http://www.datacollection.eu en Copyright Editrice TeMi Srl Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:20:08 +0100 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:20:08 +0100 Ernesto.Salvioli@datacollection.eu webmaster@datacollection.eu http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8717 UPS and Honeywell are teaming on a new-generation handheld computer for UPS drivers that will further improve communications links while adding a number of other industry-leading features. UPS will deploy more than 100,000 Honeywell mobile computers worldwide. Known internally at UPS as the DIAD V (Delivery Information Acquisition Device V), the Honeywell mobile computer features innovative cellular technology that provides on-the-fly switching between cellular carriers, meaning the computer can automatically jump to another cellular carrier if the preferred carrier’s signal is lost. This industry-leading technology, when combined with Honeywell’s sophisticated 2D imaging capabilities, will further ensure the package tracking and reliability that customers expect from the world’s largest delivery company. At approximately half the size and weight of the DIAD IV, the new, more durable mobile computer will feature: • A state-of-the-art color display and microprocessor with substantially expanded memory – all to support driver training and future applications like navigation. For example, the DIAD V will enable maps to be displayed to help a driver avoid a traffic jam. • A color, auto-focus, flash camera to enhance proof-of-delivery and help resolve customer claims more quickly. • Faster Wi-Fi support (600 mbps) to enable larger and richer content downloads such as training videos to 90,000 drivers simultaneously. • An aggressive 2D imager that can decode many symbologies, including existing UPS linear barcodes and the UPS Maxicode, and thus speed the upload of additional package information at the time a package is first picked up. The 2D imager also will make it even easier to “capture” a clear view of a recipient’s signature. UPS will begin field testing the device in late 2010 with plans to begin a multi-year, global deployment in 2011. The DIAD V will be approved for operation in more than 100 countries. “Starting in 1991, UPS was the first in its industry to equip drivers with a handheld computer,” said David Barnes, UPS’s chief information officer. “Over the past two decades, the DIAD has become a critical component of an integrated global network that’s now tracking more than 15 million deliveries every day.” “Through each successive generation of the DIAD, UPS has leveraged technology to deliver superior service by accelerating the availability of customer tracking data, and by improving our ability to communicate about customer needs with UPS drivers,” Barnes continued. “I am confident the deployment of Honeywell’s computer as DIAD V will continue that successful trend.” Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:08:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8717 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8716 GS1 Healthcare, the global, voluntary Healthcare user group, has published the GS1 standard for the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) of medical products. This voluntary standard provides industry stakeholders with a common set of data and data carriers for medical products at every packaging level, including specific guidance on selection and use of appropriate product identification keys. There is also guidance on additional product and production data ( lot numbers, expiration date, and/or serial numbers) and data carriers including linear bar codes, two-dimensional bar codes and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. “Sector-wide implementation of AIDC systems will improve patient safety, including reducing medication errors, fighting counterfeiting and enabling effective product recalls and adverse event reporting,” said Mike Wallace, Director Global Standards and Serialization, Abbott, and Co-Chair of GS1 Healthcare, “It will also help remove inefficiencies throughout the Healthcare supply chain, allowing stakeholders to improve and integrate their processes.” “Implementing this standard will ensure that medical products can be unambiguously identified by anyone in the Healthcare supply chain,” said Joe Pleasant, Chief Information Officer, Premier, Inc. and member of the Global Leadership Team of GS1 Healthcare, “The Healthcare sector must now leverage technology advances to create a more efficient and effective supply chain, bringing us one step closer to an efficient supply chain like those seen in other industries.” “We need a global vision: Healthcare is a global business where supply chain partners exchange goods and information. Country-specific non-standard requirements have a major impact on product assortment and on supply chain management,” said Volker Zeinar, Global Coordination Auto-ID Affairs, B Braun and member of the Global Leadership Team of GS1 Healthcare, “Global standards are key success factors for process improvements for suppliers.” “Many countries have regulated product identification systems for medical product registration and reimbursement purposes,” said Ulrike Kreysa, Director Healthcare, GS1 Global Office, “However, using these numbers for supply chain management purposes is sub-optimal. A GS1 Identification Key can be mapped to a national number in a national database by the brand owner. Over 65 countries already accept GS1 Identification Keys for medical products.” GS1 Standards ensure interoperability and compatibility and enable all stakeholders to efficiently and effectively comply with various identification, traceability and product catalogue requirements. Various authorities worldwide have developed, or are developing, regulations requiring automatic identification, serialisation and traceability systems in Healthcare to improve patient safety, including the European Commission, the US Food and Drug Administration, ANVISA (the National Health Surveillance Agency in Brazil), the Turkish Ministry of Health, the India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “This new standard provides a global framework taking all specific requirements for medical products into account,” concluded Kreysa. There were several notable developments, including: - Recognition of the value of 2-dimensional bar codes, GS1 DataMatrix, to meet the specific requirements of the Healthcare supply chain, including the need to code more fixed and variable information, while maintaining a small size bar code (e.g., bar code at the unit of use level) and the need for direct part marking (e.g., surgical instruments). This bar code is targeted for use in hospitals and retail pharmacies. - Confirmation that 14-digit GTIN will be used in non-retail applications. For more information on the industry impact of these developments, see the position statements at www.gs1.org/healthcare/library . Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:05:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8716 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8712 Psion has just announced “Open Source Mobility” (OSM), a substantial evolution of its business model, with the objective of dramatically reducing customers total cost of ownership, creating the best possible fit with customer requirements, creating new business opportunities for developers, resellers and partners, and enhancing Psion’s ability to grow and develop its business. Modularity has been a core component of Psion’s products for many years, especially in Psion’s well known Workabout Pro™ product family. However, the difference that OSM creates is that in future developments of its modular product platform, Psion will fully extend the modular approach to customers and partners. Because it will use open, standards-based interfaces, Psion will be able to extend the useful life of products in the field, by replacing defective or obsolescent modules, rather than by replacing the whole product. The benefits to customers, developers and partners will be second to none in terms of value creation, differentiation, competitive advantage and total cost of ownership (TCO). When applied to its core industrial mobile computing market, OSM will offer better lifetime TCO. According to Psion the TCO can be potentially 30 percent to 50 percent better than other vendors over a five to ten year period and will also demonstrate lower obsolescence risk, with unique customer choice and flexibility. By swapping functional modules, instead of replacing the whole device, benefits are achieved in repurposing devices, reduced repair downtime and optimising device configuration John Conoley, Chief Executive, Psion, said: “OSM is a significant evolution of our business model and has the potential to completely change the industrial mobile computing market. Open Source Mobility is inspired by many facets of leading business thinking, especially Open Innovation and Open Source. Firstly, we take inspiration from the Open Source phenomenon directly, because of its foundation in a non-proprietary, standards-based core which developers and customers leverage and evolve for mutual benefit.” “Secondly, we also take further inspiration, confirmation and substantiation, from the work on Open Innovation lead by Dr. Henry Chesbrough at University of California, Berkeley. Our open business model is designed specifically to better meet customer expectations by leveraging the collective ingenuity of Psion, its resellers, partners, developers and customers, globally. By adopting this approach, we create valuable opportunities to substantially increase, and accelerate, research and development resources to better meeting customers’ specific requirements.” The key enabler of OSM is a new, open and online community, called Ingenuity Working which has been created to bring developers, partners and customers closer together. The new community is found at www.ingenuityworking.com and is a place where Psion, its partners, developers and customers can meet, discuss, share, develop and co-create. It will enable them to cater to the explosion of micro-niches in the market, which recognises that customers all have different and individual needs. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8712 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8715 Zetes has acquired 51% of the shares in NETWave, one of Greece’s most established providers of Auto-ID solutions for the supply chain. This acquisition enables Zetes to satisfy the requirement from multinational customers seeking coverage within the Greek market. Now re-branded ZetesNetwave, the company employs twenty people with excellent project management capabilities and is now in a position to offer multinational clients a highly skilled local partner. Alain Wirtz, CEO of the Zetes Group, comments: “With NETWave, Zetes has acquired a company with an excellent reputation and whose core activities are closely aligned to our business. In addition, NETWave has an important portfolio of customers in the large-scale distribution sector, including in particular the Carrefour group, one of our longest standing international customers.” The financial investment by Zetes will enable the company to revitalise its growth strategy. “ By joining our Group, NETWave can integrate the range of Zetes solutions into its portfolio and expand its offering substantially. The company can also benefit from the synergies created for its major international accounts and take advantage of expertise available through our 14 other European subsidiaries”, adds Alain Wirtz. NETWave currently generates a turnover of approximately 3 million euros with modest profits. The company has excellent knowledge of the Greek market and a very highly skilled team of professionals. The immediate investment value amounts to approximately 0.5 million euros for 51% shareholding. The acquisition of the remaining 49% shareholding of NETWave by Zetes is planned within a three year period, based on NETWave’s performance until 2013. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8715 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8714 ASK and its South African partner IDECO have been selected by the Bombela Operating Company as one of the suppliers to the Gautrain project. ASK will provide the contactless smart cards of the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system, based on its internationally-renown, reliable technology and mass transit experience. IDECO will provide project support and post-personalisation services. The Gautrain system will use the contactless ticketing system for all travellers between Johannesburg , Tshwane and OR Tambo International Airport, with various stops along each route. “ Our partner IDECO has really been instrumental in building up the relationship with the client and this confirms the strong relationship between both our companies ,” says Christophe Peix, ASK EMEA Sales Manager. “ IDECO’s expertise in security and their local sales force along with ASK’s experience in mass transit ticketing and contactless technology will no doubt contribute to ’the Dream on Wheels' in South Africa and benefit all the commuters. ” The AFC system will provide convenient access to railway, feeder bus and parking services. Existing motorists and airport passengers are the primary focus in order to relieve the increasing congestion on roads, and the Gautrain provides a safe and clean environment in which to travel. “ ASK support and commitment in this project bodes well for the future of our relationship ,” says Stan Khan, IDECO business development director. “ We are proud to participate in the largest rapid rail project in our country” Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:57:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8714 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8713 Vocollect’s wireless headset, the SRX, is now available on the Intermec CK3 rugged mobile computer. The solution helps mobile workers in warehouses and distribution centers (DCs) achieve all of the proven productivity and accuracy benefits of voice with even greater freedom of mobility. The combination of the Vocollect SRX headset, Vocollect Voice software and Intermec CK3 is ideal for tough and demanding DC/warehouse environments. Offering unmatched ruggedness and flexibility, the CK3 easily delivers the productivity and accuracy improvements of voice, advanced imaging, mobile printing and RFID applications for mission-critical distribution applications. With no cables to connect or clips to attach, the SRX and CK3 combination gives workers greater range of movement, resulting in increased productivity, convenience, and safety. The Odom Corporation, a leading beverage distributor which sells 1,700,000 cases of varied products each month, has utilized Vocollect Voice with the CK3 and has improve perfect order fulfillment rates from 76% to 99%, increased the amount of bottles processed per hour from 360 to 500 and improved case pick rates per hour from 95 to 156 Vocollect Voice on the CK3 leverages Vocollect’s client software, device management software and process logic software with a host of client-based tools and a wide variety of applications to support mobile workers performing tasks including picking, replenishment, put-away, and cycle-counting. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:56:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8713 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8692 Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Solutions division has expanded its advanced data capture portfolio with the introduction of the DS3500 series of rugged digital bar code scanners. Designed for harsh industrial environments and offering the widest working read range of any scanner in its class, the new DS3500 series of digital scanners provides superior scanning performance and is engineered with breakthrough digital imaging technology to improve business efficiencies. Motorola’s DS3500 series of rugged digital scanners provides fast and accurate data capture of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) bar codes, images and direct part marks (DPM), as well as Item Unique Identification (IUID) support. Equipped with a powerful 624 MHz microprocessor, the DS3500 series can decode bar codes within milliseconds, regardless of size or density. And its patent-pending fast-pulse illumination and fast sensor shutter speed deliver outstanding motion tolerance to increase throughput and productivity. In addition, the omni-directional scanning functionality allows users to quickly capture bar codes from any angle, eliminating the need to align the bar code with laser lines. Available in six models, the DS3500 series of digital scanners meets a wide variety of data capture needs in multiple industries. And with integrated Bluetooth® in cordless models, employees are able to move more freely throughout work environments for increased productivity and efficiency in applications that require mobility. The DS3508-SR corded and DS3578-SR cordless scanners are designed to streamline inventory management in scan-intensive, fast-paced environments such as warehouses, transporation and logistics and retail backrooms. Motorola’s DS3508-HD corded and DS3578-HD cordless scanners are optimized to read very small and dense 1D and 2D bar codes frequently found in light and industrial manufacturing environments. The DS3508-DP corded and DS3578-DP cordless models combine highly advanced DPM-specific software with integrated IUID parsing capabilities to provide government entities such as the U.S. Department of Defense, and industrial manufacturers with a single, cost-effective device to capture 1D and 2D bar codes and every type of DPM. Ergonomically designed and easy to use, the DS3500 series of digital scanners combines industry-leading technology with an exterior capable of withstanding the harshest operating conditions. Tested and proven to perform reliably despite inevitable bumps and drops, its IP65-rated seal makes it impervious to water and dust for reduced downtime and lower total cost of ownership. Additionally, the new series of digital scanners addresses challenges related to noisy machinery and poor lighting. With bright LEDs, an adjustable-volume beeper and a vibrating pager motor placed in the handle, users can confirm proper completion of scans with visual, audible and tactile decode feedback – a unique feature for rugged barcode scanners. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:59:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8692 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8693 Zebra Technologies’ bar code label printing is now available in Precisio Business Solutions’ Ascent for Salesforce CRM. Ascent is an integrated enterprise application suite built on the Force.com platform that provides full-function sales order management, inventory management, warehouse and supply chain management, material requirements, and manufacturing execution management. Bar code label printing enhances the benefits of Salesforce CRM by bringing vital materials management and production control data into warehouse applications. By utilizing data on the floor, the speed and accuracy of just-in-time manufacturing and warehouse management systems improves significantly. As a result, manufacturers experience lower inventory carrying costs, higher inventory turnover rates, and a reduction of misplaced inventory, leading to more cost effective manufacturing “More and more organizations have a growing need to better track their field and office-based assets,” said Marty Johnson, product marketing manager, Zebra Technologies. “Bringing bar code printing to the larger enterprise population will increase the efficiency gains that coordinated asset tracking can deliver.” Zebra’s extensive line of table and desktop printers are designed for their ease of use and integration. The full suite of cost-effective products available are built to handle a range of industries through various volume printing options, increasing workplace efficiency and reliability. Zebra’s table and desktop printers are an ideal print solution for many applications, including retail pricing labels, shipping and packaging labels, evidence and asset labels and visitor I.D. badges. “Utilizing a complete barcode solution for Salesforce CRM is enabling the sales force to focus on customers in a way that was not previously possible,” said Shaun McInerney, co-founder and vice president of sales and marketing, Precisio Business Solutions. “ The increased accuracy and speed with which we can now track our sales orders and inventory is bringing new levels of efficiency to our back office operations and setting us up for greater success in 2010.” Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8693 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8694 Intermec has kicked off its new PartnerNet global channel program, designed to provide better predictability, profitability and growth for partners. PartnerNet members can capitalize on new business opportunities by leveraging Intermec's deep industry knowledge, strong sales support, and compelling new program features to achieve greater results. Intermec is significantly investing in the channel with its new Independent Software Vendor (ISV) program, enhancing ISVs' abilities to develop and more efficiently deliver innovative solutions. The ISV program empowers members to provide differentiated solutions and measurably grow business through access to a rich partner ecosystem, robust technical support, and go-to-market resources. PartnerNet benefits for accelerating new growth opportunities include project registration to protect member return on sales investments and performance-based rewards to reward members with financial incentives for high performance in delivering Intermec solutions In addition there is a Partner Relationship Management (PRM) system that equips members with an easy-to-use enhanced communication and tracking capabilities. Above all the new program will guarantee predictable account management so that members are provided with clear customer account rules of engagement "We are strengthening our focus on the channel to improve the ease of doing business with Intermec," said Jim McDonnell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales. "With these new program features, PartnerNet members will be strategically positioned to find new markets and further take advantage of growth opportunities together with Intermec as the economy continues to recover." Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8694 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8696 PJH Group, one of the largest European distributors of bathrooms, kitchens and appliances to the home improvement market, has placed a £150,000 order with Solarsoft Business Systems for new voice picking software and Psion Teklogix WORKABOUT PRO units. The new system will enable PJH to aim for 100% picking accuracy and increase the number of picks per day by as much as 10%. By removing manual warehouse processes, staff training time will also be reduced from several days to a matter of hours. Formed in 1972, PJH Group delivers over £150 million worth of stock to their customers on an annual basis. Solarsoft’s new voice picking solution will initially be rolled out at PJH’s National Distribution Centre in Enfield, which is focused entirely on distributing stock to B&Q stores. By automating its warehouse operations, PJH will able to further improve its delivery service to all customers. With upwards of 18,000 items picked each day in PJH warehouses, voice technology will increase the productivity of staff and give the company more speed and flexibility in its warehouse operations. Using speech recognition and speech synthesis, the voice solution will allow PJH workers to communicate with the warehouse management system, also provided by Solarsoft. Wearing Psion Teklogix’ WORKABOUT PRO multi-modal unit with a headset, warehouse operatives will be able to receive picking instructions and verbally confirm their actions back to the system, while keeping their hands free. David Johnston, IT Director at PJH Group, says, “The new voice picking solution from Solarsoft will help us achieve a considerable productivity increase and we expect to see a reduction in picking errors to close to zero. Throughput will increase significantly because pickers can simply recite their picks into the voice system, without interrupting proceedings to remove gloves to scan barcodes or complete paper forms. As a result, we will be able to increase the number of picks per day by as much as 10%. The software will also help us to move towards central control of our warehouse operations, rather than relying on employees’ memory and inside knowledge for the location of stock.” Johnston continues, “Mis-picks are very costly - from handling calls from customers who have received the wrong goods, to paying for those goods to be returned, and then re-picking and re-transporting goods. And then of course there is the fact that payment is delayed whilst the customer waits for the order to be fulfilled correctly. By eliminating mis-picks, we will be able to significantly reduce the admin burden on the business, simultaneously helping our cash-flow.” Another benefit of Solarsoft’s voice picking software is that the system has multi-lingual functionality. As PJH employs a diverse workforce to manage its warehouse operations, this means that staff can be trained on parts of the system in their own language and they can input voice commands in whatever language they choose. Once the voice picking solution has been implemented at PJH’s Enfield site, phase two will involve rolling out the technology at the company’s other sites. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:02:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8696 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8695 Baracoda, manufacturer of Bluetooth barcode and RFID readers , has chosen WAROK GmbH, a key player of Auto-ID market in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, for the integration of its identification solutions. The new partnership enables Baracoda to extend its distribution network in the regional area while associating its products to key brands on the market and extending into applications in the logistics environments. WAROK, a pioneer of the industry with 25 years of experience, is a value added distributor of Psion Teklogix ,Höft & Wessel, SATO Labelling Solutions Europe and Extech Instruments rugged PDAs and mobile printers. Dominik Rotzinger, Warok Managing Director, explains “ By integrating Baracoda barcode scanners and RFID solutions to our product range, we open ourselves to new mobility projects while keeping offering competitive solutions to our existing customers who significantly want to increase their productivity. That is a key success factor for us.” Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:01:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8695 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8662 Scan performance enhancements are now available on all Stratos 2400 five-sided, 360°-bioptic scanners from Honeywell. These enhancements enable cashiers to increase speed and precision when scanning GS1 DataBar and high density bar codes, both of which are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s retail environment. Enhanced Stratos 2400 scanners allow cashiers to scan nearly all bar codes on the first pass and eliminate the need to hand-type hard-to-read bar codes or spend time searching for the bar code “sweet spot”—saving up to 14 seconds per product scanned. The new enhancements also help retailers prepare for the GS1 DataBar sunrise initiative. Another enhancement to the Stratos 2400 series is the addition of a solution to address weigh-shrink. A single or three-sided flip-up weigh bar can be added to Stratos 2400 scanners, enabling cashiers to capture the full weight of oversized produce along the length or width of the platter, ensuring accuracy in produce pricing. All new Stratos 2400 scanners are capable of supporting Honeywell’s hand-held area-imaging scanners, which are becoming more prevalent as a secondary scanner at the point-of-sale, as well as Honeywell’s linear scanners. A secondary scanner eliminates the need for cashiers to lift large or bulky items, while an area-imaging scanner provides the added benefit of allowing cashiers to scan damaged 1D bar codes that can not be read with a bioptic scanner, as well as 2D bar codes used in emerging applications, such as age verification and mobile couponing. The introduction of two new Stratos 2400 models—a 20” (508 mm) scanner-only model and a 20” (508 mm) scanner/scale model—expands the breadth of the product line. With these new models, retailers can now deploy the Stratos 2400 series across multiple store formats with different scanner footprints, including 13.9” (353 mm) and 15.7” (399 mm). Deploying a single scanner platform reduces training costs for support staff, as well as service costs associated with maintaining spare parts pools. Combined, these cost reductions lower the total cost of ownership. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:34:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8662 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8661 Microscan, in partnership with Cogiscan, has introduced its new Track, Trace and Control (TTC) Solution. The flexible solution features new Microscan TTC middleware, which can partner with any of their machine vision or auto ID hardware to address plant-wide information. The TTC middleware is the first jointly released solution since the company’s strategic partnership agreement with Cogiscan last year. TTC middleware is specifically designed to provide work-in-progress (WIP) visibility through any factory (tracking), validate the process flow (control) and provide the history of the process steps accomplished on a product (traceability). With TTC middleware, efficient data collection is combined with error proofing to demonstrate process compliance, while reducing material and assembly costs. Developed by experts in the electronics industry for the electronics industry, this new solution ensures that the right material is at the right place at the right time, along with the historical data to prove it. The middleware provides complete, real time data visibility across the plant floor for any and all data collection points. This can include data collected from machine vision inspections, RFID, barcode and 2D readers. The Microscan TTC solution allows simple implementation, featuring Web-based controls and reporting, separate from the main IT plant floor network. The solution includes middleware, choice of hardware and complete visibility online for real time reporting. Connectivity to all commonly used MES and ERP systems is easily accomplished. Additionally, it features visual warnings and alarms if a product is scanned at the entry of the wrong operation or if the operation is out of sequence. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:31:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8661 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8660 Psion Teklogix has recently integrated the CAEN RFID's UHF Gen 2 A528J compact reader, compliant with Japanese RFID frequencies, into Psion's handheld Workabout Pro. The rugged handheld computer, combined with the RFID reader's operability in Japan,, creates the first RFID-enabled industrial mobile device available in this market. "In order to increase adoption of RFID, integrating technological innovations such as the Workabout Pro with RFID technology creates new capabilities and applications of the technology, including high density tag reading," said Pierre Bonnefoy, director of RFID Solutions at Psion Teklogix. "It provides the Japanese market with a mobile computing device that combines the best of leading-edge technologies from CAEN and Impinj." Psion Teklogix' goal is to deliver mobile handheld solutions that seamlessly provide companies with mission-critical data where and how they want it, in real-time. As a world-leader of RFID mobile terminals, Psion Teklogix has strengthened its position by providing global organisations with a technological competitive advantage, all within the small, ergonomically-friendly footprint of the Workabout Pro. "The Workabout Pro's features, including our Indy R1000 reader chip, open the door to new applications for RFID in industries such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, asset management, finance and aviation," said Kerry Krause, vice president of marketing at Impinj, Inc. "The solid performance, small size and low power consumption features of the R1000 make it the perfect fit for Psion's versatile handheld." The Psion Workabout Pro for Japan is available through Psion's network of distributors, including Sheng Hero Corporation. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:26:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8660 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8659 Varlink, the UK based specialist mobile computing and data capture hardware distributor has announced a further broadening of their product range in that it has become a UK Distributor for Unitech handheld portable terminals, industrial PDAs and RFID readers. Bill Gordon, Varlink Technology Director commented “Our partnership with Unitech is another key milestone in our company and their terminals offer a perfect fit to our product offering. This partnership opens for us tremendous business opportunities with the convergence of rugged, ergonomic terminals offering mobility for accurate data capture applications” Commenting specifically on the latest new units launched by Unitech – the PA600 Phone Edition Mobile Computer and the PA600 Healthcare PDA, he added “we strongly believe that both will help us create many business opportunities for our customers and will expand the industrial mobile computing market. The PA600 offers the perfect balance between size, functionality and price, so customers are paying for a device that offers every element of functionality they need, without paying any price premium for functionality which they don’t need.” For mobile applications the PA600 was designed with the portability, functionality, durability and superior hardware that today’s business markets demand. This device offers phone function in a compact, lightweight yet rugged form factor, alongside integrated wireless connectivity. The PA600 Mobile Clinic Asssistant was especially designed with healthcare applications in mind. This rugged mobile computer has an integrated HF RDID with 2D barcode reader and anti microbial housing. Its healthcare look will offer a perfect match in hospitals, supporting the 5 rights in patient safety. The HT680 is a compact and aggressive rugged mobile computer ideally suited for manufacturing, retail, logistics and transportation. Available with 1D laser or 2D imager, the HT680 is IP54 rated. Raymond Wolfert, Unitech Europe Sales & Marketing Manager commented on this appointment “We are delighted to welcome Varlink as our new UK Distribution Partner. Varlink has grown to be a very influential mobile computing distributor in the UK. Their industry knowledge coupled with their strong commitment to their customers and creative marketing services to help VARs bring new products and brand to market add tremendous value to our distribution capabilities in the UK and Ireland. We look forward to a long and mutually profitable relationship between our two companies.” Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:24:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8659 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8658 A new voice-directed put-away solution has been implemented by Zetes in 130 Argos stores. The system will enhance operational efficiency in the “back-of-store” area by speeding up the put-away process and operating a more flexible, customer-driven stockroom. Since introducing the voice solution, Argos has seen significant process improvements through reduced time to the final sale point. “Previously stores needed to put away products within each cage and then release the products for sale. Now individual items are released for sale as soon as they are put away – ‘on shelf’ literally means ‘on sale,’” said Alan Jeffries, head of store operations at Argos. Argos began working with Zetes on a proof of concept pilot to validate the business case for the initiative in 25 of its stores, which took place during the peak trading period of 2008. Following this, Zetes was awarded the first phase of the integration contract and was subsequently successful in achieving the project objectives within half the original time forecast – a rate of 15 stores going live each week. As a result of this performance level, Zetes has been appointed to lead a company-wide roll-out to all of Argos’ 740 stores. Depending on their size, Argos stores can receive up to two daily deliveries. The company is using voice technology to notify delivery assistants of where to store each product in their “back-of-store” warehouse. Working in this innovative way has been proven to improve Argos’ put-away process efficiency by up to 24 percent. Voice technology also has enabled Argos to introduce line positioning in the stockroom, allowing complete flexibility over the layout with the fastest-selling products to be stored closest to the customer collection points. The technology also means smaller stores have the ability to stock a greater variety of products because items can be shelved anywhere and easily retrieved without the need for delivery assistants to have detailed stockroom knowledge. The in-store voice solution being rolled out by Zetes for use by the delivery assistants will comprise Zetes’ 3iV application software and supporting management tools, Vocollect Talkman T5 computers, VoiceClient, and VoiceConsole software. Comprehensive support and maintenance is being provided by Zetes as part of the Zetes Care solution. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:17:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8658 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8629 Total Terminal International Algeciras (TTI ALGECIRAS) has selected active RFID technology at their new Greenfield automated terminal in Algeciras Spain. IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, in conjunction with Hi-Tech Solutions Europe (HTSE) and ABB will provide their RFID technology solution and support systems. The Terminal Operating System (TOS), developed by Cyberlogitec Ltd of Korea, will act as Master. HTSC, who is the main contractor and a leader in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems for port applications, will implement its SeeCrane OCR system for the 8 ZPMC ship to shore cranes, as well as its SeeGate OCR and damage inspection system, driver pedestals for the TTI Algeciras Terminal Gate. IDENTEC SOLUTIONS will deliver its newly released IntelliFIND Real Time Locating System (RTLS) for the ship to shore cranes and yard operations. Shuttle carriers will be precisely located under the quay cranes and matched to containers automatically scanned by the HTSE OCR system. In the yard, the IDENTEC SOLUTIONS RFID/RTLS based system will track the location and status of all shuttles and containers. In conjunction with ABB, IDENTEC SOLUTIONS will also provide an innovative new traffic control system, to ensure correct delivery and retrieval of containers at thirty- two (32) water and land-side Automated Storage crane transfer blocks. The Global Control System middleware solution from HTSE will link the IntelliFIND RTLS and ASC traffic subsystems with TTI ALGECIRAS TOS (ATHOS). “We are committed to developing a world class automated terminal. The TTIA Operation Model has been adapted to a local scenario in the Strait of Gibraltar, to get best performance & quality of service, and the best profitability for the tech applications we plan to introduce. Key issues addressed in this model include queues management, cargo handling processes monitoring, full automatic yard and breakpoints resolution. We also required 100% traceability in container transitions in a solution that delivers the highest level of reliability. TTI ALGECIRAS found that the IDENTEC SOLUTIONS’ RFID/ RTLS system combined with the HTSE crane and gate Optical Character Recognition will support TTI ALGECIRAS in achieving these goals," states Oscar Pernia, Process, Systems and Innovation Team Leader, for TTI ALGECIRAS. The TTI ALGECIRAS operation is due to become operational in mid 2010. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:36:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8629 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8628 Multi-ISO reader technology from HID Global is now available as a snap-on, secure contactless, high-frequency (HF) module option for buyers of the new Psion Teklogix Ikôn handheld computer. The read/write device integrates data capture and voice and data communications using wireless capability tools, including Wi-Fi, cellular 3G HSDPA, BluetoothÒ and assisted GPS connectivity. Multi-ISO reader boards are available for integration into a wide range of secure contactless solutions from HID Global that serve customers in mobile cashless payment applications.The Ikôn device with the Multi-ISO reader board, available from Psion, will be especially valuable in Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) applications for transportation, as well as in event ticketing, vending and mobile solutions. “The solution’s interoperability, combined with the advanced security features integrated in Psion mobile devices, enables one device for use in a wide range of applications,” said Stefan Trautner, director technical integration projects, HID Global. “The maximum data throughput for ‘tap and go’ payment optimizes end-user convenience and enables an efficient work process. The fact that our technology is available in a snap-on device means that users can easily upgrade existing devices to include secure contactless capabilities.” The highly secure Ikôn device is based on two SAMs, and its interoperability supports a wide range of industry standards, including ISO 14443 A/B, ISO 15693, ISO 18000-3 and EPC. This includes all ISO 14443 A/B and ISO 15693 tags, cards and tokens. The device also supports contactless payment and is NFC-ready. “In addition to its multiple capabilities, Psion Teklogix’s durable Ikôn is able to survive being dropped from five feet. This means our reader board is extremely durable, as well,” said Trautner. “Offering a fast read time of up to 848 kbps of data on air interface, the Multi-ISO reader board is very compact, with an antenna design ideal for size-constrained applications.” The Multi-ISO reader board also provides an anti-collision algorithm for multi-card handling. In mobile applications, the time of operation with one battery load is important. Therefore, HID Global has implemented a power save mode into its Multi-ISO reader technology in order to maximize battery life without increasing the battery capacity and weight. This enhances end-user convenience and minimizes a unit’s down time to recharge the battery. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:34:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8628 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8627 Citizen Systems Europe has further expanded its operation in South Africa with the appointment of specialised turnkey Auto ID solutions provider Spec Systems, as a distributor and systems partner. With over 30 years experience, and now with three customer support centres in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, Spec Systems specialises in the development of auto ID, RFID, identity card, labelling and bar code solutions for use in a wide range of applications. The company’s Managing Director, Kevin van Dyk, explains that, “The partnership with Citizen is an important and exciting step forward for Spec Systems as it gives us access to new and innovative bar code and labelling technology. This aligns perfectly with our existing card and mobile receipt printers, scanners and consumables; in particular, it will enable us to improve still further our services and solutions in existing markets and to penetrate new markets, such as the courier, transport and logistics sector”. Spec Systems offers a fully integrated range of Auto ID and labelling solutions, from the manufacture of self-adhesive labels and printer ribbons to the supply and integration of barcode printing and data management systems. This was an important aspect for Citizen, as EMEA Marketing Manager Mark Beauchamp highlights, “Increasingly, customers are looking for bar code and labelling systems that solve particular problems, so it’s no longer simply a matter of supplying a printer and leaving the customer to work out how to use it in their particular application. Although our machines are designed to be quick and easy to set up and use straight out of the box, offering excellent value through features such as fast media changeover, tough construction and built in USB, Ethernet and RS232 interfaces, we need to work with specialised partners that have the skills, experience and resources to deliver integrated solutions to the marketplace”. Spec Systems will be supplying the full range of Citizen bar code and label printers, plus the company’s latest portable printers, to its customers in South Africa and surrounding regions. Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:31:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8627 Market http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8630 Motorola has launched its latest rugged mobility solution for the warehouse, the WT4090 Voice-only Wearable (VOW) terminal and the RCH50 Rugged Cabled Headset. This easy-to-use, rugged solution can replace paper-based processes with voice-directed solutions in demanding environments like the warehouse,the freezer, the loading dock or on the factory floor. Built on the success of Motorola’s WT4090 Wearable Mobile Conmputer, the WT4090 VOW is a hands-free, voice-directed, task-specific tool that offers comprehensive wireless network connectivity, high-power processing and rich voice capabilities. The device’s robust voice features include support for voice-recognition, text-to-speech engines and Voice-over WLAN (VoWLAN), providing warehouse workers with up-to-the minute information to make business critical decisions. The WT4090 VOW can be customized for business needs by its three fully programmable keys, keeping operations simple. When paired with the RCH50 or a headset from one of Motorola’s partners, the tools offer an affordable, versatile and complete voice-directed solution. The RCH50 is Motorola’s rugged, cabled, lightweight headset that enables hands-free, voice-directed mobility solutions in rough environments. The superior acoustics resulting from the noise-cancelling, waterproof microphone enable real-time voice communications, reducing cycle times and errors while increasing productivity and throughput. Designed for comfort, hygiene and safety, its ergonomic design provides full shift comfort, while the ability to wipe down the headset and change the microphone windscreen and ear pad protects the health of the workforce. Additionally, a quick disconnect feature allows rapid separation of the headset, helping to improve worker safety. The universal design is compatible with Motorola’s range of rugged mobile computers providing the flexibility to deploy the right mobile device for the job. Both devices have passed Motorola’s stringent mechanical design tests for both stress and endurance, and can survive in the most demanding situations, including extreme temperatures, drops to concrete and wet and dusty environments. The WT4090 and RCH50 will be available globally in this first quarter of 2010 through Motorola sales and Motorola channel partners. Tue, 9 Feb 2010 12:39:00 +0100 http://www.datacollection.eu/news.do?lng=en&id=8630 Products http://www.datacollection.eu/article.do?lng=en&id=650 Itworks, a software developer and system integration company, based in Ancona Italy, has announced the release of its new voice picking solution vo-CE 2.0®, an upgrade from their already existing vo-CE 1.3 but with added innovative and complete platform solutions for users working in the logistics and in supply chain management. Fri, 16 May 2008 11:28:00 +0200 http://www.datacollection.eu/article.do?lng=en&id=650 in field http://www.datacollection.eu/article.do?lng=en&id=630 ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31/ WG2 & WG4 meetings, Automatic identification & data collection, Jan. 2008, Clearwater (FL) Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:20:00 +0200 http://www.datacollection.eu/article.do?lng=en&id=630 standard & quality http://www.datacollection.eu/article.do?lng=en&id=628 Securitas, the specialist for security solutions, optimizes the quality of service in the protection of industrial, trade and logistics buildings with multifunctional hand-held terminals from Casio. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:21:00 +0200 http://www.datacollection.eu/article.do?lng=en&id=628 in field