen display with built-in single board. The unit's small size - 342 mm (W) x 265 mm (H) x 61.5 mm (D) - and its 10.4" high resolution color LCD display gave Advantech a competitive edge. Moreover, the PPC-100T units were also integrated into the company's Intranet, enabling employees with PCs to access the benefit information from their desktops.
In addition to the PPC-100T-T, AM used PeopleSoft software, which was enhanced with Edify Corp's Employee Service System Web-based interactive software. The kiosks were designed to be virtually maintenance free.
Once the kiosks were installed, the employees only needed to know where the kiosks were and their personal passwords so they could log in. The on-screen help menus walked them through each selection. Prior to the kiosks' installation, AM posted maps of kiosk locations in each company building and a letter was sent to every employee's home explaining the new system.
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Time saving
The kiosks were installed just before the company's two-week "open enrollment" period for health care coverage. This period allows employees to change their health care coverage, including number of dependents and specific primary care provider. In the past, employees had to fill out forms and return them to the human resources department. This process often took several weeks, since some employees had illegible handwriting or had completed the forms incorrectly - new forms had to be sent and everything would start anew. Therefore, it was not unusual to see 100 people standing in line, waiting to get into the human resources department to ask questions and make changes. The kiosks changed all that. Now, all everything was typed and directly fed into the computer. Employees spent an average of five minutes to make a change. More than 18,000 "log-ins" were reported during the open enrollment period. The new kiosks had been put to the test and passed with flying colors!
24-hour accessible
The kiosks exceeded AM's expectations. The peak times for kiosk use are between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. Employees are accessing the system 24 hours a day, and an average of 50 people even uses the system between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Cost efficient
AM expects to save over $100,000 each year or more on brochures, flyers, posters, and manuals. The return-time for forms being processed in the human resources department has also greatly been reduced. Advantech's PPC-100T-T came to the rescue of Applied Materials by helping to cut their human resources department budget with 30%.
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In the future, Applied Materials and Advantech have big plans to work together in order to upgrade the flat panel display. The new unit will be the PPC-120 or 140, and will incorporate a larger screen (12.1"), CD-ROM and sound capabilities. The new systems will replace the existing 20 units in the kiosks. In the meanwhile, similar kiosks will also be evaluated at Applied Materials' foreign locations to serve all of the company's 14,000 employees.
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