This Week’s Product Pick

Denso ADC (Long Beach, CA) has shipped its new AT20B handheld CCD scanner with twice the speed of previous models, extended field of operation, and advanced algorithms for difficult-to-read barcodes. The AT20B’s compact, lightweight, and ergonomically shaped design makes it easy to hold and aim, while an LED guiding marker improves targeting. Shock-absorbing construction allows the device to withstand being dropped onto concrete 60 times from five feet. It also features IP-42 dust and water protection, USB or RS-232 connection, as well as an embedded locking mechanism that prevents damage to the connector or cable. Other benefits of the AT20B include configuration software, auto-sense scanning mode, and data verification and data editing functions. “At Denso, we are continually striving to improve our product line, and our new AT20B handheld scanner sets the price-performance bar higher than ever before,” declared John Doran, Senior Manager, Commercial and Industrial Systems.

AT20B Scanner by Denso

COMPANY BUSINESS

An Order of Yellowfin and Bluebird

The story of Yellowfin Distribution really begins twenty years ago when Symbol Technologies helped pull Auto ID out of the shadows. Now veterans of those heady times have come together to launch Yellowfin, which now serves as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian distributor for Korean-based Bluebird and its Pidion family of mobile computers. Symbol, of course, now wears the name of Motorola Solutions, and two of its former employees look to “turn back the clock,” in their words, and simplify things for resellers. John Gibson, VP and GM of Yellowfin, and Frank Borghese, VP of Sales, recently spoke with RRN.Com about their plans.

As its business goals, Yellowfin cites: providing resellers with innovative and highly competitive products, enabling better margins on every sale; facilitating differentiation for resellers through flexibility in product design and manufacture; and eliminating restrictions many manufacturers have placed around maintenance services. “If the reseller wants to set up depot repair, Yellowfin will provide the certification training and sell them the parts needed to help them achieve that,” RRN.Com was told. Not coincidentally, the major backer and lead executive of Yellowfin is Joe Teixeira, CEO of Data Capture Solutions, which will handle services and support “to, through, or on behalf of” the reseller. Yellowfin takes its name from Teixeira’s fondness for fishing, and has its facilities in Ellington, Connecticut, where DCS is located.

While relatively unknown in the U.S., Bluebird offers an extensive product line of mobile devices for computing, scanning, and payments under the Pidion label. “Pidion is a rapidly growing global brand that is enjoying success throughout Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East,” Yellowfin emphasized, citing recent major contract wins from the U.S. Department of Defense, PepsiCo, and the Venezuelan Census Department, and “competitive products in terms of ruggedness, performance, and features, with lower list price.” Going forward, Yellowfin said it will seek to bring on “under distributed products” in areas such as payments, specialized scanning, and store security. As target resellers, Yellowfin pointed to “smaller shops that are aced out of the distribution cycle today.” Said Borghese: “There are plenty of accounts that are not being called on, much less serviced. Our story is playing very well with the resellers we’ve spoken with.”

John Gibson, VP and GM, Yellowfin Distribution

Taking Walmart’s Temperature

ParTech (New Hartford, NY) will supply its PAR EverServ SureCheck food-quality monitoring solution to an attractive customer--Walmart. SureCheck represents the vendor’s newly configured web-based tool for managing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and inspection programs for retail and foodservice environments. The package furnishes everything needed for this task: mobile PDA application, cloud-based enterprise server, and, importantly, fully integrated temperature measuring device. Janam Technologies (Woodbury, NY) and DT Research (San Jose, CA) supply hardware platforms for the system, which also handles RFID.

“We believe Walmart’s selection of PAR EverServ SureCheck reflects their confidence in our expertise to support complex food safety processes, in-store checklist management, and decision-support systems, as well as our ability to deliver a solid return on investment,” remarked Paul Domorski, CEO of PAR Technology Corporation. “Walmart is a best-in-class retailer and we are proud to provide them with a best-in-class food safety software and hardware solution. PAR has a history of customer relationships spanning more than three decades and we look forward to building a similar long-term relationship with Walmart.”

Through real-time data delivery, SureCheck enables exception-based reporting and alerts while capturing time-stamps and operator names for audit trails, the vendor noted. In addition, key tasks and performance metrics are seamlessly integrated with centralized enterprise systems, thereby eliminating manual inputs and inaccurate data. Finally, easy-to-use workflow, reporting, and administration methodologies combine to minimize training required for managers and store associates, according to ParTech, with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) speeding implementation and lowering capital expenditures.

PAR EverServ SureCheck Food Safety System

Worth Your While

2012 Annual ETA Meeting & Expo
Electronic Transactions Association
April 17-19
Las Vegas

NRA Show 2012
National Restaurant Association
May 5-8
Chicago

WERC 2012
Warehousing Education and Research Council
May 6-9
Atlanta

NACStech
National Association of Convenience Stores
May 21-23
Nashville, TN

GS1 Connect Conference
GS1 US
June 4-7
Las Vegas

HITEC 2012
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)
June 25-28
Baltimore

RetailNOW 2012
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 29-August 1
Las Vegas

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Winning the 300 Meter at TSC

TSC Auto ID Technology America (Pomona, CA) has unveiled its new TA200 Series of four-inch-wide desktop thermal-transfer label printers, the third entry in its family of printers that support an economically efficient 300-meter ribbon on one-inch core. Two models are offered: TA200 with 203-dpi resolution and four inch/second print speed, and TA300 with 300-dpi resolution and four inch/second print speed. Both carry 200-MHz 32-bit RISC CPU with 8-MB SDRAM and 4-MB Flash as well as Windows Drivers and USB 2.0.

“Like our best-selling TTP-224 Plus, the TA200 features two durable gear-driven motors that are capable of handling large-capacity 300-meter ribbons and five-inch OD rolls of media,” stated David Lundeen, VP of Sales and Marketing at TSC America. “For extra label capacity, users can add an external media unwinder, enabling the TA200 to easily handle eight-inch OD rolls of labels on three-inch cores, the size normally reserved for expensive industrial label printers. Furthermore, dual gear-driven motors are quieter and last much longer.”

Using its TSPL-EZ firmware, the TA200 Series provides Zebra and Eltron language emulation “right out of the box.” TSPL-EZ also comes with file manager and programming language for supporting stand-alone printing or countering downtime caused by network failure. Lastly, so-called DiagTool configuration software makes it easy for users to replace their older printers with the modern, upgraded TA200.

TA200 Series Four-Inch Label Printer From TSC

Elo Thinks Bigger

TE Connectivity (Menlo Park, CA) has unwrapped its new Elo TouchSystems 5500L 55-inch large format touch display, available with either optical multi-touch or IntelliTouch SAW technology. Significantly, this new display is thinner than previous digital signage, according to Elo, and compatible with optional computer modules. In addition, the company has enhanced its 4200L and 4600L (42-inch and 46-inch) IDS models with optical multi-touch and IntelliTouch SAW. Elo entitles its products in this category as Interactive Digital Signage, thus the IDS.

“We are very pleased to launch our largest IDS touch display to date, leveraging the same reliability and quality for which Elo products are famous,” shared Neeraj Pendse, Global Product Line Manager at TE Touch Solutions. “The touchscreens are integrated at the factory and not added aftermarket. This reinforces the dependability of our IDS displays that are developed to withstand the demands of commercial applications.”

Elo demonstrated its IDS at the recent National Retail Federation Show in New York, and emphasized the growing need to engage customers in high traffic pathways throughout retail, hospitality, and even healthcare. Under this scenario, customers may actively choose the content they view and become participants instead of passive viewers. As an added benefit, of course, customer interest can now be measured in real time to provide marketing data. According to John Nicewick, Director of Strategic Marketing, Elo intends to pursue such opportunities very aggressively through its channel partners.

Elo TouchSystems 5500L Large Format Display

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PARTNER PROGRAMS

BlueStar’s British Invasion

BlueStar (Hebron, KY) will take its popular VARTECH channel tradeshow to the United Kingdom next month, in support of its recent push into that region. Scheduled for Wednesday, March 21, at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, England, VARTECH UK will feature product demonstrations, educational seminars, and workshops presented by industry experts, according to the distributor. For more information, or to register for VARTECH UK 2012, visit www.vartecheurope.com.

“We added the United Kingdom to our European region late in 2011,” recounted Mark Fraker, VP of Marketing at BlueStar, referring to the acquisition of Blackroc Distribution in September. “VARTECH is the ideal event to introduce BlueStar to the region, and inform our partners about BlueStar’s unique value-added services. This one-day tradeshow will feature all the elements vendors and VARs have come to expect from VARTECH: networking and business development on the Code Zone show floor, premier educational and training opportunities, and the potential to drive incremental new business throughout the year.”

“Joining the BlueStar family, we had to develop a way to nurture relationships with our UK vendor and VAR partners, and there’s really no better way to do that than through a VARTECH event,” added Sally Holdcroft, GM of BlueStar UK (Stafford, England). “The UK has never seen any kind of channel event or tradeshow like VARTECH. We encourage all UK resellers to attend and find out what a difference BlueStar can make in growing their business.”

Mark Fraker, VP of Marketing, BlueStar

[Editor’s Note:  Also for 2012, BlueStar has formally addressed Security as one of its areas of focus, joining Auto ID, POS, Mobility, RFID, and Digital Signage. “Resellers are starting to sell a little of everything,” RRN.Com was told by Steve Cuntz, BlueStar’s President, during VARTECH 2011 in Miami in August.]

Agilysys Drops Mobile Commerce in Your Basket

Agilysys (Cleveland, OH) and Modiv Media (Quincy, MA) have joined forces to deliver in-store mobile shopping to grocers utilizing IBM POS platforms. This integration will enable personalized promotional offers, coupon targeting, self-checkout, and payment through the consumer’s Apple iOS and Android smart-phones. Through its retailer-branded, media-driven mobile commerce scheme, Modiv claims to influence one million shopping trips per month with over 10 million targeted offers, helping to facilitate $1 billion in annual sales.

“Consumer acceptance of mobile and self-service technologies, along with the pervasiveness of smart-phones, enables grocers to rethink their self-service strategies to integrate mobile shopping and self-checkout,” commented Aaron Hagler, VP of Solutions Delivery for the Agilysys Retail Solutions Group. “Modiv Media has unparalleled experience with installations in hundreds of grocery stores and industry-leading in-aisle targeting capabilities that collectively increase convenience, loyalty, and value to the grocer’s customers. Leveraging their domain experience, our team can rapidly and reliably integrate a mobile shopping solution into a grocer’s existing infrastructure, providing shoppers with the time-saving ability to scan, bag, and checkout via a dedicated pay station and dramatically lowering the grocer’s cost of implementation and total cost of ownership.”

“Given their longstanding commitment to serving retailers, Agilysys is a natural partner for Modiv,” added John Caron, SVP of Marketing for Modiv Media. “In working with leading grocers worldwide, we know it is imperative to constantly improve the in-store shopping experience. By offering the benefits of our mobile solution, coupled with Agilysys’ deep knowledge and experience in working with IBM POS systems, this partnership provides retailers with the unparalleled ability to rapidly build, test, and deploy a mobile experience that meets the expectations of their shoppers.”

Smart-Phone Couponing Tied to IBM POS

Code Corner

Epicor Software Corporation (Livermore, CA) has launched its Epicor Eagle Release 21 business management system for the SMB market. This new technology stack delivers sophisticated features and functionality, according to its developer. An Epicor Eagle Performance Manager provides dynamic, real-time graphical views of business information via dashboards, scorecards, and reports for the monitoring of operations. Epicor Eagle Inventory Planner supports improved inventory management by synchronizing supply and demand for reduced stock-outs/over-stocks and lower carrying costs. Another module, Epicor Eagle POS Touch, fuels touchscreen terminals, customer-facing displays, biometric fingerprint readers, and digital receipts. POS tools may be purchased separately or collectively. With Release 21, Epicor also has addressed mobility, not surprisingly. Epicor Eagle Mobile Manager furnishes ready access to inventory, sales, and customer information over Apple iOS and Android devices. Its companion, Epicor Eagle Mobile POS, brings wireless checkout to the sales floor. “More than 8,000 stores in sectors such as hardware and home center, pharmacy, lumber and building, lawn and garden, automotive aftermarket, and sporting goods depend on Epicor Eagle to run and drive their businesses,” stated Paul Salsgiver, EVP and GM for Retail Software at Epicor. “The advanced technology architecture in Release 21 delivers powerful business management functionality that retailers need to be agile, strategic, and competitive against ‘big box’ outlets.”

INTEGRATION

Fast on the Draw at GTS

Global Technology Systems (Framingham, MA) has unboxed the HCN50-H, its first powered holster for use with mobile computers from Intermec (Everett, WA). This new device removes the need for five Intermec CN50 accessories: AC chargers, DC chargers, vehicle cradles, fabric holsters, and spare batteries. It supports end-users as their desktop charger, in-vehicle charger, and spare battery. As an additional benefit, it carries USB connectivity.

At its heart, the HCN50-H utilizes built-in 4000-mAh GTS NEOCELL battery to continuously charge the computer’s internal battery, maximizing associated runtime and performance. Indeed, this technology promises to double the runtime over traditional batteries, according to the manufacturer. Charging holsters for Motorola’s MC55/MC65 and MC70/MC75 devices were previously announced by GTS.

“The charging holster has proven very popular with our customers who need their mobile devices to run for an entire shift, especially those that rely on the devices while out in the field,” relayed Mike Grosberg, VP and COO at GTS. “Not only does it keep their mobile computers running twice as long, it cuts down on purchasing extra accessories, saving considerable money.” GTS, as many RRN.Com readers know, serves as the exclusive worldwide designer and manufacturer of Honeywell Batteries.

Powered Holster for Intermec’s CN50

The Forklift Finds Its Voice

Intermec (Everett, WA) has debuted its newest vehicle-mount computers, the CV41 and CV61, designed to integrate with any forklift and carrying, for the first time, optional voice-directed work capability from Vocollect (which Intermec now owns). Additional benefits of these new subsystems include “an ideal balance of display readability and mounting ease,” according to Earl Thompson, SVP of the Mobile Solutions Business Unit for Intermec. Moreover, both the CV41 and CV61 also bring CANBUS interface to support forklift fleet management applications, added the vendor.

CV41 features an 8.4-inch LED backlight display that reduces visual obstruction during forklift operations and simplifies installation compared to full-screen devices. Touchscreen and integrated keyboard are both field-replaceable and an optional bright outdoor display has been offered. Powered by an efficient 1.6-GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU, the CV41 represents the only Vocollect speech-enabled vehicle-mount computer running Windows CE 6.0. It also comes standard with Intermec’s Client Pack host access software, supporting legacy terminal emulation and secure browser applications.

CV61 replaces the previous CV60, with mounting, cabling, keyboards, trays, scanners, and printers all backward compatible. Its larger, 12.1-inch LED backlight touchscreen display can be read in dim or outdoor environments. Sped by an enhanced 1.8-GHz Intel Atom CPU, the CV61 handles Windows 7 Professional or Windows XP. An IP-66 rating ensures dust-tight operation and pressure-wash water sealing, while its user-swappable solid-state disk storage preserves data integrity even in rugged, high-vibration conditions. Both computers were demonstrated at the MODEX Show in Atlanta this week.

CV61 Vehicle-Mount Computer Offers Vocollect Voice Capability

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Wasp Barcode Technologies

POS & Peripherals
FEC/Acrelec
Pioneer POS
Posiflex
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC
Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse
WorldPay US

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Mobile Marketing & Loyalty
Sundrop Mobile

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

INSTALLATIONS

Glazing Saddles to Play at MICROS

Hospitality Solutions International (Scottsdale, AZ), now part of MICROS, will supply the Simphony cloud-based POS and enterprise restaurant management system for Glazing Saddles, one of the leading Krispy Kreme franchisees in Texas. All eight locations will implement the system, which includes Simphony Labor to manage staff, Simphony Loyalty to produce frequent shopper and gift cards, and web reporting extended out to Apple iOS. As part of the contract, each Krispy Kreme will install four MICROS Workstation 5A POS terminals as well as the MICROS Kitchen Display System (KDS).

MICROS also announced that Fired Up, Inc., operating as Carino’s Italian, has begun installation of its Kitchen Display System across its 135 restaurants. A longtime MICROS customer, Carino’s Italian recently made the strategic decision to drop its multi-vendor approach to technology. Next for Carino’s Italian: deployment of MICROS Simphony, which will provide the restaurant chain with “common database and simpler support model,” in the words of Jeff Pine, VP of Major Account Restaurants for MICROS, based in Columbia, Maryland.

Speaking of MICROS, the French-based firm with the unlikely name of I Love Velvet has reportedly tied its Apple-based mobile payment system to MICROS RES POS as its first entry into the U.S. hospitality market. This integration took place at the Nespresso Café in New York’s SoHo, the neighborhood in which I Love Velvet has its North American office. “This partnership is the most advanced to date for I Love Velvet, in terms of technology,” related Patrick Bouaziz, Chief Visionary Officer and Co-Founder of I Love Velvet. “This is our radical and strategic entry into hospitality’s mainstream sales and ordering system, one that revolutionizes the relationship between the service staff and the guest.” Bouaziz worked at SAP and Oracle before launching his new company.

Krispy Kreme, and More, for POS Provider

Payment Savings Bloom in Lotus Garden

Precidia Technologies (Ottawa, ON, Canada) has deployed its POSLynx220 payment appliance for Lotus Garden, described as the oldest family-run Chinese restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. By routing transactions directly to American Express, rather than though any third-party gateway, transaction fees are significantly lower, according to the two parties. Lotus Garden reportedly will save more than 30%, with fees reduced by $.05 per transaction.

POSLynx220 serves as the secure platform for Precidia’s TransNet payment engine software. Precidia’s technology integrates credit, debit, and gift and loyalty card payments with point-of-service devices and applications, including Electronic Cash Registers (ECRs), full-featured POS systems, and payment terminals. Certification has been made with a wide range of transaction processors and hardware and software vendors, in keeping with such payment networking schemes, and support comes through Precidia’s NetVu and MerchantVu management suite.

“While $.05 per transaction may not seem like much, it is significant over the course of a year,” testified Darryl Wong, Chef-Owner at Lotus Garden, established in 1968 in what was an undeveloped corner of town. “In addition to this cost savings, processing directly to Amex allows me enhanced access to Amex support, making it easier and faster to resolve any problems that arise. Precidia’s solution has been one of the key assets in achieving more cost-effective, efficient payment processing operations.”

POSLynx220 Payment Router by Precidia Technologies

Channel Factoid

New research from Identified shows engineers with advanced degrees are far more likely than MBAs to start and run companies. Although the ratio of undergraduate business and engineering Founders/CEOs is about even (9,461 versus 9,334), an unexpected shift occurs in the number of leaders who have advanced degrees. In culling through 36 million professional files in the Identified database of Facebook users, 90% of which are U.S.-based, the marketing company found 3,337 Founder/CEOs have an advanced engineering background compared with 1,016 MBAs. And, not only are such entrepreneurs more likely to be technically oriented, they’re also getting younger, with the average age dropping to around 33 years old from 36 in 2008. The study also tracked the professional backgrounds of engineers to discover where some of the top talent can be found. International programs such as the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Canada’s University of Waterloo, and China’s Tsinghua University joined the list of usual suspects like Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, Cal-Tech, and Carnegie Mellon. “It seems the tables are turning in the modern corporate hierarchy. Not only are engineers highly in demand in the workplace, but they also are accelerating past their business-educated counterparts as they advance in their education and mature in their careers--founding and running companies at over three times the rate of MBAs,” summarized Brendan Wallace, Co-Founder of Identified. “It will be interesting to see what kind of implications this will have on the business world and the economy overall.”

HELLO GOODBYE

Tech Data Moved by Mobility

Tech Data Corporation (Clearwater, FL) has named Joseph Quaglia to President of TDMobility, to go along with his responsibilities as SVP of U.S. Marketing. Operated by ActivateIT, the joint venture between Tech Data and Brightstar Corporation formed in April, TDMobility seeks to provide the distributor’s 60,000 resellers with one-stop wireless capability, including hardware, software, service plans, and activation. In his new role, Quaglia reports to Murray Wright, President of The Americas at Tech Data.

“We are proud to have a strong leader like Joe to head TDMobility,” commented Wright. “The mobility business represents a strategic growth area for the company, and having dedicated leadership in place is valuable for our reseller customers, vendor and carrier partners, and our joint venture partner, Brightstar. This appointment reflects our confidence in Joe’s capabilities and affirms our commitment to mobility in the channel.”

Quaglia has served as SVP of U.S. Marketing for Tech Data since 2007, holding responsibility for Product Marketing, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, and TDAgency divisions. A 25-year IT industry veteran, he joined Tech Data as VP of East and Government Sales in 2006. Previously, he worked at CA Technologies, Storage Networks, and Atabok, the network software provider.

Joseph Quaglia, President, TDMobility

Sultan of Software for Dell

Dell (Round Rock, TX) has enlisted heavyweight John Swainson to lead its new Software Group as President. Swainson’s resume includes four years as CEO and Director of CA Technologies and more than 26 years at IBM, including the post of GM for the Application Integration Middleware Division, which developed WebSphere and Eclipse. He also headed the IBM worldwide software sales force. Starting in March 5, he will report to Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO.

“John is an outstanding leader with an unparalleled record of achievement,” noted Dell. “He brings extensive experience in leading and growing software businesses, unique expertise in managing complex software organizations, and the passion for listening to and serving customers. I look forward to working with John as he expands our enterprise solutions and builds on our software capabilities. The addition of software, both within the Software Group and across all of Dell, will help catalyze our transformation.”

“This is an exciting time to join Dell,” Swainson said. “As a leading IT solutions provider, Dell brings key assets and advantages to the software sector, including a strong global brand, a diverse global customer base, and customer loyalty that creates opportunities to expand relationships with software.” In recent talks with RRN.Com, Nick D’Alessio, Dell’s Retail Marketing Manager, noted the company’s commitment to its formal ISV Program, which emphasizes market verticality. D’Alessio also disclosed that Dell recently has added two more people to its POS channel team.

John Swainson, President, Dell Software Group