If you ship your products via passenger airplanes, then you are aware of the potential problems associated with this mandate. Rising operating costs, due to time, labor, etc., can impact your profits. Also, since the TSA mandates 100% screening, your shipment could wait in a long queue, resulting in longer lead times and the risk of your perishable product being contaminated, damaged, or spoiled.

The solution is to have your shipments pre-screened and labeled as meeting the TSA mandate. The Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) allows a shipper, freight forwarder, or independent cargo screening firm to screen cargo in a more cost-effective way. We offer TSA compliant products such as CCSF stickers and labels that identify your cargo as having been screened by TSA approved screening equipment. Once labeled, your shipment can proceed directly onto the aircraft without additional screening and delay.

We also offer tamper evident tapes and labels to protect your shipments against tampering. Tamper evident tapes are printed and numbered such that no two pieces are the same. The solvent-based acrylic adhesives leave a residue behind when peeled off to indicated tampering, and cannot be cut and then resealed.

Self-voiding adhesive seals are a visual deterrent into air cargo containers. They can be numbered, bar coded, or die cut into any shape you need, and can be made to reveal a message when attempts are made to remove them to indicate tampering.

If you need to comply with TSA mandates, or need tamper-evident tapes and labels for your products, then call us at  603-598-1553. If you want more information about CCSP and the TSA, check out this link.

Related posts:

1. COOL Labeling Mandate Affects Meat Industry
2. Is RFID Required for MIL-STD-129?
3. Are Food Tracking Mandates Too Costly?

Well, everything changes and the 7000 is about to be replaced by the new Dataman 8000 series.

While a lot of the functionality is much the same, the Dataman 8000 does come with some nifty new features.

It is the first handheld reader to come with the fancy new liquid lens technology. This allows for automatic variable focus at high speeds with no moving parts.

The Dataman 8000 is also the first handheld scanner to have Ethernet connectivity available. Serial and USB connectivity is also available, but sadly no Bluetooth version – hopefully this will be introduced in the near future. At this time there is also no verification option for UID marks, I believe the previous generation 7500V will still be produced to handle this job.

Two versions of the new scanner will be made to start, the 8500 which has a number of lighting systems built in for reading DPM codes and a more conventional 8100 for high contrast codes on labels and dataplates. As you would expect, the 8000 series can read all the usual barcode types, both linear and 2D.

All in all, a very nice update. The major thing missing is the cordless option which is also my main complaint about the competing MobileHawk scanner from Microscan.

One thing is for sure, the Dataman 8000 and the MobileHawk will be the two top handheld barcode scanners around.

Need more info? Call me at 603-598-1553. We are a Cognex business partner and will be happy to help.

Do you use, or have a need for, top quality barcode scanners? What do you use for your toughest barcode jobs?

Related posts:

1. Review – Cognex Dataman 750s
2. New Cognex UID Verifier
3. New Symbol Scanner/Mobile Computer

PTI wants to establish groups to address issues in four key areas:

1) guide and promote industry-wide adoption of GS1 standards, including developing best-practices for implementing tracking solutions.

2) identify product attributes and determine how to communicate that data between trading partners.

3) establish a group to ensure communication between PTI and the produce industry.

4) create a forum to allow collaboration among technology providers to support the initiative.

In addition to the working groups, GS1 US has joined the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Produce Marketing Association, and United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh) as a Produce Traceability Initiative-administering organization

If you would like more information about the new working groups or PTI, visit their website.

Related posts:

1. New Produce Traceability Guidelines
2. Need To Comply With PTI Standards?
3. Renewed Focus on Food Traceability

When it comes to barcode scanners, I’d be the first to admit that I usually turn to Symbol. Whether the low cost laser scanners for linear barcodes or cordless scanners, I’ve always found the Symbol products to be really nicely thought out – and basically just work.

Anyway, just for a change I have an Intermec SR61 on my desk so I thought I’d try it out.

The SR61 is a robust design and competes with the LS3478 or LS3578 in the Symbol range.

The SR61 is basically a nicely designed handheld scanner – the balance is good for anyone working in a scan intensive environments. It isn’t tethered to a computer, instead it uses Bluetooth wireless technology to allow the operator more freedom of movement – up to about 100 feet away from the host.

Intermec sell the SR61 with a choice of their scan units, linear imager, area imager and the sexy EX25 imager for both long and short range.

Personally, I don’t like linear imagers, I’m a laser guy when it comes to linear barcodes. I therefore wouldn’t consider the linear version of the SR61, I’d go with the Symbol LS3578 if I only had to scan linear barcodes.

I reviewed the EX25 scanner from Intermec here and I think it matches up very well against Symbol’s Lorax long range scanner – especially since it can read both linear and 2D barcodes.

The SR61 on my desk has Intermec’s standard style area imager and I’m not a fan. The much better EX25 imager has a really accurate aiming mark, whereas the imager in this scanner really has no accurate way to aim it at the barcode. This is OK if there is only one barcode in the field of view, but this isn’t always the case. Why can’t the area imager have an aiming point like the EX25, the Symbol scanners or (best of all) the Cognex 750 series?

How a barcode scanner connects with the user’s computer system is obviously very important. The Symbol cordless scanners are simple enough – each uses a Bluetooth base station that is connected to the host PC via a cable – usually USB these days.

Intermec has taken a different approach – the SR61 comes with a familiar looking cradle, but there is no wireless connectivity. Instead the scanner comes with a little USB Bluetooth adaptor to plug into the host PC.

After sticking the adaptor into a USB port I had no difficulty pairing with the scanner. This however is about as far as I could get. Out of the box, the Intermec system doesn’t provide keyboard input into applications on the PC. The only way I could find to scan into applications such as Excel would be to buy Intermec SmartWedge software which retails at $140. All in all, a painful process to achieve functionality that comes out of the box with the Symbol and most other brand scanners.

But wait – you might think I’m giving up on the SR61, but I haven’t just yet. There is another Intermec workaround for this issue – the SD61 Bluetooth base station. There is one with my name on it on the FedEx van today.

The adventure continues …

OK, the SD61 arrived safely. It is a rather cheap and cheerful plastic box with a USB connector and (hidden under a little plastic door) a non-standard D-type connector as well. The sad thing is that there is no USB cable to plug into the port.

Much hunting around and I find an Intermec USB cable, not sure if the correct one though. The scanner pairs with the SD61 easily enough, by scanning the barcode on the box and I went to the trouble to download the Intermec EasySet software to configure everything.

Everything done and ready to scan. Seems to be working but no data is transferred to my PC. The USB cable I’m using is not the same part number as the one suggested in the manual so I’m wondering if I need to invest in the correct one.

Thanks to our friend Gerry, our helpful Intermec guy, I finally get the proper cable and (after a firmware update and getting some setup files from tech support) the SD61 is up and running.

Pricing

The list pricing for the SR61 is very similar to that of the equivalent Symbol scanner.

For example, for someone needing to be able to read linear barcodes only, a Symbol LS3578 has a list price of $1,028 for a kit containing the scanner, base station, power supply and USB cable. The SR61 with linear imager lists at $1,055 for its kit of scanner, cradle, power supply and Bluetooth dongle. If you need to get the scanner talking to your Windows apps, you’ll need either the SmartWedge software (list $145) or the SD61 base station (list $450)

Conclusion

I’m not really sure what to make of the SR61. I don’t understand why a product would be released that is so difficult to set up, especially when competitors devices work right out of the box.

As much as I like the dual range EX25 scan engine that is available, I don’t believe the other two (the linear imager and the area imager) are in same class.

I also am not at all sure about the connectivity. I’m sure this is because I’m so used to the Symbol (and the old PSC Powerscan RF) way of doing things with a dedicated base station/cradle for each scanner. I don’t like having to buy additional software or another base station to get the scanner capable of doing simple tasks.

I’ve tried to get my head around this product and why it works the way it does without success. One feature with the SD61 base station for example is that up to 7 scanners can be paired with it at one time. Very interesting, but why? I can see that this would reduce the cost by allowing scanners to share a base station, but having numerous scanners all sending data to the same PC doesn’t seem like a good idea to me!

The EX25 scan head is so good, that if I needed very long range scanning, I’d consider the SR61 – even with all the drawbacks. The perfect application would be for a warehousing job needing long and short range scanning where the scanner would be communicating with a Bluetooth enabled Intermec vehicle mounted computer, rather than with a desktop PC.

For more routine scanning jobs, I’d be buying elsewhere – the SR61/SD61 combo is too much hassle. It makes no sense for a VAR to have this system drop shipped to a client, unless the customer already knows how to make it work. I recently purchased another, eight months after the first and the system still does not work with USB out of the box.

Have you used the Intermec SR61 scanner with SD61 base station? How do you like it? Am I totally missing something here? I’d love to get your thoughts.

Related posts:

1. New Symbol Scanner/Mobile Computer
2. Intermec CK3 Hands-On
3. New Bluetooth 2D Scanner from Symbol

Hazard analysis and preventive controls: Facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food must have in place risk-based preventive control plans to address identified hazards and prevent adulteration. The FDA will have access to these plans and relevant documentation. These requirements do not apply to restaurants or most farms.

Imports: All importers must verify the safety of foreign suppliers and imported food. The FDA can require certification for “high-risk” foods and can deny food that lacks certification or is from a foreign facility that has refused U.S. inspectors.

Inspection: The FDA will have additional resources to hire new inspectors and requires the FDA to inspect food facilities more frequently.

Mandatory Recall Authority: The FDA will have authority to order a mandatory recall of a food product if the food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death and a company has failed to voluntarily recall the product upon FDA’s request.

Surveillance: Enhances surveillance systems to detect foodborne illnesses.

Traceback: Requires the FDA to establish a pilot project to test and evaluate new methods for rapidly tracking foods in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak.

Increased FDA Resources: Increases funding for the FDA’s food safety activities through increased appropriations and targeted fees for food facility reinspection, food recalls, and the voluntary qualified importer program.

The legislation includes training for facilities so they can come into compliance with new safety requirements and includes special accommodations for small businesses and farms. There are also no changes to current organic farming practices and does not change the current definition of farm under the 2002 Bioterrorism Act. Any farm that is not currently required to register with FDA will not be required to do so under this legislation.

The current version of the bill is available for download, just click on this link.

Related posts:

1. Food Safety Legislation Expected To Pass Soon
2. GS1 Food Safety Initiative
3. How RFID can Boost Food Safety

If you are here in the US, you probably still think of GS1 as the UCC – the group that set up the UPC barcode standard many years ago.

To enable tracking and traceability, there are two important parts – the data on the products (usually encoded into barcodes or RFID memory) and the systems and standards to handle all that data.

This little animation from GS1 is a good introduction to the concepts:

Want to know more about GS1 and the services provided? Head on over to http://www.gs1us.org/

Oh, I like the little interviews from Stupid Street in the video!

Related posts:

1. Product Tracing in Food Systems
2. GS1 Food Safety Initiative
3. Help To Bid and Win Government Contracts

Well, the product has now been officially announced and here’s a pic from LXE. The official name is The Marathon Field Computer. It seems to me to be a Panasonic ToughBook meets iPad concept – or maybe a ToughBook that has been flattened into a tablet. (I have ToughBooks on my mind since I’ve just made a Dunkin Donuts trip and I was checking out the ToughBook installs in all the local police cruisers parked outside).

The Marathon Field Computer (I think I’ll just call it MFC from now on) is an obvious development from the vehical mounted computers LXE has offerd for some time – you know the ones with names that sound as though they belong in a Norse legend from thousands of years ago.

One of the nice things with MFC is that it is offered with a number of operating systems – Windows 7, XP and Embedded (Microsoft’s workaround for the fact no existing apps will work with the new Windows Phone 7 OS) – no Android unfortunately, but hopefully one day!

It has all the wireless connectivity one could ask for; UMTS/HSPA, CDMA EV-DO, 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS. There is a decent keyboad, WVGA colour touchscreen and the usual options, barcode scanner, magnetic stripe reader etc. The whole thing is rated to IP65 and you can drop it to concrete from about 4 feet.

I’m still not sure this is something that most of my clients need (I don’t like to carry anything bigger than an iPhone myself), but LXE have identified a bunch of scenarios where the MFC would be useful – see the MFC microsite they’ve put up here. You’ll find some good info plus a lot of PDF datasheets there – be warned, the largest file sizes for a 2 page PDF I’ve ever seen!

One thing’s for sure – if there is ever a boxing match between the MFC and the iPad, my moneys on LXE!!

What are your thoughts on The Marathon Field Computer? Do you see any good applications for a device like this? It would certainly offer a good alternative to the ToughBook in all those police cars at Dunkin Donuts!

Let me know if you’d like to get more info. We are an LXE partner and will be happy to help out. Call me at 603-598-1553 x237 or use the contact form on the site.

Related posts:

1. Symbol’s new ES400 – first thoughts

For most mid-sized manufacturing companies, cloud computing means moving from having their accounting, MRP, CRM and barcode  tracking hosted on their own computers to using servers hosted in a secure data center run by an external hosting organization. It also means accessing these applications over the Internet through a web-browser rather than using a PC in a client-server mode.

Because the hosting organizations manage servers for many organizations and perform regular upgrades and backups for them all, the labor cost in maintaining those servers is significantly reduced. Also these organizations now offer server virtualization, which enables servers to be shared between organizations in such a way as to significantly reduce the effective cost of the hardware.

So instead of buying a server for several thousand dollars and then paying an IT person for at least 8 hours a week to main the server software, you can rent a virtual Windows server on which to run your software for as little as $10/month. You can even have the system do automated backups with backup storage costing only a few dollars a month. Also you can continue to use all those old PCs without upgrading them because all they now need to run is a free web-browser.

All this sounds wonderful but only works with web-enabled application software that will run on a web server computer. This means upgrading to web-based accounting, CRM, MRP and barcode tracking software. Fortunately many software vendors are coming out with web-enabled versions of their software. This includes BellHawk Systems which is releasing its WebHawk® web-enabled inventory and production tracking and materials traceability software this fall.

A license to use the web enabled software can either be purchased outright or rented on a month-to-month basis. Then the software can be installed and used on an inexpensive remotely hosted web server computer. When the hosting service and the software rental is offered by one organization, this is referred to as a SAAS (software as a service) model. Here you pay on a monthly basis for the use of the software on the web-server, typically paying for each named user.

The biggest issue with web enabled applications is getting them to exchange data, as they may be running on different servers in different locations on the Internet. Fortunately we are seeing the rapid emergence of web-services interfaces that enable web-based applications to exchange data in a standardized format, thereby avoiding duplicate data entry.

Written by Guest Author and Business Partner, Dr. Peter Green
Chief Technology Officer, BellHawk Systems Corporation

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1. Guest Column – Dr. Peter Green
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Cleaning the print heads on the printer is probably the most important thing you can do to keep your printers operating the way you need them to.  Over time, the print heads become worn through use and this results in poor print quality. To ensure longevity of your print heads, our service team suggests that you clean the print head each time you change the ribbon.

To do this, power down the machine. Use a Q-Tip soaked in Isopropyl alcohol to clean the point of contact of the print head. (You might need to refer to the manufacturer’s manual for details about your particular printer model.) Simply remove the visible build up of label residue and you’ll see a difference in your print quality.

Performing this simple cleaning will reduce the wear of the print head and delay replacement. Just remember to never use a metal, glass, or sharp instrument on the print head when cleaning, and your printer will continue to operate effectively.

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This is just one of the many ways Winco ID can help you keep your labeling and bar coding systems up and running smoothly. Look for more maintenance tips on upcoming Labeling News. For on-site or depot service, please talk with us at 603.598.1553. We’ll help put together the service coverage you need to help you through peak production times or all year through. (more at http://www.wincoid.com/sv_onsite.htm)

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1. Common Printer Problems & Solutions
2. Barcode Printer Service – Wise Move or Added Expense?
3. Printer Service – How Do You Choose?

Let’s face it, there isn’t a huge amount of choice when looking to purchase a UID Verifier.

I’ve always liked the handheld UID Verifier made by our friends at Cognex, but not the desktop version – I’ve tended to stick with the RVSI/Siemens/Microscan verifier for most of our labeling jobs.

To bring the verifier line up to date, Cognex recently launched the new Dataman 100 MkII verifier, designed to be more flexible than the older version.

As well as AIM DPM (the only verification standard supported by the original verifier) the 100 MkII can also verify against the ISO 15415 and AS 9132 standards.

Lighting is improved as well, allowing the Dataman 100 MkII to be used for direct part mark verification as well as for labels and dataplates.The system can either be used as a fixed mount unit or can be provided with an adjustable stand to allow a range of different products to be verified.

As you can see in the photo, the optional adjustable stand makes this a nice solution for DPM verification. I’ve not yet had the chance to test one out, so I’m not sure how it will work for verifying labels – hopefully we will see one here in the near future. It will be really interesting to compare the new Cognex verifier with our Microscan one.

Are you a DoD contractor with a need to verify UID labels for MIL-STD-130? Which system do you prefer?

Want to learn more? Call me at 603-598-1553 x237 or use the contact form on the site.

Related posts:

1. New Cognex Dataman 8000 Series
2. Review – Cognex Dataman 750s
3. Siemens UID Verifier