This Week’s Product Pick
Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Business (Holtsville, NY) delivered the MC75 Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA), which combines high-speed access to voice and data with support for 3G networks running on the HSDPA and CDMA-EVDO (Rev A) standards for wireless communication. Equipped with 802.11a/b/g, crisp color VGA display, and two-megapixel digital auto-focus color camera, the rugged EDA captures high-quality pictures, documents, and signatures, as well as one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcodes. The MC75 is based on Intel’s XScale PXA270 624-MHz processor and Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 O/S to provide increased interoperability with existing enterprise infrastructure, enhanced security features, flexible development platform, and improved mobile messaging. To help customers maintain peak performance, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Services offers “Service from the Start” with comprehensive coverage for the MC75. “Building off the success of the MC70 EDA, Motorola’s best-selling rugged mobile computer for field mobility solutions, the new MC75 EDA is a testament to our continued ability to anticipate the ever-changing needs of today’s fast-growing global mobile workforce with features like GPS and 3G operability,” noted Bob Chen, VP and GM of Mobile Computing, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Business.
MC75 EDA from Motorola EMB
COMPANY BUSINESS InfoTouch Unwraps Store Keeper POS InfoTouch Corporation (Norcross, GA) has released its new Store Keeper POS touchscreen-based software solution for the specialty retail market. Store Keeper POS is based on InfoTouch’s award-winning Store Manager ES POS platform, and will be sold at a price point that substantially undercuts the competition, according to the developer. “Retail businesses are looking for ways to simplify their operations so they can focus on their customers and improve business returns,” said Keith Neerman, co-founder of InfoTouch. “Store Keeper POS takes the proven power of Store Manager ES and makes it truly affordable for any retailer.” Store Keeper POS includes integrated payment processing, inventory management, barcode scanning, purchase order creation, physical inventory, and employee training and customer relationship management. Payment processing works out-of-the-box with Mercury Payment Systems for credit, debit, and gift card processing, as well as check verification and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). The software is PCI-compliant and comes pre-configured for twelve different retail environments, including liquor stores, convenience stores, garden centers, and clothing stores.
Item-level RFID has taken another step forward with the installation of Metro Group’s meat-tagging solution, co-developed by Impinj and Avery Dennison. Installed in Metro Group’s much-touted Future Store in Germany, the system seeks to boost freshness, customer safety, and inventory management by adding an RFID tag to each meat package before placing it in the customer-facing “smart freezer.” According to Ramone Hecker, Senior Director, RFID Solutions for Impinj (Seattle), “The message is that UHF RFID technology can work very well in item-level, near-field applications and deliver performance that exceeds the requirements of very demanding retailers.” The system incorporates Impinj’s Speedway readers, Avery Dennison’s AD-222 EPC Generation 2 tags, and custom near-field antennas developed for the application. Approximately 50 readers and 200 antennas inside the display case continually monitor the “best before” date for each package and alert store personnel to remove goods before they reach that date. Additional read points at POS stations and exit gates make sure that stock levels are accurately monitored at all times. “Impinj’s position as a leader in the RFID business and their experience with item-level tagging made them the natural choice for our implementation,” said Gerd Wolfram, Managing Director of Metro Group Information Technology. “We have worked with them in the past and have been satisfied with the results each time.” In speaking with RetailResellerNews.Com, Hecker pointed to produce tracking as another successful food-safety “lighthouse application” which has emerged for UHF RFID technology. That solution has been rolled out through the company’s partner network, he noted.
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Worth Your While
“Putting It All Together”
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS
Division
June 19
Vancouver
Retail Market Seminar
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Division
July 9
Atlanta
RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 12-17
Las Vegas
VARTECH 2008
BlueStar
September 15-17
Orlando
ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS Windows XP Embedded Grows Up Microsoft (Redmond, WA) has announced the immediate availability of the Windows Embedded Standard 2009 “Community Technology Preview,” and predicted the product will become available to customers in the fourth quarter of 2008. This follow-up to Windows XP Embedded will include Microsoft Silverlight, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 6.1, and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. It will also carry “componentized drivers” for Intel’s latest x86 processor architectures, providing device makers with the flexibility to access the latest generation of hardware. “The market has validated the strategy and vision that we set forward less than a year ago,” declared Kevin Dallas, GM of the Windows Embedded Business Unit at Microsoft. “With new features in Windows Embedded Standard 2009 enabling OEMs to build embedded devices that combine seamlessly into existing enterprise infrastructure, including the latest Microsoft desktop and server technologies, we are delivering the core foundation for the next generation of smart, connected, service-oriented devices in the enterprise.” Microsoft also announced the winners of the 2008 Windows Embedded Partner Excellence Awards for the Americas. Those taking trophies in the area of POS included NCR (OEM), Odyssey Software (POS Partner), and Gilbarco (Specialized Server OEM). Microsoft’s next version of Windows Embedded for Point of Service, which will be renamed “Windows Embedded POSReady,” is expected to ship sometime next year. |
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ALLIANCES
Metrologic Sets Sail with Wavelink
Metrologic Instruments (Blackwood, NJ) has selected Wavelink Emulators and Avalanche Mobility Center software for its SP5700 Optimus PDA mobile computer. This strategic agreement brings the number of mobile device manufacturers pre-licensing and/or pre-loading Wavelink device management software to more than a dozen. Metrologic will ship each Optimus PDA with Wavelink software already installed on the device and ready for activation by the customer.
“In developing the Optimus PDA, we focused on delivering a device that would be easy for customers to pick up and realize immediate productivity and efficiency benefits,” observed Mark Schmidt, Metrologic’s VP of Marketing and Product Management. “Optimus PDA supports advanced wireless technologies, uses a familiar Microsoft Windows-based platform, and now ships with the management tools that are familiar to most of our customers. Incorporating Wavelink’s comprehensive emulation and device management products into the Optimus PDA allows us to deliver one of the lightest and most feature-rich mobile computers in the industry.”
Added Lamar Van Wagenen, President of Wavelink (Midvale, UT): “We are excited to strike this partnership with Metrologic and look forward to working closely with them on providing products that help mobile professionals increase their productivity and ROI. This agreement further strengthens our position as the industry standard as Wavelink software ships on more mobile devices than all of our competitors combined.”
BlueStar and MMF Hold Fundraiser
BlueStar (Florence, KY) recently teamed up with MMF Cash Drawer (Wheeling, IL) to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. MMF Cash Drawer sponsored the fundraising event at BlueStar’s headquarters called “Fun Event Under a Tent.” Money was raised from the MMF Cash Drawer sponsorship, donations, cook-out, raffles, and individual “Great Strides” walkers for the BlueStar team.
“MMF Cash Drawer was very proud to sponsor and support this year’s Cystic Fibrosis fundraising event and the 2008 Great Strides walk,” said Barb Neuroth, MMF’s Sales/Marketing Administrator. “Being able to participate as a donor/sponsor was very rewarding.”
“With the sponsorship and help of MMF Cash Drawer, BlueStar was able to have a very successful fundraiser this year,” shared Katie Cuntz, head of BlueStar’s Cystic Fibrosis Fundraising. “MMF Cash Drawer proved again to be a valuable partner in business as well as in the community with its generosity. BlueStar would not have had as successful an event if it wasn’t for MMF’s support.”
Barb Neuroth, MMF Cash Drawer
Code
Corner
Chockstone (Portland, OR) offered its “Meet & Greet” loyalty application, which allows restaurant operators to personalize the customer experience “from the moment a patron walks in the door.” Meet & Greet functionality provides restaurant managers, hosts, and wait-staff with the customer’s full profile with one swipe of his or her reward card or credit/debit card. First available to select restaurants within the Chockstone customer portfolio in 2007, the Meet & Greet service has provided participating restaurants with an average frequency increase of 27% from enrolled guests year over year, according to the company. The information returned on a receipt slip can include the customer name, “member since” data, customer status based on historical frequency, “last visited on” date, menu preferences, discount eligibility, and instructions to the restaurant staff on how best to personalize the eating experience for the guest. Earlier this year, Chockstone introduced “SingleSwipe” customer identification to the market. The technology enables merchants to build loyalty programs around credit and debit cards that consumers already carry in their wallets. “The most effective loyalty programs are not just about handing out points, they’re about personalizing the experience to create that ‘wow’ factor,” declared Jeff Lipp, CEO at Chockstone. “It’s a pretty simple concept: invest in your customer and you’ll earn their loyalty.”
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Ingram Micro Gains China Foothold for AIDC/POS
Ingram Micro has snapped up the distribution business of the Cantechs Group, one of China’s top three providers of AIDC and POS products and services. The purchase price and other terms of the cash transaction were not disclosed. Established in 1988, the Cantechs Group handles manufacturers such as IBM, Metrologic, Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Business, and Zebra. Headquartered in Beijing, the company has sales and service operations in 20 Chinese cities, serving customers in retail, logistics, and manufacturing.
“This is a small, yet strategic acquisition that provides an excellent platform to expand AIDC/POS throughout China and other parts of Asia,” explained Shailendra Gupta, President, Ingram Micro Asia-Pacific. “AIDC/POS is a segment with great opportunities in Asia, generating better margins than more common information technology products. By acquiring the Cantechs distribution unit, Ingram Micro is gaining a solid presence in this category within the large, growing Chinese market.” He described the Cantechs distribution business as profitable and growing, with a talented management team and valuable relationships with key vendors and customers.
Gupta added that the Cantechs business will integrate into the China operations of Ingram Micro Asia-Pacific as a stand-alone unit responsible for AIDC/POS sales, marketing, and vendor and category management. The unit intends to leverage the existing distribution infrastructure and large customer base of Ingram Micro China.
“Our DC/POS Division is integrated globally, and we coordinate activities and share best practices,” noted John Soumbasakis, VP and GM, Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Division (Carlsbad, CA). “Many of our North American vendors are partnering with us to enable their growth in other regions, and we look forward to working with the Cantechs team to build our vendor relationships in China.”
General Credit Buys Advanced Labeling
The ownership group of General Credit Forms (Earth City, MO), one of the largest domestic manufacturers and distributors of POS supply products, has bought Advanced Labeling Systems (Denver). ALS will join the roster of companies that includes printing and distribution firms General Credit Forms and Golden Business Forms, hardware manufacturer and service provider South Seas Data, and wholesaler McCormick Paper Company.
ALS develops and manufactures pressure-sensitive labels, variably-imaged identification products, and barcoded and consecutively-numbered labels and tags. Additionally, the company sells and services many major brands of thermal transfer and direct thermal printers as well as barcode scanners. Repair service is provided through its depot program and on-site technician repair within a limited service area network.
“General Credit Forms has the technology and resources to strategically extend Advanced Labeling Systems’ products to an even larger marketplace, especially in the food and beverage, financial services, and consumer packaging industries,” observed Connie Magers, VP of Administration for ALS. “Through utilization of existing group synergies, combined with those of the family of companies owned by this investor group, we aim to diversify our product offering to significantly grow our existing customer base and expand our distribution channels.”
Key
Advertiser
Links
Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.
POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Ingram Micro
POS & Peripherals
Bematech
Logic Controls
PC-PoS Inc./DigiPoS
Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic
Mobile
Honeywell
Imaging and Mobility
Janam
Technologies
ECRs / Touchscreens / Printers/
Parts and Supplies
CRS, Inc.
Receipt
Printers
Bixolon
Citizen Systems America
Star Micronics
Retail Software
Microsoft Dynamics
Screen Protection
3M
Optical Products
Thermal Print Technology
Seiko Instruments USA
Touchscreens
FireBox Displays
STARTS & STOPS
HP Looks Out for Its Own
Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, CA) has launched its HP Factory Express RFID Service to help track critical data center assets, such as HP factory-built servers, storage devices, and rack enclosures, so customers can continuously monitor the equipment as soon as it is received at their facilities. The new service will be offered by HP and its channel partners in the U.S. and Canada.
There are two levels of service available. The HP RFID Factory Express Standard Service includes Generation 2 RFID tags affixed to specific HP products or packaging with a unique Electronic Product Code (EPC) assignment and data tracking capabilities. The HP RFID Factory Express Custom Service, as its name implies, allows for customized RFID tag placement and additional RFID services from HP that transmit RFID tracking information from the factory to the customer. The service costs between $5 and $10 for each individual tag, according to HP.
“Escalating customer demand for automated tracking led to HP’s development of this service,” reported Frank Lanza, Worldwide RFID Director, Technology Solutions Group at HP. “As an early adopter of RFID in our own supply chain and a world leader in RFID, HP is uniquely qualified to help customers lower their total cost of ownership and mitigate security risks through RFID services and solutions.”
ExaDigm Passes Thru POS Portal
ExaDigm (Santa Ana, CA) has partnered with POS Portal, one of the leading outsource providers of payment processing equipment, supplies, and services. Under terms of the agreement, ExaDigm’s full line of modular, IP-based, wired and wireless terminal products will be available for purchase from POS Portal immediately.
POS Portal (Sacramento, CA and Louisville, KY) will provide full equipment configuration services for ExiDigm’s products, including application download, PIN injection, software configuration, and wireless activation. POS Portal will market ExaDigm’s XD1000 countertop terminal, the XD2000 mobile terminal, the PCI PED-approved XD2100SP mobile terminal, and all associated modem options (RX, DX, and UX Series).
“Our partnership with POS Portal will make ExaDigm’s products and solutions more easily and readily available to the marketplace,” stated Michael Mulcahy, CEO of ExaDigm. “We are certainly excited about our partnership with POS Portal and for what it represents, for not only both companies, but the industry as a whole.”
Michael Mulcahy, ExaDigm
Channel Factoid
Global revenues for handheld barcode scanners will climb from $862 million in 2007 to $1.24 billion by 2012. Resiliency of this technology is due, in part, to the proliferation of handheld scanners into new markets within the healthcare and commercial services sectors. While these sectors represent only $123 million of the current handheld barcode scanner market, they are expected to collectively grow more than 9% through 2012, approaching $190 million. From Venture Development Corp.
Reseller Rewind
If you missed the most recent “Retail’s in the Bag” presentation, don’t despair. Microsoft Dynamics RMS has given you another chance to benefit from these deep-dives into POS.
-For Microsoft Dynamics “Retail’s in the Bag: PCI Security Compliance—the New Y2K?” which took place on May 13, click here.
INSTALLATIONS
Virgin Seduced by INETCO
INETCO Systems Ltd. (Vancouver), which provides business transaction intelligence software and communications gateway products for the retail and payment processing industries, has added the Virgin Entertainment Group to its list of conquests. Virgin’s Group IT team will utilize INETCO Insight to help fight events such as store system outages, application slowdowns, and/or credit transaction failures. “With INETCO Insight, we have essentially added an invaluable resource that does 24x7 transaction monitoring,” announced Robert Fort, VP of Technology and CIO, Virgin Entertainment Group, North America. Virgin will also be participating in the INETCO Insight 4.1 beta launch, scheduled for July.
According to its developer, the software tracks all transaction anomalies such as high purchase amounts, multiple credit card swipes, slowdowns, failures, and reversal patterns. Real-time, 24x7 event monitoring and threshold alerting capabilities help the IT team manage by exception and proactively resolve issues before they affect the customer’s purchase experience or the retailer’s revenue stream.
“We used to see that store infrastructure was protected from the complexity that plagued enterprise architectures, but with pressure to provide differentiated and personalized store experiences, that’s just not the case any more,” Nikki Baird, Managing Partner at RSR Research, observed. “The result is that when something goes wrong, it’s almost impossible to identify the failure point—and an increasing number of failures come from unattended consequences of more centralized apps in the store. Transaction monitoring, something once relegated to the data center, is becoming a critical part of ensuring a quality customer experience, especially at the point of payment."
A Real Big Bag of POS
Unified Grocers, a leading U.S. cooperative grocery wholesaler, has teamed with NCR (Atlanta) to support and promote NCR’s Advanced Checkout Solution POS software to its approximately 3,000 independently-owned retail grocery customers in the western U.S., with $4 billion in total sales during 2007. Joining Unified and NCR in this strategic relationship will be NCR RealPartners SNCR (Sacramento and Fresno, CA) and Team Business (Irvine, CA) The pair of resellers will deliver the ACS solution to Unified’s retail customers.
“This program enables our independent grocer customers to realize the same benefits from their NCR Advanced Checkout Solution POS deployment as large North American food chains,” said Mike Brown, GM, Retail Technology, Unified Grocers. “Also, through this relationship, Unified’s retail customers will be able to leverage NCR’s expertise and industry leadership in self-service technology, including the NCR FastLane self-checkout solution, to improve service levels and better manage operational costs.”
“This relationship provides Unified with a consistent and reliable POS solution that can be extended to all of its retail customers,” pointed out John Saccomanno, Director, NCR Food, Drug and Petroleum Industry Marketing.
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