This Week’s Product Pick

Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan) has unveiled its new thermal printhead for desktop barcode printers, the KRW Series. This new subsystem eliminates the flexible printer circuit by attaching the connectors directly to the ceramic substrate with specialized resins to deliver improved structural durability under mechanical load. This design also yields the smallest thin-film type thermal printhead in its class, allowing for development of more compact printer models. Further, surfaces of the printhead have been covered with specially formulated film and resin sealant, which help keep the heating elements and circuits from deteriorating due to friction from the printing process or prolonged contact with corrosive substances such as moisture, humidity, and salinity. "With improved durability and corrosion resistance, the KRW Series will help improve assembly efficiency for printer manufacturers while enhancing the lifespan of printing equipment," projected Kyocera.

Kyocera's KRW Series Printhead

COMPANY BUSINESS

Moving Day at Mercury

In two manners of speaking, since acquisition by Vantiv, for $1.6 billion, has been completed, and opening ceremonies have been held for the new corporate headquarters in Durango, Colorado. "It was phenomenal," Matt Taylor, CEO, told RRN.Com, ticking off guests like Senator Michael Bennet, Governor John Hickenlooper, Vantiv CEO Charles Drucker, and Mercury Founder Marc Katz. Its new facility certainly seems impressive, costing $40 million, encompassing 80,000 square feet, and accentuating an open, flowing design with regionally-sourced building materials and scenic location on the Animas River Trail. "Cubical walls were built low so that people can look up from their workstation and see outdoors," according to Mercury, which prides itself on lifestyle and ecological mindedness.

A merger of the size of Mercury and Vantiv, third and eleventh biggest processors, respectively, will take many months to culminate, of course, but Taylor shared early reaction. "Generally it's been very positive," he stated. "A lot of interest in the complementary offerings we'll bring to the market. When do we get access to the value this brings to the channel, people ask me every day, and how do we participate?" Answers should start emerging at the RSPA Show in Orlando in August, predicted Taylor, pertaining to perceived benefits such as scale, new markets, encryption, and EMV.

Several times during our discussion, Taylor emphasized Vantiv's belief in the POS VARs and ISVs who have driven success for Mercury. "Charles Drucker and I feel very strongly that bringing more value to merchants through an Integrated Payments platform is the way we're going to grow and lead in this market," reported Taylor. "Along such lines, omni-channel commerce, as we've come to know it, offers opportunities to create new products and make merchant relationships much more sticky. One of the key reasons for Vantiv to invest in Mercury was our approach to the channel, so if anything that focus will harden."

Senator Michael Bennet, Governor John Hickenlooper, and Mercury CEO Matt Taylor Cut the Ribbon of Mercury's New Headquarters in Durango, Colorado

Fast Times for Vend

Vend (San Francisco) has attracted an important partner for its tablet and cloud-based POS: Intuit's QuickBooks Online (QBO). Under this integration, Vend becomes the first POS to be listed on Intuit's Apps.com, which offers business management tools to 600,000 end-users in the SMB. Available for retailers in the U.S., this package carries no additional cost for Vend and QuickBooks.

With this combination, retailers can now close their registers to have daily sales and payment data automatically synchronize inside QBO. Accountants can see the data prepared and organized in expected QBO formats, allowing them to keep orderly books for the business. This integration also eliminates the need for, and cost of, third-party software connections, naturally.

"A key integration for Vend and QBO customers," Vaughan Rowsell, Founder and CEO of Vend, called the new partnership. "We're thrilled to join the Apps.com marketplace and the greater QuickBooks community where we can empower retailers to leverage cloud technology in order to run their businesses better." Further efforts between the two companies will be forthcoming over the coming months. Ah, an age of apps!

Vend Now Featured on Intuit's App Store

Worth Your While

TRA Marketplace
Texas Restaurant Association
June 22-23
Houston

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
August 3-6
Orlando

VARTECH 2014
BlueStar
September 17-20
New Orleans

NACS Show
Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing
October 7-10
Las Vegas

Pack Expo
PMMI
November 2-5
Chicago

Customer Engagement Technology World
JD Events
November 5-6
New York

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Printronix Goes Mobile

Printronix (Irvine, CA) has staked its claim on the surging market for mobile printing with the debut of its direct thermal M4L. As its name designates, M4L features maximum print width of four inches, with print speed of four inch/second at the standard resolution of 203 dpi. In terms of connectivity and communications, it holds USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and Bluetooth Version 2.1. Wireless security includes WEP, WPA, and WPA2; both ZPL II and CPCL are standard languages.

Intended for industrial environments, obviously, the M4L measures 6.3 in. (W) x 7.5 in. (H) x 3.1 in. (D) and weighs 2.4 lbs. with battery. Advanced, rubberized, over-molding external case construction can withstand multiple five-foot drops to concrete. Additional physical characteristics include easy paper loading via clamshell design, 32-MB RAM, 16-MB Flash, four menu keys, and two-inch LCD display panel. All media types are accommodated--labels, receipts, die-cut, roll-fed, and fan-fold.

As differentiators from competitive models, Printronix cites longer battery life--as much as 30%--via 5800-mAh/7.2 V Lithium-Ion, as well as large label roll capacity of 2.65 inches (Outer Diameter). "Building on the success of the Printronix Mobile Print Cart, the M4L addresses the portable needs of the most demanding supply chain environments while delivering superior service our customers count on," declared Mark Edwards, SVP of Global Sales and Marketing at Printronix. "Warehouse, factory, and distribution center workers at our highest volume customers now have an easy-to-use portable printer that will increase efficiency and accuracy." MSRP for the M4L, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, was put at $1,395.

New M4L Mobile Printer by Printronix

SAW Now Playing at Elo

Elo Touch Solutions (Milpitas, CA) has extended its zero-bezel surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) touch technology. A new open-frame 2440L, at 24 inches, encompasses the company's patented IntelliTouch ZB/iTouch true flat touch sensor. It fits with the modern industrial design and architecture now shown by today's airlines, casinos, hotels, restaurants, and retail stores, according to Elo Touch Solutions. A compact form factor, energy-saving LED panel, full HD resolution, and clear glass optical clarity facilitate continuous use in public environments. Without packaging, it weighs 12.5 lbs.

"Elo continues to execute against a larger strategy to refresh and expand our core touch-monitor portfolio," related Craig Witsoe, CEO of Elo Touch Solutions. "Elo is unique in our industry because we are the leading touchscreen company with in-house research, design, manufacturing, customization, and support across the broad range of touch technologies spanning computers, digital signage, tablets, and monitors. Our latest 2440L delivers 24-inches of widescreen interactive digital application space in the height of a traditional 19-inch touchscreen."

The 2440L from Elo comes with choice of single-touch and multi-touch technologies. This includes IntelliTouch micro-bezel SAW or IntelliTouch Pro flat-glass projected capacitive (PCAP), in addition to the IntelliTouch ZB/iTouch zero-bezel SAW. Elo has tested its IntelliTouch and iTouch SAW touchscreens to more than 50 million touches in one location without failure. Pricing starts at $785 and there's standard three-year warranty.

Elo 2440L Open-Frame SAW Touchscreen

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ALLIANCES

Mr. Service, Merchant Warehouse

Another key partner for Merchant Warehouse and its Genius Customer Engagement Platform. As preferred supplier of payment processing services to ProTradeNet, the vendor management company of The Dwyer Group, Merchant Warehouse will support seven major field-service franchises. These include Mr. Rooter, Mr. Electric, Mr. Appliance, Rainbow International, Aire Serv, Glass Doctor, and The Grounds Guys.

"ProTradeNet sought a solution that could seamlessly integrate credit card processing directly into ZWare, our Mobile POS, and that's exactly what we found with Merchant Warehouse," testified Doug Dixon, President of ProTradeNet (Waco, TX). "Of the suppliers in this category, Merchant Warehouse exceeded expectations as a processor and a customer service partner for our franchisees." Formerly, transactions were called back into an office for processing, rather than taking place in the field.

"ProTradeNet understands that customers are increasingly taking advantage of field services that come to them, whether they're at home or in the office," remarked Henry Helgeson, CEO of Merchant Warehouse (Boston). "To support a seamless experience for both the customer and the franchisee, having the ability to perform the service and accept and process immediate payment is critically important. We're proud to extend the capabilities of ZWare with integrated, mobile payment processing to complete the entire customer experience loop--from service through payment transaction."

Now Taking Payments in the Field

A Couple of Clouds--POS & PMS

POS and property management have been brought closer together with integration between Ordyx (Boca Raton, FL) and WebRezPro (Calgary, AB, Canada). Part of World Web Technologies, WebRezPro targets independent hotels, inns, campgrounds, and vacation rentals with its namesake service while offering the range of features of traditional property management systems (PMS). An Epson VAR Partner, Ordyx targets restaurants and bars with its web-based POS for iOS, Android, and Windows.

This new link allows restaurant staff to query WebRezPro through Ordyx in real-time to verify the guest's status and room number. Restaurant charges may then be posted directly to the guest's room, whether from the bar or tableside. By eliminating the need to manually add such charges to the guest's folio in WebRezPro, the Ordyx UI improves efficiency and accuracy and minimizes guest-disputed charges, according to the two parties.

"Providing customers with innovative functionality as well as integration choices has always been cornerstone to Ordyx," professed David Marrero, President of Ordyx. "The WebRezPro integration further enhances the extensive portfolio of solutions from which Ordyx customers can benefit. We are very excited about the increased efficiencies that the WebRezPro integration will provide our customers." Ordyx joins many of the leading hospitality POS vendors in supporting WebRezPro.

Ordyx POS Tied to Property Management System From WebRezPro

Code Corner

Kitchen Brains (Stratford, CT) has released its SCK Food Safety Manager (FSM), which aggregates data from a vast array of static and handheld sensors along with data collection devices to ensure and enable Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) compliance in any foodservice or preparation environment. SCK FSM is integrated into the Kitchen Brains cloud-based dashboard in conjunction with other Kitchen Brains Genius Suite Applications, such as SCK Quality Production Manager (QPM) and SCK Set Point Manager (SPM). This gives users one interface from which they can manage their operations. The Genius Suite offers kitchen management solutions that seamlessly connect front and back of house restaurant systems with all aspects of food production and facility management. Solutions from Kitchen Brains are interoperable with leading POS and Back-Office systems, along with top appliance platforms such as X-Wire, the newly introduced X-Wire Pro, ZigBee Pro, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, and LonMark.

Electronic Timer by Kitchen Brains

Channel Chatter

As first reported by Bloomberg News, Oracle Corp. (Redwood City, CA) is moving to buy Micros (Columbia, MD), one of the preeminent suppliers of POS. No deal has been finalized as of press time, but the figure of $5 billion has emerged as the price. As some may remember, this is the second time Oracle has moved to take Micros, with the first occurring about six years ago. With sluggish growth of late, Oracle now looks to vertical markets and the cloud.

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

"Viability" at Vantiv

Alongside its purchase of Mercury Payment Systems, Vantiv (Cincinnati) has launched its "Viable" EMV testing platform. Here, Vantiv has called upon ICC Solutions, Ltd., one of the leaders in the provision and certification of EMV. Founded in 1996 by two veterans of the U.K. banking industry, Dave and Wendy Maisey, who serve as CEO and Customer Relationship Director, respectively, ICC Solutions has steered EMV efforts in Europe and Canada. In North America, it has offices in Atlanta and Toronto.

"Merchants using Vantiv's Viable have full control over their EMV network validation activities," suggested Patty Walters, SVP of EMV Corporate Strategy at Vantiv. "This new solution truly places merchants in control as they work toward the 2015 U.S. liability shift deadline. As part of the Viable roll-out and to further assist merchants in jump-starting their EMV enablement, Vantiv will host its bicoastal training road show for merchants and partners in the coming months."

"Adding EMV to a merchant's integrated payment system can be a significantly complex process," elaborated Dave Maisey. "With 327 business days remaining, merchants are quickly running out of time to validate their systems. Viable will save merchants time, money, and headaches by offering an immensely improved process in one easy-to-use tool."

Dave and Wendy Maisey, Co-Founders of ICC Solutions, EMV Test Experts

Android Encircled by SDG

SDG Systems (Harmony, PA) has offered its Enterprise Platform eXtension (EPX) Framework for Android. This middleware comes in two versions: EPX-B for barcode and EPX-R for RFID. It includes application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK), enabling cross-platform support. EPX-B supports scanner products from Motorola, Intermec, and Honeywell Scanning & Mobility, while EPX-R supports RFID chipsets from SCS Pro, ThingMagic, IDRO, and HID Global.

Described as modular in design, the EPX Framework allows for easy expansion into barcode and RFID, according to SDG Systems. End-users have an opportunity to pay lower upfront cost and per-unit fee, or to purchase an unlimited number of licenses. Licensees may redistribute the developer tools at no charge and technical support has been included in the fees.

Further, the EPX Framework furnishes all source code, allowing modification or enhancement. Both EPX-B and EPX-R have hardware drivers, Android Settings, and Android Services, as well as SDK. Implementations are currently being deployed, according to SDG Systems, which has addressed rugged devices with Android since 2009.

Rampage 6 Tablet by SDG Systems

V2 Lifts Off Agilysys

Agilysys, Inc. (Alpharetta, GA) has rolled out Agilysys Analytics Version 2.0, its latest business intelligence pack. Supporting Apple iPad initially, Agilysys Analytics Version 2.0 has been provided as part of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for InfoGenesis POS. Agilysys Analytics addresses the growing requirement for hospitality providers to leverage data as one of their most important business assets, according to the ISV, with comprehensive reporting, auditing, and predictive analysis.

It identifies industry trends, improves business processes, and uncovers risk areas that might otherwise go unchecked. It also removes the multitude of manual reports and spreadsheets from the organization, many of which contain errors, omissions, or duplicate information. Reports are up-to-date and can be saved as private or public, or published in customizable dashboard for review by others. Agilysys, as many RRN.Com readers know, serves the market for casinos, resorts, hotels, foodservice venues, stadiums, and cruise lines.

"In the highly competitive hospitality industry, it is critical that managers see the 'big picture' so they can use information to increase profitability and enhance guest service," advised Agilysys VP of Sales Tony Ross. "Agilysys Analytics enables managers to turn predictive analysis into data-driven business decisions. This version of the solution is a first step toward the integrated guest experience. We expect to expand the solution to our other products, and eventually, to our next-generation solution suite."

Agilysys Launches Analytics Version 2

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
Wasp Barcode Technologies

POS & Peripherals
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Pioneer POS
POS BANK USA
Posiflex
POStablets
POS-X
TEAMSable
Toshiba GCS

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
Citizen Systems America
CognitiveTPG
Intermec by Honeywell
SATO America
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Datalogic
Honeywell Scanning
Intermec by Honeywell
Trimble MCS

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Discover
Merchant Warehouse
Mercury Payment Systems

Inventory Systems
New West Technologies

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo TouchSystems

INSTALLATIONS

NCR Clucking Over Pollo Campero

NCR Corporation (Duluth, GA) has won the replacement POS pact for Pollo Campero, the growing Latin-themed chicken restaurant chain. This core solution includes NCR Aloha POS software and NCR P1530 POS touchscreen terminals outfitted with biometric readers. It covers all 50 Pollo Campero sites in the U.S. (with more coming).

This win comes as no surprise, since Pollo Campero has long run NCR's back-office application. "We were looking for a long-term relationship with a partner who could extend the view of our data and enable us to centrally manage our entire technology solution," recounted Tim Pulido, CEO/President of Pollo Campero Intl. "We now have increased control over every piece of our business to operate with greater efficiency and deliver exceptional dining experiences to our guests."

As part of its retrofit, Pollo Campero will implement NCR's above-store reporting and employee theft deterrence cloud-based solutions, allowing the chain to monitor sales and all POS activities in real time. An additional benefit will be the capacity to centrally execute item and pricing changes across its site, according to the restaurateur. Finally, the system also provides Pollo Campero with the means to effectively measure and improve employee performance, helping it drive consistency in the guest experience, "and ultimately, its bottom line," in the words of Paul Langenbahn, President of NCR Hospitality.

NCR Aloha for Latin Chicken Chain

An iBeacon Pings Sales

LevelUp, one of the emerging mobile commerce players, has reported strong results from implementation of Apple's iBeacon. As RRN.Com readers should know by now, iBeacon supplies iOS location services through Bluetooth Low Energy. Installation is as simple as plugging the devices into any standard power outlet and customers receive loyalty offers on their iPhones.

LevelUp launched their iBeacon program in early May, with 50 participating businesses (and 1,000 planned before summer's end). Just 30 days later, businesses reportedly have experienced 22% average increase in customer spending through the LevelUp app or their own custom mobile payments app running on the LevelUp Platform. The rate of transactions from previously "lapsed" customers (those who returned to using LevelUp after an absence of more than 30 days) increased by 63% following LevelUp's iBeacon roll-out.

"Mobile payments have enabled local businesses to track customer spend and deliver unique offers to individual customers like never before," explained Seth Priebatsch, Chief Ninja at LevelUp (Boston). "Now, with iBeacon functionality, businesses using LevelUp can also communicate with customers during their crucial decision-making process." At present, LevelUp serves over 1.5 million users and 14,000 accepting business sites. According to its website, resellers are welcome.

LevelUp Offers iBeacon for Loyalty

Channel Factoid

A new term, "Unified Commerce," has entered the lexicon, encompassing the entire spectrum of marketing strategies, business processes, and technology platforms needed for seamless shopping. As evidenced by the results from the Boston Retail Partners' Annual CRM/Unified Commerce Benchmark Survey, belief in this philosophy has moved to the top of the retail mind-set, but execution lags. Fully 95% of respondents identified customer experience/customer engagement as one of their top three current efforts. While only 3% have an ability to identify the customer when he or she enters the store, another 72% plan to implement this within five years. Currently, 16% have "real-time retail from the POS" (described as offering the "Amazon" experience), and another 63% plan to implement this within five years. Similarly, 28% now employ mobile marketing, with another 62% expecting to have this capacity within five years (and 56% within two years). Fully 81% have deployed some type of customer database, typically as part of their customer relationship management (CRM) or loyalty program. Finally, 22% of retailers surveyed have executed real-time analytics, while 61% want this within two years. "It was impressive to learn how many retailers are now focused on implementing the technologies to deliver Unified Commerce, but there is still a lot of work to be done to deliver these capabilities," warned Walter Deacon, Principal, Boston Retail Partners.

HELLO GOODBYE

Upper Layers of the Stratix

Stratix (Norcross, GA) has bolstered its executive bench with the hiring of Brian Viscount as VP of Portfolio Management and Marco Nielsen as VP of Managed Mobility Services. Both bring long track records with companies such as Symbol Technologies, now part of Motorola Solutions, and Intermec, now part of Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. "We're committed to being the go-to-provider of Managed Mobility Services for global enterprises and delivering and supporting mobile solutions that help run, improve, and grow their business," commented Gina Gallo, CEO of Stratix. "Bringing Brian and Marco on-board helps us accomplish that core mission."

Viscount comes to Stratix with over 25 years of product and portfolio management expertise. His most recent role was Senior Director, North American Vertical Markets, Motorola Solutions, preceded by VP of Product Management, Mobile Computing Division, Symbol Technologies. In his newly established position at Stratix, he will work closely with customers, strategic alliances, and sales and marketing.

Nielsen brings more than 20 years of experience leading, developing, and executing global enterprise mobility strategies. Most recently, Nielsen was VP of Services and Chief Mobility Architect at Enterprise Mobile, the Microsoft-funded start-up that was sold to Intermec. At Stratix, he will lead the team of mobility consultants, solution architects, and project managers.

Brian Viscount, VP of Portfolio Management, Stratix

Big Daddy at RF Code

RF Code (Austin, TX), one of the leaders in real-time asset management and integrated sensor networks, has crowned Ed Healy as its new CEO. Healy's previous experience includes senior management roles at a range of high-growth broad-line technology companies, including Acertus Technologies, Cubic Wafer, Silicon Labs, and Cirrus Logic. As one example of his prowess, RF Code noted his time at Silicon Labs, where he started the company's Wireless Business Group, growing it to over $250 million in revenues and global workforce in excess of 150. Most recently, Healy served as, and remains, the Senior Advisor to the Chairman of MediaTek.

"Now is the perfect opportunity to build on RF Code's success to date," proclaimed Healy. "By building the scalability required to meet the demands of global enterprises, which are becoming more dependent on Big Data, analytical knowledge, and sensor networks, we will be strongly positioned to meet the needs of an increasingly interconnected world. I'm looking forward to the future of RF Code as it becomes the information hub driving key management and strategic decisions."

Mitch Medford, RF Code's current CEO, is stepping aside to pursue other opportunities, but will continue to provide advisory support. "This is an exciting step in RF Code's growth strategy," he volunteered. "We drove the business to a profitable level with marquee enterprise customers, but to continue to the next level, we needed a seasoned veteran like Ed who has built major businesses. He will bring growth and expansion to the company."

Ed Healy, CEO, RF Code

Lansaw in Driver's Seat

LeSaint Logistics (Romeoville, IL) has enlisted Bill Lansaw as its VP of Transportation. In this office, he will provide strategic direction involving the company's transportation management operations, which includes multi-modal (both contractual and brokerage) solutions. LeSaint Logistics is a nationally recognized provider of warehousing, inventory control, transportation, and associated technology platforms.

"In transportation, LeSaint Logistics provides a comprehensive, strategic approach to ultimately deliver an all-inclusive, end-to-end solution," relayed Jeff Pennington, President. "As our customers' transportation needs become more comprehensive in their overall supply chain strategy, it becomes critical that LeSaint has the leadership and resources to leverage on their behalf. Bill's extensive experience in transportation will be a tremendous asset for us."

Lansaw's professional history spans more than 30 years in transportation management, sales and marketing, and operations. Previously, he was Director of Sales and Marketing with The Osborne Logistics Group and Milan Express. Additional employers have included familiar names such as Roadway Express and Yellow Freight. "I look forward to leading the company's vision of knowledge, flexibility, and service levels that ultimately power the transportation components of our customers' supply chains," shared Lansaw.

Bill Lansaw, VP of Transportation, LeSaint Logistics