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News Archive |
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008
(Phoenix) KPNX-TV, Channel 12: From its place in the Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Ariz., it looks like a new mini bank set-up shop. "It's a 10-by-10, state-of-the-art, stand-alone, self-contained audio and video recording studio," says Anna Madrid, vice president of business and development for MyStudio.net. At $300,000, the MyStudio kiosk is a million dollar idea that could turn into a goldmine for the developers, performers or the next reality TV star. "The technology behind this is just amazing," Madrid said at the unveiling of the company's first kiosk. "You don't look like you're in front of a green screen. It has a three-dimensional quality to where you really look like you're in the video your capturing."
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008
ScienceDaily: Much like a dashboard gives a good read on how a car is doing, researchers hope they'll soon give physicians a better idea of how they are doing with patients. Researchers working at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine have developed a touchscreen kiosk that lets patients quickly answer questions about their physician encounter. Their input instantly becomes a colorful measure displayed on a 24-inch monitor at the back of the clinic: red abstract orbs for below average, yellow for average and green for above-average.
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008
GlobeSt.com: Self-service is good service. That's the conclusion from Bruce Kopp, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc., a Richardson, Texas-based subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited. Fujitsu is one of several manufacturers that recently launched a cashier assisted self-service checkout option. It says its Hypermarket U-Scan Genesis Payment Station "combines the best features of self and full-service checkout" options. And just last summer, IBM announced first-of-a-kind self-checkout technology that allows consumers to shop for and check out purchases practically anywhere in a store. It also announced a new release of software to help speed the self-checkout process, a new entry-level kiosk and an expanded global self-service alliance program to reach new markets and industries.
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008
EAST HAVEN, Conn. — Netkey, provider of solutions for self-service kiosks and digital signage, has won the Fiondella Milone LaSaracina "Deal of the Year" Award. The award was presented during the second annual Innovation Pipeline Awards and Technology Showcase in Norwalk, Conn.
Netkey also was named by the Connecticut Technology Council as one of 100 technology "companies to watch" for 2008.
According to a news release, the award was presented in recognition of Netkey's acquisition of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Webpavement, which develops software to manage networks of digital displays. The transaction has propelled Netkey to a leadership position in the fast-growing digital signage market, which is expected to exceed $2.5 billion by 2011.
Netkey digital signage software is used by hundreds of organizations worldwide including Clear Channel, Kellogg's, Pfizer, the University of Houston and the United Nations.
"This is a great honor and we appreciate being recognized for the hard work and success we have achieved," said V. Miller Newton, chief executive officer of Netkey.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
PADERBORN, Germany — Wincor Nixdorf has expanded its software-solutions portfolio for postal-services providers. The PC/E Postal Solution Suite covers primary postal processes, ensuring effective processing of classic postal services and financial services, as well as those of sales processes that resemble retail sales.
According to a news release, PC/E Postal Solution Suite's four modules — Channel Delivery, Security, Management & Optimization and Banking Business Enabling — may be used to create customized solutions. PC/E Postal Solution Suite makes use of all relevant customer delivery channels, from the counter to the self-service system, as well as to mobile devices and the Internet. The solution enables postal-service providers to map their service offers with a single software.
The Product Management module represents the development of a rule-based, service-oriented software component for the universal administration of postal products and services. It maps all the information pertinent to a postal service and makes it centrally available.
The software bundles typical sales and service functionalities for all types of branches and POS systems. And automated teller safes or self-service systems also can be integrated. Classic postal services, such as parcel and letter-acceptance and distribution, are optimally supported.
This software suite is expected to be available during the fourth quarter of 2008 and will be presented for the first time at PostExpo2.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
PENNINGTON, N.J. — Kooltronic Inc., of Pennington, N.J., has announced the introduction of the Advantage Sentry Series Outdoor Filter Fans, according to a news release. The fans can be used to help cool the components of outdoor kiosks.
The newest members of the Advantage Filter Fan line, the Sentry Series Fans, are a cost-effective cooling solution where filtered, ambient air can be used to cool components that can tolerate temperatures slightly higher than ambient. The Sentry Series is suitable for outdoor installations and rated for NEMA 3R. These units are constructed of durable painted steel, offer integral finger protection and have synthetic filter media. The entire Advantage Filter Fan Series consists of eight models ranging from 32 to 988 CFM. Standard voltages available are 115 and 230 VAC, with models also available in optional DC voltages.
"We feel these products meet a real need for our customers," remarked Bruce Kreeley, Kooltronic director of sales and engineering. "The application flexibility offered in the Advantage Filter Fan Series for both indoor and outdoor use helps our customers solve their cooling problems in different environments."
With over 50 years of service to its customers, Kooltronic is a leading manufacturer of air conditioners, heat exchangers, fans and blowers designed specifically to cool the interior of enclosures containing heat sensitive electrical/electronic components. The company has a complete manufacturing facility and sales office at its headquarters in Pennington, N.J. and a regional sales office in Ventura, Calif.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
It's not a typical career path: start out studying chemistry, physics and computing, and wind up as a worldwide marketing director. But it's the one that worked for Rowan Lawson, director of worldwide marketing for Kodak's picture kiosk business.
While studying science gave him a strong technical background, "at the end of the day, it really wasn't for me," said the Melbourne, Australia, native. Instead, he says he was more interested in business, marketing and advertising.
It was an opportunity to get into marketing that brought him to Kodak in 1988, when the company advertised an opening for an inventory analyst.
"They positioned the role as an entry into marketing," he said. "That was specifically why I joined, because that was where I wanted to be."
That position, in Kodak's consumer-imaging group, allowed him to study marketing and advertising at Kodak. It also enabled him to develop another interest: photography.
"I took up photography as a hobby when I joined Kodak," Lawson said. "You would kind of expect that. In fact, I traveled to places like Thailand, shooting beaches and things like that."
He says he even did some photography for a local newspaper.
Lawson believes his interest in photography helps him relate to the consumers that use Kodak's hugely successful Picture Kiosks.
He takes most of the pictures for his family, which includes his wife and two daughters, ages 16 and 15.
It was typical photographers not unlike Lawson that Kodak had in mind when it began developing self-service Picture Kiosks in 1993. It actually started in Australia, said Lawson, who was personally involved with the project early on. At the time, Lawson says he was "helping out on projects" with the Picture Kiosk team in Australia, and that the team "had a bit of a dream."
That dream was to find a way to give consumers a new means of obtaining prints. Rather than requiring negatives, the Kodak team wanted to allow consumers to get a print from a print instead.
"Consumers don't like bringing their negatives into a store," he said. "They see that as their archive and it's very precious, and if they hand over the negative, that's kind of an uncomfortable thing for them."
Kodak came up with a solution originally called Kodak Picture Maker, and later, the Kodak Image Magic System. Lawson was involved in the market test for Picture Maker, which was done in Perth, Australia.
When Kodak began the Digital and Applied Imaging Group in 1995 in Australia, Lawson says he was ready to get into the digital world. He joined the group and became product manager for a scanner and the DC 20, Kodak's first digital camera for consumers. From there, Lawson got involved in Kodak's recordable media, which got him into the hardware side, not just the media side. He moved to the United States in 2000 and became involved with the Picture Kiosk team in the States.
As worldwide product marketing director for digital cameras and inkjet photo papers, Lawson began interacting with the Picture Kiosk team.
"We were thinking about future opportunities," he said, adding that he was considered "the guy connecting the dots between two different businesses at that point."
"I've always been keen on the picture kiosk piece, largely because I see it as a clear path that's consistent with consumer behavior in a retail environment," he said.
In 2006, he moved from Atlanta to Rochester, N.Y., to become the worldwide marketing director for Kodak's Picture Kiosk business.
Lawson says consumers are flocking to the kiosks in droves. Today, he says there are more than 90,000 Kodak Picture Kiosks worldwide. Lawson believes it's probably the most popular single-brand self-service kiosk in the world, with picture kiosks being second only to ATMs.
With the success of the first print-to-print self-service solution though, Kodak never stopped developing new aspects. Soon, Lawson says, the company was developing software and hardware that enabled consumers to get greeting cards, collages and calendars.
Kodak recently rolled out two new self-service photo kiosk solutions: a photo book application and Picture Movie DVD. The photo book application is available at CVS and Wal-Mart. So far, Lawson says, the public's reaction has been positive. Consumers can go into the store with their pictures on memory cards or thumb drives and "literally in minutes have a very professional quality photo book."
Picture Movie DVD, which is available in CVS stores, gives consumers the opportunity to combine their content with original artists' music. Consumers can make a selection of music to be background music for about 65 images. The result is a slide show that can be played on a TV, but the images are displayed, not just as a static slide show, Lawson said.
"We've put some intelligence into it," he said. "It actually figures out where the subject is of each image, and it pans and zooms on each image so it's like a movie."
Though the solutions are brand new, Lawson says Kodak is pleased with them.
"We continue to invest a significant amount of money into the future and I'm absolutely confidant that Kodak is the innovator in photography when it comes to the world of self-service kiosks," he said. "We have the expertise and the experience to know what it takes to run this stuff retail."
"The best solutions will help consumers do what they want in the digital world, which is really about helping them do more and share more [with their photos] because it helps them feel more connected with their families."
Read also: What works for photo kiosks.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Shoppers at the Japanese department store Mitsukoshi find an electronic concierge awaiting them when they arrive at the dressing room with clothes and shoes in hand. As they walk in, an RFID reader detects the tags affixed to the products; seconds later, a wall-mounted touchscreen serves up product information and offers alternate sizes and compatible accessories. If the shopper has picked up the wrong size or an unfortunate color, he can press a few buttons to summon a store associate with the correct item in hand.
The "Intelligent Fitting Room" system, designed and installed by Cisco, has been in place at Mitsukoshi since 2006, and in that time apparel department sales increased 15 percent over the previous year, while wasted stockroom trips to check inventory were reduced by 25 percent.
It's one of a handful of test programs aimed at bringing high-tech into the dressing room, but what remains to be seen is whether the customer is interested. In a recent report "New Future In Store" by market research firm TNS, 73 percent of shoppers said they expect to see touchscreens in dressing rooms in the near future, but only 23 percent said they would be likely to use them.
Does this RFID tag make me look fat?
High-tech dressing rooms have generated a lot of buzz in the past 18 months, but not a lot of real-world activity. Several high-profile pilots have raked in the news crews and newspaper reporters, but no full-scale deployments are yet on the ground.
"No one has fully deployed this in a customer-facing away," said Patrick Moorhead, director of emerging media for Avenue A Razorfish. "But behind the curtain, there is tons of activity in this space."
Moorhead says his company is working on a number of technologies that are "one or two steps back from being commercially available" · and most of the retailers that are interested in them are boutique retailers rather than big-box. "They're retailers that own their own store footprint in the U.S., and they tightly control the store environment," he said.
In September of 2007, German retailer Galeria Kaufhof made headlines when it outfitted the entire third floor of its Essen-based department store with item-level RFID tags. Shoppers entering a dressing room are instantly shown product information, care instructions and price. Touchscreens also are mounted on shelves out in the store, allowing shoppers to determine whether or not their size is in stock without manually wading through piles of garments.
A similar product, the "magicmirror" from Milan-based thebigpicture, has been available for about a year, according to company principal Dick Lockard. It's being piloted in retailers Levis and Throttleman, in the U.S. Mexico, Portugal and France.
At last year's NRF tradeshow, technology designer IconNicholson unveiled its "Social Retailing" dressing room solution to much fanfare. A few months later, the system was used in a pop-up promotion at the Bloomingdale's Nanette Lepore boutique. A high-concept mash-up of clothes shopping and social networking, the system includes a camera that sends a photo of the shopper in his new outfit to selected friends, who can reply with their opinions and even suggest other items from the catalog.
The concept goes back at least as far as 2001, when Prada experimented with RFID tagging and "smart dressing rooms" in its Soho store. That deployment famously ended in tears just a few years later; Business 2.0 magazine called it a "high-tech misstep," citing faulty technology, too-high expectations and a bad attitude on the part of staff as the culprits.
Customer demand and business intelligence
When the concept works, though, it can benefit all involved. Lockard said stores using the magicmirror product are seeing sales uplift between 25 to 40 percent from mirror users over non-mirror users. In the case of Mitsukoshi, the retailer is building a database of customer purchasing trends, according to Ed Jimenez, director of vertical marketing for Cisco. Over time, that should result in a pretty rich set of data to mine for product selection and merchandising ideas.
"Because you make each item unique with an RFID tag, you can gain some business intelligence from the activity," said Tammy Stewart, business development manager for technology company 5stat. A division of 90-year-old retail fixture manufacturer Store Kraft, 5stat sells a turnkey RFID product called the Smart Fitting Room. "Say, certain items are taken into the fitting room frequently but never purchased, or they're being taken into the fitting room but they always ask for a larger size."
Stewart said the Smart Fitting Room is currently being piloted with several retailers, but couldn't disclose any names. 5stat has a similar technology, though, on the sales floor at the company stores of sunglasses maker Oakley. As customers try on glasses, they are automatically shown product information and lifestyle clips in the same mirror they use to gaze lovingly into their own eyes.
Still, perhaps the most important question remains unanswered, because it has largely gone unasked: Do customers really want technology in the dressing room?
"I don't believe consumers are sitting around waiting for these things, but if the tech is designed in a way that delivers enhanced value to whatever they're trying to do, they will adopt it immediately," said Moorhead. "That's the story behind TiVo, that's the story behind most of the Apple technologies, and we're making bets that that's going to be the case with most emerging retail technology. It's not that shopping sucks today, but the availability of technology to the consumer in the shopping experience is going to enhance it for them, and they're going to crave it once they understand that it's available to them."
Monday, 29 September 2008
SHENZHEN, China — Universal Travel Group Inc., a growing travel-services provider in the People's Republic of China, has unveiled the TRIPEASY Travel Service Kiosk.
According to a news release, the kiosk is an interactive terminal placed in a targeted public area. Universal Travel Group says the kiosks offer real-time air ticketing inquiries, reservations and purchases, as well as hotel and tour reservations. The kiosks will provide full 360-degree views of hotels and travel destinations and accept payment via bank cards, debit cards and Visa.
Credit Suisse Research says the number of domestic Chinese travelers that use online travel services continues to rise, accounting for 16 percent of users in 2007, up from 12 percent in 2005. The company plans to introduce the kiosks in select parts of China, with approximately 600 kiosks to be rolled out this year after a one-month trial period, which ends in October.
The China Internet Network Information Center says China is the world's largest market for Internet users, yet 95 percent of Internet users still do not make purchases over the Internet.
Universal Travel Group's kiosk interface will feature the same look, feel and functionality as its Web site.
Monday, 29 September 2008
THonline.com: The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium has placed one of six Ocean Today kiosks, which were unveiled Sept. 27. The six kiosks were simultaneously released at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History's Ocean Hall and at five Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers across the country.
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Monday, 29 September 2008
BBC: Tesco shoppers will now be able to use self-service checkouts in Welsh following recent demand from customers. Tesco says a program initiated over the summer to convert its self-checkout systems to include a Welsh option is now complete.
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Friday, 26 September 2008
BERWYN, Pa. — Tyco Electronics' Elo TouchSystems has extended the range of all-in-one touchcomputers designed for public environments. Ideal for use in retail and hospitality applications, the fanfree and silent Elo touchcomputers integrate powerful computing capabilities with full connectivity in the footprint of a monitor that can fit virtually anywhere. The new 17A2 17 inch and 15A2 15 inch models have a compact, flexible design, a comprehensive range of field-installable peripherals and a host of additional features to help customers gain an even firmer foothold in the point-of-service marketplace.
Many diverse applications can benefit from the capabilities of these all-in-one touchcomputers including point-of-sale, loyalty systems, kiosk information systems, domestic control, casino management and Internet access points such as those for Web surfing and hotel reservations.
The touchcomputers with dual-video display capability includes a choice of the industry-leading Elo TouchSystems touch technologies: AccuTouch Five Wire Resistive, IntelliTouch Surface Wave, CarrollTouch Infrared and the company's innovative Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) that blends the benefits of all three. Elo's touch technologies provide stable, durable touch options that are resistant to scratches and liquids and can be activated in a variety of ways.
The space saving, compact design of the 17A2 and 15A2 touchcomputers offer increased flexibility for easy integration of a variety of optional field-replaceable peripherals including three-track magnetic stripe reader (MSR) for credit, ID and loyalty card transactions; customer-facing display to verify those transactions; biometric fingerprint recognition for increased security; 3W speaker bar with optional single line or omni-directional barcode scanner; and DVD drive. Elo's unique cable management design conceals cables from view providing additional security from tampering and robust tie downs for strain relief. The multi-adjustable stand offers flexibility to accommodate a variety of installation configurations and the base is easily removed for secure mounting to countertops and walls. Serviceability is enhanced with easy access to the hard drive and compact flash through a slide out drawer.
Enhanced System Performance
In order to provide the higher computing power necessary for today's point-of-service applications, Elo placed a 1GHz Intel Celeron M processor at the heart of the new range of all-in-one touchcomputers. DDR2 system memory capacity can be expanded to 2GB and an integrated mini PCI slot enables optional high speed wireless LAN connectivity via 802.11g standards. Two serial, four USB 2.0 and one Ethernet port provide ample expansion capability to accommodate both legacy and future peripheral add ons. Elo has also added a cash drawer port, powered USB and VGA out ports and support for Windows Embedded for Point of Service and Windows XP Professional.
Ready for Public Access
"The 17A2 and 15A2 are designed for touch from the ground up and include all of the functionality expected from an Elo public access product, with features such as reliable, silent, fanless operation and cables hidden from the user's view," said Elo TouchSystems' product manager Kristof Heyndrickx. Heyndrickx confirms that the optional peripherals are seamlessly integrated into the touchcomputer's compact design and the all-in-ones offer a new adjustable base that can function as a tall or short stand. "The controls, placed on the side and not on the front, include a lockout function and multilingual on-screen display. We not only manufacture the 17A2 and 15A2 touchcomputers but also provide a single point of contact for service and support."
"After all," Heyndrickx said, "Elo invented touch technology over 35 years ago and we’ve been consistently innovating and improving our designs ever since."
The silent, fanless, spill and tamper-resistant design of the 17A2 and 15A2 touchcomputers and their compact, integrated peripherals makes them the ideal choice in a wide range of applications including point-of-sale, point-of-service, loyalty systems, kiosk information systems, medical and light industrial, airport security, domestic control and public Internet access points.
Friday, 26 September 2008
MELBOURNE, Australia — The Board of Symstream Technology Groups Ltd. is pleased to announce the appointment of Terry Rhodes as a director of the company, according to a news release.
Terry has over 25 years' experience in the telecoms industry in developed and developing countries. He was one of the pioneers of the mobile industry, as part of the senior management team in the mid-1980s at what is now a company called 02 in the U.K. He then joined Cable & Wireless, where his role included work on international mobile startups such as MTN in South Africa and Optus in Australia.
In 1998 Terry co-founded Dutch-based Celtel International BV, the Pan African cellular operator with 30 million customers across 15 countries, which was sold to MTC Kuwait, now Zain, for U.S. $3.4 billion in 2005.
Terry is now an investor and advisor to several companies operating in developing countries. He is also an occasional lecturer at London Business School, where he was entrepreneur in residence in 2007. Terry is a British citizen living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
"We are extremely excited to have attracted to our board a person of the caliber and skill of Terry Rhodes," said chairman Michael Neistat. "Terry brings extensive telecoms experience to our board, which complements the skill sets of our other board members in the areas of information technology, financial services and general management."
Friday, 26 September 2008
MEQUON, Wis. — D2 Sales LLC has announced that the Dean Health Systems of Madison, Wis., has chosen the My Patient Passport Express kiosk for its patient check-in program.
The My Patient Passport Express kiosk allows patients to check-in, make future appointments and update their medical history, all using a simple to navigate touchscreen. Patients can use their credit card to make co-pay payments, and sign documents using the integrated electronic signature pad.
"The kiosk allows our clients to provide outstanding patient care and service while at the same time improving efficiency for the medical facility," said Sandra Nix, D2's chief executive.
The D2 My Patient Passport Express kiosk provides patients with the convenience of easy check-in, records updating, co-pay payment acceptance and wayfinding and mapping features.
Thursday, 25 September 2008
SEATTLE — MOD Systems, a provider of digital media delivery systems for retailers, has announced that Toshiba Corp., NCR Corp. and others, have agreed to invest $35 million, giving the companies minority stakes in MOD Systems.
The investment is part of an initiative to leverage breakthrough portable digital storage technology that offers the potential to revolutionize how consumers download movies, TV shows, music and other digital content at a wide variety of locations, and then replay it on multiple devices, according to a news release. The initiative will combine technologies developed by the companies, and is aimed at meeting the explosive demand for easier access to high-quality digital entertainment and other content.
Under the initiative, consumers will download digital content to Secure Digital cards and portable devices such as mobile phones through kiosks and other self-service devices deployed, integrated and maintained by NCR at retail stores, airports, quick-service restaurants and other outlets. Toshiba will develop dedicated set-top boxes for the service, and develop and market high-capacity SD cards for the system, improving the speed of downloads in the future.
The kiosks and other self-service devices will use the MOD Retail Enterprise System for "multichannel" digital media delivery, which enables digital content to be managed and distributed securely using portable devices and portable storage media, including SD memory cards.
"This technology and initiative have tremendous potential," said Bill Nuti, chairman and chief executive of NCR. "We continue to see opportunities to extend our experience in self-service to promising new industries like entertainment. Our initiative with MOD Systems is designed to offer consumers one of the fastest, most convenient ways to access high-quality digital entertainment."
MOD Systems provides retailers with a complete digital media system for consumers to load entertainment to portable devices and storage media, or burn content to an optical format (CD/DVD). The MOD Retail Enterprise System, deployed with leading global retailers, supports all content types and distribution scenarios including manufacturing-on-demand, delivery in optical or digital format, and hybrid online and in-store systems. Video entertainment content will be provided by major and independent studios, which will provide approximately 4,000 titles at the launch of the service. Initial content downloads will be in standard definition, and the service may also be applied to downloads of high definition content in the future.
"Digital media has not been able to truly impact sales at retail and therefore has not become truly pervasive and accessible to all consumers," said Mark E. Phillips, chief executive of MOD Systems. "Our goal of creating richer retail destinations for digital entertainment will be furthered with Toshiba and NCR as strategic partners. We are humbled and excited to have leaders in consumer electronics and self-service accelerate our vision for entertainment in retail."
Thursday, 25 September 2008
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Soon students will be able to buy electronic textbooks at the college bookstore, using kiosks that will download files and burn them to CDs. The kiosks will also offer the latest Hollywood movies, which the machines will be able to burn onto DVDs on demand. The National Association of College Stores announced today that it has formed a spinoff company, NACS Media Solutions, to broker the deals with publishers to support the new, on-demand service.
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Thursday, 25 September 2008
The Denver Post: Fair warning: What looks like an ATM might not be an ATM at all. It could be one of the Denver Scholarship Foundation's "giving kiosks," and instead of spitting out Benjamins, it will accept your donation toward a child's college education. The kiosks, brainchild of DSF development director Myles Mendoza, were introduced when 150 Friends of Ed gathered for a sunset "friend-raiser," planned by Kasia Iwaniczko, in the rooftop garden at the Museum Residences.
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Thursday, 25 September 2008
BURNABY, B.C. — TIO Networks Corp., a North American multi-channel expedited bill payment processor, continues to experience substantial increases in transactions, payment volumes and transactional revenues, according to a news release. In August the company processed a record 558,000 transactions worth more than U.S. $45 million.
According to the news release, in the fourth quarter of TIO's fiscal year ended July 31, 2008, management undertook an in-depth review of its operations and reduced G&A expenses to reflect its new "processing-centric" business model. Strong growth in transactional revenue, gross margins, reduced G&A and reduced capital expenditures have positioned TIO to deliver positive EBITDA results in its current quarter of operations, Q1, 2009 and the best annual financial performance as a bill payment processor in the history of the company.
The company has identified a behavioral change in the bill paying habits of U.S. consumers in the face of the ailing U.S. economy. A growing demographic is paying at the last minute and using expedited payments as a tool to manage cash flow and steer clear of costly late fees. This behavioral change is leading to increasing consumer awareness and interest in TIO's premium priced expedited bill payment services. This growing interest has enabled the company to increase a number of its transaction rates, which has improved gross margins.
This consumer demand for expedited payments is creating business momentum for TIO's services within the payment industry and helping drive the rapid growth of The TIO Network. From April 30th to June 20th, the number location endpoints in TIO's processing network had grown 150 percent from approximately 4,000 to over 10,000 location end-points. Subsequent to June 20, 2008, the company added another 600 endpoints to its network.
The company continues to develop new opportunities to grow the network through third-party self-service and clerk-assisted networks. It is also working on further unlocking the value of its expedited bill payment relationships by processing to online and bank-based consumers.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
COLOGNE, Germany — KODAK has released the upgrade for version 2.0 of its Picture Kiosk software.
The new upgrade encourages consumers to make premium products easily through dedicated attract loops and premium product visualization with customer images – right at the order summary.
According to a news release, the software delivers improved workflows that make it easier for consumers do what they want, from finding their important pictures to stunning premium product items, quickly and easily. The software also enables direct G3 and G4 series kiosk connectivity to the KODAK DL2100 Duplex Printer, allowing retailers to leverage their existing KODAK Picture Kiosk hardware investment as the basis for expansion into fast-growth double-sided photobooks, greeting cards and calendars right in the store. In addition, the new software also enables ordering of exciting off-site photo-merchandise that delivers even more profitable retailer opportunities while delivering on the promise of consumer digital photography.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
nstonline (Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia): Malaysia Airlines customers in Malaysia will be able to check-in via the Web and self-service kiosks for all international travel by year-end. In a statement, senior general manager of transition management, Dr Amin Khan, said international customers would be able to do Web check-in by next year. "They can also select their preferred seats online 24 hours before flight departure and print their boarding passes," he said.
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008
The (St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia) Hawk: PrintPODs, kiosks for high-quality printing on the go, have arrived on Saint Joseph's University's campus in Philadelphia. Global Print Systems Inc., the maker of the PrintPOD, is running a landmark trial program for its remote printers at Saint Joseph's. Three PrintPOD machines are currently installed, one on the second floor of Campion Student Center and one at each of the two Lancaster Court Apartment buildings.
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Bangkok Post: The Betagro Group plans to offer a smarter point-of-purchase electronic traceability system that not only enables consumers to verify the quality of the group's pork products, but also prints cooking tips and recipes. Since the beginning of this year, the group has successfully installed 11 ''Spy on Me'' kiosks, part of the innovative point-of-purchase e-traceability system at supermarkets under The Mall Group, Emporium and Siam Paragon.
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Video Business: Polar Frog Digital will begin rolling out digital download kiosks to seven college campuses next month through a deal with the National Association of College Stores, the two announced. NACS, a collegiate retail trade organization with 3,100 member stores, will add kiosks to campus bookstores at NYU, UCLA, San Diego State University, University of Colorado —Boulder, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Bowling Green State University. Students at those schools will be able to use the touch-screen kiosks to download movies and TV shows and burn them to DVD or transfer them to a Flash or USB drive. They also will be able to buy downloads online or via mobile phone with the ability to download to a PC or burn to DVD for pickup at the bookstore.
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008
ContactlessNews.com: Motorola has been chosen to supply the enrollment kiosks to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police Computing and Material Service for Norway's biometric passport and visa program, according to The Financial. The kiosks from Motorola, called Bio-Enrol Stations, will enable Norway's agencies to enroll the 500,000 passport applicants and 150,000 visa applicants they receive annually.
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Current.com.au: Since 1996, Fujifilm Australia has been rolling out its Frontier Digital Minilab kiosks. The company now has just installed its 800th kiosk at Dick Smith Powerhouse in Elizabeth, South Australia. Fujifilm says it now expects to exceed the 1,000 mark within two years.
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008
The Canadian Press: Montreal on Sunday unveiled its new self-service bicycle system. The program, named Bixi, allows residents to borrow bicycles from one station and drop them off at another. "You grab it, you ride it, you bring it back," said Montreal's mayor Gerald Tremblay. "It will become an emblem for Montreal."
An expected 2,400 bikes will be available at 300 stations in six Montreal boroughs.
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Delaware North Companies has partnered with uWink to bring uWink's unique self-service and entertainment technology to the Chili's Too Margarita Bar at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.
According to a news release, the global hospitality, food-service and retail provider this week completed the installation of four of its uWink's touchscreen terminals at the restaurant and bar. It is the first location to use the unique technology in the airport-hospitality sector.
The Fort Lauderdale Airport was an ideal location for Delaware North to provide travelers with the uWink technology because of its selection in April to be one of 18 "Model Ports of Entry" airports. The initiative seeks to improve the experience of international visitors.
The uWink terminals will help the initiative by offering menus and games in Spanish and English. In the near future, the technology will be available in German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and French.
"We're pushing very hard to bring cutting-edge brands to travelers across the country, so our partnership with uWink represents an incredible opportunity," said Matt King, president of Delaware North Travel Hospitality Services. "I think people are going to be blown away by how much fun they have at the uWink terminals and how convenient they are for international visitors."
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
BROOKINGS, S.D. — The ATM Industry Association is calling for nominations and applications for its three industry awards for 2008.
The deadline for all nominations this year has been extended until Sept. 30.
The three award categories are as follows:
1) Lifetime Achievement Award — awarded by the ATMIA executive board.
2) Best Contributor to ATM Security — awarded by the Global ATM Security Alliance executive committee.
3) ATM Industry Award for Excellence (Joint award with ATMmarketplace) — awarded by majority vote among ATMIA members.
To be considered for the award, at least one criterion must be met:
- Long-term positive influence on the industry
- Excellence in technology or levels of service
- Leadership in applying best practices
- Specific and measurable achievements
To nominate a person or company, please contact . Include the contact details of the person or company, the award, and a 500-word persuasive document about why this person or company should be chosen.
Nomination forms are available online: ATM Global Industry Awards Information & Nomination Forms.
Monday, 22 September 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Pennsylvania Commission for Women and the Highmark Foundation have unveiled a Women's Wellness Guide kiosk at the Allegheny County Jail. The two organizations say the kiosk will be a critical health-information resource for women who tend to be underserved by health agencies. The first of its kind in Pennsylvania, the kiosk has an ATM-sized touchscreen portal that provides women with answers to questions about a wide range of health topics, ranging from heart disease to obesity. It will also provide information about health-insurance options.
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Monday, 22 September 2008
Washington, D.C., may be seen primarily as a focus of power and political intrigue, but some are keeping a close eye on the nation's capital for other, more fitness-related reasons. That's because the city has become a testing ground in the United States for one of the self-service industry's latest applications: the bicycle-rental kiosk.
The "SmartBike" kiosks, which were created by outdoor advertising giant ClearChannel Communications Inc. and deployed by the Washington, D.C., District Department of Transportation, enable a cyclist to rent a bike with the swipe of a card.
Martina Schmidt, president of ClearChannel's Adshel unit, says users can subscribe to the program at the SmartBike D.C. Web site for an annual fee of $40, paid via a debit or credit card. The Adshel unit oversaw the D.C. project.
After enrolling, subscribers receive user cards in the mail. Once activated, the card can be used at any of the 10 SmartBike rental kiosks located throughout the Washington area.
The kiosks consist of a row of single-file bikes · locked in place · and accessible via a card reader. The user swipes his card at the card reader and a bike is released. A rental can last up to three hours, at which time the bike should be returned to any of the 10 SmartBike stations located throughout the city.
Motivations
Schmidt readily admits that it might sound odd that an outdoor-advertising company should be interested in getting into the bike-rental business, but she says it's not. In fact, outdoor-advertising specialists like ClearChannel are the ones deploying bike-rental kiosks, and the business model makes perfect sense. ClearChannel provides Washington with the kiosks in exchange for the right to advertise in certain public areas, such as on bus shelters.
"That business model pays for all of the capital and the ongoing operating expense for the bike sharing program," she said. "Sometimes cities try to finance the program through federal grants or some other means, which are very limited. Often they only get approved for one year."
Jim Sebastian, transportation planner for the D.C. Department of Transportation, was attracted to the concept while trying to come up with ideas to encourage city residents to exercise and cut back on vehicle emissions. When he saw the success of bike-rental programs in Paris (which recently saw more than 3.7 million rides in a 12-month period) he says he knew it was time to try something similar in the States.
"We realized that most of the good (bike-rental programs) used automated kiosks," Sebastian said. "There were other ones that would simply just leave bikes around, and there would be no rack or kiosks necessarily · at least no high-tech ones. We looked at that, but in a big city, it's really hard to keep track of these bikes if you don't have some kind of automated system."
MIA Bikes
But keeping track of rental bikes may be difficult, even with an automated system in place.
According to a report filed by The New Zealand Herald, more than 3,000 self-service bicycles deployed in and around Paris between July 2007 and July 2008 by outdoor advertising giant JCDecaux were not returned. Some of those missing bikes were recovered in places as far away as Romania and Australia. Another 3,000 bikes were deliberately destroyed or damaged.
JCDecaux did not respond to SelfService.org's requests for comment.
Schmidt understands that the issue can be a sticky one for some deployers, but she says bike thieves do not get off scott-free, at least not with the ClearChannel solution. Anyone who does not turn in the bike within the three-hour rental period first gets a warning. If it happens a second time, the offender's user card is invalidated. And if the bike is not returned at all, the renter's credit (or debit) card is charged $550 · the estimated worth of the bike.
"Yes, there are bikes that get lost, but we also retrieve some," she said. "Sometimes it's where people just don't return them for whatever reason, but they are found again; so that number eventually reduces over a period of time. But I think that's something that cannot be entirely avoided."
The more the merrier
One obstacle to success in the United States is the limited number of bike-rental stations currently available. Schmidt says the roughly 800 subscribers the service has in Washington only have access to 120 bikes available at 10 rental kiosks throughout the city. Compare that to more than 160,000 subscribers in Barcelona, which uses roughly 6,000 bikes at 450 stations.
The lack of stations can be a problem, if the user can't find one near the location he's ultimately trying to reach.
"That's where the number of stations really becomes important," says Eric Gilliland, executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and a strong supporter of the program. "The idea would be that you would pick one up from near where you live, ride it to near where you work, and drop it off so someone else could use it the rest of the day."
Sebastian says he hopes the number of stations will change in the future.
"We've only got 10, but we're working on more," he said.
The future of transportation?
For now, Schmidt says it looks like high gas prices and heightened environmental awareness may spell a bright future for self-service bike rental. Albuquerque, San Francisco and Phoenix are just some of the cities that have expressed interest in such a program, and Schmidt expects that number to grow as people continue to watch the rising cost of driving automobiles.
Gilliland says biking is a no-brainer in the city of politics.
"It's just faster · especially during rush hour when traffic is backing up," he said. "It's a lot easier to get around by bike. It's less expensive. You don't have to worry about paying for Metro, a bus, a cab or even your own car. Parking is never an issue, and it's great exercise at the same time."
Friday, 19 September 2008
(Australia) PC Authority: The Espresso Book Machine has made its worldwide book chain debut, and can print, glue and bind cheap paperbacks on demand in seven to 14 minutes while you wait. Developed by former Random House editorial director Jason Epstein, the Espresso Book Machine was launched in the U.S. in 2006, and in 2007 was named by Time Magazine as one of the "Best Inventions of the Year."
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Friday, 19 September 2008
AFP: Ceviche is the first self-service wine bar in Washington and believed to be one of very few in the entire United States. It features wines and food from Latin America or with a Spanish accent. Before Lana Shekim does the week's shopping, she likes to stop off at the self-service place in her Washington neighborhood for a top-up. "The primary thing for me is, it's in the neighborhood, across the street from the supermarket, and it's easy," she told AFP as she inserted a green card with a microchip into a slot above one of three self-service units, each of which contains eight bottles of wine.
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Friday, 19 September 2008
Film Journal International: As today's consumer becomes increasingly independent and more apt to choose self-service solutions, ticket companies are moving quickly to deploy new ticketing kiosks. Find out what companies like Clarity Commerce Solutions, Fandango, Mobiqa, MovieTickets.com, National Ticket, Omniterm, Radiant Systems, Retriever Software, Splyce, Ticketsoft and Vista are doing.
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Thursday, 18 September 2008
ZDNet Asia: Nokia has introduced automated kiosks across the central Klang Valley in a bid to encourage people to recycle their mobile phones. In a recent study conducted by the mobile phone maker, only 3 percent of respondents recycled their cell phones and 50 percent were unaware that their devices could be reused. Nokia is hoping to improve the statistics with the introduction of kiosks specially designed to ease the recycling process.
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Thursday, 18 September 2008
Times West Virginian: The newest addition to Pricketts Fort, a historical and recreational park located just north of Fairmont, W.Va., is an interactive kiosk that concentrates on three different aspects of life in the 18th century. The kiosk, set up in the upstairs portion of the visitors’ center that is known as the Orientation Gallery, allows the fort’s patrons to see how people worked on different trades, such as blacksmithing and pottery. The kiosk illustrates how those living in the 18th century spent their leisure time as well. It also concentrates on the domestic arts, such as spinning, weaving and making baskets.
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Thursday, 18 September 2008
DENVER — Nevada drivers can now pay for vehicle registrations and other fees at the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles using debit cards.
According to a news release, payment through the STAR Network is now featured on the DMV's self-service kiosks as well as at DMV counters. Twenty-six kiosks are available for drivers who use their debit cards to pay registration fees, driver history records and other fees. And the addition of PIN pads at counter POS terminals is making it possible for DMV customers to pay at more than 300 DMV payment windows across the state.
According to a recent study by First Data on consumer payments, nearly 87 percent of survey respondents used a debit card in the last 30 days, indicating a trend toward more debit card use.
"The addition of the online bill payment option in 2006 and now the ability to accept debit cards at the payment counters and in the self-service kiosks gives drivers more convenience and more choices in how they pay," said Dennis Colling, chief of administration at the DMV.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
James Bickers is the editor of Retail Customer Experience, a sister site of SelfService. To submit a comment about this article, please e-mail .
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — New research from global payment security consultancy Trustwave analyzes the most common methods and targets of recent card breach incidents, and the results may surprise merchants.
Methods of card data compromise - the top 10
1. SQL injection
2. Backdoor/trojan
3. Remote access issues
4. Perimeter security issues
5. Weak passwords
6. Remote exploit
7. Keystroke loggers
8. Internal attacks
9. Physical security issues
10. Wireless
|
The data was presented at the 2008 MICROS Users Conference, held Sept. 14-16 in Annapolis.
In a joint presentation between MICROS and Trustwave, the companies announced they had partnered to offer a comprehensive suite of merchant data protection tools and services, from hardware and software to PCI auditing.
Mark Shelhart, manager of operations engineering for Trustwave, explained that his company has collected hard data from 400 recent cardholder data compromise incidents, and analyzed them to find the latest attack trends and techniques.
Among the findings presented:
- The vast majority of all of the incidents - 9 out of 10 - were aimed at small merchants. Shelhart said this is a big change from just a few years ago, when big merchants were the primary target. Now that those larger entities are paying closer attention to payment security, attackers are moving on to easier targets. "Hackers are picking on the small guys," he said.
- Despite the emphasis often placed on payment security in the online channel, 69 percent of the attacks were card-present. "The attack today is in your space," Shelhart said.
- Most of the attacks (52 percent) were in foodservice, with retail a distant second (27 percent). Once again, Shelhart noted that many attackers will aim for the low-hanging fruit, and foodservice IT often "doesn't get the TLC that it needs."
- The most commonly attacked target (67 percent) is POS software, with online shopping far behind (25 percent). In a test conducted with Visa last year, Trustwave spent four hours doing a basic Internet scan, looking for ripe targets. Within four hours, the test identified the IP addresses of 1,600 POS systems - easily spotted due to improperly configured firewalls or other critical issues.
The vast majority of all of the incidents - 9 out of 10 - were aimed at small merchants. Shelhart said this is a big change from just a few years ago, when big merchants were the primary target. Now that those larger entities are paying closer attention to payment security, attackers are moving on to easier targets. "Hackers are picking on the small guys," he said.
Just who is to blame for those improperly configured systems? Sixty-three percent of the time it's a third party — a POS developer, an integrator or a local IT firm. Shelhart pointed out an alarming finding that many local IT integrators will use the same passwords for all of their clients that run a particular piece of software. "So the attacker knows, 'If I can get into one of them, I can get into all of them,'" he said. "It's a cookie-cutter approach."
One of the requirements of the PCI data standard is that merchants must not improperly store detailed card data — "track data," the magnetically encoded information that, if placed in malicious hands, can be used to make any number of duplicate cards. Distressingly, 95 percent of brick-and-mortar merchants surveyed are running non-compliant software and are storing track data. Online merchants aren't doing much better — 60 percent of them are improperly storing CVC (card validation code) data, those extra digits on the front or back of a card that aim to provide one extra layer of security
Thursday, 18 September 2008
The Virginian-Pilot: It used to be much harder to keep track of visitors who came into and out of B.M. Williams Primary School. No more. Now, every visitor who walks into B.M. Williams must produce identification for a machine that will record the information, compare it with the national sex-offender registry, then record how long the visitor is in the building. A small camera mounted on the kiosk snaps a photo of the person's face.
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Retail Week: Outdoor specialist Blacks is testing an in-store kiosk that gives customers travel and healthcare advice, as well as product recommendations for foreign travel. The kiosk, which is located at the retailer's High Street Kensington store, is branded with the logo of its supplier, Lifesystems, and displays a version of the content available on Lifesystems' Big Planet Web site.
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008
James Bickers is the editor of Retail Customer Experience, a sister site of SelfService.org. To submit a comment about this story, e-mail .
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Fliers departing John F. Kennedy International Airport in October will experience a re-opened terminal featuring 250 touchscreen kiosks and 26 arrival and departure gates.
The kiosks from Nextep allow gate-bound travelers to choose food and drink items from multiple vendors and combine them into one order. The buyer swipes a payment card — with an option to add gratuity — and delivery to the gate is scheduled, along with estimated arrival time.
The program is part of Terminal 5's "T5 Experience," which aims to make dining at the airport something travelers will look forward to.
"The initiative also includes a focus on improved food quality, with local ingredients and a 'farmer's market'-type ambiance," said Nextep's Tommy Wojick.
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Thomas Swidarski, president and chief executive of Diebold Inc., reiterated his company's focus on providing ATM and security-related services during a conference call with investors on Sept. 10.
"What's our mission as a company?" Swidarski asked. "It's pretty crystal clear that we're transforming our focus to value-added services. That's what we're moving toward."
"Most of the competitors that we deal with are heavily influenced on the product side — it might be 60/40 on the product, services," he said, adding that Diebold's emphasis is split 50/50 between the two offerings.
Swidarski said that, in the future, Diebold expects to provide services in a vast array of verticals, including healthcare and government. He cited a recent contract to implement a nationwide security upgrade at 40,000 U.S. Postal Service locations as evidence that Diebold has made inroads in the government sector.
"It amounts to what could potentially be a 12-year contract — a very enormous contract," Swidarski said. "Why was Diebold uniquely qualified to do it? Two reasons. One: nationwide service infrastructure, second to none. Two: security expertise. That's a wonderful opportunity for us and it leverages the investments we've made in various security operations in the last three or four years."
Charles E. Ducey, Jr., senior vice president of global development and services at Diebold, offered an optimistic view of the future of the ATM industry, saying he expects the global ATM market to grow six to eight percent over the next three years, due to increased interest in deposit automation, promulgation of ATM-based services and increases in the number of ATMs deployed.
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Diebold, Inc. has announced that it has been granted an additional period for continued listing and trading on the New York Stock Exchange from Sept. 17, 2008 through Oct. 31, 2008, subject to reassessment on an ongoing basis. During this extension period, trading of the company's shares on the NYSE will remain unaffected. If Diebold does not become current with its Securities and Exchange Commission filings during this extension period, the NYSE could either grant an additional extension period or move to initiate suspension and delisting procedures.
As previously disclosed on Aug. 11, 2008, Diebold still expects to file its delinquent financial statements in September 2008, upon completion of its internal review of other accounting items. These statements include the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2007, Sept. 30, 2007, March 31, 2008 and June 30, 2008.
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
New York Post: For those who can't be bothered with blending their own grapes, the new high-tech wine bar Clo offers a novel approach to sipping and swirling. Located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, the walled-in kiosk features a 32-seat communal table with a digital wine list projected onto it. With the touch of a finger — or in the case of one writer, repeated stabs — you can search some 100 wines by color, grape, region and price (half-glass pours start at $3 and quickly go up from there).
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Tuesday, 16 September 2008
For years, the promise of revenue for independent sales organizations from third-party advertising on ATMs has lingered just around the corner.
Meanwhile, financial institutions have used ATM receipts and screens to promote their services.
But a stable revenue stream for ISOs from advertising heavy-hitters such as auto manufacturers and consumer packaged goods makers has not materialized. That could be changing.
Alternative ads
Advertising on ATMs is considered an alternative form of ad placement among all out-of-home media options, which typically include billboards and digital signs.
The PQ Media Alternative Out-of-Home Media Forecast 2007-2011 reports that total spending on out-of-home media will grow 13 percent to $8.94 billion in 2008, and then an additional 13 percent through 2011.
Interest in advertising on ATMs is growing because the transaction environment offers advertisers unique ways to interact with consumers. Typically, when consumers use ATMs, their attention is focused on the machine and the transaction. Additionally, coupon capability via ATM receipts is especially attractive to advertisers, since few other outdoor media offer such a direct measurement of consumer response.
"ATM advertising is highly attractive to advertisers, since it is able to give them exact numbers of transactions and receipt take-ups," said Ana Stewart, managing director of i-design, a U.K.-based consultancy that specializes in ATM-advertising software and media services in an ATM-advertising report, How to Generate Third-party Revenue from Advertising.
While the Outdoor Advertising Association of America does not track ATM advertising specifically, the alternative outdoor ad category is going strong, as advertisers seek new ways to reach consumers who "TiVO" past traditional 30-second spots and listen to commercial-free satellite radio.
"ATM advertising is an extension of the growth of out-of-home ads as companies look for new ways to surprise and delight people," said Jeff Golimowski, communications director of the association.
But connecting advertisers and ATM networks has been part of the challenge. To remedy that, Columbus, Ohio-based DOmedia created an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of alternative media.
Owners of alternative media · buildings, parking lots, restaurant restrooms, ATM networks – list their properties on the site. Advertisers search the database using a variety of criteria, including type of property, size, location and so on.
Advertising marketplace
Since its 2007 launch, the DOmedia database has grown to more than 25,000 alternative and out-of-home media listings from hundreds of media owners.
Jeff R. Lamb, DOmedia's president, says advertisers are eager to include ATMs in their out-of-home advertising-campaign planning.
"There's an increased awareness of how much more effective advertising on ATMs, for example, is in getting the message to a particular audience at a time when they're more open to hearing that message," he said.
Lamb says the greatest potential for advertising income comes from local and regional advertisers, with about 70 percent of out-of-home advertising coming from local sources. About 30 percent of the market is national, primarily billboard campaigns rather than other types of OOH media.
Technology barriers
Pete Severens, account executive with Strategic Alliance Group, works with more than 100 financial institutions that print advertising on receipts. He also works with other advertisers to send their messages via ATM networks.
However, to be an attractive platform for advertisers typically requires high-end Windows-based ATMs with video-capable screens and receipt printers that read sensor marks. The sensor mark ensures the coupon or ad is printed on the receipt and not cut off on a variable-length receipt.
Severens said ISOs tend to use ATMs that don’t use a fixed length receipt or have a sensor mark.
"That eliminates ISOs from a lot of opportunities, which is too bad, because they’re the ones that want to have advertising revenue the most," Severns said.
Advertisers are looking primarily for networks of video-capable machines.
"Advertisers want to show full-color images or full-motion video, and if an ATM doesn't have that capability or what they do have is primitive, then advertisers aren't interested in block type on a screen," Severens said.
Managing advertising across an ATM network can be challenging, with a variety of hardware and software configurations. One solution is a platform-agnostic tool like the ATM:ad system developed by i-design.
"Typical solutions for ATM advertising in the States have not been scaleable or equipped with the ability to provide platform-independent, end-to-end management, including a fully managed third-party advertising component," i-design's Stewart says in the special report.
Some national advertisers have shifted away from wanting to drive sales with coupons toward building their brands.
"In the past ATM advertising was used to motivate buying behavior, but now Major League Baseball wants to announce the new baseball schedule on ATMs," Severens said.
As more ATMs offer video capability and other advanced technology, ISOs should be aware of the revenue opportunities that advertising can offer.
"Networks may have hidden assets that could generate revenue," Severens said.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
The (Pittsfield, Mass.) Berkshire Eagle: The visitor's bureau in Berkshire County in Massachusetts has unveiled the first of five interactive kiosks that will provide visitors with an interactive portal to goods and services available on the bureau's Web site. The Visitors' Bureau unveiled the first kiosk at the Prime Outlets of Lee on Friday. The kiosk is in the food court of the outlet mall. The kiosks, which feature touchscreen technology, are powered by the Berkshire Visitors' Bureau Web site. According to Ray Smith, vice president of marketing and operations at the Visitors' Bureau, the kiosk gives a visitor access to all 800 of the businesses and organizations that are members of the Visitors' Bureau.
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Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Central Penn Business Journal: York Hospital has added a self-checkout kiosk — called ScriptCenter — at its WellSpan Pharmacy. ScriptCenter allows patients and hospital staff to pick up prescription refills any time, without waiting in line, according to the hospital, which is operated by York-based WellSpan Health. Customers enroll for ScriptCenter and order prescriptions as usual. To pick them up, they log into ScriptCenter with a user identification and PIN, and follow prompts on the touchscreen.
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Tuesday, 16 September 2008
(Florence, S.C.) Morning News Reporter: A new kiosk at the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library features snapshots and video that detail the genesis of the Florence Veterans Park, which will open in two months. "We just believe (the kiosk) will serve to let the patrons who visit the library become more aware of the park and the beauty of the park," said Florence County library system director Ray McBride, a U.S. Army veteran.
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Tuesday, 16 September 2008
New Media Age: As head of Woolworths-owned Entertainment UK Digital, Matthew Porter explains the concept behind the company's retail digital media kiosks — self-service devices that enable the user to download music, movies and television shows. "The aim was to make the kiosk as simple as possible to use," says Porter. "Customers have access to a selected range of content, not the full Digital Vault database, because we wanted to ensure a shorter dwell time at the kiosk and so increase the number of people accessing it." The kiosks are being rolled out in the Middle East following a deal with the Al-Fozan Group's consumer electronics retail brand Zonik.
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Tuesday, 16 September 2008
NEWS.scotsman.com: Thousands of passengers at Edinburgh Airport are set to speed up their journey through check-in with the delivery of new self-service kiosks. Airport bosses have installed 10 of the terminals in a bid to tackle the queues. British Airways and BMI already have check-in machines for their own customers, but the £300,000 terminals installed by airport operator BAA will be open to all airlines.
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Monday, 15 September 2008
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Opinionmeter International has released a major upgrade to their Web-based SurveyManager application, enabling customers to include multimedia content within their survey's questions and responses. The SurveyManager remotely manages a wide-range of Web-enabled touchscreen survey devices, providing real-time point-of-experience customer feedback.
This enhancement provides clients the option of including video, sound and image content within their survey questionnaire. Additionally, clients can run multimedia presentations and digital signage on their touchscreen Opinionmeters during idle time between surveys.
This multimedia enhancement is available with most TouchPoint Opinionmeters, including the TouchPoint kiosk, tablet and handheld models.
Opinionmeter's touchscreen survey devices collect real-time point-of-experience survey data, and transmit that data across the Internet to its Web-based reporting tool known as The SurveyManager. The SurveyManager automates the entire real-time survey process, — formulating the questions, deploying the survey, aggregating the data and reporting analyzed results.
The Opinionmeter System gathers large amounts of customer feedback instantly from the point-of-experience, analyzes it, and transforms that data into information it delivers to any authorized person anywhere in the world for meaningful actions. The system is quickly implemented, easy, convenient and economical to use. The result is immediate, providing spontaneous data that is not aged or dated — it is ripe for meaningful business action, or for timely response to a just occurring negative action, such as poor service.
Friday, 12 September 2008
The Greenville (S.C.) News: Pak It N Self Storage announces the installation of an Insomniac self-service rental kiosk at their facility behind Burger King on Fairview Road in Simpsonville, S.C. Pak It N is the only self-storage facility in the upstate with an Insomniac kiosk. Now Pak It N is open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If you decide to empty your garage in the wee hours of the night, or late on a weekend or holiday, you can rent a unit at Pak It N Self Storage and move your stuff in immediately, without waiting on the staff to arrive the next business day. The Insomniac is an ATM-type machine that allows turn-key rentals of storage units, sells and dispenses locks and accepts payments from current customers.
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Friday, 12 September 2008
The (Singapore) Straits Times: From check-in to document scanning, baggage tagging and even boarding, more do-it-yourself options will be available to air travellers in three to five years. The airline industry, which expects to lose $5.2 billion this year, is pushing for more automation and self-service options to reduce costs, said Philippe Bruyere, a director at the International Air Transport Association. In addition to helping the airlines save money, self-service will also offer passengers more choices and flexibility he told The Straits Times yesterday.
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Thursday, 11 September 2008
OutlookIndia.com: Payment of water dues will be much easier as the Delhi Jal board today launched automated round-the-clock bill payment kiosks at its collection centers. The first electronic bill kiosk was inaugurated at DJB headquarters. Five more such centers also started functioning at Preet Vihar, Shivpuri, Greater Kailash-1 and R. K. Puram to help consumers pay their water bills either through check or cash.
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Thursday, 11 September 2008
The Houston Chronicle: Tucked along the front wall of some grocery stores, right there with the coin counters and carpet cleaners, is another machine — one designed to draw business from Blockbuster and Netflix, but also to keep DVDs viable as more consumers get movies over the Internet. Depending on the brand of grocery store and the part of the country, shoppers are increasingly likely to see a $1-a-night DVD rental kiosk, including those installed by a Houston-based company, The New Release, as they push their carts toward the exit.
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Progressive Grocer: Giant Eagle Inc. has deployed more than 30 intelligent self-service ordering systems in more than 30 of its GetGo c-stores that are expected reduce lines and wait times by allowing customers to place orders directly at the sandwich counter. The IBM-powered AnyPlace Kiosk that Giant Eagle is now using relies on NextChoice's NextWave self-service software suite, which unifies customer ordering and payment with the collection and management of transaction data and preferences.
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
WalesOnline: Libraries owned by Cardiff, the capital of Wales, are to become self-service in the biggest revolution in their 150-year history. The project, which will cost up to £1 million (U.S. 1.76 million) and see all branch libraries close for a week at a time over the coming months, is designed to free up staff and improve the service to library users. Council officials today confirmed that it would not lead to any job cuts.
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
The (Wellington, New Zealand) Dominion Post: New Zealand Internal Affairs representatives say the exploits of a group of academics who "cracked" a British electronic passport and created a fake electronic travel document in the name of Osama bin Laden will not derail plans to introduce automated immigration checks using biometric passports and self-service kiosks. The first of these will be installed at Auckland airport by Australian Customs next month. Microchips have been embedded in passports issued in many countries, including New Zealand, which introduced them in 2006, at the behest of the U.S. Government. The chips contain the details and photographs of the passport holder in an electronic form.
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
The (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call: Less than two minutes. That's all the time it took for Adrienne LeCause to check in for a routine ultrasound, verify her insurance records and take care of her co-pay. She did it all from a self-service kiosk at her obstetrician's office in Allentown. ''It's convenient,'' said LeCause, trying the machine for the first time. Catering to an increasingly tech-savvy population, self-service kiosks are everywhere: at malls, airports and grocery stores. And they could be coming to a hospital or doctor's office near you.
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — The U.S. Postal Service has awarded Diebold Inc. a contract to implement a multi-site, technologically-advanced, video security program, according to a news release. With more than 40,000 sites across the country, the USPS has selected Diebold Security to manage this nationwide implementation under a three-year agreement. The contract has the potential to span more than 12 years.
According to the agreement, Diebold Security will install IPv6-compliant cameras, encoders, software and networking equipment, as well as provide education and training along with maintenance and support services at targeted USPS sites. The IPv6 platform is the next-generation Internet protocol set to replace the current IPv4 platform. USPS specifications also call for Diebold to build the new security system on an open architecture to allow for streamlined future expansion or reconfiguration.
"Our comprehensive infrastructure and technical expertise make us well-suited to efficiently execute and oversee a government project of this size and scope," said John Stroia, vice president of government solutions for Diebold's Global Security Division. "Our presence in the government security sector continues to steadily grow as we demonstrate the depth and breadth of our capabilities."
Adding an advanced level of complexity to this project is the federal government mandate for all federal agencies to migrate their network systems to IPv6. To comply, the new systems Diebold will install must be compatible with both protocols. The architecture of the new surveillance system will offer the USPS unprecedented access to high-quality video and enhanced mobility, security and network management features.
"Diebold is one of only a few security integrators with the infrastructure and technological expertise to undertake such an extensive project and deliver an integrated video security solution. The government sector is paving the way for IPv6-based networks, and Diebold is excited about the opportunity to be a participant in this cutting-edge movement," said Thomas W. Swidarski, Diebold president and chief executive officer. "We can offer large agencies like the USPS comprehensive capabilities to ensure a smooth migration from the older platform, as well as the security know-how to ensure they are deploying the most effective video security systems available."
The USPS relies on video security to combat robberies, burglaries and other security breaches around the clock, indoors and out, making an IP-based system the ideal technology. IP-based security systems are superior to traditional analog CCTV systems because IP surveillance can be viewed remotely from any location with an Internet connection. This allows massive organizations like the USPS to centralize security operations, with the ability to view and record activity from multiple locations. And, with digital technology, storage and management of surveillance footage is more accessible, allowing for more efficient search techniques to quickly target specific incidents and identify suspects.
Tuesday, 09 September 2008
When Don Waugh, co-founder and chief executive of PCA Services in Oakville, Ontario, started his company two years ago, he envisioned an integrated self-service dispensing and medication-management system designed for pharmacies, hospitals, medical clinics and physicians' offices.
About six weeks ago, PCA, which provides hardware and software for drug-therapy dispensing and management, developed PharmaTrust, Canada's first point-of-care dispensor.
The PharmaTrust Dispensary, which debuted at Sunnybrook Health Services Centre in Toronto, will operate within Sunnybrook's pharmacy during a three-month trial period to evaluate patient experience. During the trial, a PharmaTrust pharmacist will process the prescriptions, verify each medication dispensed, and provide medication counseling to patients using the automation-assisted dispensary.
"Basically PharmaTrust does everything you expect to occur in a pharmacy," Waugh said.
The pharmacy customer enters his script in the machine, and after a barcode is recognized and keyed in by a pharmacist, the system confirms the patient, the medicine, the drug plan, the card number, the billing address, the co-pay and the payment preference. A robot picks the medicine and brings it to the dispensing area, where the medicine is labeled and issued to the patient. The customer also can receive counseling from a pharmacist via a telephone handset.
Waugh says the most important thing PharmaTrust does is team the pharmacist with the physician.
"There's a record of the prescription, the dispense, and notes of the counseling, so the next time the doctor prescribes, or the next time the pharmacist counsels a patient, they have complete medical records and can start addressing the patient's safety issues," Waugh said.
This system benefits the pharmacists as well.
"The first thing pharmacists think is that they're going to be put out of a job, and our answer is absolutely not," Waugh said. "We're elevating them to the same level as the pharmacist in the hospital, where they do the rounds with the physicians, counsel patients and really get involved with the management of the patient's drug therapy."
Shopper conversion and retention
Five years ago, Linda Pinney was standing in line to pick up a prescription at a retail pharmacy. Frustrated by the long wait, she got the idea for a technology that could quickly process her prescription, even when the pharmacy was closed.
Today she is founder and chief business officer of San Diego-based Asteres Inc., the first company to commercialize a system to store and deliver finished prescriptions to consumers in a retail pharmacy.
Known as ScriptCenter, the kiosk allows consumers to pick up and pay for their prescriptions 24 hours a day.
The ScriptCenter holds between 400 and 500 unique patient prescriptions. Consumers call in their prescriptions or refills and the pharmacy fills the prescriptions as usual. The customer enters an ID and passcode, or uses a biometric fingerprint scanner for identification, at the ScriptCenter. After his identity is confirmed, the user's pays for his prescription and then waits for the medicine to be dispensed.
"The chain drugs have owned the business for a long time and now they are starting to see their customers divert to mail order, grocery or mass merchants, and they have to step up their service initiative to retain the customer," Pinney said. "We're delivering a completely finished prescription and allowing the pharmacists to provide the time and service to the customers who really need it. There also are no liability issues, because the pharmacy still handles and delivers the prescription."
Consumer adoption and satisfaction
A recent Wilson Health Information pharmacy satisfaction survey found that more than 33,000 pharmacy customers cite convenience as one of the top three drivers of pharmacy customer satisfaction, along with price and overall professional service.
"Retailers are struggling with prescription volumes, staffing shortages, hours of operation, reimbursement changes and wait times, yet customers expect their prescriptions," said Jim Wilson, president of Wilson Health Information.
Short lines, convenient store hours and 24-hour pharmacy access are also key to customer satisfaction. Seven out of 10 customers of leading retail chains said they were interested in having a kiosk to pick up and pay for their prescriptions, including when the pharmacy is closed.
The ScriptCenter system has been approved for deployment in 35 states. And the kiosk has already been deployed by Safeway, Rite-Aid and Giant Foods, to name a few.
"They've been in production about a year and we've had to go state-by-state,because there was no technology out there that allows you to deliver drugs," Pinney said. "We've got a couple in trial stages and a couple of regional rollouts."
She said consumer adoption has been phenomenal.
"The consumers absolutely love the opportunity and the choice to not wait in line and pick up prescriptions when the pharmacy is closed," she said.
Pinney says grocery store chains are also looking at the service, because grocers are trying to convert more shoppers into pharmacy customers.
"Clearly, these are the very early stages but we're seeing that we don't have any retailers saying this is a dumb idea," Pinney said. "We're in that first phase and next year you might see a few retailers move in a much larger fashion, but I think the market breakout is probably in 2010."
Tuesday, 09 September 2008
VideoBusiness.com: Mel Walter might work for a company that has been in business for 124 years, but he's still a big fan of spontaneity, especially when it comes to renting movies. "Seventy percent of people who enter movie-rental stores had no idea they were going there one hour before they arrived," said Walter, vice president of corporate development at NCR, the world's largest ATM manufacturer. "The options you have at home are minute compared to what you have in a 10,000-square-foot store or at kiosks with 4,000 DVDs connected to a server attached to a long-tail catalog." In the next 18 months or so, NCR will put more than 11,000 DVD kiosks into production, and the manufacturer has taken minority-ownership positions in two kiosk companies.
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Tuesday, 09 September 2008
LONDON — KioskCom Self Service Expo Europe and The Digital Signage Show Europe opens its doors at London’s Olympia on October 1, according to a news release, and attendance projections are high, with a 27 percent increase year on year. Additionally, many of these companies say digital signage is attracting them to the show.
Alongside the increase in registered visitors, the pre-registration statistics show there is an increasing overlap between digital signage and self-service technology, said event director Phil Hunter.
"As part of our registration process, our visitors are asked about the components and applications they are investing in and there's certainly a call to see both self-service and digital signage technologies," Hunter said. "In fact, there's an even split between those visiting the show to source information on display software and hardware and either POS or information kiosks. It stands to reason, be it in a railway station, bank or shopping mall, the two technologies combine to ensure a smooth and effective operation. Self Service Expo Europe has always included a digital signage element and it made sense, with the technological advancements on the horizon, to offer the comprehensive package to our visitors — two events under one roof."
Those technological advancements have made self-service applications an ever more viable and attractive option for a range of companies and, flying in the face of the current economic gloom, the future is bright for self-service and digital signage technology. As pressure on profit margins increases across the board, the combination of self-service technology and effective digital display marketing helps retailers and service providers maximize revenue streams and cut costs, at the same time as improving customer service levels.
The rising interest in the sector is reflected in the corporate visitor list for the show, which includes the U.K.'s leading supermarkets and department stores, as well as representatives from the banking, leisure and public transport industries.
Exhibitors at the event include 3M, Next Window, allpay.net, Netkey, MediaTile, Box Technologies, Dicoll, Ingenico, Camax, Microsoft, Protouch, Rittal, Samsung, Star Micronics, Roku and many more.
Tuesday, 09 September 2008
MarketWatch: Eastman Kodak Company, the world's foremost imaging innovator, has formed a partnership with Paige Davis and "Trading Spaces," TLC's popular home design show. The dynamic integration, which continues through March 2009, will encourage consumers to explore their creativity and do more with their photos. As Kodak's brand ambassador, Paige Davis, through inspiring, affordable design tips, will demonstrate how KODAK products, including KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Cameras, KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Picture Frames, KODAK EASYSHARE All-in-One Inkjet Printers, and the KODAK Picture Kiosk, offer true solutions for sharing and displaying photos.
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Tuesday, 09 September 2008
The (London) Register: Cybercrooks are targeting self-service checkout systems in U.K. supermarkets to cash-out compromised U.S. credit and debit card accounts. Discussions on underground forums suggest that store chains including Asda and Tesco are being targeted. Rather than buying groceries, which would be hard to sell, the scam relies on getting "cash back" payments or buying high-value items, according to a BBC investigation. However, a spokeswoman for Tesco told El Reg that cash-back transactions are not authorized from self-service terminals.
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Monday, 08 September 2008
NEWARK, Calif. — Tranax Technologies Inc. has announced its sale to Eltna, a Korean holding corporation.
According to a news release, Eltna holds companies involved with ATM systems and components, as well as companies in the imaging, design and manufacturing space.
In the past, Eltna has worked with Tranax as an original equipment manufacturer for Tranax ATMs. As a result, the two companies have a history of working together, with compatible corporate cultures and a shared vision for the market.
"We are very pleased to announce the merge of Tranax into the Eltna group of companies," said Dr. Hansup Kwon, president and chief executive of Tranax. "Joining forces with Eltna enables us to form a strong, new, vertically integrated company with direct manufacturing and best-in-class ATM components and systems. The new entity will continue under the Tranax name, in order to leverage the company's strong brand and reputation. The new enterprise provides the financial base from which to be more efficient and build competitive advantage for the long term."
Tranax will become part of Eltna Corp.
Eltna's CEO, Won-Gee Lee, will assume the role of CEO of the new entity after a period of transition, along with a new chief financial officer provided by the holding company. Dr. Kwon will remain to help in the transition and stay as a member of the board of Tranax. Heemock Kwon, co-founder and vice president of Tranax' corporate development, will remain a member of the executive team as well as a member of the board.
All products, personnel and distribution channels are expected to remain the same.
"The only way to win in a highly competitive market is to build efficient organization and processes that will enable it to make high-quality, competitive systems on schedule and in time," said Won-Gee Lee. "The degree of integration of those elements, plant location, critical processes, specialized components and quality control, will determine who succeeds. We believe the new vertically integrated company will direct manufacturing, product know-how and the depth of market experience that Tranax brings will create a strong new Tranax. We are looking forward to the challenge."
Monday, 08 September 2008
GLOUCESTERSHIRE, England — Following the positive initial reception by the people of Belfast to an automated DVD rental kiosk in Centra Finaghy, a second robotic machine has launched at a Centra store in Belfast this week.
The DVD kiosk concept has so far received an excellent response from the people of Belfast since launching in Upper Lisburn Road in May, and as a result of this The Movie Booth decided to add a second DVD rental kiosk to the city to serve consumer demand.
The launch of the new kiosk will allow all new users to claim their first rental for free until the end of September, and the kiosk will be updated with the latest new release movies on a weekly basis, and ongoing rentals at the kiosk will be charged at £2.50 (U.S. $4.37) for twenty-four hours. The easy-to-use kiosk utilizes pay-as-you-go technology to allow users to rent without becoming a member, and anyone using the kiosk will find it a radically different experience to visiting their traditional DVD rental store.
DVD rental machines are experiencing a steady growth in the ever-changing industry, and The Movie Booth kiosks operate using advanced robotics making the rental of movies a fully automated experience for the customer. The kiosks placed in Centra stores form the basis of a trial for The Movie Booth, which will see the kiosks rolled out across the brand should the trials prove successful. Centra Finaghy's Movie Booth has proved popular with customers looking for a cost-effective, convenient way to rent DVDs.
Paul Dugdale, who arranged The Movie Booth's deal with Centra said, "Our kiosk has received a great response in Belfast due mainly to the low price of renting a movie and the ease with which people are able to get hold of their favorite new films. We hope that our success will continue with our new kiosk and that this will lead to a further growth of our machine in Belfast and beyond."
Monday, 08 September 2008
ATLANTA — It's a crucial part of church services for the congregation to provide its church with offerings as the offering tray is passed. But a Decatur church is giving its members a couple of high tech ways to donate. "You go online. You set up an account to give. You select a four digit pin and you're able give to the ministry through your mobile phone," said Raymond Steib, first assistant pastor at Changing Generation Church. Instead of cash or check, at Changing Generation church, members can text message their offerings. The program by Ministry Kiosks, "Giving on Mobile," launched a month ago at the church.
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Monday, 08 September 2008
PHOENIX, Ariz. — OpenTech Alliance, Inc. has announced in a news release that it has exceeded the $11 million mark in rental fees collected by its INSOMNIAC kiosks at their client's self-storage facilities across North America, with the most recent $1 million dollars in revenue being collected in June.
In an ongoing effort to become a transparent company, OpenTech released detailed kiosk usage numbers for the first six months of 2008, giving the self-storage industry the opportunity to see for themselves how much consumers utilize and benefit from the use of self-service kiosks.
Self-storage owners have already purchased over 400 INSOMNIAC kiosks to date. OpenTech reported 206 kiosks were online as of January 1, 2008, and another 56 came online during the period ending June 30, 2008. For the first half of 2008, consumers used INSOMNIAC kiosks to rent 3,925 storage units, make 31,984 payments, and purchase 1,456 locks, representing a total of $3,719,772 in self service transactions.
"The data clearly shows a high percentage of kiosk use during operating hours, which affirms my contention that while the human touch is great, many renters will use technology to execute a transaction, both from a rental and payment processing perspective," said R.K. Kliebenstein, leader of Coast-To-Coast Storage. "The reduced costs associated with a machine versus an employee are significant; a kiosk does not take a day off, very rarely calls in sick, and never presents a life safety issue when dealing with cash."
Monday, 08 September 2008
RFID Journal: Summertime and air travel is anything but easy. Instead, it's more likely to be marked by numerous delays and queues at airports — that is, unless you're heading to Portugal with an electronic passport in hand. The country is leveraging the use of e-passports, which have embedded RFID chips, to speed travelers through border-control lines.
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Monday, 08 September 2008
(Baku, Azerbaijan) APA: Azerbaijan's electronics maker Kur will begin production of Internet kiosks in the country for the first time. The company's office in Baku said the introduction of Internet kiosks in public places is the most promising step in providing information services.
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Monday, 08 September 2008
PADERBORN, Germany — Wincor Nixdorf has been awarded a comprehensive order by Nordea to install and operate 500 transaction terminals in Finland, according to a news release.
For a period of five years, Wincor Nixdorf will provide services ranging from system monitoring and software management to network operation, all as part of its Managed Services offering. All the systems will be run with the network-centric software ProClassic Enterprise, which will be provided on a central Wincor Nixdorf server. As part of the project, Nordea will delegate a large part of its processes, such as running the terminals, to Wincor Nixdorf in order to focus fully on its operational business.
In summer 2009 Wincor Nixdorf will begin to roll out the systems, which enable functions such as funds transfers, bill payment and account statement printing. Complete installation of all the terminals is scheduled for the end of 2009.
The network-centric software ProClassic Enterprise will be used to minimize the cost and effort involved in administering and distributing software. It will be located on a central server run by Wincor Nixdorf, and the transaction terminals will be connected to this server via Internet technology.
Wincor Nixdorf's eServices Platform will ensure continual monitoring of system operation and coordinate both software management and maintenance by the Customer Care Center. Wincor Nixdorf will also assume responsibility for other services, such as replenishing printer paper in the systems. As a result, the high availability of all the systems is guaranteed.
Friday, 05 September 2008
The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer: Inamo, a restaurant in central London's Soho section, allows diners to order their own food directly from their tables, literally. Using a mouse pad that turns tables into giant computer screens, diners can order from an illustrated menu, pay their bills, summon taxis, play interactive games with fellow diners, view their food being prepared and even change the look of their tables.
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Friday, 05 September 2008
YORK, Pa. — Livewire Kiosk Inc. has announced the addition of Karla Guarino to its management staff. As a vice president within the organization, Guarino will oversee the sales, new-business development and marketing efforts for the company.
Guarino comes to Livewire from Kiosk Information Systems Inc. During her 15-year tenure there, she served in a variety of customer-service, sales and marketing roles, and was instrumental in the company's growth from start-up to establishment as one of the world's leading providers of self-service kiosk enclosures.
"I was taught by some of the best leaders in the industry, and Livewire provides me with the opportunity to share my expertise in expanding kiosk market opportunities both nationwide and internationally," Guarino said.
David McCracken, Livewire's president and chief executive, said he's pleased with the appointment.
"Our company has experienced incredible growth in the last year and Karla's contribution to our company will allow me to focus on other opportunities I have envisioned for further company expansion and product development," he said.
Thursday, 04 September 2008
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — The 2005 lawsuit filed against Diebold Inc. by five shareholders has been dismissed.
The suit had alleged that Diebold violated U.S. securities laws and was unable to assure the quality and working order of its voting-machine products.
According to a news release, the cases, which also named certain current and former Diebold officers and directors, alleged violations of federal securities laws. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio dismissed the cases Aug. 22 and entered a judgment in favor of Diebold and the other defendants.
A separate class action suit against Diebold and certain current and former officers and directors filed by participants in the company's 401(k) plan — alleging breaches of duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 — remains open.
Thursday, 04 September 2008
Travis K. Kircher, editor of SelfService.org, contributed to this article.
Executives from Nautilus Hyosung Inc. visited Long Beach, Miss., last week to meet with employees at Triton Systems of Delaware Inc. — the ATM manufacturer that's known for its entry-level, retail ATMs that Nautilus Hyosung in late July announced plans to acquire.
The two companies say the visit was organized by management to put to rest "rumors" and concerns that the acquisition might in some way adversely affect Triton's operations in Mississippi.
"Nautilus Hyosung is very interested in growing the two businesses, independently, to three to four times the size that they are right now," said Alicia Blanda, spokeswoman for Triton. "Nautilus Hyosung wants to grow the combined businesses to a $1 billion company, and they have told us they plan to invest in people, facilities and products."
But a number of new concerns have emerged, not just from the industry but also from the community where Triton is based. Located along the Gulf Coast, the community of Long Beach, which was physically and economically devastated by Hurricane Katrina three years ago, relies heavily on Triton for employment and tax dollars.
Shortly after Triton's parent, New York-based Dover Corp., announced its plans to sell the business, school administrators in Long Beach voiced concern about losing hundreds of thousands of tax dollars the school system annually receives from Triton. And some industry analysts and independent sales organizations — Triton's and Nautilus Hyosung's best U.S. customers — began talking of market domination, less competitive ATM pricing and an overall consolidated market where only a few of the strong could survive.
Triton and Nautilus Hyosung say those fears are unfounded, and they both argue that the acquisition will have a positive effect on the industry.
A market of a few
The question of whether this deal creates a monopoly is one the government is likely to watch closely, says Sam Ditzion, chief executive of Boston-based Tremont Capital Group, a strategic-planning and merger and acquisition consultancy that advises ATM companies.
"Regulators historically have been particularly focused on blocking deals that will lead to increased prices for consumers, which this deal does not appear to do," he said. "Furthermore, it's important to keep in mind that antitrust laws aren't violated solely when a company's intense competition and lower prices take business away from less efficient competitors, as regulators typically view that as the markets working effectively."
If the deal does increase prices, that could benefit the market. The so-called price wars, which over the last few years have driven pricing down for off-premises ATMs, have taken their toll, most industry experts agree. Manufacturers that cater to the ISO market have been operating at a loss for far too long.
"Price is probably going to go up, and it's not because of a lack of competition. I think it's just time," said Phil Suitt, a long-time Triton distributor. Suitt said, "The retail-market-equipment pricing has been depressed far longer than I thought it would be."
Some say the deal could actually benefit companies like Tranax, which is focusing its business on higher-end multifunctional kiosks and ATMs, not just cash dispensers — which remain Triton's specialty.
"Bottom line, I don't think anybody knows if this is good for the industry or not," said Bill Dunn, vice president of sales for Newark, Calif.-based Tranax Technologies Inc., Nautilus Hyosung's former U.S. ATM distributor. "I do think it's safe to assume that there will be some sort of price increase. Will it be on the ATMs or on the parts? We will just have to wait and see."
Nicole Sturgill, a research director for Boston-based financial-industry consultancy TowerGroup, says future market demand will not be so focused on price but, rather, functions, features and service.
"Going forward, the question will not be who can sell the least expensive cash dispenser. It's going to be who can provide the new features and functionality that can drive customers to the ATM, who can use the ATM as a sales opportunity, and who can make the ATM profitable," she said.
The days of $1,500 to $3,000 cash dispensers are likely over.
Sturgill says market consolidation could lead to the birth of a new ATM player — one that falls into the mid-level, a section left open in the Triton-Nautilus Hyosung deal. (Nautilus Hyosung says it's aiming for U.S. growth from the financial-institution side of business.)
"There has been a lot of consolidation over the last few years, but banks and retailers still have numerous vendors from which to choose," she said. "There's also no reason to say that a new vendor couldn't emerge. Competition will continue."
Carlos Siewczynski, vice president of retail self-service sales for Nautilus Hyosung America Inc., which is owned by Seoul, Korea-based Nautilus Hyosung, says the retail ATM market in the United States is already more competitive than most industry observers realize.
"Contrary to popular perception, the retail market is large, especially considering the mid-range market, such as bank-branded retail/off-premise machines sold by Diebold, NCR and Wincor Nixdorf in supermarkets and national c-store chains," Siewczynski said. "In addition to the big three, Tranax, Trantech, Greenlink, Moneytree, WRG and GRG also are all competitors in the retail market."
Sealing the deal
Tremont’s Ditzion says Siewczynski’s more open definition of market competition is likely the one the Department of Justice will consider when making its decision about approval of the Triton-Nautilus Hyosung union.
"The first task regulators will undertake is defining whether the relevant market is the entire ATM-manufacturing industry or just the industry of ATM manufacturers that focus on selling equipment to ISOs," Ditzion said. "Their second priority will be to evaluate whether the combined company creates a monopolistic or anti-competitive environment in that relevant market. If the Department of Justice were to file an antitrust suit — and it's important to emphasize 'if' — the case would either go to trial or require a negotiated settlement that addresses regulators' concerns, both of which could kill the deal or delay it until well into 2009. Otherwise, if it's not opposed, the deal will probably close within the next month."
How the union of Triton and Nautilus Hyosung will impact the retail ATM market in the United States remains to be seen. But most industry observers agree the deal will benefit both of the companies.
"Certainly the acquisition will increase Nautilus Hyosung's market share in the countries in which both Triton and Nautilus Hyosung operate — the U.S., U.K. and Australia," Sturgill said. "In these countries, Nautilus Hyosung will have a tremendous presence, particularly among the ISOs, community banks, savings and loans, and credit unions. As we have seen in the U.S., Nautilus Hyosung wants to increase their presence in banking, and Triton is an ideal complement to augment their experience in that market."
The sharing of resources will benefit both companies, says Suitt, and the reduced costs of manufacturing some parts and equipment overseas will benefit Triton's line.
"Triton was the only manufacturer that I know of besides WRG that makes anything in the U.S.," he said. "Triton waited far too long to go offshore for manufacturing."
James Phillips, Triton's director of North American sales, says economic pressures are pushing manufacturers to consider offshore options.
"It's simply due to the costs associated with manufacturing these days," he said. "Freight costs have been up because of fuel costs. Steel has gone up, and so everybody is really looking at ways to control costs — especially with certain markets like the U.S., where price dictates whether you're going to sell a machine or not."
But Phillips is quick to point out that he doesn't expect the use of offshore manufacturing to adversely impact Triton's operations in Mississippi and Tennessee. In fact, he says Triton and Nautilus Hyosung spent last week talking about expanding facilities in the two states.
"We're looking at sharing and expanding our R and D department – the manufacturing and service capabilities of Triton, specifically," he said.
Thursday, 04 September 2008
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — PhotoChannel Networks Inc., provider of digital media solutions for retailers, has announced terms to acquire WorksMedia Ltd., dba Works Imaging.
Works, which is based in the United Kingdom, provides retailers with kiosk and desktop software to create and order photo products such as PhotoBooks, calendars and other photo gift products.
According to a news release, terms of the deal will be announced after the deal officially closes, which is expected to happen during the first quarter of fiscal year 2009.
"PhotoChannel has identified desktop photo product creation software as an area of growth for the company and as such has been searching for a product to complete our digital image ordering solution for retailers," says Peter Fitzgerald, chairman and chief executive of PhotoChannel. "We believe the Works software fits very well with our online platform and furthermore the Works team understands what retailers need. Combining our online platform's Web site front-end and back-end routing tier capabilities with Works' kiosk and desktop software capabilities makes for an outstanding opportunity to drive more revenue for our retailers and in turn PNI. The Works technology compliments our existing software very well."
Thursday, 04 September 2008
STRATHAM, N.H. — NextChoice, the Smart Self-Service company, has announced that Giant Eagle has taken delivery of its intelligent self-service kiosk ordering system.
Powered by new IBM AnyPlace Kiosks, NextChoice's flagship NextWave Intelligent Self-Service software suite is allowing customers in more than 30 Giant Eagle GetGo stores to place orders directly at the sandwich counter, significantly reducing lines and waiting time, while simultaneously allowing customers to shop in the store for additional grocery items.
"We are pleased with the results thus far," said Jon Fischer, business area director of Giant Eagle retail operations. "By integrating into our IBM point of sale, NextChoice enables us to efficiently produce the right amount and variety of products to best meet customers' needs. In addition, we gain greater central management of our own promotions and menu design, enabling us to more quickly bring new initiatives to market."
The NextChoice Self-Service offering unifies customer ordering and payment with the collection and management of customer transaction data and preferences into one fully integrated, centralized solution platform.
"This is an excellent example of NextChoice working with leading technology companies like IBM to deliver solutions that help our mutual clients win in the marketplace," said Dick Andersen, chief executive of NextChoice. "It's all about providing client value, about providing integrated offerings that help them enhance the buying experience for customers patronizing their stores."
Thursday, 04 September 2008
SAN FERNANDO, Calif. — Precision Dynamics Corp., provider of automated wristband identification, and FreedomPay, provider of payment management solutions, have partnered to offer multipurpose cashless solutions to waterparks, hotels and resorts using RFID technology.
According to a news release, as part of the joint venture, FreedomPay will power patrons' stored-value accounts, which will be linked to PDC's Smart Band RFID wristband system.
"PDC is happy to be partnering with such a highly-regarded company in the payments management industry," says Doug Bourque, market manager of leisure and entertainment for PDC. "Being able to provide owners with a more secure, turnkey economical cashless solution from FreedomPay, coupled with PDC's cutting-edge Smart Band RFID system, will help owners build positive relationships with their guests that will translate into recurring business and greatly benefit their bottom line."
PDC says it is the first company to introduce its patented Smart Band RFID wristband system, which is now used at waterparks and resorts for automated admissions, guest identification, cashless point-of-sale, keyless entry and other applications.
Thursday, 04 September 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — RealTime Shredding Inc. has named Scott Spangenberg vice president of sales and marketing.
Spangenberg will lead RealTime Shredding's national and international work in marketing and selling the company's self-service kiosks.
Developed to help consumers and businesses prevent identity theft, The Self-Service Shredder cross-cut shreds paper, cardboard, credit cards, paper clips, staples, and even CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks. The industrial-strength shredder, featuring multiple control points for maximum safety, can shred up to 200 sheets of paper a minute.
Before joining RealTime Shredding, Spangenberg was a regional sales manager for Dahle North America (Peterborough, N.H.) and HSM of America (West Chester, Pa.). He also held management positions with Zebra Technologies Corp. (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and was vice president of electronics for O'Neil Product Development Inc. (Irvine, Calif.), launching the international rollout of specialty portable printers.
Spangenberg holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Redlands in San Diego.
Thursday, 04 September 2008
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Summit Research Associates Inc., the only consulting firm devoted to the kiosk industry, has announced the publication of two new reports: Kiosks and Interactive Technology — Global Statistics and Trends (KIT-GS) and the latest edition of the Kiosk Industry Directory.
Together, these reports comprise the new Seventh Edition of Summit's popular flagship report, Kiosks and Interactive Technology (KIT), published in February 2008. Because some customers prefer only the trends, statistical information and charts, while others want only the company profile information, Summit has divided the report into two separate pieces, each available for sale independently.
Kiosks and Interactive Technology – Global Statistics and Trends (KIT-GS):
KIT-GS — the most comprehensive ever produced on the kiosk industry — examines recent trends, provides projections for the kiosk installed base, CAGR and revenues from the present time through 2010.
The report also includes 53 charts and tables on the leading kiosk issues and examines the industry from many perspectives, including the average number of users per day, average revenue per day, average length of time spent at the kiosk, leading design issues, leading types of peripherals used, most popular kiosk applications and lessons learned. Statistics were compiled from an extensive survey sent to hundreds of deployers and total solution providers around the world. Where appropriate, the results are presented as worldwide totals and are also grouped into the four major regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. It is available for $1,595.00.
The KIT-GS report provides detailed information on the fast-growing kiosk industry, discussing the market segments and world regions that are showing the most growth today and what areas will offer the most promise in the years ahead. It includes statistics of interest to kiosk, financial, entertainment, government and telecommunications industry professionals.
The KIT-GS report includes the following charts and tables:
Figure 1 Interactive Kiosk Current and Projected Installed Base
Figure 2. Worldwide Kiosk Installed Base & Projections 2007-2010
Figure 3 Kiosk Installed Base 2008
Figure 4 Kiosk Installed Base Percentage Growth 2007-2010
Figure 5 Interactive Kiosk Current and Projected Revenues 2007-2010
Figure 6 Worldwide Kiosk CAGR, 2007-2010
Figure 7 Worldwide Kiosk Market Sector Breakdown
Figure 8. 2008 Worldwide Kiosk Industry Market Sectors
Figure 9. Number of Kiosks Installed – Worldwide
Figure 10. Number of Kiosks Installed – North America
Figure 11. Number of Kiosks Installed – Europe
Figure 12. Number of Kiosks Installed – Asia-Pacific
Figure 13. Number of Kiosks Installed – ROW
Figure 14. Number of Users per Day – Worldwide
Figure 15. Number of Users per Day – North America
Figure 16. Number of Users per Day – Europe
Figure 17. Number of Users per Day – Asia-Pacific
Figure 18. Number of Users per Day – ROW
Figure 19. Hours of Heaviest Kiosk Use – Worldwide
Figure 20. Hours of Heaviest Kiosk Use – North America
Figure 21. Hours of Heaviest Kiosk Use – Europe
Figure 22. Hours of Heaviest Kiosk Use – Asia-Pacific
Figure 23. Hours of Heaviest Kiosk Use – ROW
Figure 24. Average Time Spent at the Kiosk – Worldwide
Figure 25. Average Time Spent at the Kiosk – North America
Figure 26. Average Time Spent at the Kiosk – Europe
Figure 27. Average Time Spent at the Kiosk – Asia-Pacific
Figure 28. Average Time Spent at the Kiosk – ROW
Figure 29. Cost per Unit – Worldwide
Figure 30. Cost per Unit – North America
Figure 31. Cost per Unit – Europe
Figure 32. Cost per Unit – Asia-Pacific
Figure 33. Cost per Unit – ROW
Figure 34. Leading Peripherals Used in Kiosks
Figure 35. Printers Used in Kiosks
Figure 36. Additional Peripherals Used in Kiosks
Figure 37. Kiosk Storage Media
Figure 38. Kiosk Pointing Devices
Figure 39. Kiosk Payment Acceptors – Worldwide
Figure 40. Kiosk Payment Acceptors – North America
Figure 41. Kiosk Payment Acceptors – Europe
Figure 42. Kiosk Payment Acceptors – Asia-Pacific
Figure 43. Kiosk Payment Acceptors – ROW
Figure 44. Per Minute Internet Access Charges
Figure 45. Internet-Related Usage Patterns
Figure 46. Industries Served by Interactive Kiosks
Figure 47. Use of Remote Monitoring Software
Figure 48. Kiosk Maintenance Providers
Figure 49. Providers of Consumables Replenishment
Figure 50. Type of Kiosk Application Software Used
Figure 51. Leading Kiosk Development Issues
Figure 52. Leading Kiosk Design Issues
Figure 53. Leading Types of Kiosk Applications
Kiosk Industry Directory (KID)
The KID features profiles of nearly 700 companies in the kiosk industry, representing 44 countries around the world.
For further information, please visit Summit's Web site.
Thursday, 04 September 2008
LAXTON provides complete end-to-end kiosk solutions for the retail, entertainment, technology, government, and healthcare industries. If you are looking for a company that can provide turnkey kiosk integration and support, we offer the full solution. Our wide-range capability in design and development of hardware and software puts us ahead in the game of technological innovation.
LAXTON carries a full range of kiosks that can be retro-fitted with components specified by their clients in creating Retail kiosks, Internet kiosks, HR kiosks, Information kiosks, Self-service kiosks, and Pay-for-use kiosks. We have additional experience with Tourism kiosks, Photo kiosks, and kiosks which can be deployed in the Public sector.
LAXTON is proud to have access to world-leading facilities to accommodate all the kiosk development phases; from design and prototyping to development, deployment & support.
LAXTON aligns itself to create synergistic partnerships in order to provide high-end, tailor-made solutions to many of the market leaders. LAXTON has evolved by providing turnkey solutions that are flexible and modular, which are complemented with a full range of back-end management resources.
A successful kiosk project often requires the expertise of a turnkey kiosk solution provider that offers a wide range of skills in design, prototyping" manufacture, system integration, kiosk location placement, and implementation services. LAXTON is your best source.
Wednesday, 03 September 2008
iTnews: Telstra BigPond has opened a customer-support kiosk in Second Life that is populated by avatars who can answer queries by text and voice. Going against the trend toward in-world closures, Telstra said the Second-life initiative was driven by the popularity of Second Life among BigPond customers. The kiosk will be available every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time.
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Wednesday, 03 September 2008
(Orlando, Fla.) WFTV-TV, Channel 9: The 72,264-square-foot Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John, a service of Parrish Medical Center in Florida, introduces a new interactive kiosk called the Green Touchscreen designed by Quality Attributes Software. The Green Touchscreen kiosk shows viewers the buildings' energy systems through creative animations, gauges and graphs that teach how the systems work and how they lower electricity and water usage.
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Wednesday, 03 September 2008
BOSTON — For C-level and operational leadership of financial institutions and operators of financial services for underserved markets, this new report reviews the self-service kiosk market, its role in bill payments and the operational considerations when employing these devices.
Highlights from the report:
- Self-service kiosks have captured the imagination of retailers and non-bank financial services providers with flexible development platforms, reliable components and providers of 24/7 network monitoring, and system maintenance.
- Capital-expenditure constraints will slow development of billpay kiosks from previous levels.
- To avoid the CAPEX concern, kiosks deployers are shifting their business model toward large direct billers who take on the initial hardware cost.
To expand their footprint, kiosk deployers are using software interfaces to develop clerk-assisted transaction volume.
- Bill payment and other financial transactions at self-service kiosks offer "underbanked" consumers an economically rational, if not efficient, alternative to banking relationships.
"Self-service kiosks have become a creative and effective means of reaching a range of consumers with a cost effective set of financial services," comments George Peabody, director of Mercator Advisory Group's Emerging Technologies Advisory Service. "Tools like these extend the capabilities of those selling financial services. Now the race is to see who really picks them up."
Companies mentioned in the report include Pay-Ease, Vcom, IPP, Cardronics, 7-Eleven, Verizon Wireless, Infonox, TIO Networks, Metro PCS, Cricket Communications, NCR, Diebold, Wincor, Nixdorf, Nautilus Hyosung, MEI, UIC USA, VIVOtech, Hypercom, Source Technologies, Siemens, ArcaTech Systems, Interac, On the Run, Tigermarket, ExxonMobile and Circle K Stores.
Members of Mercator Advisory Group have access to this report as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access and other membership benefits.
Wednesday, 03 September 2008
INDIANAPOLIS — Community Health Network is one of the first healthcare system in the nation to offer technology that allows patients to check in with a self-service kiosk and magnetic-stripe membership card.
According to a news release, Community is partnering with NCR Corp. to offer the myCommunity Express Check-in, a solution that expedites the check-in process by allowing patients to verify their demographic and appointment information via a secure and private touchscreen. The kiosk will be available first at Community Regional Cancer Center on the Community Hospital North campus in Indianapolis.
The card and kiosk solution provides patients the ability to bypass the traditional check-in desk and electronically notify the clinician that they have arrived for their appointment. Historically, this type of data verification was only possible through the use of paper charts that were updated by manually entering information into a computer. The myCommunity Express Check-in allows patients complete control and privacy when verifying health, insurance and other personal information upon check-in.
The myCommunity magnetic-stripe membership card is swiped at the kiosk, identifying the patient or user. The card is part of Community's myCommunity program, which incorporates Internet technology to provide convenient access to many health care needs, including personal health records; online appointments; medical transactions (such as prescription renewal) via mobile phones with Internet connectivity; medical text messages; onsite amenities and retail discounts. The card is the passport to these multiple services.
"The myCommunity Express Check-in is a big step toward responding to consumer frustration with filling out duplicate forms about health and insurance information," said Dan Rench, vice president of e-Business for Community Health Network. "This new model, which provides greater health care integration for myCommunity members, will be especially helpful to cancer patients, who often require multiple visits during the course of their care."
Implementation of the myCommunity Express Check-in will start on the campus of Community Hospital North and then be implemented at select facilities network-wide during the next two years.
Wednesday, 03 September 2008
The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee: John Michael is about to rent a DVD. But he's not standing in a chain video store like Blockbuster or an independent video store like 49er Video in Davis or Awesome Video in Sacramento. And he's not renting from Netflix. Instead, Michael, a 20-something Sacramentan, is standing in front of a large red box near the checkout counter inside a Safeway supermarket. He's about to put his credit card into the DVD machine, make his choice, have $1.49 charged to his account and walk away with a rented DVD.
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Tuesday, 02 September 2008
Worcester (Mass.) Business Journal: Several creditors are trying to force the liquidation of Cyphermint Inc., a Marlborough-based mobile payment system maker, according to documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. And a trustee appointed by the court, Joseph Baldiga, a partner at the Worcester-based law firm of Mirick O'Connell, is in the process of putting together a management agreement to run the company until it or its assets are sold.
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Tuesday, 02 September 2008
Informatiezuil.com produces and distributes kiosks in the Dutch and Benelux market. By combining kiosks, digital screens, software and services, we create digital signage, self-service and touchscreen solutions.
Tuesday, 02 September 2008
Worcester (Mass.) Business Journal: Cyphermint Inc., a Marlborough, Mass.-based provider of software that lets users pay bills through cell phones and self-service kiosks, has several creditors trying to force its liquidation, according to documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. A trustee appointed by the court is in the process of putting an agreement to run the company until it or its assets are sold. Paperwork has been recovered that allegedly shows a number of Cyphermint's directors and executives took substantial amounts of money from the firm in March and April, weeks before the company’s local operations shut down.
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Tuesday, 02 September 2008
AUSTIN, Texas — Wincor Nixdorf International has named Patrick Wright its new chief executive officer for the U.S. division.
Wright, a former senior executive with JPMorgan Chase & Co., has been brought in to direct the company’s continued push for aggressive growth in banking, retail and service throughout the United States.
According to a news release, Wright’s appointment is part of the Paderborn, Germany-based company’s long-term plan to remain committed to the U.S. market. Less than two years ago, Wincor Nixdorf was doing business with one of the top 25 U.S. financial institutions. Today, Wincor Nixdorf has contracts or is in trials with nine of the top 25 U.S. banks.
As Europe’s No. 1 provider of programmable POS systems for retail, the company is striving to extend its customer base in the U.S. retail industry with emphasis on checkout systems, cash management and software solutions for leading retailers. This week, Wincor Nixdorf is hosting a retail forum in New York that is expected to highlight the company’s ongoing mission to grow its U.S. retail presence.
“Among Wincor Nixdorf’s primary objectives is our continued acquisition of market share in the vital U.S. market,” said Javier López-Bartolomé, senior vice president of the Americas for Wincor Nixdorf. “Given Patrick’s direct industry expertise and proven business acumen, we are confident that his appointment to this key leadership position will accelerate our success.”
Wright, 41, is a native of Midland, Texas, who holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Texas at Arlington.
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