This Week’s Product Pick
Bixolon (Carson, CA) debuted its new SLP-T400 thermal-transfer label printer. The SLP-T400 features an advanced controller board, triple network connectivity (Serial, Parallel, and USB), and rugged, compact design. Its 32-bit microprocessor and 8-MB SDRAM provides printing performance of up to 6 inches per second (150 mm per second) and high resolution (300 dpi optional). The SLP-T400 accommodates a maximum 5.1 inches (130 mm) O.D. media roll using centralized printing alignment, with a range of variable media applications easy to manage, according to the company. Six popular programming languages are supported, and its standard 4-MB FLASH memory allows many formats and graphics to be stored in the printer. The system supports resident typographic fonts, international character sets, block printing, all popular barcode sets, and two-dimensional symbologies such as MaxiCode, PDF-417, QR, and Data Matrix. The SLP-T400 is also supported by a rich pool of utility software, including drivers for Microsoft Windows, Nice Label, Zoom, and the Unified label printer program. Additional value-added features include an easy-to-recognize Status Indicator and an optional peeler and dispenser. “With user-convenience features and high performance, the SLP-T400 is a leap forward in technology, representing Bixolon’s commitment to supply the best and the right product for our customers and our partners,” stated Sam Son, Bixolon’s GM. For more information, click here.
Bixolon SLP-T400 Label Printer
COMPANY BUSINESS BlueStar Establishes European Beachhead BlueStar (Florence, KY) has acquired the assets of PSD-PrintScan, a German-based distributor of Auto ID products in Europe. PSD-PrintScan, which becomes BlueStar Europe, concentrates on Germany and neighboring countries such as Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Its line card includes manufacturers such as Citizen, Cognitive Solutions, Datalogic, Honeywell Imaging & Mobility, SATO, Toshiba TEC, TSC, Unitech, and Zebra. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “This is the first of many new announcements from BlueStar,” said Stephen Cuntz, BlueStar’s President and CEO. “We are extremely pleased that the PSD-PrintScan operations have joined the BlueStar family to become BlueStar Europe. The shared core values and work ethic of our organizations makes this union a natural fit. I am excited by the opportunity to introduce solutions-based distribution to the Value-Added Resellers in Europe’s electronics channel.” Stahl continued: "We are enthusiastic about providing enhanced added value and expanded customer support to our partners with the amalgamation of our combined core competencies. We are in the midst of a technical Renaissance in Europe, and the time was right to join a company that has the expertise to take a comprehensive and industrious role in guiding our customers to grow their businesses with the sale of rugged and wireless mobile data-management solutions." Cuntz added: “We are pleased the entire European management team will remain in place. We are also in the process of expanding our sales, technical support, and business-development personnel to cover this additional market. This is a long-term commitment to our European customers, and our message is that increased and enhanced market penetration is possible when resellers have significant and unlimited support and information to sell the ROI on technological investments.” The German market for Auto ID is the third largest in the world, and BlueStar will also gain access to advanced European technology in areas such as RFID. Going forward, the distributor intends to address POS in its new market as appropriate, particularly through Fusion ISV partners.
Cumulus Unclouds Mobile Network Design Wavelink Corporation (Midvale, UT) has added the Cumulus Consulting Group (Bethlehem, PA) to its Wavelink Certified Services Provider program to supply installation and training on its Avalanche Mobility Center enterprise management solution. Cumulus Consulting specializes in wireless network design and consulting for indoor and outdoor environments in virtually every business environment, including enterprise, government, pharmaceutical, healthcare, manufacturing. logistics, and education. Wavelink Certified Professional Services come in standard packages for installation, configuration, and/or training, as well as customizable packages for unique needs. “We are excited by the growth of our Certified Professional Services program and the value it offers our customers,” said Wavelink President Lamar Van Wagenen. “Cumulus is a key professional services partner for Wavelink, bringing their knowledge, expertise, and service-oriented approach to Wavelink’s services offering.” Cumulus Director of Business Development Aaron Campana noted, “Wavelink has the customer base and market leadership that makes it valuable to invest our resources in becoming a certified partner. We see this as a great way to offer more services to our existing clients who use Wavelink software and to develop relationships with potential customers.”
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Worth Your While
RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 12-17
Las Vegas
RFID World 2008
CMP Technology
September 8-10
Las Vegas
VARTECH 2008
BlueStar
September 15-17
Orlando
Impact Now
ScanSource
November 10-11
Orlando
MARKET WATCH RRN Executive Interview Series Leslie Mesh, CipherLab, on “Channel-Centric” Plans It’s been almost six months since Leslie Mesh took over the reigns of CipherLab Americas (Plano, TX), so we thought we’d catch up on his progress. Mesh has more than 30 years of experience in selling and marketing Auto ID products, including his tenure at Intermec. “Understand your customer’s business, and then their customer’s business” is one of his maxims. -What changes have you made to CipherLab’s go-to-market strategy? -What is your major area of focus? -What comes next? -What do you feel is CipherLab’s value proposition in the marketplace? -Going forward, what else can our readers expect to see from CipherLab?
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Do you need to reach the POS & Auto ID resellers who really drive business—in the most targeted editorial environment, and on the most cost-effective basis?
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ALLIANCES
RBS Link Hungers for Loyalty
A new strategic partnership will see Chockstone (Portland, OR) provide its loyalty marketing technology to merchants using payment processing services from RBS Lynk (Atlanta). As part of the agreement, Chockstone is the recommended loyalty processing provider for RBS Lynk’s restaurant customers, which now include Sizzler’s U.S. company-owned and franchised locations, numbering 220 in 17 states and Puerto Rico.
“At RBS Lynk, we are constantly seeking new ways to demonstrate leadership in the ways we support our merchants, including the highest standard of service available,” declared Asif Ramji, SVP Prepaid and Loyalty Services. “We recognize that loyalty programs are essential to effectively attract and retail our restaurant customers. Our alliance with Chockstone and access to its proven technology will enable us to offer an even more competitive suite of business solutions to our merchants.”
Chockstone provides a turnkey solution for merchants to design and launch highly-targeted POS promotions themselves through its Web-based Campaign Management Tool. Once the program is deployed, marketers log-in, choose the promotional parameters and target audience, and submit. Companies can immediately leverage customer intelligence and offer relevant promotions right at the POS, according to Chockstone. Merchants also have the freedom to test and refine targeted, e-mail, and receipt-based offers nationally, regionally, or within a single location.
CIS Feeds Its Map Technology to Intura
Intura Solutions (Arlington, TX) has solicited Compact Information Systems (Redmond, WA) to provide automated map-sectoring technology for the Intura Vision POS solution targeted for foodservice delivery operations. Customers may purchase this service from Intura for $495 and can access it through the Intura Website.
The first step allows the specific delivery area to be defined on a map followed by selecting the size of the sector grid to be applied to the target area. After the information is submitted to the system, a file is generated that includes the street list, ZIP+4, carrier route, and sector data to be downloaded into the Intura Vision POS system. The automated map-sectoring technology is only available for restaurant locations in the U.S.
“Our customers needed a solution to create sectors, or zones, within a delivery area without having to spend a lot of time manually entering them from a map,” reported Gary Peek, President of Intura. “Intura partnered with CIS to create an automated solution where our customers can easily and quickly define their delivery area and sector grids within a few minutes.”
Intura has also released Intura Vision 4.10, which adds capabilities to print nutritional labels for selected menu items, a real-time dashboard module, and the ability to create customized profile fields for capturing additional customer information at order taking. “It adds a number of significant features and enhancements that our customers have been asking for,” Peek said. “Our team has worked hard to stabilize the product with over 150 changes since the major release of Intura Vision 4.00 late last year.”
Code
Corner
Solidcore Systems (Cupertino, CA) introduced its S3 Control PCI Device Edition, designed to help retailers achieve PCI DSS compliance with reduced time and expense and to protect sensitive bank card data by prohibiting viruses and malware from penetrating POS terminals, servers, ATMs, and kiosks. This “small footprint, low-overhead” change prevention solution runs transparently on Microsoft Windows Embedded devices used in grocery, retail, and hospitality. In addition to protecting against unauthorized software changes, malware, and vulnerabilities, S3 Control PCI Device Edition reduces the labor-intensive task of verifying system integrity by providing reports measuring best practices for security configurations in accordance with the Center for Internet Security benchmarks. These reports can be used for PCI self-assessments to ease the burden of validating PCI compliance on devices. “Most retailers have unwanted software, applications, and code running on the same payment processing devices that are accepting credit cards on a daily basis,” explained Jim Sarale, VP of Embedded Solutions for Solidcore. “Only by locking down devices with real-time change and run-time control can merchants be assured those systems are secure. Solidcore has proven itself as the standard for securing devices such as ATMs and Point-of-Sale systems, and with this new offering we are making it even easier and more cost-effective to assure PCI compliance on the device.”
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Rocking the Field Mobility Cradle at O’Neil
O’Neil Product Development (Irvine, CA) has shipped its PrintPAD MC70/75, which combines O’Neil’s 4te portable thermal printer with an integrated cradle for Motorola’s MC75 Enterprise Digital Assistant. The PrintPAD MC70/75 offers field-mobile workforces the convenience of a portable printer and mobile computer united in an ergonomic, compact, rugged unit. The PrintPAD also charges both the printer and the mobile computer, eliminating the need for multiple A.C. adaptors and chargers. “Carry, charge, and communicate” reads O’Neil’s tagline.
The PrintPAD MC70/75 can print up to 2,240 6-inch receipts on a single battery charge with automated power-saving, sleep, and wake-up modes, according to the vendor. It prints top-quality 80-column condensed font receipts, graphics, and international fonts, on direct thermal paper and labels, with 4 MB of FLASH and 2 MB of RAM. Options include Bluetooth communications, built-in magnetic-stripe card reading, and DEX capabilities for direct store delivery.
“The new PrintPAD MC70/75 expands the O’Neil line of solutions that integrate highly reliable portable printers with mobile computers in a sleek and ergonomic design,” commented Paul Lehmann, Director of Product Management for O’Neil. “Users can now select a PrintPAD integrated printing solution from an even broader range of options that most closely matches their mobile application requirements.”
Extech Supplies Mobile Printers to Unitech
Unitech America (Cypress, CA) has introduced its MP Series of direct-thermal mobile receipt and label printers, based on products from Extech Instruments (Waltham, MA). The printers will integrate with Unitech’s full line of mobile computers, offering the market a complete mobile solution, according to Bill Lewis, Unitech America’s Director of Sales and Marketing.
Three printer models make up the MP Series: the MP200, MP300, and MP350. All three models produce receipts, but the MP350 is also capable of label and form printing on stock paper. The MP200 prints two-inch-width receipts, while the MP300 and MP350 print three-inch paper widths. The MP Series communicates through IrDA and Bluetooth. An optional magnetic-stripe card reader is available for all three models, making the MP Series ideal for line-busting applications. Target markets include sporting events, theme parks, and restaurants.
“Extech is very excited to formalize our long-standing relationship with Unitech and their partners,” stated Ahmed Elaasar, Director of Business Development for Extech Instruments. “We are particularly thrilled about their choice of the MP350 with the printer’s ability to handle labels and forms printing.”
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MP Series Mobile Printer Carries Unitech Brand
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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
pcCashdrawer
PC-PoS Inc./DigiPoS
Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic
Mobile
Honeywell
Imaging and Mobility
Janam
Technologies
ECRs / Touchscreens / Printers/
Parts and Supplies
CRS, Inc.
Keyboards
Cherry Corp.
Receipt
Printers
Citizen Systems America
Star Micronics
Retail Software
InfoTouch
Logivision
Screen Protection
3M
Optical Products
Thermal Print Technology
Seiko Instruments USA
Touchscreens
FireBox Displays
INSTALLATIONS
Back to School with E-Learning
New Edge Networks (Vancouver, WA) the business communications unit of EarthLink, has entered into a multi-million-dollar strategic business agreement with Edgenics (Matawan, NJ) to build and manage a national broadband network that will power innovative video-centric IP services, interactive distance-learning, and other Web 2.0 applications for schools. New Edge will provide its Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology to interconnect Edgenics’ data-center facilities and also support “last mile” broadband connections to end-users.
“MPLS technology is important for the success of our program because of its ability to provide quality-of-service and class-of-service performance standards that are crucial for high-quality video delivery,” noted Robert Dansby, Chairman and CEO of Edgenics. New Edge was first to introduce MPLS class of service over DSL access. The service allows businesses to tag and prioritize applications data traffic using up to five classes of service over high-speed, low-cost DSL connections. New Edge honors these tags end-to-end across the customer’s entire network.
Edgenics plans to expand its distance-learning programs and other video-centric services nationally in five phases. The first phase of the MPLS-based network deployment will support Edgenics e-Learning Services for about 175 schools and learning centers, primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and eastern Texas. It will also support the delivery of e-Learning services to schools in New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Edgenics received $11.2 million in federal funding to help fund the first phase of this national initiative.
Wawa Goes Gaga Over Radiant
Radiant Systems (Atlanta) has been selected as the exclusive POS provider for Wawa Inc. and will deploy its POS and related technology to more than 570 food markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. “We are looking to improve the customer experience and grow,” asserted Howard Stoeckel, President and CEO of Wawa. “We view Radiant as a key enabler to these strategic initiatives.”
Since 2001, Radiant has provided self-service technology for Wawa, often deploying as many as five customer-activated terminals per site to enable consumers to quickly and accurately select their orders from the retailer’s extensive menu. Wawa’s recent decision extends Radiant technology to the traditional POS as well as fuel controllers and above-store management software. Key criteria in Wawa’s selection of Radiant POS included speed of service, data and credit card security, speed to market of marketing programs, system uptime, and total cost of ownership, according to the two parties.
“Wawa is a true industry leader, defining what the convenience retail experience will look like for years to come,” observed Mark Schoen, President of the Global Petroleum and Convenience Retail Division at Radiant Systems. “We are proud to expand our relationship with one of the industry’s most remarkable brands, as we work together to do more for the consumer both in the store and at the fuel dispenser.”
Channel Factoid
It’s not your imagination. The International Council of Shopping Centers predicts that 6,000 or so stores nationwide (about 1% of the total) will likely close by the end of the year. By comparison, retail chains turned out the lights on 4,603 stores in 2007, and 4,730 stores in 2006, so we’re talking an increase in closings of 25%. Getting whacked the hardest are apparel retailers and the home entertainment sector. In addition to the lousy economy, rising inflation, and surging gas prices, experts cite the fact that retailers have become more proactive about managing their real estate. Another, more fundamental, possibility: on-line retail sales, growing at an annual rate of more than 20%, have permanently reduced the number of stores needed.
CERTIFICATION
It’s PABP’s Blue Ribbon for Auto-Star
Auto-Star Compusystems (Medicine Hat, Alberta) announced that its Star-Plus POS solution, designed for pharmacy, grocery, and general retail, has met the guidelines and requirements set forth in Visa’s Cardholder Information Security Program (CISP) and is compliant with the Payment Application Best Practices (PABP). Star-Plus was assessed and validated by Igxglobal (Rocky Hill, CT), one of Visa’s Qualified Payment Application Security Companies (known by yet another acronym, QPASC).
As our readers should know, Visa developed the PABP to assist software vendors in creating secure payment applications in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and Security Audit Procedures. There are several dozen QPASC assessors nationwide; all the details can be found at www.visa.com/cisp.
“Since its inception, Auto-Star has incorporated leading-edge security practices and technologies directly into our software offerings,” said Robert Symmonds, President of Auto-Star. “Following database review, documentation analysis, and lab testing, Igxglobal validated Star-Plus Version 7.21 with no modifications required. We are pleased to continue to offer our retail customers a software solution that they can be confident will ensure the protection of their customer’s card data.”
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