This Week’s Product Pick

RF Monolithics, Inc. (Dallas) added the WLS Series of Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Bluetooth combination modules to its integrated short-range radio product line for machine-to-machine environments (which previously featured proprietary RF IC and SAW technologies). The new devices--WLS1270, WLS1271, and WLS1273--incorporate standards-based Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in single System-on-Chip (SoC) format, with high-efficiency RF front-end circuit plus DC-DC converter. Dime-sized, the new modules have been designed to satisfy space constrains and have been FCC or ETSI certified. Evaluation kits and samples will be offered to qualified customers. “WLS Series modules are particularly appealing to designers because of their optimized RF performance and high-level of integration all within their small form factor,” commented Larry Miller, Director of Product Management at RFM. “Benefits to our OEM customers are lower cost and shorter design cycles.”

WLS Series From RFM

COMPANY BUSINESS

Brazil Entices ScanSource

ScanSource (Greenville, SC) will purchase CDC Brasil, S.A., that country’s leading distributor for resellers of Auto ID and POS. The transaction is structured as an all-cash share purchase with an initial payment of $35.4 million and annual earn-out through June 30, 2015 that raises the total to $63.6 million, assuming no change in performance. In less than eight years since its founding, CDC Brasil has grown revenue to approximately $140 million, with 200 employees, and 30 vendor partners such as Bematech, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola Solutions, and Zebra Technologies.

“The Brazilian market represents a great opportunity for ScanSource,” declared Mike Baur, CEO of ScanSource, Inc. “Because of Brazil’s unique business climate and high growth potential in our industry, we felt it was important for ScanSource to have an in-country presence. CDC Brasil is the perfect fit for ScanSource. They are extremely well respected by their customers and vendors, have a management culture similar to ours, and are a very profitable company with great growth potential.”

“Brazil has been the missing piece in our Latin America strategy and to complete that puzzle with CDC Brasil is very exciting for us,” stated Elias Botbol, President of ScanSource Latin America. “In-country representation allows us to more easily scale, as well as manage complicated import processes, tax structures, and IT system requirements. We have known Alexandre Conde and members of his team for many years. They are by far the most successful POS and barcoding distributor in Brazil, which is a testament to their management and employees and their commitment to two-tier distribution.” Conde, President of CDC Brasil, will be named President of ScanSource Brasil, and will report to Botbol, along with his current executive team.

Elias Botbol, President of ScanSource Latin America

BlueStar Bites the Apple

BlueStar (Hebron, KY) will handle the QwickPAY payment processing platform from MagTek (Seal Beach, CA), which works in conjunction with the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android. Compatibility with such devices opens up an enormous market for resellers, according to the distributor, by putting secure card payment in the hands of millions of smart-phone users. “As the demand for mobility in retail and hospitality continues to rise, these applications become crucial to providing secure solutions,” suggested Jason R. Firment, Point-of-Sale Solutions Director for BlueStar. “Making sure we stay on the forefront of new product development with our partners is essential in driving growth in the channel.”

QwickPAY utilizes the iDynamo secure card reader authenticator, or SCRA, which encrypts data inside the read head, closest to the magnetic-stripe, through MagTek’s widely-used MagneSafe technology. Security features include open standards encryption with DUKPT key management, tokenization of card data, and MagnePrint card authentication. This layered approach surpasses current PCI DSS standards, according to MagTek.

“We are extremely pleased to be working with BlueStar as they begin distributing QwickPAY through their VAR channel,” shared John Arato, VP of MagTek. “By combining QwickPAY with our iDynamo SCRA, merchants will reduce the cost of accepting credit and debit payments while securing payment transactions with dynamic authentication. BlueStar is a leader in POS distribution and fully understands the importance of providing a secure solution that will protect consumers’ data and decrease fraud losses.”

QwickPAY Payment Processing Screen

Worth Your While

WERC 2011
Warehousing Education and Research Council
May 15-18
Orlando

NRA Show 2011
National Restaurant Association
May 21-24
Chicago

UConnect 2011
Voluntary Inter-Industry Commerce Solutions (VICS)
May 31-June 3
Orlando

HITEC 2011
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)
June 20-23
Austin, TX

RetailNOW 2011
Retail Solution Providers Association
July 24-27
Orlando

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Going Mobile at CipherLab

CipherLab (Plano, TX) has moved into Windows Mobile with the debut of its CP40 and CP45 industrial mobile computers. These new devices bring three unique benefits to resellers, RRN.Com was told by Teri Ellis, CipherLab’s Business Development Manager: an ergonomic form factor with thickness of less than an inch, bundled delivery with all accessories (charging cradle, spare battery, USB cable, power supply, head phones, and extra stylus), and last, but not least, three-year manufacturer warranty. Aggressive pricing has also been promised.

Both the CP40 and CP45 carry built-in scanner, camera, phone, and Internet access for use “beyond the four walls.” CP40 runs Windows Mobile 6.1 with Marvell PXA270 @ 624-MHz processor, Mini-SD Card, and one-dimensional scanner. CP45, by contrast, runs Windows Mobile 6.5 with Marvell PXA320 @ 806-MHz processor, Macro-SD Card, and adds two-dimensional imaging. RFID capability is provided for manufacturing and warehouse settings, with GPS and WWAN communications for logistics and field service.

“Offering Windows Mobile on our mobile computers--in addition to Windows CE and our own proprietary operating system--is a conscious decision by CipherLab to give customers more flexibility,” Ellis said. “This opens up access to a wealth of pre-existing applications for industrial, distribution, or field-service use, and also allows customers to more easily configure their handheld.” During her interview with RRN.Com, Ellis emphasized CipherLab’s ability to respond quickly to its resellers’ needs, as well as its particular expertise in upgrading users of legacy systems.

CipherLab’s New CP45 With Windows Mobile

Not Only Smart, But Ergonomic

Smart Power Systems (Houston) offered Smart Cord, its power protection answer for environments in which computer-grade filtering is required but space is limited. Utilizing “smart ground” technology, this mechanism eliminates ground loop current in networked systems, safeguarding against power disruption, degradation, and damage to electronic components and microprocessor-based products. As target markets, Smart Power lists POS, computer/IT equipment, and digital signage.

“Many of our resellers and software developer partners use the Smart Cord on every system they install,” noted Roger Faridi, COO of Smart Power Systems. “Adding this power protection device ensures that their customer’s investment in equipment purchased gets protected.” Smart Power Systems was founded in 1984 by CEO/President Bahram Mechanic, who developed its patented Transformer-Based Filter (TBF) scheme, as well as additional improvements to the field of power protection and conditioning.

Voltage spikes are one of the main causes of system failure and cause thousands of unnecessary service calls annually, according to Smart Power. Through its Transformer-Based Filters, the company reportedly offers protection against spikes and surges that comprise over 80% of power problems. Its products range from 7 to 10 amps and protect systems requiring 120 volts.

Smart Cord by Smart Power Systems

Join the Party at No Charge

Subscribe Today! Email:

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?

E-mail Michael Kachmar for advertising information,
or call 973-270-3284

Did you miss one of our issues and suddenly realize your competitors know more than you do?

Hurry ! Use the links below to catch up :

Week of April 4

Week of March 21

Week of March 14

ALLIANCES

Touch Dynamic Surfs WavePOS

Touch Dynamic (Irvington, NJ) will offer WavePOS 2.0 from WaveSoft Technologies (Vancouver, BC, Canada) for its WF35 mobile POS terminal. Through this partnership, WaveSoft’s Mobile POS Foundation Kit will be embedded on the WF35 device, built by Widefly and distributed by Touch Dynamic under an exclusive agreement for North America. Engineered specifically for POS, the WF35 brings unique features such as always-on Wi-Fi (even in sleep mode), seamless roaming, and its capacity for single/locked SSID to one network, RRN.Com was told in January by Craig Paritz, President of Touch Dynamic. It runs Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 with pricing under $500 per device, including magnetic-stripe reader.

Employing native architecture, WavePOS provides open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and seamlessly integrates with popular restaurant POS packages such as Adelo, Dinerware, and Squirrel Systems. As the software is not totally dependent on the wireless network, and requires no Windows Server and Terminal Services licenses, it is extremely reliable, easy-to-use, and battery friendly, according to its developer. WF35 with WavePOS 2.0 targets tableside ordering, payment processing, and line-busting applications.

“We designed a special version of WaveSoft Mobile POS Foundation Kit to run natively on Touch Dynamic’s WF35 to enhance functionality and most importantly, performance,” disclosed Wilson Chao, CEO of WaveSoft Technologies. “Working closely with our hardware partners is an important aspect to developing fully functioning software that best suits the needs of customers.” WavePOS also runs on mobile POS devices from vendors such as POS-X, Motorola Solutions, and J2 Retail Systems, it should be noted.

WF35 Mobile POS From Touch Dynamic

Adding D&B to CRM

D&B, better known as Dun & Bradstreet, has collaborated with Microsoft to integrate D&B360, its so-called Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering, with Microsoft Dynamics CRM for both on-premise and on-demand formats. Under this new relationship, announced at this week’s Microsoft Convergence Conference in Atlanta, the two companies will deliver business-to-business customer and prospect details directly to sales and marketing departments for targeted prospecting and customer service. D&B’s database spotlights 195 million companies, 53 million business contacts, and Hoover’s research, along with relevant social media and news feeds.

“Our vision is to fuel our customers’ sales and marketing growth by providing the insight they need to identify high-value prospects in the most efficient way possible across multiple industries and CRM applications,” relayed Josh Peirez, President of Innovation and Chief Marketing Officer at D&B (Short Hills, NJ). “Our relationship with Microsoft is an important step in realizing this vision. By powering one of the fastest-growing, best-known brands in CRM, we’re not only expanding the CRM platforms we support, we’re also expanding our reach to sales and marketing professionals within organizations ranging from small businesses to commercial enterprises.”

“This relationship is part of our commitment to helping our customers increase sales and customer satisfaction,” stated Bill Patterson, Director, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Product Management (Redmond, WA). “D&B360 will give our users access to the most comprehensive business insight--all from within their familiar user experience. With its instant access to online company and contact-level data, D&B360 will help business professionals focus on the right customers at the right time and help boost overall user productivity.”

D&B’s Powerful Database Linked Directly to Microsoft CRM

Code Corner

Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA) released an “out of scope” payment solution for PC-based POS that supports all major processors. This new interface (dsiPDCX) utilizes Datacap’s popular NETePay integrated payment processing software alongside its Peripheral Device Controller (PDC) to drive the card reader or PIN Pad. Datacap’s PDC obtains required customer data via card swipe and then transmits that information directly to the locally installed copy of NETePay. Only simple transaction details are required from the POS software, according to the vendor, and NETePay handles PA-DSS validation with tokenization support. “Recently, payment processors have been releasing ‘out of scope’ solutions, but only for their proprietary processing platform,” remarked Justin Zeigler, Director of Marketing at Datacap Systems. “Now, point-of-sale developers no longer have to lock their POS or their customers into one specific processor. Integration to Datacap’s dsiPDCX ‘out of scope’ interface is completely free and easy to implement.”

STARTS & STOPS

NCBP on the SpeedLine

North Country Business Products (Bemidji, MN) has completed certification as an authorized reseller of SpeedLine’s POS software for pizza restaurants. “SpeedLine is our key to entry into the growing take-out and delivery segment of this hospitality market,” explained Steve Halverson, NCBP Director of Hospitality. “When we looked at the market segment, SpeedLine was the clear choice.” NCBP will now offer the solution to restaurants and chains in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.

“North Country Business Products is one of the most respected value-added resellers in the hospitality technology industry,” observed Craig Baker, Reseller Channel Manager at SpeedLine Solutions (Lynden, WA). “Like SpeedLine, NCBP is certified by the Retail Solutions Providers Association, sharing our commitment to product and service excellence. We are honored to welcome them to the SpeedLine reseller community, and look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

SpeedLine also has enhanced its interface with another reseller partner, NEXTEP Systems (Troy, MI), so that live menu updates are delivered from the POS to kiosks, digital signage, and online and mobile ordering systems. “The SpeedLine price-sync feature guarantees that all data points of order and display are real-time accurate without the need for redundant data entry,” volunteered Tommy Woycik, President of NEXTEP. SpeedLine and NEXTEP forged their relationship in 2009 to address the market for customer self-service.

Leading Reseller Enters Pizza Market

Better Vision for Hawkeye

Agilence, Inc. (Camden, NJ), one of the leaders in POS video editing, has purchased the assets of video analytics company Vidient Systems (Sunnyvale, CA). Agilence plans to modify and extend the new technology and combine it with its Hawkeye platform for the transportation and retail industries. Vidient’s software analyzes video feeds and recognizes suspicious activities in secure areas, parking lots, and exit lanes. Agilence will introduce additional use cases, including people and vehicle counting, wait and dwell time assessment, and congestion detection.

“Vidient devoted significant time and resources to developing their technology and fine-tuning the performance of their analytics,” reported Derek Rodner, VP of Product Development at Agilence. “After thorough evaluation, we determined that this would be a smart investment for Agilence and the markets that we serve. The software’s flexibility and reliability make it one of the most well-respected video analytics solutions in the market, and we look forward to building on its capabilities.”

Earlier this year, Agilence, Micros, and Nice combined to produce the new onsite video surveillance package for The CBORD Group (Ithaca, NY). Dubbed CBORD POS Video Security, the system will be implemented for retail purposes at healthcare facilities, colleges, and universities. “Our customers have clearly indicated the need for this technology, and we’re thrilled to bring the right piece to the market,” said Read Winkelman, VP of Sales, The CBORD Group. In addition to its main purpose of detecting fraud, video surveillance may also be used to identify operational and training issues before they lead to additional losses for end-users, many RRN.Com readers have discovered.

Extending Video Surveillance With Deeper Analytics

Key Advertiser Links

Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
ScanSource

POS & Peripherals
Logic Controls
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
SATO America
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse

Pay at Table
Bellatrix Systems

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

INSTALLATIONS

Honeywell Has Big Hart

Hart Systems (New York) has chosen the Dolphin 6100 mobile computer from Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Fort Mill, SC) to be supplied with its self-scanning inventory management system. Founded in 1964 by Harvey Goldsmith, and now funded by Topspin Partners LBO, Hart Systems has served tens of thousands of individual stores in the U.S., Canada, and 27 overseas counties with its barcode/scanning hardware rental model. Honeywell’s Dolphin 6100 was selected specifically for its Adaptus Imaging Technology, according to the two parties.

“As a company well-recognized for delivering state-of-the-art technology and performance capabilities, we at Hart had very specific criteria in mind when choosing the mobile computing device to complement our offerings,” recounted Ed Tonkon, CEO of Hart Systems. “We’re confident in our decision to work with Honeywell. In fact, one of our biggest retailers has already experienced very substantial increases in productivity since implementation of our joint solution.”

“By pairing Honeywell’s Dolphin 6100 with Hart’s proprietary software and service delivery model, we will provide unmatched scan performance and productivity to some of the most successful retailers worldwide,” noted Andrew D’Amelio, Sales VP - The Americas, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. “This collaboration will be well-received in the industry, as both Honeywell and Hart are recognized as leading innovators in the retail technology space.”

Honeywell’s Dolphin 6100 in Retail

An EverServing of Baskin-Robbins

ParTech (New Hartford, NY) has been named by Baskin-Robbins as the exclusive provider of POS to the company’s stand-alone franchise network. Two hardware platforms will be offered in support of PAR EverServ PixelPoint POS software--the compact PAR EverServ 2000 or higher-performance PAR EverServ 6000. As part of the vendor’s “Boundless Hospitality” initiative, this new platform will simplify rollout, improve menu control, and enable digital marketing, according to the two parties.

ParTech will also provide Baskin-Robbins franchisees with direct service and support through PAR EverServ Services. Following product delivery and deployment, PAR will extend franchisees help-desk assistance across the Baskin-Robbins USA stand-alone store locations. Also included in the PAR support package are staff training, hosting, and maintenance.

“PAR’s technology solution will give Baskin-Robbins and our franchisees the necessary tools and flexibility to better deliver exceptional experience to our guests,” indicated Daniel Sheehan, CIO for Dunkin’ Brands, parent company of Baskin-Robbins. “With its ease-of-use, efficiency, and consistency, the PAR system delivers top-notch performance and provides capabilities that will help streamline a variety of day-to-day operational tasks for our franchisees.”

ParTech EverServ 2000, Loaded With PixelPoint

Channel Factoid

According to the latest U.S. Census data, women start businesses at 1.5 times the national rate, and are now estimated to own just over 8.1 million enterprises. Across the U.S., companies that are at least 51% owned by women account for 29% of the total number of entities. Such firms employ 6% of the country’s workforce (or 7.7 million) and contribute almost 4% of business revenues nationwide (or nearly $1.3 trillion). Significantly, the number of women-owned firms grew by 50%, well above the 34% increase in the total number of small businesses. (However, growth in revenues, at 53%, and employment, at 8%, both lagged the national averages of 71% and 17%.) States with the fastest growth in the number of women-owned firms over the past 14 years are Georgia (97.5%), Nevada (87.6%), Mississippi (76.7%), Florida (73.3%), and North Carolina (68.8%). In contrast, states with the lowest rates of increase in the number of women-owned firms between 1997 and 2011 are Alaska (8.8%), West Virginia (17.8%), Iowa (20.1%), Indiana (23.7%), and Vermont (26.2%). Finally, women continue to diversify and expand their presence across all industries. “While we know that women-owned firms are typically both younger and smaller than their male-owned counterparts, this analysis dispels the myth that women are ‘lifestyle business owners’ or that their firms are small by choice,” concluded Susan Sobbott, President of American Express OPEN, which collated these U.S. Census results. “During a period when larger enterprises grew at the expense of small, privately held firms, women-owned businesses actually grew faster than men-owned firms up to the 100-employee threshold and million-dollar revenue mark.”

HELLO GOODBYE

Silver Mined by TAGSYS

TAGSYS (King of Prussia, PA) has increased its staff by naming Ben Silver as its new North American Director of Sales. Silver has responsibility for direct sales of the company’s RFID solutions for the apparel, footwear, and retail markets in North America, including the cleverly named FiTS, or Fashion Item Tracking System. Launched this month, FiTS represents an end-to-end technology platform--RFID tags, labels, readers, software, and centralized dashboard--designed to satisfy the complete supply chain process from manufacturing through distribution to retail, according to the vendor.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Ben as the newest member of the TAGSYS team,” commented Doug Karp, VP North America, TAGSYS. “Ben’s experience, understanding of the retail apparel marketplace and proven success in selling technology solutions will be an invaluable asset as we continue to expand our bandwidth and capabilities in North America.”

Silver has more than 20 years of experience in the apparel industry, having held positions such as GM of Sales for Gerber Technology, Director of Sales for Centric Software, and VP of Sales for Tradecard. Most recently, he worked as Sales Manager for the apparel, footwear, and retail markets at GT Nexus. He currently serves on the Advisory Board at the University of Missouri’s Textile and Apparel Management Program, as well as holding his seat on the Supply Chain & Product Innovation Committee of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA).

Ben Silver, North American Director of Sales, TAGSYS

Sullivan Show at Revionics

Revionics, Inc. (Roseville, CA), one of the leading providers of retail lifecycle price optimization, has enlisted Cheryl Sullivan as its VP of Product Management. Sullivan brings more than 20 years of experience in both the retail and consumer packaged goods industries. In addition to category management, her domain expertise spans pricing, promotion, assortment, and space. “We were impressed with Cheryl’s impressive track record--across a multitude of vertical markets--of increasing retailer profitability and driving customer satisfaction,” reported Marc Hafner, CEO/President of Revionics.

Previously, Sullivan was Director of Product Strategy for Oracle Retail. Earlier posts in her career have included VP of Product Management for EMS and Spectra Marketing, as well as VP of Category Management for Intactix and i2 Technologies. She has worked closely with an illustrious list of retailers and consumer goods suppliers--Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Anheuser-Busch, GE, and Kellogg's among them.

“Revionics has been blazing a unique path delivering critical pricing solutions that enable retailers to easily and quickly apply price optimization capabilities as a weapon of choice to ward off economic pressures and improve their bottom line,” said Sullivan. “I’m truly excited to join a winning team and to help drive the product strategy to further the company’s success.”

Cheryl Sullivan, VP of Product Management, Revionics