Move from your manual method of Work in Progress reporting to an automated process. RACO Industries recently proposed a solution to a manufacturing facility was looking to improve their slow, manual method to an efficient, automated process. Ten manufacturing lines produce around 10,000 items a day that need to checked for quality, quantity, and accuracy. Right now, that’s being done by hand. This company, already a RACO customer, came to us to help them eliminate the repetitive data entry and create a streamlined procedure.

Our solution is an application that begins by scanning a barcoded work order at a kiosk unit (such as Motorola’s MK500 Micro Kiosk) and entering a part number. The device then prompts the user to answer a series of questions through a customized menu on the display. The worker inputs the answers and moves on. The company is expecting an increase in accuracy of over 50%. The system can be improved even moreso by voice enabling the menu on a mobile computer.

If you have a Work-In-Process in which products or parts of a product must go through some type of special testing or customization and you’d like to improve your WIP reporting, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

Are you in need of fast, economical custom labels? Colorful labels of quality without an intimidating cost? Or maybe you need only a few high-quality custom labels for a special short-run promotion or project? If any of these scenarios apply to you, then take a look at RACO’s brand new custom digital label service. Our digital press features near-photographic quality, a wide spectrum of colors, and the procedure is totally painless and completely customizable. Whether you need one color or a thousand, the price doesn’t change, and we even offer a variety of specialty materials for label printing, including polyester, paper, synthetics, or tag stock. Your label can take the shape of a traditional square or rectangle, or a circle, oval, or specialty shape if you choose. We also do variable printing, perforations, different wind positions, protective coatings and more. The possibilities are endless, giving you the chance to make a label that matches exactly what you want.

The process of creating and ordering your label is made easy by our very own Custom Label Tool, which gives you a listing of all the options and variables you’ll need to create your label. Colors, label size, shape, material, coating, perforation, proof type, and other features are all available with the click of your mouse, and the price is updated for you as you go along. Once your order is received by us at RACO, we will contact you about your order and even send you a proof of your label for review before we receive your billing information.

Check out the product page for RACO’s custom labels, where you can learn more about this service and begin your own order with the Custom Label Tool. If you’re still not convinced of the quality of these labels, please feel free to check out our custom label samples.

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.

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.

March is National Frozen Food Month and we’d like to celebrate by highlighting some of the products and services available to those that brave the cold storage units all year round.  LXE has a number of computers, scanners, and handheld data capture devices that can withstand frigid temperatures down to -22 degrees.  Heated screens, conformal coated internal electronics, specialized batteries, allow these devices to go where others can’t.

LXE’s robust freezer-rated line-up includes wearable, handheld, and vehicle-mounted products that are built from the ground up to handle freezing conditions.  For more information about LXE’s line of freezer-rated devices, contact RACO Industries at 1-800-446-1991 or visit us at www.racoindustries.com.

At RACO Industries, we pride ourselves on using technology, information, and mobile devices to help save you money.  Now we’ve taken it to another level with  MobileCoupons.com.  With this application, you can access thousands of money-saving coupons on your mobile phone.  It’s a great idea that people are starting to talk about, including many news outlets.  WCPO-TV Reporter Larry Shields stopped by our offices to learn more about MobileCoupons.com and also one of the businesses using MobileCoupons.com to target dead times in their restaurants.

And WCPO isn’t the only one to notice.  News 9 in Oklahoma City also included us in a segment on the mobile coupons trend.  These are just the first of many as MobileCoupons.com is adding more businesses and more deals each and every day.  Consumers can find coupon offers easily on their iPhone, Mobile Web, Internet, and the Android and can even share the savings with social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter.  And for merchants, MobileCoupons.com is a great way to market and promote your business to consumers via specials & coupons.

Find out why MobileCoupons.com is a Phone Full Of Savings by downloading our iPhone app, going to the Android Market, visiting m.mobilecoupons.com on your cell phone, or going to our website http://www.mobilecoupons.com/.

Retransfer Technology has revolutionized card printing by allowing you to print full color, full bleed images with better quality and less wear and tear on your printer.  The process prints onto a laminate film instead of the card itself.  The old way would have the printhead come into direct contact with the card which would cut down on the printer’s  lifespan.  Instead, the laminate film is thermally bonded to the card so you get photo-quality results all the way to the edge of the card.
Retransfer Technology is ideal for:
• ID and access control cards
• Government-issued driver’s licenses
• National ID and voter registration cards
• ATM, credit, or smart cards
• Personalized gift, membership, and loyalty cards
• Smart cards in travel, gaming, and entertainment
Using Retransfer Technology can save you time and money while consistently producing high quality cards.
Call RACO Card Solutions today at 866-940-7226  to talk to a product specialist to learn more about Retransfer Technology and how it can be applied to your business

When the first commercial barcode scan in history occurred in the summer of 1974, probably no one expected that barcodes would one day be used not only as an invaluable tool for inventory management, but also to create art. Within the past several years, creative people all over the world have been using barcodes in their work. What was once a ubiquitous symbol for our consumer culture, has become a means of creative expression for anyone from starving artists to modern furniture designers.

Take the most famous person in the field of barcode art, Scott Blake, whose unique portraits of famous and historical figures made entirely out of barcodes have garnered massive attention from the creative community. His works include the portraits of Oprah, Bill Gates, and Ozzy Osbourne.  Many of Blake’s portraits are even constructed from barcodes relating to that person’s life or work. His likeness of Bruce Lee, for example, uses the barcodes from the DVDs of ten different movies starring the late martial artist. Blake even makes flipbooks of his portraits containing an animation that zooms in on the piece, allowing his audience to see the actual barcodes in detail. All of these portraits, among other works, can be found on Scott Blake’s website where prints of his works can be purchased, as well as personalized barcode t-shirts, patches, and even temporary tattoos.

The corporate world is also starting to take advantage of the barcode’s artistic potential. Japanese firm D-Barcode, for example, has been jazzing up grocery store products all over Japan with their interesting and creative new barcode designs, such as the ones pictured below.  As yo can see, the designs are simple in concept, but detailed and charming enough to prompt someone to go product hunting and start a collection.

Even modern Russian architects are realizing the creative possibilities that the barcode presents:

Truly, the appeal of the barcode is so widespread, its applications in the creative field are limitless.  As practical as the concept is to the business world, it is proving to be almost as handy to the art world.

For over half a century, the Walt Disney Company has used cutting-edge technology to create the best theme park experience possible.  Some recent rumors suggest RFID is at the center of current upgradesThe Disney Blog speculates that with the help of an RFID tag on a guest (or in their ticket), their Disney experience could be made even more unique.

In its most basic form it would be Winnie the Pooh saying your name in the attraction. But the technology allows Disney to do some really amazing things too. Fast Pass? A thing of the past. Via RFID Disney now knows exactly when you entered the queue, how many people are in the queue, and how fast the attraction is loading. Care to register your preferences? Disney can know if enough people who prefer a certain type of entertainment are in an area and dispatch that band to play. This just scratches the surface too.

RFID is currently being used at Disney parks to help you cut back on all the clutter you have to bring with you and be able to find everyone you came in with:

The versatility of RFID allows the guest experience to be significantly enhanced, providing an all-in-one solution. The cashless payment solution can be linked to the ticketless RFID device, along with hotel room access, lockers, guest demographics, and even a guest’s personal preferences.

RFID is also being employed at many locations for guest tracking and child locating. Using an external interface, parents, children, and groups can locate the members of their party via kiosks or handheld devices.And parkgoers overseas won’t miss out on the chance to use technology to improve their experience.  Disneyland Paris is planning on opening a portal of mobile information quickly and easily accessible with a mobile device.  By scanning a two-dimensional smart bar code, the parkgoer can get “up-to-date information in real-time throughout the visit for show times, special restaurant and gift shops offers, and more.”  To learn how RFID and barcode solutions can bring some magic to your business, contact RACO Industries at 1-800-446-1991 or visit us at www.racoindustries.com.