In a suit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, Zitel Corp. accused VLSI Technology Inc. of breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation and other charges, and is seeking over $300 million in damages. VLSI was allegedly unable to deliver a custom chip design for Zitel’s Intelligent Storage Systems division, leading Zitel to leave the mass storage business last year and incur millions of dollars in lost opportunities.

Storage of dairy products becomes a public affair with the use of third-party refrigerated warehouses.

Third parties get a lot of buzz these days, from independent experts who conduct quality assurance audits to consultants brought on to evaluate systems such as HACCP and regulatory compliance to those enlisted to set up integrated processing equipment.

Off-site experts are also called upon not just for the services they provide, but where they provide those services. Public refrigerated warehouses (PRWs) run by third parties, for instance, are utilized by many food and beverage suppliers, including dairy companies, for the storage of products at various points in the cold chain.
The use of PRWs by dairy companies exemplifies other organizational and operational trends across this and other related industries. For one thing, dairies have continued to consolidate, as have their customers in retail and foodservice, making decision making more integrated and the need tor efficient storage and quick point-to-point distribution more important.

On another level, dairy processors squeezed for space and labor that are looking to outsource expertise and square footage have discovered that they’ve freed up time and space tor other functions. Also, by going with a PRW, those that produce perishable products like dairy foods and beverages entrust their products’ safety and quality to others. During periods marked by concerns over energy costs, meanwhile, manufacturers look for value through shared temperature-controlled storage space.
Beyond the operational realities faced by dairy companies, the changing nature of the products produced in today’s dairy plants has also propelled processors to go outside their walls for storage. The expansion of extended-shelf-life products is one example, with inventory able to stay in the warehouse for a longer period of time than in the past. Shelf-stable dairy and dairy-based products, encompassing items like aseptic milk, and powdered ingredients also are suited for PRWs in lieu of on-site storage areas, depending on the product type and how it fits into the processor’s product line.

Although PRWs are not for all dairies and many still opt for on-site or private warehouses, there is a steady use of public facilities for refrigerated and frozen dairy products. “Dairy is a large part of our business at several of our warehouses. They [dairy operators] are great business partners,” reports Bill Daniel, spokesman for full-service, multi-temperature storage company Henningsen Cold Storage Co., Hillsboro, Ore.

Rick Kappmeier, operations vice president, Western region for the British Columbia-based VersaCold Group, which runs 73 several temperature-controlled warehouses in the United States and Canada, agrees that throughout the food industry, companies are going public. “Our sites are very busy and we have some receiving 30 to 40 truckloads a day of product. It’s not all necessarily dairy, but we do a lot of cheese and butter,” he says.

PRW providers concur that there is a confluence of factors that have led to the increased utilization of their sites. Jerome Scherer, vice president of national sales and marketing for Union City, Calif.-based United States Cold Storage Inc. (USCS), cites the changing nature of manufacturing itself and the demands of the retail and foodservice market. “Distribution today has become regional, national and even international,” he says. “Food manufacturers need to be able to forward their production to distribution centers that are located within their target market areas and by doing so, they add the value of availability to their product while positioning it for efficient order assembly and delivery.”

That changing terrain of the cold chain is also mentioned by Kappmeier, who says distribution methods impact the choice of warehousing. “It depends on how big of an area they service and on their proximity to their marker,” he says.

Not to be discounted is the increasingly competitive environment in which dairy companies products are working.

“Consolidation in nearly every segment of the frozen-food industry is creating new competitive factors, a radically different customer landscape and the need to collaborate and work closely with customers to reduce costs,” Scherer says.

Internal factors are also influencing the decision to move inventories out of a dairy company’s own location, Scherer notes. “There are faster turning inventories and the proliferation of new SKU’s,” he says. “And accuracy is more important than ever and on time delivery of orders is a must.”

Kappmeier also points to the forces pulling on dairy manufacturers that must juggle priorities for expansion and investment. “One of the main reasons would be whether or not they want to dedicate their scarce capital to growing their business or to bricks and mortar with expensive coolers,” he says.

For whatever reason they are going with PRWs, dairies have high standards when it comes to the care of their perishable products. “Dairy manufacturers - or anyone in the food chain, for that matter - are looking for consistent temperatures and safe environments and, because products may have a short shelf life, they re looking for people with the discipline to handle first-in, first-out requirements,” Kappmeier says. “They have a very disciplined approach to the supply chain.”

AXIOM-X is an omnidirectional laser reader housed in a rugged, modular enclosure that offers up to 1,120 scans per second. It also offers the largest transport coverage in its class. One simple scan head is needed for most applications, saving the cost and complexity associated with a multiple scan head solution.
“Why use multiple scanners to cover a large read area when one AXIOM-X can do it alone?” said Mike Bosha, product manager for Accu-Sort. Multiple AXIOM-X units are easily networked using a standard client/controller configuration. This eliminates the need for an additional multiplexer and makes tunnel configurations seamless. That makes the system ideal for a variety of industries, including parcel distribution, retail/wholesale distribution, airline baggage handling and tire manufacturing. AXIOM-X easily handles applications such as multi-sided arrays, high-speed parcel sortation, high-speed material handling and manufacturing.
“With AXIOM-X, there are no more ‘lost parcels,’” Bosha said. “AXIOM-X uses multiple lasers and receiving optics to ensure constant scanning and focusing over the complete depth of field, even with parcels of differing heights that are side-by-side on the transport. This ensures that there are no missed labels or miss-sorts.”

Accu-Sort has made installation faster by creating a single unit with a modular scan head and wiring base. The modular system simplifies installation and reduces repair and replacement downtime. The plug-in scan head is available in 2- or 4-laser configurations that allow users to pick the correct “horsepower” for their application. AXIOM-X also shares the same wiring base, power supply and mounting brackets with the rest of the AXIOM family to reduce costs and installation time.

To lower the total cost of ownership, Accu-Sort built the AXIOM-X without fans or filters, so there is no non-value-added maintenance time needed. A single person is able to install the smaller, lighter units.

Accu-Sort also has made setup and operation easier with its upgraded AXCESS(TM) software. AXCESS provides a familiar user interface that enables reader configuration without the need for onsite service. The software has the ability to learn match codes and offers several bar code filtering options. It provides full function trigger control for the laser, which saves laser life, and increased DRX(R) sampling frequency for higher read rates. DRX is Accu-Sort’s patented decoding technology that uses partial scans to reconstruct bar codes with 100 percent accuracy.

Operation is easier with built-in storage modules that retain parameters in both the scan head and wiring base. In the event replacement ever becomes necessary, customers can replace the scan head and the correct parameters are installed with the push of a button.

AXIOM-X offers several data transfer options, including UDP messaging, EtherNet/IP, EtherNet TCP/IP, serial and I/O standard connections. AXCESS software allows users to configure and monitor AXIOM-X readers from anywhere in the facility.

No costly additional peripherals are needed for most applications.

The AXIOM-X is an enhancement to Accu-Sort’s popular AXIOM product line. Bosha said the technology that powers Accu-Sort’s newest generation of scanners has proven itself in the field for more than two years “AXIOM-X is capable of handling the most demanding applications,” he said.

Capable of reading 1D symbologies and PDF-417, PowerScan[R] 7000BT Standard Range Imaging (SRI) handheld scanner is suited for package handling and tracking, warehouse, shipping and receiving, manufacturing shop floor, and other applications. Ergonomic industrial design exhibits shock-resistance and is sealed against water and dust ingress. Cordless bar code scanner offers read rates to 500 scans/sec and has base station with multiple interface architecture.

********************
EUGENE, Ore., Jan. 3 - PSC Inc., an international market leader in data-collection technology, is proud to announce the expansion of the successful PowerScan(R) industrial scanner series with the introduction of the PowerScan(R) 7000BT Standard Range Imaging (SRI) handheld scanner. This new cordless model builds upon the same reliable, industry leading technology used in the PowerScan(R) 7000 SRI scanner and the PowerScan(R) 7000 2D Imager, both announced earlier this year.

For industrial users who need a high performance, rugged and durable cordless handheld bar code scanner, the PSC PowerScan 7000BT standard range linear imaging scanner offers best-in-class performance and features. It is perfect for package handling and tracking, warehouse applications, shipping and receiving, manufacturing shop floor and other demanding applications - both indoors and out.
“With read rates of up to 500 scans per second, and industry leading standard range depth-of-field, the PowerScan 7000BT SRI scanner offers the improved snappiness, enhanced durability and extended reliability of a linear imaging scanner,” said Nick Tabet, PSC’s Vice President of Handheld Scanning. “With direct connectivity to a wide variety of devices using Bluetooth(R) wireless technology, this high performance scanner provides great application flexibility and unsurpassed value.”

Key product features include an ergonomic industrial design; industry leading shock-resistance, water and dust sealing; high performance reading of 1D symbologies and PDF-417; connectivity to a wide array of Bluetooth(R) wireless technology enabled devices; and a base station with multiple interface architecture.

About PSC Inc.

PSC Inc., a subsidiary of Datalogic S.p.A., is a global provider of automatic data-capture technology, products and services. PSC leads the market with flexible, responsive customer service and innovative equipment. PSC products and services support multiple industries throughout the supply chain/distribution channel including retail, manufacturing, transportation, logistics and warehousing sectors.

The 1,200-store Ritz Camera chain wants to let customers drop off film without having to slow down and thinks RFID-enabled contactless payments are picture perfect. With competitors including Wal-Mart moving in, this specialty retailer is stressing expertise and getting people in and out quickly.

Vice President of Information Systems Bob O’Hern (Ritz doesn’t have a CIO, but he acts in that capacity) said he likes the RFID capabilities within a contactless payment system, but doesn’t yet see its value in his supply chain.

Back-office use of RFID to track inventory “is still evolving, still several years away,” O’Hern said in an eWEEK.com interview. “We are still in a wait-and-see mode.”
But it’s a very different story with payment. The RFID functionality there is much more limited, with the wireless component acting as little more than as a translator. It wirelessly grabs payment data from a chip embedded into a credit card held six or fewer inches away. The reader then translates the data so that the chain’s traditional POS (point of sale) system is tricked into thinking it just scanned a bar code. After that, the POS transaction proceeds normally.

When the card data is seen by the reader, it still requires a clerk to take an action to charge the card, which is to prevent a charge against a RFID-enabled card that is accidentally seen by a reader. O’Hern said Ritz does not currently plan on deploying self-checkout lanes, so a clerk should always be there to prevent accidental charges.
Test trials have “gone well,” and the readers have proven “very accurate,” O’Hern said. “It’s really a nonissue from a systems standpoint. It appears the way it would if it had been swiped.”

Traditionally, contactless payment systems are used to accelerate payments by anywhere from 20 seconds to about a minute. That can make a huge difference for businesses where speed is critical—such as at a convenience store chain like 7-Eleven or a quick-service restaurant such as McDonald’s—but little difference at a clothing store or a car dealership where the actual swiping accounts for a minuscule portion of the transaction time.

Ritz customers, however, fall into two camps, and some of the larger Ritz stores even split those two camps into separate checkout lanes. The first camp is the one where customers just want to pick up new film or pick up or drop off developed pictures. The second camp purchases cameras and photographic equipment. Contactless payments are focused on the first group.

“In some of our stories, during peak seasons, the lines do get long,” O’Hern said. “Saving a few seconds on that does help.”

Like most specialty retailers today, Ritz has come under intense pressure from everyone from local family-owned camera stores to national electronics chains. Even supermarkets and the ever-present Wal-Mart are now selling and developing photos.

“We’re in a phenomenally competitive environment. Today, you can buy digital cameras anywhere,” O’Hern said. “We are a specialty retailer. We have to have the expertise, and we have to get people in and out quick.”

The major credit card companies have been aggressively pushing contactless payments as a way to differentiate themselves from each other—although, ironically, most are trying to differentiate themselves in seemingly identical ways—and to boost the size of typical purchases, which increases their fees.

American Express, for example, has been saying that average transactions are 30 percent larger with their contactless payment systems compared with cash purchases. But it is unclear how contactless payment system purchases compare with those from non-contactless credit cards, which would seem the more logical comparison.

Discover has also been working with contactless payments as well as some biometric options—fingerprint mostly—that try to achieve similarly convenient results. A finger scan is slightly more intrusive than a credit card scan, but a consumer doesn’t have to go into a pocket or purse to pull out a finger. It’s always—no pun intended—handy.

At Ritz, O’Hern has been working with American Express, Visa and MasterCard on various contactless payment trials for the last year. “To be honest, the credit card [firms] are moving in the direction of contactless payment,” he said. “We want to move with them.”

The American Express contactless payment system that Ritz is evaluating is called ExpressPay, and American Express officials are quick to point out that it adheres to ISO 14443, which is the interoperable standard that the major credit card firms have been using for contactless deployments. Beyond Ritz, ExpressPay is currently being evaluated by Fry’s (Kroger), Carl’s Jr., Blimpie Subs & Salads, Dairy Queen, Cold Stone Creamery and Schlotzsky’s Deli, an American Express statement said.

JETT eye is Two Technologies’ latest addition to its line of customizable hand-held computers. It integrates a bar-code reader with a 5 MP (4 MP processed) digital camera. The bar-code reader reads at up to 8.25 inches with excellent depth-of-field (according to the manufacturer). The digital camera features an ultra-bright LED light source and IR coated optics. The unit runs on the Windows CD .NET 5.0 operating system with an Intel XScale 624 MHz processor, 128 MB SDRAM and can store up to 8 GB of data. It is designed to support the most widely used bar-code standards, is IP65 rated against ingress of dust and moisture, and is equipped with RS-232 and USB ports. It also features built-in Bluetooth and WLAN (802.11 b) wireless technology, and a 320×240 sunlight-readable touch screen display. Two Technologies Inc., Horsham, Pa.

Socket Communications Inc.’s Cordless Hand Scanner now supports Symbian OS Series 60 and 80 smartphones from Nokia. The scanner connects to the phones using Bluetooth wireless technology, and lets users scan bar code data directly into any application on the phone. The scanner features a Class 1 Bluetooth radio and a built-in touchscreen stylus tip to facilitate one-handed use.

Multiple laser, omni directional Axiom X(TM) reads high density bar codes at rates to 1,120 scans/sec. Bar code reader provides serial, Ethernet TCP/IP, UDP, and EtherNet/IP(TM) connectivity and can be networked using client/controller configuration. Installation is facilitated by utilizing modular scan head, wiring base, and parameter storage module, and included AXCESS(TM) software enables configuration and monitoring of readers from anywhere in facility.

********************

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (August 28, 2006) - AXIOM-X(TM), the most innovative and reliable bar code scanner, from Accu-Sort Systems is now available in a version that can read challenging high-density bar codes without the need for complex, time-consuming focusing steps. The decode software has also been improved to reduce the number of no reads, even in the most demanding applications.
The improved reading capacity and enhanced software allow AXIOM-X to be used in a broader range of applications and provide the highest read rates for all possible bar code densities. The improvements make AXIOM-X the most advanced omni directional laser bar code scanner available today while still providing the lowest total cost of ownership with a maintenance-free design.

AXIOM-X is a versatile, multiple laser, omni directional bar code reader providing the largest depth of field and transport coverage available in a single scanner. Its scan rate of 1120 scans/second ensures the highest possible read rates on both good and poor quality codes. Most applications require only a single scan head, saving the cost and complexity associated with a multiple scan head solution.

“The addition of the new high-density version extends the AXIOM-X product line so that we can read all possible bar codes available,” said Mike Bosha, product manager for Accu-Sort. “Now, AXIOM-X scanners can be used in any conceivable omni directional bar code reading application.”

All AXIOM-X bar code scanners provide flexible connectivity. They come standard with serial, Ethernet TCP/IP, UDP and EtherNet/IP(TM) connectivity, eliminating the need for costly converters. Scanners are easily networked together using a standard client/controller configuration. This eliminates the need for an additional multiplexer or other peripherals, significantly cutting the time required to set-up and install tunnel configurations.

AXIOM X high-density bar code scanners can be used in a variety of industries, including parcel distribution, retail/wholesale distribution, airline baggage handling and tire manufacturing. AXIOM-X easily handles applications such as multisided arrays, high-speed parcel sortation, high-speed material handling and manufacturing.

Installation is simplified through the use of a modular scan head and wiring base. This along with the parameter storage module allows for fast, simple installation and replacement. “Just replace the scan head on the wiring base, push a button on the AXIOM-X and the parameters are automatically downloaded,” Bosha said. “You are ready to read in the matter of minutes with a minimum of downtime.”

AXIOM-X bar code scanners are bundled with AXCESS(TM) software, which provides a simple way to configure and monitor AXIOM-X readers from anywhere in the facility. The AXIOM product continues to prove itself in the field by delivering the highest performance and reliability of any laser bar code scanner available. “With thousands of units already installed, the new AXIOM-X high density version is another quality Accu-Sort product ready for any application,” said Bosha.

Some companies deal in designing bar code labels and selling them to other establishments. These bar code label manufacturers print both preprinted and custom designed labels according to the specifications provided by the ordering company.

Preprinted labels are ready to use labels that are sold in the market. They are available in bundles of 100, 250, 500, etc. Bar code label manufacturers create preprinted labels with technologies such as reflective printing or photocomposition. Photocomposition is an expensive process, but it produces almost authentic and high quality bar codes. Bar code labels made by photocomposition are sold at higher prices than reflective labels. Companies that do not have their own bar coding equipment buy bundles of them from the market for their use.

Manufacturers also customize bar code labels according to the requirements from the ordering company. They can change the size, color, numerical and alphabetical information, nature of the bar coding, etc. as the ordering company suggests. Information such as name of the company, date of shipment or loading, location, etc. is mentioned on customized bar code labels if needed. Manufacturers use specialized software to design the labels.

Naturally, bar code label manufacturers use high-end equipment to manufacture their labels in bulk. Several companies rely upon bar code manufacturers to buy their labels as it not only saves them money, but also time and manpower.

Computers, scanners and printers are all used in conjunction to design, test and print labels. Sequential numbers are provided on the labels so that they can be used to manage inventory. If desired, manufacturers will also place information in the form of alphabetical and numerical codes on the labels.

Bar code label manufacturers also sell other things such as nameplates, location tags, sealing tags and bar code scanners and printers.

An establishment that does not have its own bar coding equipment, but still wishes to have its own design for a bar code, can think of customizing bar code labels. Many companies specialize in designing custom bar code labels that depend on the requirements of their clients. They can produce bar codes in any number, big or small.

Manufacturers of custom bar codes use bar code software to design unique labels based on specifications from the ordering company. The ordering company decides the size of the bar code label. The bar code manufacturer can give some color options that will be finalized by the ordering company. The same is done with the material of the bar code label. Plastic, paper, laminates and aluminum are some of the options given by bar code label manufacturers.

After this, bar code software is used to make the actual format of the bar code label, which is also called a template. This template will have all the details given by the ordering company. Some companies insist their company names be printed on each bar code label. Other information that can be filled in is the name of the item that will be affixed.

Many security measures can be provided by companies to their bar code labels. The material of the bar code can be metal or vinyl, both resistant to chemicals and heavy pressure. Some labels are also made tamper-proof.

Customized bar code labels are sold in bulk amounts to ordering companies. It becomes relatively cheaper to order a larger number of labels. The price of the labels depends on each specification that needs to be printed on the bar code label. Bar code manufacturers may also deliver customized bar code labels within 24 hours in express deliveries.