Pfizer pushes iPads toward factory floor

iPads are making their way to the Pfizer ($PFE) manufacturing floor. The New York drug giant has pilots under way to see how computer tablets can bring data to workers not normally accessible on the plant floor.

The devices--iPhones, iPod Touches and the iPad, for example--are being tested for their ability to provide information normally available in handbooks or other sources stored away from processing operations. Examples are technical literature and information on chemical properties. A mobile app from AspenTech drives the devices, reports Computerworld.

For a host of reasons--safety among them--the devices are still a step away from the plant floor. Instead, they are kept within reach in adjacent offices and labs.

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