Datalogic roadshow
Submit On: 18-08-2010

David Sullivan, Datalogic's Vice President Global Sales and Marketing is touring Australia.  Josem Consulting attended the Melbourne event and was impressed with the firm's single mindedness at being the world's leading fixed data scanner supplier.

"How refreshing to see how well a firm understands its core purpose.  They're not being diverted to add mobile phone technology to their successful range of scanners, and the result is a product suite that delivers quick and flexible barcode scanning" said Julian Josem, Managing Director of specialist retail industry advisory firm, Josem Consulting.   

"They recognise their strength is in barcode data capture, and that will go a long way to deliver their core promise to bring about major positive impacts to both retailers and customers within a few years" he said.

Datalogic is promoting their evolving hand-held scanning product, the Gryphon, to retailers who require both 1D and 2D barcode reading capability via fixed or cordless devices.  The cordless unit allows smaller stores to have a single device that can be used for both stock taking and POS transaction scanning.  The Gryphon range incorprates Datalogic's unique "green spot" feature that gives direct feedback to the operator when valid barcodes are scanned which is very useful in noisy retail environments, thereby increasing accuracy and data integrity.

Touring with Sullivan is the company's 1,000,000th Magellan in-counter scanner. 

Also demonstrated was Datalogic's new generation scanner built around imaging technology that can read all industry accepted barcode symbologies (1D and 2D) available in the market today.  With a much smaller footprint compared to today's technology, the new unit is extraordinarily fast in the way it can scan and process barcode capture, even if an item is whisked past the scanner window at speed.  

This new technology is set to bring about huge improvements to the sharp end of retail.  

The days of automating barcode reading by conveying products past the scanner with minimal operator intervention is fast approaching.  Sullivan claims this improves the speed of scanning 3 times when compared to present-day check-out-chick scanning rates. 

The clever technique of combining in-scanner intelligence with secure two-way Star radio transmission between cordless and fixed station devices offers retailers the ability to take advantage of new functions that are independent of the POS software currently installed.

The problem with most queue-busting applications is that it requires an investment to enhance the POS software.  With Datalogic's technique, staff can pre-scan barcodes whilst customers are waiting in the check-out queue, and when the customer finally arrives at the checkout, the scanner itself delivers the pre-read product codes, thereby eliminating the need for POS vendors to make any changes to their software whatsoever.

The firm's recent acquisition of video capture firm Evolution Robotics Retail is likely to pay huge dividends to retailers currently struggling to control theft at the POS by staff and customers alike. 

Josem said "The integration of imaging technology to augment the company's scanning knowhow shows that Datalogic has clear intent to deliver continued improved performance to its range of fixed scanners.  This is good news for retailers wishing to increase customer service at reduced cost."