Ncomputing says that more than 1,000 manufacturing customers are now using its desktop virtualization software and hardware, with approximately 25,000 stations deployed.

Stephen Dukker, chairman and CEO of Ncomputing, says that a massive increase in automation applications has been a key driver in uptake, with more computing devices being placed in harsh production environments. He also makes the point that virtual PCs deliver low cost computing access by sharing the power of a single PC among multiple simultaneous users.

“The shift to a global economy is driving fierce competition in manufacturing. With margins continually being squeezed, uptime and reliability are critical factors in meeting production goals,” says Dukker.

“Our solution delivers unmatched reliability, while enabling manufacturing customers to quadruple available computing devices without increasing their IT budgets.”

BLD Products and Sloan Transportation, a manufacturer of emission and engine control products for automobiles and HGVs in Holland, Michigan in the US, confirms his claims.

“We originally chose NComputing because of the significant cost savings and the solution’s ability to run our AS400 applications,” says network administrator JR Muller. “Regardless of price, the results have been impressive.

“Our plant is a very unfriendly environment for computers, with brake hose dust everywhere. We’ve found the sealed NComputing units to be extremely reliable. In fact, one of our stations was up 95 straight days without a reboot.”