Barcoding News

The challenge: the cost of a disconnected field workforce

The productivity of your field workforce is tied directly to the bottom line of the business — regardless of whether your field teams interact directly with your customers or are focused on maintenance of crucial business infrastructure such as pipelines and cable or telephone networks. If workers do not have access to everything they need to complete the service call on the first visit — from maintenance history to the parts database and equipment schematics — the cost of doing business increases and future sales may be lost. If timely maintenance is not scheduled or multiple truck rolls are required to complete a work order, not only is the cost of day-to-day operations increased, but also infrastructure downtime increases the cost of your products and services — reducing margins and customer satisfaction.

In order to protect the health of your business, your field workers need to operate at peak efficiency — yet they are out in the field, disconnected from the customer and equipment information required to act in real time. Paper forms must be used to collect information for a wide variety of transactions — and that information must then be entered into the computer upon return to the office. As a result, time is inserted into your business processes, creating lag times that reduce service levels, employee productivity, cash flow and overall profitability. The need to touch the data twice increases the opportunity for costly errors that again impact business efficiency. In addition, field workers are forced to phone the office for simple information requests — such as pricing, inventory and invoice information, directions and more — again injecting time and cost into business processes. And if cell phones, standalone GPS devices, cameras and more are utilized out in the field, the enterprise must purchase and manage multiple mobile devices per worker, increasing costs — and life for the field becomes more complex, reducing productivity.

The solution: a real-time field workforce for real business advantage

Field mobility addresses these issues by eliminating the gap between the voice and data networks in the office and your workers out in the field — with just a single device. With an integrated voice and data mobile computer in hand, your workers have what it takes to achieve maximum productivity — the tools required to automate every day processes as well as act in real time. End-to-end field service cycle times are reduced — out in the field as well as for the tangential processes inside your four walls.

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Unique, Easy All-Front Access Enables Flexible Placement

Today Epson, a leading supplier of value-added Point of Sale (POS) solutions, announced the availability of its TM-T70 thermal receipt printer, the industry’s only all-front-access single-station printer. The printer is designed to fit under counters and in tight spaces in specialty retail, convenience store and food service applications. With front-facing controls, front paper loading and front receipt dispensing, the TM-T70 is also a perfect fit for many kiosk applications. Its small footprint and low height, along with flexible mounting options, make the TM-T70 an ideal choice where counter space is at a premium. Unlike traditional thermal printers, the TM-T70 does not require clearance for top or side-opening, enabling it to operate in exceptionally small spaces. The TM-T70 is the first of three new Epson thermal products to be introduced over the next two quarters, and is a key component of the company’s expanding thermal printer family.

“Our retail and food service customers expressed a need for a compact thermal printer designed to fit small spaces, like under a counter,” commented Mike Helm, Director of Sales and Marketing, Epson System Device Group. “We designed the TM-T70 with our customers in mind, with easy, all-front access and the same solid reliability they expect from Epson. There’s no other printer like it.”

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Overview:
A leading solution integrator for credit unions needed a high-speed, reliable printer to integrate into the company’s innovative solution. The company needed a transaction printer to add to the offering that was fast and flexible.

The Star Choice:
They chose the TSP800 from Star Micronics as the transaction printer. The TSP800 was selected primarily because of its fast print speed, as well as its small footprint, ease of use, flexibility and Star’s strong product support.

The TSP800 was selected after a thorough evaluation of thermal printers from various manufacturers.

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Includes Revision Control, new Print Utilities and more!

In addition to Windows 7 compatibility, Seagull BarTender version 9.2 introduces three new companion applications, support for scanners and cameras, new integration features and more.

“Librarian” Provides Secure Revision Control
The brand new BarTender Librarian lets large groups of users, designers and administrators cooperatively and securely manage the storage and revision of label formats and other files (Requires Enterprise Print Server edition).

• Improve Security: Store label formats in a secure database instead of “loose” on your hard drive.
• Manage Workflow: Specify custom states (such as “Proposed” and “Published”) and which users can make changes.
• Track Revision History: Store each new document version with user comments and a timestamp.
• Rollback: Revert to earlier versions when desired.

“Batch Maker” Lets You Combine Multiple Label Jobs
The new Batch Maker utility makes it easy to specify a list of multiple label formats to print as a single “batch.” Batches can be printed from within Batch Maker itself, as well as from BarTender, Print Station and Windows Explorer.

Commander Now Returns Status Response
Programs that control BarTender using the Commander middleware application can now receive back important status information, either by reading a TCP/IP port or a file.

“Print Station” Launches Print Jobs with a Single Mouse Click
The new BarTender “Print Station” utility gives non-technical users easy point-and-click label printing without ever having to see the inside of a label design program.

• Incredibly Easy: To launch a print job, users simply click on the desired label format, Batch Maker job or BarTender XML script.
• Optional Prompts: Fully supports BarTender’s optional pop-up “prompt” screens.
• Full Screen Mode: Allows PCs to be used as dedicated print stations.

Scanner and Camera Support
As an alternative to importing existing files when adding graphics to your labels, BarTender can now acquire images directly from any TWAIN or WIA device. In addition to printing images as part of a label, you can take pictures of existing labels and use them as design templates when converting from legacy software packages.

From Sampling to Sequencing, Bar Coding Helped Celera Discover First

For some companies, asset tracking is simply a way to save money by using bar code
labels to keep tabs on computers and other company equipment. But for Celera Genomics of Rockville, MD, using bar code labels to keep track of DNA samples and test results is an absolute necessity. Celera, the first company to sequence and map the human genome (the genetic blueprint of humanity), was managing procedures, critical machinery, raw materials, and data long before their scientific breakthrough.

“From the onset of our mission to genetically define ‘human,’ we realized that keeping tabs every step of the way was a must to ensure our results and validate our findings,” says Celera Genomics’ director of quality systems, Peter Amanatides. “Coming from a logistical background, I was familiar with the benefits of bar code printing and scanning. We decided to implement the technology here to drive our sequencing process and structure the procedures around it.”

Celera’s first challenge was to find a label that would withstand the unusual conditions of a gene-sequencing lab. The labels needed to be water- and chemical-resistant, heat- and cold-tolerant, and maintain visual and scanning readability while staying affixed to the plates and equipment.

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Challenge
Compliance chargeback fees due to unscannable shipping labels.

Solution
Dedicated printers provide maximum readability for error-free scanning.

Results
Productivity has increased by 20% and label accuracy is 99.9% or better.

Products
High-performance Xi Series printers for their reliability and mission-critical performance.

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Challenge
Bergen Brunswig, based in Orange, California, is the third-largest wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical and medical supplies in the United States. The distributor needed shipping software that could fit the needs of its new direct-to-consumer fulfillment service to various on-line drug stores, run on the company’s AS/400, and be easily integrated with its primary distribution system, ASW by IBS. The company also needed to integrate electronic scales and bar code printers to allow for package labeling and tracking.

Solution
Bergen Brunswig met its Internet Fulfillment Center’s shipping system requirements through software, produced and installed by an IBM Business Partner. The software integrates seamlessly with the IBS system, electronic scales, and thermal, on-demand barcode printers from Zebra Technologies.

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Challenge
When a major Texas-based computer manufacturer made the leap from traditional order fulfillment to customized computer assembly, it had to employ a new system that would enable it to track the assembly process from the moment a customer places an order until the delivery of the finished product.

Solution
The company installed wide-format Zebra® printers to produce work-in-process (WIP) job tickets: letter-sized documents that provide specific assembly and delivery instructions and guide the assembly of each product until it arrives at the customer’s doorstep.

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More and more hospital patients are being treated like loaves of bread.

Pharmacists and technicians at the Lakeland Regional Medical Center use the Talyst barcoding system that assists pharmacists in accurately preparing and packaging drugs for patients.

That’s a good thing, nurses and hospital administrators say.

Like the scanner that reads bar codes in the grocery, Polk County hospitals are bringing bar-code technology to the bedside, all in the name of patient safety.

Medication errors harm at least 1.5 million people every year, with a conservative estimate of 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries in hospitals each year, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies reported in 2006.

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Epson Announces Broadening of Thermal Printer Line
Company Leverages Core Strengths to Expand to New Retail Segments

Epson, a leading supplier of value-added Point of Sale (POS) solutions, announced that it will deliver a series of new thermal printers to expand its portfolio of transaction printers. These new printers are designed to meet the needs of smaller retailers and food service operators while providing expanded functionality to its traditional, larger retailer customer base. Over the next two quarters, Epson will introduce three new products:

• A compact, thermal printer with all-front access for use in specialty POS solutions and kiosk applications
• An all-inclusive packaged thermal printer for small retail and food service applications
• A next generation thermal printer designed for customers who require full-featured printing functionality

With the addition of these new products to Epson’s existing thermal printer family, the company will offer the most comprehensive line of single-station thermal POS printers to satisfy the needs of every segment of the retail industry at every price point.

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