The RACO Technical Services Manager spent some time this week demonstrating the proper way to calibrate a Zebra Thermal Printer.  Proper calibration can improve the performance and quality of your printer and will help cut down on the number of technical service calls.

It will be interesting to see how application developers incorporate barcoding technology into mobile applications, specifically those targeted to consumers.  We have already seen exciting applications released by Sprint and Ticketmaster and last week American Airlines announced that it was giving its customers the option of using mobile boarding passes for all flights leaving Chicago's O'Hare airport.  The mobile boarding pass consists of a 2-D barcode scanned directly off of the passenger's cellphone or Blackberry.

The solution is elegant.  Passengers check in for a flight on the airline's website and select an option to receive the mobile boarding pass.  The passenger then receives an email with an internet link pointing to the unique barcode containing the flight information.  The passenger can then present the barcode at security checkpoints at the airport.  In addition to eliminating paper waste, the solution is more secure and will cut down on the number of lost paper boarding passes.  There is no word yet on whether or not American plans to expand the service to other airports.

UPS announced last week that the company will continue to deploy the HP sp400 all-in-one handheld wireless scanner/printer  to its shipping centers.  The device uses a revolutionary quick drying ink that allows users to scan barcodes and print sorting information directly on packages.  The device not only enables UPS to scan, track and process shipments more efficiently, but it will also save the company $30 million by 2013 and help save the environment by eliminating the need for 1,338 tons of paper annually.  The sp400 also eliminates the need for a large thermal printer, a PC and a monitor - freeing up valuable warehouse space.

So how does the device work?  Simply point the device at a 1D or 2D barcode, send the scan data to a backend computer system via integrated Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and "roll" the device along  plain paper, specialty paper, packing tape, or the package itself to instantly print additional information associated with the scan.  See it in action here:

Our Client
A small Midwest container company has 100 roll-off box/ containers that are leased/rented and delivered to construction sites throughout their region.  

The Pain
• Where are my containers?
• When are they coming back? Each container cost roughly 5K and I am not sure where ½ are at any one time. The Secondary Pain and addition desired ROI
• Can you help with Increasing asset utilization
• Can you help with Real Time Visibility
• Can you help me Lower Diesel / Fuel Cost by reducing deadheading
Deadheading=Traveling without a load back to home terminal

Whether due to personnel or lack of established business processes delivered equipment often get missed at check-out. Manual equipment check-in/check-out procedures are prone to errors and delays. Equipment is sometimes “lost” in the field due to not knowing where or who it was delivered to. An automated check-in/check-out procedure can significantly increase accuracy and prevent loss of equipment. Yet, not knowing where the items were sent to makes it difficult to hold customers accountable. Tracking of returnables starts not only with knowing how much inventory is in-house, but where it went, how long it’s been out, and when it returned.
 
The Cure     
Z-Space’s Solution Pack Check-In/Check-Out with GPS tracking.
 
The new established business process uses an Intermec CN3 the smallest, most advanced, rugged mobile computer in the world, the CN3 with integrated GPS and Bluetooth increases efficiency and safety by enabling turn-by-turn navigation. With 3G WAN users are connected with high-speed data (GSM/EDGE or CDMA/EV-DO) anywhere they go.
 
Now the driver rolls off the container, scans the container number and we automatically capture the GPS coordinates and display them on a user consol back in the home office.
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Now we are providing real time visibility to their assets, time and date stamping each transaction with the users ID. We now automatically start the lease/rental timer, when the timer goes off we change the status on the screen from green to red. This will notifying the consol operator of the need to schedule a return container job ticket. Now the console operator can coordinate the pickup with a container being dropped drop off., eliminating deadheading.

Bottom line the solution contained
• Z-Space Check in/Check out Multi-User Solution Pack
• 2 Intermec CN3 with accessories
• 2  T-Mobile Unlimited Data Only Plans
• Installation and Training

A great number of customers incorrectly assume that a barcode label printer must be connected to a dedicated desktop PC or corporate LAN in order to create and print labels.  The reality is, there are barcode label printers available that include built-in intelligence that allows an operator to produce labels without a PC or barcode label printing software.  These printers are called "Smart Printers."  Smart Printers accept user input from compatible keypads, scanners or mobile computers.  By eliminating the PC, companies can cut costs, save space and have the flexibility to deploy printers in environments that may not be suitable for typical desktop computers.  Most Smart Printers also support XML printing, a feature that allows organizations to quickly integrate the label printer with an existing corporate ERP system such as Oracle or SAP.  In the video presentation below, Jason Yoder introduces Intermec's Smart Printer functionality and demonstrates the technology:

Intermec offers several label printer models that include the Smart Printer feature, such as the PM4i and PX6i

It’s a lot harder to get lost these days. From easy to use consumer handheld products to integrated systems in a vehicle, the use of GPS navigation has improved our ability to get from point A to point B. Traditional GPS functions have also included the ability to track a vehicle anywhere within a few meters. Outside of directions and tracking, the benefits of GPS navigation have exponentially improved mobile worker productivity due to technology improvements in handheld devices, application software and wireless services.

By combining the traditional benefits of GPS with real-time data, companies that employ mobile workers can manage their assets via a computerized map and utilize them more effectively. Using this data can dynamically determine the best route, avoid areas that are under repair and provide real –time information where your workers and assets are at any time. Route data history or ‘bread crumbing’ can be analyzed for further route improvements and the determination of performance metrics. An additional benefit is the ability to track your assets inside or outside a specific geography. Known as geo-fencing, companies can now create virtual boundaries of where assets can and more importantly, can not go.

GPS Navigation Key Benefits include:

• Minimize inefficient routes
• Increase calls per day
• Reduce fuel consumption and vehicle wear & tear
• Decrease overtime requirements
• Track assets
• Identify personal activities
• Control driving behavior while improving safety
• Improve customer service

How have your employees performance been impacted the most by the use of a GPS Navigation system

By introducing GPS enabled ruggedized devices in typical mobile applications like Route Accounting, Field Service and Transportation, companies can greatly reduce its direct and indirect costs. So, a company will be able to shorten its return on investment to a few months while minimizing its overall liability.

Here are the five most common factors overlooked in wireless networks.

   ·         Wireless Infrastructure – What works at home is not intended to work commercially.  Production environments require much greater levels of dependability, availability, and mobility.  The basic rule is anything available at the department or office supply stores, is not intended for commercial use.  What they lack is a more rugged dependability, roaming capability, and a single point of configuration.

  ·         Placement of Access Ports – Take the high ground.  Whether 802.11b/g(2.4 GHz) or 802.11a (5.0 GHz), antennas need a good vantage point to effectively ensure Wi-Fi coverage.   Depending on the environment that a Wi-Fi network is in the signals will propagate differently.  For instance liquids and dense paper products will soak in and dampen radio signals, where metals will block and reflect.  Simply placing access points in the middle of each open area may well not be adequate.  

 ·         Channel Separation – A case of selective hearing.   If you turned on a radio and instead of hearing your favorite station, found yourself listening to all of the stations at once, it would be very difficult to filter out just the programming that you intended to hear.  In a multi access port environment, mobile devices can filter out anything sent from neighboring access ports through channel separation.   Below is a diagram of 802.11b/g channel separation.

Only three channels (represented in red) are able to be simultaneously used and remain completely separated.  These frequencies correspond to channels 1, 6, and 11.        

·         Antenna Selection – Fitting a square into a round hole.  Omni-directional antennas are the simplest to plan and deploy.

With a limited number of channels however, omni antennas can be difficult to deploy in environments that are more complex than a simple four wall rectangular shaped building.  When dealing with troublesome Wi-Fi elements, (metal, liquid) directional or patch antennas offer coverage that is far more dependable.

Clean Wi-Fi Network

I continue to be amazed by companies that will spend several thousand dollars for a barcode printer and place the unit in operation without explaining to the operator the proper care and maintenance of the printer’s most expensive component- the thermal print head. This consumable on average costs $450 and can reach upwards of $800 depending on the printer model. Don’t be caught looking in the trash bin at the harmonica sized piece of aluminum and glass that just cost you $500 to replace after just 2 months of use. See the samples below of a print head that is not properly cared for:

This can be avoided by a few easy steps and proper service. 

1)    Clean the print head and platen roller at every ribbon change with a lint free cloth and a 90% isopropyl solution. More frequently if the unit is operated in a dirty environment.

2)    Be sure to remove all rings or jewelry when working near the print head. If the glass etching gets scratched, remember you’ll be caught staring at the bottom of the garbage bin.

3)    Use approved media in your printing application. Operators frequently compensate for an improperly matched ribbon and label by increasing print head temperature or excessive head pressure which leads to premature failure of the thermal head.

4)    Be sure to keep your ribbons and labels wrapped and stored in a clean area before usage. It only takes a small piece of airborne dirt to attach to a ribbon and label and then pass under the print head to scratch the glass etching.

5)    Lastly, if you do need a print head replaced, be sure to have the printer serviced by a certified technician. Proper adjustments and thorough cleaning by a trained technician can extend the life of your print head.  For further information on print head care visit:  http://www.racoindustries.com/thermal-label-printer-cleaning.htm

Welcome to our first post to the RACO Industries blog – The RACO Pulse. We are excited to be able to communicate with our customers, partners and vendors in a more consistent, informative way. Our intention with this blog is to better communicate with you, whether it is related to the products we represent, the services we provide or technology and business trends in the wireless and data collection industry.

We intend to post frequently. Our blog postings will be from our experts in the Technical Services, Business Development and Product Development departments. We believe everyone has something to say every once in a while and now we have an avenue to say it. We will also be searching out other guest bloggers such as vendor representatives and industry experts – so if you want to make a post, just let us know. 

We hope that you find our blog to be useful in some way. And please, if you have something to say, please comment. Because it makes us better at what we do, we would enjoy reading your feedback. Please comment when you have an opinion, or just to let us know you were here. To be notified of new posts, subscribe to RSS feed or sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, which will provide links to the most popular blog postings of the month.

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