Barcoding News

Epson announced that one of its valued partners has installed its TM-J9100 check scanner with integrated printer in over fifty community banks nationwide. Epson’s TM-J9100 is paired with software to perform check processing at the teller window. Customer deposits are scanned and imaged at the point of presentment, and back room tasks are performed using the scanned images. With this combined solution, checks are only handled once, which means fewer and faster transactions, and more efficient customer service. The fifty banks using the Epson solution range in size from under $12M to $350M, and are located throughout the United States.

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The Unitech MS337 2D imager scanner is capable of reading QR codes straight from the screen of a computer, iPod, iPhone or other mobile phone. A high-resolution image sensor, complemented by a wide-angle lens, makes this possible.

Makai Inc., a worldwide engagement marketing firm, employed the Unitech MS337’s technology at a recent Nestlé corporate event held in Huntington Beach, CA.?

“We were having problems with some of the scanners that we received from another company and reached out to Unitech to provide us with a solution,” said Mitchell Liday, Dir. Client Services for Makai. “Unitech’s 2D imager technology was exactly what we needed to create the failsafe experience we had in mind.”

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GS1 US, the administrator of the global GS1 System of supply-chain standards in the U.S., declared Seagull BarTender a “GS1 US Certified Bar Code Software Product.” This makes Seagull Scientific a formally-certified member of the “GS1 US BarCodes and eComâ„¢ Solution Partner Program.”

BarTender version 9.3 (Service Release 1) was rigorously tested for proper compliance by the GS1 US organization in all 9 of the available GS1 bar code symbology categories. This included long-standing symbologies, such as UPC and GS1-128, as well as newer, more advanced symbologies, such as the GS1 DataBar composite bar code. BarTender passed all 9 certification tests on its first try.

These certifications assure that BarTender is a dependable label design and printing tool when it is essential to satisfy the latest GS1 symbology standards. BarTender is currently the only bar code software package to be certified against the relatively-new GS1 DataMatrix specification.

Apoteket Ensures ‘The Right Medicine for the Right Patient’ with Datalogic Scanning’s Gryphon™ Bar Code Readers

Overview

Apoteket is a non-profit pharmaceutical production and distribution center located in Stockholm, Sweden. The company produces both prescriptions and over-the-counter medications for local residents. It is Apoteket’s mission to provide patients with the correct medication, in the proper dosage, at the right time. Since Apoteket is state-owned, it also acts as a ‘communication hub’ between the government and nine million swedes to ensure that patients receive their medications without price variation throughout the country.

The Challenge

Apoteket has 28 production facilities that fill prescriptions for more than 150,000 patients residing in special care housing.

Since most of the patients are elderly, it is critical to deliver correct medications. “Failure to do so could be a matter of life and death,” says richard Hellström, technical Manager at Apoteket.

To eliminate the opportunity for errors at this critical point in production, Apoteket invested in a bar code system for prescription order verification. In this system, bar code scanners are used to read labels during production and packaging to verify that the selected medications are placed into the correct prescription package. the only problem was that the production operators struggled with the reading range and performance of Apoteket’s current scanning solution.

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Designation allows continued use and deployment in Quebec

Star Micronics announced that Revenu Quebec, the tax authority of Quebec, has certified its TSP700II, TSP800II, FVP-10 and TSP650 receipt printers as compatible and certified with the sales recording module (SRM) to be installed in all restaurants in the Canadian province under a new rule that took effect on September 1st, 2010. The above Star receipt printers comply with the new regulations, eliminating at least one step restaurant operators have to take to comply with the rule.

Implemented to combat tax evasion, the rule stipulates that restaurant operators in Quebec provide all customers with receipts listing each menu item purchased and its price, as well as applicable taxes paid. All receipts must be generated through the Revenu Quebec-selected SRM, in conjunction with a certified SRM-compatible receipt printer and point of sale system. The SRM is the device underlying the technological solution that Revenu Québec has chosen to ensure that taxes collected are remitted to the government.

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IGA Grocer Uses Datalogic Scanning’s PreScan Queue-Buster to Facilitate the Execution of a Successful Online Shopping Program, “Need a Hand?”

Overview

IGA North Sydney is a supermarket located on the north side of the Sydney Harbor in Australia, the heart of Sydney’s second largest Central Business District (BBD) precinct. Founded in 1993, IGA North Sydney has grown to become one of the most successful stores in the IGA network. one of the keys to IGA North Sydney’s success is leveraging new technologies to differentiate their customer offering. It’s safe to say their strategy has worked as their growing customer base recently required a checkout expansion to quadruple customer capacity at the point-of-sale (POS).

The Challenge

Located in a prominent business district, IGA North Sydney wanted to reach an untapped market in the area: local business people who are short on time and prefer to do their shopping online. To support this market, IGA North Sydney decided to implement a customized software tool and create an online shopping program called “Need a Hand?” the 100% complementary service allows customers to avoid the tedious task of grocery shopping yet still access the store’s entire suite of products from the comfort of their home / office.
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The Datalogic Magellan 3300HSi high performance omni-directional barcode scanner is the latest imaging-based scanner from Datalogic. Accompanying the recently announced Magellan 3200VSi scanner, the Magellan 3300HSi scanner is the world’s first single plane in-counter barcode scanner to use imaging technology. The result is a bar code scanner that leverages the reading performance of laser barcode scanners with added benefits, including the ability to read two-dimensional (2-D) bar code symbologies.

The Magellan 3300HSi scanner uses new imaging technology and software developed by Datalogic to considerably improve the scanner’s first pass read rates on hard-to-read bar codes, such as truncated codes and GS1 DataBar codes. This yields a performance gain for the retailer’s point-of-sale system by increasing operational efficiency while ensuring faster and better customer service.

Imaging technology significantly enhances the reliability of the Magellan 3300HSi scanner by using a solid-state design. By eliminating the need for high-speed motors and laser diodes, the Magellan 3300HSi scanner has an improved mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) rate, which reflects in an improvement in the retailer’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

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Janam Technologies announced a new mobile healthcare solution that extends the company’s popular XM Series product line with antimicrobial versions of the XM66 and XM60+ rugged handhelds. The new XM66AM and XM60+AM provide the healthcare sector with rugged antimicrobial devices that support mobility solutions aimed at improving patient safety, streamlining complicated processes and reducing medical errors.

The XM66AM and XM60+AM rugged antimicrobial mobile computers are the only handhelds in their category that offer “whole device” antimicrobial coverage. Unlike competitive methodologies, Janam’s antimicrobial products have a continuous protective layer encompassing the scan window, display surface, stylus and screws. The entire unit – not just the plastic housing – is protected by an antimicrobial coating that effectively kills microorganisms.

The XM66AM and XM60+AM are the only fully rugged, antimicrobial, mobile computers that deliver a full 3.5″ display yet weigh less than 10 ounces. They are small and light enough to comfortably carry throughout a work shift, and they provide superior viewability, making them a welcome tool for uses ranging from medication administration to specimen tracking. Like all Janam PDA products, the antimicrobial XM66AM and XM60+AM are built to withstand rigorous use in tough environments, surviving repeated 4’/1.2m drops to concrete and sealed to IP54 standards.

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Abandoning the obsolete punch clock
MadgeTech’s data loggers are used around the world to monitor and record an extensive range of variables, from temperature and humidity to water level, voltage and more. The company employs a total of 32.

For years, MadgeTech relied on a mechanical punch clock with cardboard time cards to track the time of its 10 hourly and part-time salaried employees. Unfortunately, this system created problems for the employees punching their time cards, as well as for the managers trying to add up staff hours.

“With the old time clock, the time cards needed to be lined up exactly for the punch,” said Jon Moriarty, director of manufacturing for MadgeTech. “It was far too easy to punch the wrong lines, and it wasn’t all that easy to use the clock properly.”

Since times on the cards were not calculated automatically, the employee in charge of payroll had to spend at least four to five hours a week manually adding up each employee’s time.

Adding at the beep of a barcode
MadgeTech installed WaspTime Standard Barcode Solution, which included time and attendance software, as well as a Wasp barcode-reading time clock. Each employee was issued a credit cardsized card with a barcode printed on the back. Employees clock in and out by simply swiping their cards through the barcode reader. WaspTime software automatically checks the time clock and collects ‘punches,’ accurately tabulating hours worked.

The manager who handles payroll now needs less than one-half hour to review the entire staff’s weekly time. She simply hands the time report to Moriarty on Monday morning for approval, and the process is complete.

Saving thousands and empowering employees
MadgeTech immediately began saving both time and money with WaspTime. First, the employee who handles payroll needs at least four fewer hours per week to perform her duties. This alone translates to more than $3,000 per year in savings, Moriarty said. What’s more, this employee now can spend her time on higher-value tasks in the accounting and human resources areas.

“A small business like ours requires employees to wear multiple hats. Automating the timekeeping process to save a key employee four hours a week translates into true dollar savings for us,” Moriarty said. “This is not imaginary cost savings. These are real hours that now can be applied to more profitable tasks. And in today’s environment, efficiency and productivity are all-important.”

The system also simplifies important time-tracking tasks for employees. For example, part-time salaried employees must work a minimum number of hours each week to maintain benefits. In the past, there was no reliable way to ensure they were fulfilling this requirement. With WaspTime, their hours are tracked automatically, and Moriarty can run a simple report to check their time.

In addition, MadgeTech offers its employees flextime, allowing them to work extra hours on certain days so they can leave early when needed. This policy is popular with employees, who constantly want to know how many hours they have worked in the week. With WaspTime’s included PC Punch module, employees can quickly and easily sign in on a local PC to view their current hours. This saves time for managers and employees alike, since neither must sift through time cards to determine their weekly time.

Because the timekeeping process has been automated, errors have been eliminated on both employees’ and managers’ sides.

“Our employees prefer WaspTime over the old clock,” Moriarty said. “It takes a simple swipe of the card, and it’s impossible to make an error. We definitely would not want to go back to the old time clock. Now, we’re adding two more employees to the system, which will only increase our savings.”

A time-tracking nightmare, for employees and management
Afton Manufacturing creates a wide range of metal products for larger companies in the oil field, air hose, exercise and crane block industries. The company’s 14 employees work in overlapping shifts, with some occasionally putting in up to 12 hours a day.

For years, the company used a traditional, mechanical punch clock to track employees’ time. Each worker would punch a paper timecard at the beginning and end of his shift, as well as for his lunch break. Employees also received a company-scheduled 10-minute break each morning and afternoon; however, they were not required to punch their timecards when taking off this small amount of time.

“As time went on, breaks were getting longer and longer. Our employees had a tendency to stretch out breaks sometimes up to 25 or 30 minutes a day, instead of the 20 minutes allocated,” said Gene Schmeling, owner of Afton Manufacturing. “I found myself getting aggravated as I saw more minutes ticking by.”

The manual punch card system also offered little flexibility for employees. For example, a worker putting in a 12-hour shift received the same two 10-minute breaks as his co-worker who was on the clock for just eight hours.

“With the punch clock, we had an accounting nightmare on our hands,” Schmeling said. “We were using a calculator to add up times on the cards. It was time-consuming and easy to make mistakes.”

Embracing the simplicity of RFID
Afton Manufacturing installed WaspTime time and attendance software, as well as a Wasp RFID time clock. Each employee was issued a credit card-sized card with an embedded RFID chip. Now, employees clock in and out by simply waving the card in front of the time clock.

“Since we are a small company, I didn’t think we could afford an automated time-tracking solution,” Schmeling said. “When someone recommended that I check out Wasp, I was surprised at how affordable and functional it was for a company our size.”

WaspTime software automatically checks the time clocks and collects ‘punches,’ accurately tabulating hours worked. This time summary can then be reviewed and edited by Afton Manufacturing’s owner.

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