This Week’s Product Pick

Lenovo (Research Triangle Park, NC) now offers its ThinkPad Mobile POS outfitted with customized PAYware Mobile Enterprise from VeriFone. With rugged construction, multi-touch or pen input, and bright display, the ThinkPad Tablet represents an ideal platform for POS, according to its manufacturer. For security, this new system meets or exceeds PCI 3 while handling all forms of payment, including EMV, NFC, and MSR. Unlike consumer devices, ThinkPad gives end-users full control over the operating system, coupled with enterprise-class service and support, Lenovo continued. A POS case designed by Targus provides an ergonomic, contemporary look and the multi-charge station accommodates up to five POS units. “The ThinkPad Mobile POS platform joins the rich ThinkPad heritage of productivity and durability with VeriFone’s global leadership in secure electronic payment solutions,” commented Dilip Bhatia, VP of the ThinkPad Business Unit for Lenovo.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Addresses POS

COMPANY BUSINESS

The British Invasion for Micros

Micros Systems (Columbia, MD) leaps the pond by buying Torex Retail Holdings, Ltd., based in Dunstable, England, and gains access to the retail, hospitality, and convenience and gas segments throughout Europe. Micros will pay $186 million for all outstanding stock, and assume another $78 million in debt in the transaction, which now awaits approval from governmental regulatory bodies. Torex Retail’s technology portfolio ranges from POS to customer loyalty, merchandise planning, loss prevention, and e-commerce. The company currently has operations in the U.K., Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and the Nordics, as well as some presence in the U.S. Up to now, it has counted upon IBM, HP, and Microsoft as major partners.

“We are excited about our agreement to purchase Torex Retail Holdings,” remarked Tom Giannopoulos, Chairman and CEO of Micros. “This acquisition is an important step forward for Micros to fully launch its retail technology business in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Torex has a broad customer base and product and service portfolio. We look forward to welcoming the Torex Retail employees and customers to Micros.”

“This is a great deal for both companies, and reflects the transformation which has taken place at Torex as a result of our employees’ hard work and commitment over the last few years,” added Steve Rowley, CEO of Torex Retail. “Together, we are positioned to provide our customers with a large portfolio of innovative technology which supports our customers’ business needs.” Over the past year, Torex Retail has launched its cloud-based POS for hospitality and worked with PizzaExpress to develop an enterprise voucher system and PayPal application for its locations across Europe.

Micros POS Goes to Europe Through Buy of Torex Retail

BarTender Deals the Cards

BarTender Version 10 has been unveiled by Seagull Scientific (Bellevue, WA), 25 years since the first appearance of the popular label design program. Promoted as the most substantial product in the company’s history, Version 10 introduces card printing, professional-level drawing functions, and major user-interface improvements, enabling Seagull, obviously, to expand into new areas of business. Encoding capability encompasses smart cards and magnetic-stripe reading (MSR), as well as plastic cards for identity, employee security, and membership clubs.

“Already experts in label and tag printing, we’ve paid close attention to card printing software these past few years for two major reasons,” disclosed CEO Jeremy Seigel. “First of all, BarTender already offered most of the necessary design features--we just didn’t yet support card printers. Secondly, ‘card printing software’ companies sure were getting a lot of money for the same features, without even having the ability to print labels or tags. This was too tempting to resist, so we’ve added the few additional design features we didn’t already have and developed our own true Windows drivers for card printers. We are fired up to enter this new market and are looking forward to the same great success we’ve long had with label and tag printing.”

BarTender Version 10 offers many high-end drawing functions previously only seen in software packages such as Adobe Illustrator, according to the developer, such as new geometric shapes, backgrounds, and highlighting effects. Additional new features of Version 10 include an easier and faster “properties dialog” (the “modify” function), support for decimals, integers, and fractions similar to spreadsheets and database systems, more comprehensive formatting of text and fonts, and more flexible document handling. Its “select barcode” browser allows end-users to choose from more than 400 barcodes, catalogued by type or application, and RFID now comes in all editions, Automation and Professional.

Card Printing Added to BarTender Version 10 by Seagull Scientific

Worth Your While

NRA Show 2012
National Restaurant Association
May 5-8
Chicago

Solutions Partner Invitational
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS
May 15-17
San Diego

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

VARTECH Canada
BlueStar
June 4-5
Toronto

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

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

VARTECH US/LATAM
BlueStar
October 5-8
Bahamas Cruise

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Round Three for Intermec Printers

Another month brings another new family of printers from Intermec (Everett, WA). Following the launch in April of the PR2 and PR3 mobile receipt printers, and in March of the PC43d and PC43t desktop label printers, Intermec has rolled out the PM43 and PM43c industrial mid-range label, ticket, and tag printers, featuring four-inch print width and fast throughput of 12 inches/second at 203 dpi. With the PM43 measuring 19 in. (L) x 11.6 in. (H) x 11.2 in. (W) and weighing 35 lbs., and the “compact” PM43c somewhat smaller and lighter, Intermec has incorporated advanced features for configuration, networking, and maintenance in this third-generation of its direct thermal and thermal transfer devices.

A full-color touchscreen provides multiple language capabilities and universal icons for end-users. In addition, the PM43 and PM43c represent the only CCX and Wi-Fi certified printers with standard Bluetooth, BT, and IPv6 network protocol, according to the manufacturer, thereby ensuring enterprise scalability. Interestingly, these new devices carry “no touch” configuration via an optional embedded RFID chip, meaning they may be programmed without having to open the printer box or powering up. Remote device management gets supported through Intermec SmartSystems and Wavelink Avalanche and the metal access door can be locked for media protection.

So-called “precision point” technology maximizes uptime by reducing frequent media adjustments, even in the case of small barcodes, text, and images, according to released product information. Finally, Intermec’s “smart printing” allows end-users to create standalone applications through the embedded programming language and directly control peripheral devices such as scanners, scales, and keyboards. “We’ve always considered smart printing to be one of the brillant innovations, and Intermec’s next-generation PM43 continues to revolutionize the industrial thermal printer market,” testified Dan Hare, VP of Matrix Systems (Sanborn, NY), winner of the Technology Innovator of the Year Award at the Intermec Partner Summit in January.

PM43 Mid-Range Label Printer by Intermec

[Editor’s Note:  In more news from Intermec, Patrick Byrne has departed as CEO and Board Member. Chairman of the Board Allen Lauer will serve as Interim CEO/President, effective immediately, until his permanent successor has been hired. “Pat made many positive contributions here at Intermec, including leading the company through transformations in our sales channels and supply chain, as well as executing several successful acquisitions. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” Lauer said.]

RTC, ET1, and JDA Spell Out Plans

Retail Technologies Corporation (Orlando) has developed its StoreMobile inventory management bolt-on for JDA’s merchandise management system. Designed as part of RTC’s MMSxTend Application Suite, StoreMobile runs on the ET1 enterprise tablet and RF handhelds from Motorola Solutions (Schaumburg, IL), longtime RTC hardware provider. This new bundle, intended to reduce paperwork while boosting productivity through the use of wireless, was first demonstrated at the recent JDA Focus Conference in Las Vegas.

“We are delighted about this new offering and what it means for mid-tier retailers looking to push the envelope and seek technology that offers operational cost reduction and an improved customer experience,” proclaimed Bruce Hicks, CEO/President of RTC. “Furthermore, the solution utilizes the retailer’s current JDA MMS infrastructure investment, reducing costs and maximizing ROI.”

“RTC has been deploying mobile solutions on Motorola devices for retailers for the past 10 years,” recounted Lee Williams, Marketing Manager at RTC. “The ET1 is an ideal device to launch our StoreMobile applications because it is retail hardened and offers the capabilities of a consumer tablet with features and functionality built for retailers.” Motorola debuted its ET1 in October 2011, with Android, 7-inch Gorilla Glass color display, and the RhoElements web-based application development framework.

Wireless Bundle from RTC, the Self-Titled “MD of Retail IT”

Join the Party at No Charge

Subscribe Today! Email:

Do you need to reach the POS & Auto ID resellers who really drive business—in the most targeted editorial environment, and on the most cost-effective basis?

E-mail Michael Kachmar for advertising information,
or call 973-270-3284

Did you miss one of our issues and suddenly realize your competitors know more than you do?

Hurry ! Use the links below to catch up :

Week of April 23

Week of April 16

Week of April 9

CERTIFICATION

Aldelo Attracted to A799/A798

Aldelo Systems (Pleasanton, CA) has approved the A799 and A798 thermal receipt printers from CognitiveTPG (Lincolnshire, IL) for use with its popular Aldelo For Restaurants software suite. Aldelo has over 75,000 installations in 15 countries and more than 400 dealers for Aldelo For Restaurants (Pro, Light, and Wireless) and its next-generation XERA POS on Microsoft .NET and SQL Server 2008. Aldelo’s products are based on an open architecture, allowing the customer choices when it comes to hardware selection, noted the two parties.

“Having our printers certified with Aldelo’s software opens up opportunities for our valued-added resellers and gives Aldelo’s customers the opportunity to look at CognitiveTPG A799 and A798 printers as an attractive, reliable printing solution,” relayed Kevin O’Donnell, Director of Channel Sales at CognitiveTPG. “We are thrilled to have our printers certified with one of the leading hospitality software companies.” As selling points for its A799 and A798, CognitiveTPG cites an all-metal mechanism and steel frame, self-sharpening ceramic knife, and backward compatibility to legacy and competitor models.

“The CognitiveTPG A799 and A798 printers passed our evaluation and testing,” confirmed Harry Tu, President of Aldelo. “We look for printers that are functional and compatible with our software. They also need to be easy to set up and install. We go one step further and verify that the manufacturer offers reasonable warranty service and customer service. The A799 and A798 printers meet our requirements.”

CognitiveTPG’s Single Station A799/A798 Receipt Printers

A Mobile Band of Brothers

MobileDemand (Hiawatha, IA) has reached out to Brother Mobile Solutions (Broomfield, CO) to provide on-the-go print solutions for its rugged tablet PCs. Under the agreement, all MobileDemand products--the xTablet T7000, T8700, and C1200--have been certified on the PocketJet and RuggedJet portable printers from Brother Mobile. The new bundle has been designed “to go wherever work needs to get done, even in the harshest conditions,” according to the two parties. This includes narrow vertical segments such as pest management, law enforcement, utilities, and agriculture, in addition to the wider markets of field service, supply chain, distribution, and healthcare.

“The MobileDemand/Brother Mobile partnership will leverage the collective expertise in each of our target markets and allow both companies to expand into new territory to bring our rugged high-performance solutions to even more companies,” predicted Brian Beans, Sales and Business Development Manager at MobileDemand, which partnered with another printer vendor, Seiko Instruments USA, in March. “We share the passion for providing innovative productivity tools to mobile workers to enable them to complete their work more efficiently.” MobileDemand’s tablet PCs are built to MIL-STD-810G and IP-65 standards, carry Windows 7 and Intel CPU, and offer the full range of data collection and communication features.

“With the recent launches of both our faster PocketJet6 and our new RuggedJet, we believe the range of industry-leading, field-based solutions our partnership offers to the mobile workforce has increased significantly, both in reach and quality,” volunteered David Crist, VP of Sales and Marketing at Brother Mobile. “We are pleased and honored to be working in partnership with such an intensely focused and high-quality organization as MobileDemand.” A part of Brother International, Brother Mobile sells through its network of authorized partners and ISVs, offering mobile and desktop printers as well as laminated labeling systems.

RuggedJet Four-Inch Thermal Printer by Brother Mobile

Code Corner

Wasp Barcode Technologies (Plano, TX) presented Wasp CountIt, its inventory management software for QuickBooks. Used in conjunction with any mobile computer from the vendor, or Windows Mobile/CE devices in general, Wasp CountIt helps SMBs eliminate the inefficiencies of paper-based inventory systems. Automatically syncing with QuickBooks or Microsoft Excel, the package utilizes barcode technology to expedite the inventory counting process while also increasing accuracy. Once inventory has been taken, CountIt transfers the new data back to the PC, updating the existing inventory file and creating any variation report needed. This solution may be used with physical counts, cycle counts, and monthly or year-end inventory counts. “Our mobile computers address many SMB needs, but we wanted to provide our customers with this solution to address their needs surrounding existing inventory,” reported Brian Sutter, Director of Marketing for Wasp. “We believe that the new Wasp CountIt will help businesses gain easy access to information and collect data conveniently and accurately.” Wasp CountIt with accompanying DT10 mobile computer has been priced at $999.

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

RedPrairie Plays Tag

RedPrairie Corporation (Atlanta) has launched its new Price Tag Generator for its Merchandise Management POS Plus system. This module utilizes open inventory, "not available for sale," and catalogue data to quickly produce professional price tags for furniture, consumer electronics, and appliance retailers. It includes numerous design templates for creating tags--including group tags--which are fully customizable with each retailer’s logos and graphics. RedPrairie demonstrated Price Tag Generator at the recent High Point Furniture Spring Market in High Point, North Carolina, the manufacturing hotbed of the industry.

“The Price Tag Generator is an easy-to-implement way for big ticket retailers to lower their labor costs when it comes to producing price tags,” declared Tyler Owen, GM for Merchandise Management at RedPrairie. “It also enhances the customer experience by acting as a silent salesperson, providing the most up-to-date and accurate information for a customer before he or she interacts with staff within the store.” Under the system, price tags can be modified through various filters, including by store, location, inter-store transfer, purchase order, and price changes, with UPC or QR codes. Exportable PDF files expedite production and storing of completed tags.

RedPrairie also has announced that Accuristix, one of the leading third-party logistics providers (3PLs) focusing on healthcare, has joined its roster of customers. Following successful beta testing, Accuristix will implement supply chain execution software from RedPrairie--Warehouse Management, Transportation Management, and Parcel Management--for its eight distribution centers in Canada. This platform incorporates NCR’s 2ST two-sided thermal label technology, which prints the packing slip on the backside of the shipping label, thereby saving time and materials. “We recognize the ever-changing demands of the healthcare industry and have deployed cutting-edge technologies in our facilities to ensure an efficient, nimble, supply chain operation for our customers,” stated Cameron Joyce, President of Accuristix, which is headquartered in Oakville, Ontario.

New Price Tag Generator for Furniture, Consumer Electronics, and Appliances

Intuit Encircles the SMB

Intuit (Mountain View, CA) continues its expansion into all areas of the SMB IT market through the purchase of Demandforce (San Francisco), which delivers mobile marketing tools, such as e-mails and online reviews, to help businesses increase their visibility. This cash transaction, valued at approximately $423.5 million, is expected to close in May. At that time, Demandforce will become the newest division in Intuit’s Small Business Group and will continue to be led by Rick Berry, its President and Founder, reporting to Kiran Patel, Intuit EVP and GM.

Consistent with its self-proclaimed “connected services strategy,” by adding Demandforce, Intuit also has accelerated its expansion into high-value Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for SMBs. Founded in 2003, Demandforce has achieved success in industries such as dental, optometry, car dealerships, and spas and salons, with considerable opportunity for growth, in the view of its new owner. Demandforce represents the second market move for Intuit within the past month. Earlier, it snapped up AisleBuyer (Boston), an in-store mobile commerce app which allows shoppers to pay through their smartphones.

“Demandforce sits at the sweet spot of Intuit’s SMB customer base and is consistent with our goal to help our customers save time and make money,” indicated Patel. “With its compelling customer value proposition, SaaS model, and high growth profile, Demandforce will provide opportunities to grow Intuit’s customer base and revenue per customer over time.” In his remarks, Berry emphasized the new markets Demandforce will enter through Intuit’s wide footprint, which will no doubt include retail.

Kiran Patel, EVP and GM, Intuit Small Business Group

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Wasp Barcode Technologies

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

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC
Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse
WorldPay US

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Mobile Marketing & Loyalty
Sundrop Mobile

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Repair & Refurbishment
AMCOR Tech Solutions

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
TE/Elo TouchSystems

INSTALLATIONS

Krispy Kreme Sweet on NCR

NCR Corporation (Duluth, GA) will implement its Aloha POS in all Krispy Kreme corporate-owned sites, with franchisees to be offered the system. Reportedly, Krispy Kreme thoroughly evaluated leading POS systems before selecting NCR Aloha. This solution will enable the doughnut and coffee chain to manage critical daily operations at the local level while leveraging the power of transactional data, systems configuration, and remote management hosted in the cloud, according to the two parties.

“Krispy Kreme is constantly focused on providing the highest quality products and services,” maintained Mark Reasor, VP of Store Operations for Krispy Kreme. “With integrated POS and in-shop production systems, NCR Aloha will help Krispy Kreme maximize guest satisfaction and ensure its products meet the company’s high food-quality standards.” Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Krispy Kreme can be found in approximately 670 locations around the world.

Elsewhere, NCR announced that its NCR Advanced Back Office will be marketed to independent grocery stores in the U.S. through the NCR Interact Global Partner Program. NCR Advanced Back Office was designed “with rich features” to help independent grocers manage inventory, prices, margins, and orders. It can be installed in less than 10 minutes and reduces training time by up to 70%, according to NCR, while supporting NCR’s Advanced Checkout Solution, among other systems.

Aloha POS Rolled Out for Krispy Kreme

Call Centers Call Upon Mercury

Mercury Payment Systems (Durango, CO) will flex its payment processing muscles for IVR Technology Group (Buffalo, NY), an integrator of automated call centers named for "Intelligent Voice Response.” In particular, IVR Technology will implement Mercury’s MToken proprietary tokenization scheme, which replaces sensitive card data with non-sensitive reference data for long-term storage. “MToken facilitates such key functions as recurring billing, card-not-present voids and returns, and incidental expenses, while simplifying Payment Card Industry compliance for end-users,” stated Baird Kleinsmith, Director of Developer Partnerships at Mercury Payment Systems.

“A big concern for mail order/telephone order, or MOTO, is accepting credit card payments in compliance with PCI’s Data Security Standard,” seconded Mike Byrne, CEO of the IVR Technology Group. “In traditional operations, the customer service agent takes the credit card data over the telephone, enters it into the MOTO system, and processes the authorization. Our new solution automates pay-by-phone credit card transactions according to PCI standards.” Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) as well as MOTO systems fall within the scope of PCI DSS, noted Byrne.

Mercury Payment Systems, as many RRN.Com readers may recall, was one of the first players in payment processing to actively court VARs and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) focused on traditional POS. “We lead the industry in POS payment integrations,” reads the company’s website. “MercuryPay, our processing platform, is readily available inside hundreds of POS systems. Our mission is to create competitive advantages for our business partners.”

IVR Technology Group Adopts Tokenization by Mercury Payment Systems

Channel Factoid

No surprise here. A new survey from Motorola Solutions finds increasing interest in mobile POS from the retail, hospitality, and related field-service industries. Fully 66% of retail respondents demonstrate such interest, with 42% currently piloting or starting trials within the next 36 months. In terms of deployment, 16% of surveyed retailers currently have mobile POS in place, while less than 9% have entirely mobile or portable checkout systems. For applications, 71% of retailers that indicated interest in mobile POS are using or plan to use such technology to improve customer service, followed by inventory management (51%), pricing (48%), and merchandise returns (42%). Perhaps not surprisingly, 55% of those surveyed will incorporate cash-handling peripherals as part of their mobile POS operation. Finally, on average, retailers said they expect to replace more than 36% of their fixed POS with mobile POS. This survey was fielded from December 2011 to February 2012 and targeted to full-time experienced employees in the retail, hospitality, and field-service industries in North America, the U.K., France, and Germany. Without knowledge of Motorola Solutions’ sponsorship, 541 respondents completed the questionnaire. “As retailers battle for shoppers’ hearts and wallets, mPOS serves as a valuable tool that can help turn browsing into buying,” suggested Michelle Crissey, Customer Solutions Lead for Motorola Solutions. “When the power of mPOS is in the hands of every retail associate, shopping becomes an experience and associates are always in a position to make the sale.”

HELLO GOODBYE

ScanSource’s Global Money Man

ScanSource, Inc. (Greenville, SC) has elevated Timothy Ramsey to VP of Worldwide Reseller Financial Services (RFS). This promotion expands his management role to include oversight of the distributor’s financial service offerings in all geographies, in addition to U.S. operations, which he has led since joining the firm in 2005. Prior to ScanSource, Ramsey spent more than a decade at Michelin North America in various financial leadership roles, supervising areas of credit, business development, and worldwide purchasing.

The ScanSource RFS team offers enhanced programs, tools, and services to help resellers find the financial solutions that best fit their business needs, explained the official announcement. In his new office, Ramsey has responsibility for planning, implementing, and executing the company’s worldwide RFS strategy, as well as goal setting, receivable analysis, and reporting control. In addition, Ramsey will direct personnel development and process improvement.

“Tim has been instrumental in the growth and development of our RFS offering, ensuring that our reseller partners get the personalized attention and customized financial resources necessary to help them grow their businesses, even in the toughest of economies,” commented Rich Cleys, CFO of ScanSource, Inc. “We look forward to enhancing our RFS offering for our partners worldwide.”

Added Xavier Cartiaux, President of International Operations: “Resellers are continually looking for additional support and insight from a financing perspective. Tim’s experience and expertise will enable us to implement a cohesive worldwide RFS strategy that is essential to the continued growth of our partners’ businesses.”

Timothy Ramsey, VP, Worldwide Reseller Financial Services, ScanSource, Inc.

NRF Finds SVP at Walmart

The National Retail Federation (Washington, DC) has enlisted Bill Thorne as its new SVP of Communications and Public Affairs. He will arrive at NRF on June 1, in time to drive its “Retail Means Jobs” campaign, the multi-million-dollar effort to demonstrate the critical impact of retail on the U.S. economy and career opportunities within the industry. A longtime lobbyist with both industry and political experience, Thorne currently serves as Senior Director for Community Affairs at Walmart Corporation.

“Throughout his long career, Bill has proven himself to be an accomplished strategist with an incredible track record of creating and building successful campaigns,” observed Matthew Shay, CEO/President of NRF. “As NRF continues to invest in talent and resources to promote the retail industry both in Washington and around the world, bringing in an executive at the intersection of retail and government will help us tell the industry’s story in an even more compelling way.”

During his tenure at Walmart, Thorne created and executed campaigns for “urban market entry,” while also serving as Senior Director of Advocacy Outreach. Prior to Walmart, he executed public relations and communications programming for various corporations and associations as VP for the DCI Group. He also spent four years as Director of Political and Legislative Grassroots at the American Medical Association. Earlier in his career, Ramsey worked for many years in state and national politics with stops at the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the staff of U.S. Senator Phil Gramm.

Bill Thorne, SVP, Communications and Public Affairs, National Retail Federation