- Why Multi-Shift Facilities Use Locking Holders for Shared Devices
- What Is a Multi-Shift Facility?
- What Types of Multi-Shift Facilities Use Device Holders
- What Tablet and Phone Mounts Do Multi-Shift Facilities Use?
- What Is a Locking Device Holder and Why Do Multi-Shift Facilities Use Them?
- Modular Ecosystem for Multi-Shift Facilities
- What Should Facilities Consider When Choosing a Locking Device Holder?
- Choosing the Right Shared Device Mount for Your Facility
- Secure Shared Devices Across Every Shift
Why Multi-Shift Facilities Use Locking Holders for Shared Devices
Multi-shift facilities such as distribution, manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare use locking holders to keep shared tablets and phones secure, accessible and ready for different employees across multiple shifts. These industries, along with others such as transportation, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and food processing, rely on shared devices for communication, inventory management, production monitoring, documentation, and other day-to-day tasks.
A locking device holder gives these facilities a designated place to secure a shared device while helping reduce the risk of accidental removal, damage, or theft. It makes it easier, since employees don't need to carry their own device and can instead access a shared device at key locations, vehicles, or workstations.
For multi-shift operations, this can make devices easier to locate. With the right mounting solution, locking holders can keep devices visible and accessible throughout the workday. Locking tablet holders are particularly useful where the same technology and data access need to be available to many employees across alternative shifts, without relying on them to manage or store the device themselves.
What Is a Multi-Shift Facility?
A multi-shift facility is any business or operation that runs more than one shift on any given day. Usually running over 24 hours, it's designed to keep equipment, production lines, distribution, or other services operating around the clock. Employees work a set period, with others taking over when they finish, often sharing workspaces and equipment.
Multi-shift work is common in industries where equipment, production lines, warehouses, vehicles, or essential services like healthcare must remain operational for long periods. This could be a hospital or a distribution center, where running for long hours or 24/7 is common.
What Types of Multi-Shift Facilities Use Device Holders?
Device holders are common across many multi-shift environments, with employees often sharing devices between shifts. These industries include:
- Manufacturing: Manufacturing industries and factories use shared tablets among shift workers for quality control and machine monitoring, as well as everyday shift instructions and communication between managers and workers. This includes food processing, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and other manufacturing areas.
- Warehousing, Logistics and Distribution: In warehouses, many devices, mainly tablets, are often positioned at key locations around the building for multiple employees to access throughout their shift for inventory, picking, and scanning data. Tablets are also mounted in forklifts, giving operators reliable access to protocols, inventory data, and picking.
- Healthcare: Nurses and other healthcare professionals often share tablets that are either in fixed positions at nursing stations, treatment areas, reception points or attached to mobile health carts. These devices are often in the public areas of hospitals.
- Vehicle: Delivery vans, ambulances, and freight trucking are all vehicle-based, multi-shift environments that use tablets for GPS, dispatch, electronic paperwork, patient data, and communication. Tablets are often shared between drivers. Because tablets are often shared between drivers or crews across shifts, secure and efficient handovers are especially important.
What Tablet and Phone Mounts Do Multi-Shift Facilities Use?
Mounting systems are integral to multi-shift facilities. Whether it's a suction mount in a delivery vehicle or a wall-mounted tablet holder with a drill base, all devices require strong and stable mounting systems.
Because these devices are often shared among employees across shifts, mounts also need to provide security alongside easy access. Depending on the facility or environment, features such as locking systems, heavy-duty mounts, adjustability, and quick-release mechanisms can all help ensure tablets and phones remain stable and secure throughout every shift.
Fixed Tablet Mounts
Fixed tablet mounts usually have 4-hole AMPS drill bases that allow them to attach to warehouse walls, desks, workbenches, production stations, countertops, factory equipment, and other flat surfaces. Usually fixed in predictable and key locations around the building, they allow employees to share the device.
Fixed tablet mounts include systems such as the LockVise™ Metal Locking Tablet Mount, which consists of a drill base, adjustable arm, and locking tablet holder.
Vehicle and Equipment Mounts
Vehicle mounting systems can feature suction mounts for windshields, drill bases for dash and console attachment, as well as fixed floor and seating mounting systems.
Vehicle mounts are designed for service, delivery, emergency, freight, fleet, and any other vehicles that use shared devices. Some are semi-permanent, like suction mounting systems that can be easily repositioned, while others, such as those with a drill base or seat and floor mounts, are fixed in place. There are also forklift- and warehouse-vehicle-specific mounting systems, which securely attach to various parts of forklift frames.
Adjustable and Flexible Mounts
Secure mounting systems often need to be adjustable. Forklift operators and delivery drivers may need to reposition the tablet from the last person who used the vehicle. Even those flat-surface fixed-surface mounting systems need to be adjustable.
Tablet mounting systems come with secure ball-end adapters and shafts that can be adjusted and positioned for each shift worker. In contrast, multi-angle arms and goosenecks offer more flexible adjustment.
What Is a Locking Device Holder and Why Do Multi-Shift Facilities Use Them?
A locking device holder is an adjustable tablet or phone holder or cradle that locks the device into place with a key, like the LockVise™ series from ARKON Mounts. It can only be removed when unlocked and provides an additional layer of physical security against casual removal. They are device-specific, and different holders for both tablets and phones are available. Locking mounts are fully adjustable to fit different-sized tablets and phones, allowing facilities to use their preferred device.
- Keep shared devices in a consistent location: Designated mounting points and key locations make devices easier for employees to find at the start of their shift.
- Make shift handovers simpler: If a device stays associated with a forklift, vehicle, workstation, or other designated location, shift handovers are smoother and more straightforward.
- Help reduce misplaced devices: Locking holders keep the device in one location and reduce misplacement or movement.
- Support controlled access: A locking holder can help prevent theft in high-traffic areas and where lots of employees are working and changing shifts.
Locking POS and Industrial Tablet Holders
The most common type of locking holder mount is a locking tablet holder with a drill base, designed for POS systems, industrial use, and anywhere a fixed mounting system is needed. It usually features an adjustable locking tablet holder with a key, an arm or shaft for adjustability, and a 4-hole AMPS drill base. It's designed to attach to a flat surface such as a busy restaurant countertop, warehouse wall, delivery truck dashboard, or healthcare cart.
The drill base provides a stable mounting point, even in high-vibration scenarios, and prevents removal of the mounting system. An arm or shaft allows adjustability so operators and workers can position the tablet as needed, while the tablet holder locks the device in with a key, protecting it against theft or accidental removal.
Locking Phone Holders
For facilities with limited space, or those that need a separate phone mount alongside a tablet mounting system, locking phone mounts are an option.
Systems such as the LockVise® Locking Phone Holder with OCTO™ Series Adhesive Mount feature an adhesive backing for a semi-permanent attachment to a truck console for GPS, when the tablet has other duties.
Locking Forklift Tablet Holders
For those running a fleet of forklifts or warehouse vehicles, ARKON Mounts provides a range of Forklift locking holders that secure tablets in place while allowing operators easy access to essential information and applications.
Forklift Front Guard Tablet Mounts feature a mounting system that attaches to the front guard of forklifts and other warehouse vehicles, while Forklift Overhead Guard Tablet Mounts are designed for overhead guards. Both mounting systems can be adapted for warehouse infrastructure and factory equipment, making them suitable for a wide range of shift-based facilities.
Locking Holders for Cars and Trucks
Delivery fleets, service trucks, and emergency response vehicles often use tablets for navigation, patient data, delivery locations, and job tasks. These vehicles often operate across multiple shifts, meaning the same vehicle and tablet may be used by different workers throughout the day.
There are many locking holders for vehicles, from simple drill base mounts for attaching to the dash or console, to seat and floor mounting systems which feature a flexible yet strong gooseneck for positioning the tablet in the operator's line of sight.
Designed for high-traffic areas where workers often leave the vehicle for a period of time, a locking tablet holder adds an extra layer of protection against theft, damage from falls or knocks, and accidental removal by the shift workers.
Car and truck mounts also feature integrated chargers, such as the LockVise™ Metal Locking Tablet Drill-Down Mount with Micro USB Security Bundle. This keeps the device charged and connected, eliminating the need to take the tablet out for charging or connectivity.
Heavy-Duty Locking Tablet Holders
Environments with constant vibration, temperature changes, dust, and heavy-duty machinery need extra strength and protection. That's where the XMS™ series comes into play. The XMS™ series from ARKON Mounts is a line of heavy-duty, industrial-grade mounting systems designed for demanding environments.
Systems such as the XMS™ Heavy Duty Forklift Mount with LockVise™ Metal XL Locking Tablet Holder and XMS™ U-Bolt Mount with LockVise™ Metal Locking Tablet Holder are designed for workplaces where strength and protection are key. They're made up of heavy-duty parts and materials, making them well suited to demanding, shift-based environments where reliable device mounting is essential.
Modular Ecosystem for Multi-Shift Facilities
The XMS™ series is also part of ARKON Mounts modular ecosystem. This lets you easily swap holders, arms, and mounts for a different component without replacing the entire mounting system.
For example, in multi-shift facilities where protection and security need to be leveled up, the spring-loaded holder of the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro POS Drill-Base Tablet Mount can be easily upgraded with a LockVise™ Locking Tablet Holder without replacing the entire mount. This lets factories, warehouses, fleets, and other businesses scale easily while keeping costs low.
What Should Facilities Consider When Choosing a Locking Device Holder?
When selecting locking tablet holders for your business, facility, or company, consider several factors to ensure the mounting system is secure, practical, and suited to the demands of the work environment.
|
Consideration |
What to look for |
Operational benefit |
|
Device compatibility |
Tablet or phone model, dimensions, case compatibility, charging requirements, and access to ports and buttons. |
Ensures the device fits securely while remaining fully functional and accessible. |
|
Mounting location |
Whether the holder will be installed on walls, desks, workstations, vehicles, equipment, counters, or other surfaces. |
Creates a consistent and practical device position suited to each work area. |
|
Employee access |
Who needs to access, remove, reposition, or interact with the device during each shift. |
Allows employees to use or adjust the device quickly without disrupting their workflow. |
|
Workflow |
How employees actually use the device and whether the holder allows convenient access. |
Helps employees complete tasks efficiently without the mounting system becoming an obstruction. |
|
Physical security |
The level of protection required and whether the locking mechanism suits the environment. |
Helps prevent unauthorized removal, theft, or accidental displacement. |
|
Different shifts |
Whether employees across multiple shifts can use the same mounting setup. |
Gives each employee a familiar, consistent setup when starting their shift. |
|
Workstations and departments |
Whether the same mounting approach can be replicated across different workstations and departments. |
Creates consistency across teams and makes shared-device management easier. |
|
Multiple facilities |
Whether the mounting system can be standardized across different sites. |
Makes it easier to replicate device setups when scaling across multiple facilities. |
|
Vehicle fleets |
Whether mounts can be adapted for different vehicles, such as cars, trucks, forklifts, and other equipment. |
Provides a consistent mounting solution across different vehicle types and applications. |
Choosing the Right Shared Device Mount for Your Facility
To help you choose the best multi-shift locking holder for your facility, follow this checklist:
- Identify the device: Consider whether you want a locking holder for a tablet, phone or another shared device.
- Identify the environment: Where will the mounting system be placed? Will it be installed in a manufacturing operation, warehouse, healthcare, vehicle, or other setting?
- Identify the mounting location: Check the surface and location type. Is it a wall, workstation, vehicle, desk or heavy-duty equipment?
- Identify the access requirements: Does the device need to remain permanently mounted, or can it be removed?
- Identify the security requirement: Is a locking device holder appropriate for the facility? Does the device need to be fixed into position? Or should employees remove it at the end of a shift?
- Consider charging and connectivity: Mounting systems should work for employees when they need to charge the device.
Secure Shared Devices Across Every Shift
Multi-shift facilities use shared devices because employees often need access to the same digital data and tools across different shifts. Locking holders give businesses and industries a practical way to keep devices in designated locations, while adding physical protection against knocks and security against theft or accidental removal.
ARKON Mounts provides a range of locking device holders for every aspect of multi-shift facilities, including transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, warehouses, construction, and more. Each mounting system is modular and easy to upgrade, allowing businesses to adapt and scale their device mounting setups as requirements change.
Whether you need a secure tablet holder for a vehicle, forklift, workstation, or shared facility, ARKON Mounts offers locking mounting solutions designed to keep devices secure, accessible, and ready for every shift. Explore the range of locking device holders to find the right solution for your multi-shift facility.
