Sometimes our sales people feel like proud parents when dealing with certain customers.  Often, these blossoming businesses call RACO Industries with basic needs like a single product or a few boxes of labels or printer ribbon.  Down the road, we help with eventual growing pains with product upgrades as well as hardware and software integration.  When they're ready for the big time, we'll be standing by to help their company take off.

Like the time we received an order from a small company in Kentucky that produces roller bearings for the railroad industry.  Our relationship started a few years ago with a simple order for an Intermec PM4i industrial printer and some media supplies.  They were hand writing inventory orders and reports and, based on the size of their operation, that was fine.  For a while.

We've heard from this company again recently as they are now thinking about expanding their use of bar codes into tracking their products as they’re put on trucks going out of their facility.  They use QuickBooks and would like to generate some reports to make their manufacturing/record keeping more streamlined and efficient. They know they can do much more with an automated system.  They just need some direction in figuring out what exactly they can do with bar codes and data collection.   So they came to us.  Again.

Our solution for them this time is a Z-Space Inventory Management multi-user license with QuickBooks Interface powered by a couple of wifi-enabled Intermec CK3 mobile computers that work great inside the four walls.

This solution is working well for them for now.  But as they grow and evolve, their needs will change.  When that happens, they know they can pick up the phone, dial 1-800-446-1991, and talk to a product specialist about how to overcome the next major challenge their business faces.

For more than three and a half decades, barcode scanners have done a great job reading codes off of paper, boxes, and lots of other objects.  Now this technology faces a new challenge: scanning images of barcodes on screens like those on phones and other mobile devices.  Outdated scanners can't handle this new twist but an emerging number of products, such as the Datalogic GBT 4400, can.  See for yourself:

The next time you need to scan  a barcode like those available on MobileCoupons.com, there are a number of CCD and imager scanners that will read a bar code on a phone or mobile device such as the Code Corp CR1200, Honeywell 3800gHD, Motorola DS3400, RACO TK-3488, and more.

If you'd like to learn more about scanning barcodes on mobile devices, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

We've talked a few times in this space about services we offer for companies that NEED them.  Whether it's federally mandated or required to keep business afloat, many of our solutions can fulfill necessary needs  for your company.  But we offer many services that can streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, and improve your bottom line.  You don't have to wait until things are dire before calling us in to help.

For example, a large hospital pharmacy wanted stand-alone kiosk ticket machines in 120 locations across the country.  This unique application would allow them to track the time it takes to fill a prescription from the moment the customer drops it off to the time it is filled. The customer would go to a mobile kiosk, push a button that would print their ticket (complete with barcode and timestamp), and take this and a prescription to the drop-off counter.  The ticket is scanned then as well as when the customer returns and the transaction is closed.  All the information about the prescription is aggregated and various reports can be produced based on the numbers.

There is a lot of information recorded during this process and it can easily be overwhelming.  But our application streamlines all the data and easily shows statistics like overall average usage per day, peak times, hour by hour, week by week, day by day, and more as well as being able to compare with other locations as they bring them aboard.  Having this data can really help the pharmacy in terms of scheduling employees, comparing location performance, creating benchmarks, and improving the filling process.  This kiosk and the custom application created by RACO Industries gives the pharmacy the tools to do that.

Whether you are in need of adding a crucial data collections solution or just looking to tune-up your business, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

We've talked before about whether rugged or non-rugged mobile computers should be considered for certain situations. Sure, going cheap sounds good for your bottom line.  But if the cheap model doesn't do what you want or can't handle the rigors of the task at hand, is the "cheap" alternative really saving you money?  Whether it's a mobile printer, computer, or phone, you're probably better off assuming it's going to run into some rough handling, weather, or conditions at some point.

We aren't the only one who's saying this.  One of VDC's Mobile & Wireless Predictions For 2011 is that "Rugged Becomes Relevent... Again"

What is significant here is that enterprises are taking note of failure rates, especially as they look to mobile devices to support an ever expanding suite of workflows among their mobile workforce. Device cost of ownership — including post-deployment support costs and the costs of device failure — is again a top-of-mind mobile investment criterion.

So if you go cheap, you may need to budget some of your "savings" towards a replacement model or two. 

To determine if rugged mobile computers are right for you and your workforce, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

Mobile field professionals have another choice in the field of ruggedized PDAs: the Intermec CS40.  The durable smartphone is a lightweight, professional-looking, voice-enabled device. It can handles the rigors of life on the road with an IP54 rating and the ability to withstand 4-foot drops to concrete. It can handle most jobs that require light to medium scanning and signature capture.  Look for yourself:

Keep reading the RACO Pulse for more on this emerging class of mobile devices.  Contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991 to make sure your mobile workers have the right tools in the field.

We often hear from small businesses who are ready to expand their company.  However, antiquated processes and redundant paperwork are preventing the desired growth.  For example, we were contacted by a medical waste disposal company who currently is a two-truck operation who is looking to add about two dozen more. But there is no way they can continue to do what they do now with that many additional employees and materials to track. 

We proposed a custom version of Z-Space's Ready-To-Go Asset Tracking solution with QuickBooks interface.  This allows the user to track common activities of assets:

• Receipt of new assets
• Retirements
• Move between locations
• Physical ‘count’

When their drivers pick up the service containers in health facilities, the field workers scan their location (with a device like a Motorola MC55 or an Intermec CN50 mobile computer), capture a time-stamped signature, and can be tracked by GPS.  The containers are uniquely identified and will be tracked from the time they are received through the process of being delivered and picked up at their customers’ sites, through the sterilization process (and back into inventory) or until they are incinerated.  The collected data will be maintained in a SQL Express database on a central PC/Server.  This allows the company to eliminate redundant data entry & cumbersome paperwork, while streamlining their processes to allow them to expand their business.

To learn how you can eliminate paperwork and acquire tools and solutions to help you grow, contact a product specialist at 1-800-446-1991.

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.