Apple’s new tablet PC, the iPad, is beginning to make waves not only in the portable computer market, but in the realm of barcode scanning, as well.  Two products, in particular, are taking advantage of the popularity and usefulness of what some consider to be a revolutionary device.

The first of these products is the OPN 2002 iPad Companion Scanner from Opticon Mobility Solutions, which is a compact and affordable barcode laser scanner with iPad compatibility.  The Bluetooth-enabeld memory scanner combines convenient barcode data collection with flexible communication options.

Then Socket Mobile Inc. announced their Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner 7X and its counterpart, the CHS 7XRx are also iPad compatible. “We see a lot of potential for the need to add barcode scanning to the iPad, particularly in the healthcare sector where barcode scanning is used in applications such as medication administration, patient ID verification, material management and pharmacy logistics,” said Samantha Chu, data collection product manager at Socket Mobile.

As the tablet computer grows in popularity, we should be seeing more and more devices help iPad users gather information with barcode scanners.  To learn more about what scanners can work with your iPad, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

Datalogic Scanning is celebrating a major milestone and you can get in on the fun.  On April 30th, they produced their one-millionth Magellan Bi-Optic Scanner.  Bill Parnell, President and CEO of Datalogic Scanning, celebrated this event proclaiming, “It is a major accomplishment for the company, and one that will be marked by celebrations and customer recognition worldwide.”

Those celebratory festivities are already in full force with the “Thanks a Million” World Tour, a year-long event which has the historical millionth scanner making appearances at events and trade shows all across the globe. The tour officially kicked off on May 10th at FMI 2010 (the largest food industry event in North America) in Las Vegas and the remainder of the tour includes locations in Mexico, Italy, Costa Rica, France, China, and more, where event participants can see the scanner in action, as well as receive an exclusive Datalogic Magellan World Tour t-shirt. 

This event marks a long-coming milestone, as the brand began its long journey in 1994 when the first Magellan scanner was released. Now an industry standard, the original Magellan scanner was one of the first to feature 360-degree scanning technology, fitting for a product whose namesake was the first explorer to lead an expedition around the world. Since then, the brand has spawned eight different models, including the most recent Magellan 8500Xt, and has been shipped or sold to 97 different countries worldwide.

RACO Industries is joining forces with Mincron Software Systems to provide its customers with a comprehensive package of ruggedized mobile devices, wireless infrastructure and a robust warehouse management software application to simplify the return on their Warehouse Management solution.   Houston-based Mincron is a premier supplier of distribution and warehouse software solutions.
 
“This new partnership displays our mutual interest in improving both of our customers’ operations and bottom lines," says Don Mech, RACO's VP of Business Development. "RACO Industries specializes in integrating the hardware solution based on the specific requirements of the Mincron software solution and the customer. This integration provides immediate benefits of rapid implementation, cost savings and a quick return on ROI.”
 
Wendy Berger, Chief Operating Officer of Mincron Software Systems stated, “We constantly look for quality products and services that augment our software suite. Our partnership with RACO Industries promises to allow us to offer an even better work experience to our customers.”

To benefit from our new partnership, contact a product specials at 1-800-446-1991.

RACO Industries is now one of just a handful of Motorola partners certified to provide Motorola Direct Part Marking scanners to our client base.  DPM is the method of applying a permanant, non-destructable mark directly onto an item.  DPM allows a company to meet federal traceability requirements throughout the manufacturing process. 

To increase worker productivity, streamline data collection, and improve accuracy and quality DPM Readers read a wide variety of marks such as dot peening, laser etching, molding, and casting methods on surfaces such as metal, plastic & glass. This process is ideal for automotive, aerospace, electronics, healthcare, and other manufacturing industries.  Direct Part Marking allows you to track, monitor, and manage parts throughout the life of your product.  To increase worker productivity, streamline data collection, and improve accuracy and quality, consider current and future Motorola products like:

• MT20x0
• DS3508-DP (corded)
• DS3578-DP (cordless BT or Wi-Fi)
• MS4407DPM
• MS6707-DP (hospital use)
• MC70-DPM
• MC3090-DPM
• MC9090-DPM 

In order to be certified by Motorola, RACO Industries had to show proof of experience with DPM or Automation and Manufacturing solutions and have a technician participate in the onsite DPM Product Technical Instructor-led course.  The dot-peening card above was made by our very own Jack Grimes during training.

Take advantage of our DPM knowledge and contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991 to learn more about Motorola Direct Part Marking products.

I had a chance to go to a local business recently which was having a print & apply solution installed to help their upscale printing business.  The printing system automatically creates a barcode label, applies it to the desired product, and scans it to ensure the barcode is readable.  Thanks to the tamp blow applicator, the flexible tamp doesn’t even touch the object as it applies the label. This accurate and reliable unit will not provide a professional image on its products, it will save this company production time and labor costs.  The machine media supply provides extended hours of service and will even generate multiple alerts if the supplies are running low.  Here you can see a similar product in action:

Each print & apply system is customizable to fit the precise needs of your assembly line.  We also create software to help manage the system and get it running the way you want.  Contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991 to learn about print and apply solutions and how it could help your assembly line run better.

RACO Industries will have a presence at the same-day delivery industry's largest meeting and trade show next week in Las Vegas.   At the Messenger Courier Association of America’s annual meeting, we’ll be showing off our Package Tracking Solution with such great features as:

• Mobile Computer & Accessories
• Push to Talk Service
• SOTI Mobile Device Management
• Unlimited Data
• OMS Data Management Service
• SIM Provisioning
• GPS Location

For an industry that revolves around speed, security, tracking, signature captures, specialization & individualization of services, and committed delivery times, our solution can be tailor-made to suit any courier’s needs.  To learn more, stop by our booth at the MCAA annual meeting or contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

RACO Card Solutions, a leading provider of card-printing hardware, software, and accessories, is proud to announce it has joined the Advantage HID Channel Partner program.  This exclusive association is a network of distributors, security integrators, photo ID dealers, and resellers committed to working with HID Global to guarantee the integrity of the Genuine HID value chain.  Becoming an Advantage HID Channel partner allows RACO Card Solutions to extend and enhance the HID Global customer experience in product quality, delivery and service through a unique set of value-added customer and channel partner advantages.

“We have worked hard to earn the trust of our customers and partners so we are very honored to be recognized by HID,” says RACO Card Solutions’s Patti Jones.  “Becoming an Advantage HID Channel Partner is a privilege that will allow us to work with HID in order to provide their quality products to our customers.”

To benefit from the Advantage HID Channel Partner program, contact a RACO Card Solutions specialist at 1-866-940-7226.

Part of the fun of creating videos of the products and services offered by RACO Industries is recruiting my co-workers to participate.  Normally, it’s simply being a hand model to operate devices such as a mobile computer, barcode scanner, or label printer.  But Product Control Manager Tina went above and beyond the call of duty.  She actually put a Paxar Dissolvx Label in her mouth to demonstrate how the unique label with biodegradable adhesive will dissolve completely within seconds.

As you can see, the Dissolvx labels completely vanish when immersed in tap water.  Clean-up time is cut down and bacteria-harboring adhesive build-up & residue is eliminated.  If your business is constantly relabeling food containers, contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991 to learn about a safe and efficient solution: the Paxar Dissolvx labels.

A product recall can be one of the worst events that can happen to a company.  A business loses production costs, assumes the logistical expense of recalling the potentially-flawed units, the expense of returns, and absorbs negative publicity.  We recently worked with a large meat packing company who realized the risk exposure and contacted RACO to greatly reduce their vulnerability in this worse case scenario.  RACO arranged for an on-site assessment of the company’s processes so they could more accurately determine the source of a potential contaminate and diminish the amount of meat that would have to be recalled.  We proposed the TWLot Lot Tracking system with enhancements to handle their unique inventory control requirements.

Lot tracking, or lot traceability, is the process of tracking inventory by lot number through the manufacturing and distribution processes.  This will allow you to follow what ingredients went into which batch and where the final product ended up.  If something were to go wrong, the company will now be able to isolate a small defective lot instead of having to go through a line-wide recall.  Taking on that kind of substantial expense can be devastating for a company and can be prevented by taking action now.

RACO Lot Tracking is a fully-automated wireless data capture solution that tracks all of a company’s component assemblies through shipping to give you instant real-time access to your traceability data.  With the busy season approaching, Toolworx installed the lot-tracking software; RACO provided scaled integration and the hardware to get the job done in the form of Windows mobile devices and wireless smart printers from Intermec Technologies with a wireless infrastructure from Cisco Systems.

Lot traceability is applicable to any manufacturer as it allows a company to minimize their exposure to a product recall or product defect investigation.  Other batch processors (like food, cosmetics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc.) would also be a perfect fit for our lot tracking system.

RACO and its business partner provided the software, hardware, and integration needed to solve this company’s problem.  A minimal investment now protects your company and reduces the potential expense of a worst case scenario like a recall down the road.  We can do the same for you.  Call RACO Industries today at 1-800-446-1991 to get started on the solution your business needs.

The unique Bluebird BIP-1300 is an all-in-one handheld mobile device which incorporates a barcode scanner, magnetic stripe reader, thermal printer, CMOS camera and IC card reader into a single tool.  The device is perfect for Field Sales & Service, Retail, Logistics, Hospitality & Entertainment or any other mobile point of sale application.  It works great in the field thanks to full radio capabilities (CDMA-1X or EVDO, GSM-EDGE), Wifi (802.11b/g), Linear Imager, 2M pixels CMOS Camera, and Windows Mobile 5.0 or Win CE 5.0 operating system. 

We were excited to hear that this device was recently PTCRB certified which means it’s approved to be on the RACO Wireless network.  Any device that has a cellular modem in them have to have PTCRB certification as one of the requirements to use it on any carrier’s network.  With the help of RACO Wireless, we can get you a Bluebird and activate service for this impressive all-in-one device.  Just contact a RACO product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.