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September 11, 2013Innovations can dramatically influence the logistical needs of any industry. So when technological advances helped unlock natural gas and oil from shale formations, it meant growth for the petrochemical industry and an increased need for digital wireless solutions. As a result of the boom in shale gas, ExxonMobil has made plans to expand the capacity of its petrochemical complex on the Gulf Coast. The Baytown, Texas, complex will be tasked with converting ethane, a natural gas liquid, into the chemical building block ethylene, and from that to produce the plastic polyethylene. The company estimates the plant expansion will create 10,000 area jobs during its construction and $870 million of economic activity annually. In an article for TodaysWirelessWorld.com, Motorola Solutions' Dwain Lunau wrote that, "At ExxonMobil's
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June 26, 2013Part Two When companies weigh the relative merits of cell phones and two-way radios, there's one group that has to stay top of mind: the users. These are the people actually using the equipment, after all. This series of articles has examined communications philosophy, urgency, coverage, reliability, and security. Now we turn our discussion of cell phones and two-way radios to users' concerns, which center on durability and ease of use. How many people you know have cracked the screen on their smartphone after it fell out of their pocket or purse? Some don't even bother to get their phones repaired because they know in a few months, a new model will be available with a bigger screen and a better camera. Two-way radios last for years because they're built to higher standards. Among them are