GlobalAutoID: Global Automation & Identification Group: Recent Episodes
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Traceability News Digest is a wrap-up of track & trace trending solutions and notable information, plus features from Global Automation & Identification Group & its members.
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Listen now | There are many methods and technologies for identifying and locating things and people. For over 40 years, Global Automation and Identification Group has worked with all of them. One technology that is superior in many applications is RFID. Here is an introduction to RFID, courtesy of our solutions partner,
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Fluorescence is the property of some substances that emit light when they absorb radiation, which is usually invisible. The radiation is absorbed at a specific wavelength and then re-emitted at a longer wavelength. This phenomenon reveals glue, ink, coatings or any materials with UV optical brighteners.
PURE UV provides 100% UV illumination, enhancing the fluorescence effect by removing glare and improving contrast, as well as increasing inspection reliability over longer working distances.
Consider PURE UV’s in these and other applications:
Adhesive inspection
Grease inspection
Invisible UV inks
Marking and ID with 2D data matrix code recognition
Packaging & safety seal inspection
Security & anti-counterfeit inspection, including credit cards, bank notes, and passport stamps
Inspection of paints, plastics, and dyes
and Microscopy
EFFILUX offers a wide range of UV lights, from 365nm to 405nm, and accessories in UV wavelengths for machine vision applications. Matched with PURE UV, it is the most optimal solution for complicated UV applications.
For more information about PURE UV, EFFILUX, and CCS, contact GlobalAutoID at GlobalAutoID.com/contact.
Follow GlobalAutoID on Twitter @GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/LinkedIn.
This audiocast was produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
The audiocast background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Global Automation & Identification Group’s newest partner, MRT, a business unit of HTE, is an expert in solutions for tracking the manufacturing process. A fine example of their solutions portfolio is PlantWatch.
Plantwatch is an open platform combined with software applications that manage the day-to-day plant operations and the plant’s integration to the extended enterprise and its supply chain. Based on a flexible object-modeling framework, Plantwatch is ideal for customers seeking the benefits of a tailored solution with the lowest cost and shortest implementation time. 1 day of training is all it takes.
Common applications are: traceability, labor/job tracking, cell control, machine control, data collection, error proofing, inventory control, process management, operator interface, and many more.
Plantwatch is designed to capture and communicate real-time manufacturing data from the shop floor to the people and systems that need it, when they need it. Information provided by Plantwatch helps our customers make better- informed decisions and reduces manufacturing costs and lead times. Plantwatch is designed to track all aspects of manufacturing production, providing defect tracking, traceability, error proofing and providing a complete and accurate product genealogy—so you can reduce work in progress, lower cost of errors, and lower cost of compliance with your customer requirements. The result is increased revenues, improved customer satisfaction, and reduced manufacturing costs.
Plantwatch can help you increase your manufacturing effectiveness and reduce costs, because it:
Reduces scrap costs
Reduces inventory through more precise management of product and materials in the production cycle
Helps improve production yield while lowering cost per unit of production thus expanding profit margin and revenues
Plantwatch helps you reduce your exposure to liability, in the following ways:
Defect tracking provides accurate identification of defect location, defect cause and defect impact on inventory produced
Allows you to stand behind product warranties while limiting your exposure to costly response to warranty terms and conditions invoked when the customer detects product defects
Provides information in real time to reduce manufacturing costs, limit liability to production errors, and increase product revenue
This is just a brief overview of the power of Plantwatch. In addition, MRT & HTE are experts in vision systems for inspection, measurement, and data acquisition. Along with our other partners, CCS, Gardasoft, Barcom, High Mark Systems, and iTRACE, GlobalAutoID has the resources and expertise to assist you.
Whether your requirements are for manufacturing, packaging, or logistics, Global Automation & Identification Group is ready to assist.
To find out more about our extensive portfolio of solutions, visit GlobalAutoID.com/contact
Follow GlobalAutoID on Twitter @GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/LinkedIn.
This audiocast was produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
The audiocast background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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An accepted fact regarding vision applications is that proper lighting is a major consideration. Whether the requirement is data acquisition, product inspection or measurement, the correct lighting configuration is critical to success.
CCS, a Solutions Partner with GlobalAutoID, is a world leader in state-of-the-art lighting solutions. In 2018, their impressive portfolio became even more so with the acquisition of EFFILUX. EFFILUX is a company based in France that was founded in 2009 by experts in lighting, optics and photonics solutions for the machine vision industry.
EFFILUX products are known for their flexibility and ease-of-use. They are well-suited to a variety of machine vision illumination applications in robotics, logistics, biomedical, food & beverage, automotive, 3D, pharmaceutical, packaging, cosmetics, and many others.
EFFLIUX series lights are available in all sizes, from small precision to large area flood lights. They cover all wavelength ranges from UV to SWIR, including options for hyperspectral and multispectral. These lights are suitable for all camera types and can be supplied with protection ratings up to IP69K. Both standard and build-to-order products are available for rapid delivery.
EFFILUX has a strong R&D team and has delivered many innovative solutions to the industry. They also specialize in custom products for OEM customers with dedicated functionality. EFFILUX products are sold worldwide with a dedicated support team in the US to support applications in North America.
The EFFILUX family of solutions includes LED bar lights, LED ring lights, 3D pattern projectors, Short Wave Infrared LED lights, and LED Lighting for Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imaging
EFFI-FLEX LED bar lights offer flexible bright and dark field illumination depending on the number of lights used and the installation position and angle with respect to the workpiece in order to get the optimal image. They are field configurable for beam width and level of diffusion, with attachable polarizer, line scan filter and cylindrical lens rounding out the options. Available in single and dual row, 4 quadrant, mini, backlight, IP67, and even IP69K for full wash down.
Applications for EFFI-FLEX LED bar lights include:
Most machine vision applications with large field of view.
Robotics
Logistics
EFFI-RING Ring lights are commonly used to produce darkfield, diffused or directional lighting to illuminate objects in a uniform way. Shadows can be significantly reduced by placing it almost parallel to the camera.
EFFILUX 3D pattern projector is a LED-based structured pattern projector. It offers similar qualities as laser sources in terms of accuracy, power and homogeneity, yet eliminates the disadvantages of laser sources, such as pattern speckle and sharpness, eye safety, lifetime issues. This 3D pattern projector is ideal for 3D reconstruction, stereovision and alignment applications thanks to the powerful and accurate patterns such as : line, cross, cloud of dots, etc.
Advantages over laser-based solutions includes:
High accuracy without speckle
Eye safety
Compatible with C-Mount lenses
Various choices of standard masks
Homogeneity > 80 %
Applications for EFFILUX 3D pattern projectors include:
3D profilometry
Stereovision
Alignment
Short Wave InfraRed LED lights use the spectral band typically defined between 1 and 2.5 μm. On the boundary between visible and thermal imaging, this spectral range has unique properties.
Its proximity to the visible range gives it all its imaging qualities in terms of contrast and resolution, and at the same time its infrared spectrum allows it to reveal phenomena and elements invisible to human eye, including:
Control in transmission of opaque materials (plastics, silicon, etc.)
Reveal elements like water, liquid, collagen, etc.
See through smoke, fog and dust, day and night.
Hyperspectral imaging is an emerging technology in machine vision that integrates conventional imaging with spectroscopy. An enormous range of new applications for image processing in the visible-NIR region of the spectrum are now possible using this technique.
The HSI range, developed in close collaboration with hyperspectral camera manufacturers, offers spectra that are suitable for multispectral and hyperspectral applications, from 400nm to 1700nm, such as:
Identify chemical compositions in the food industry
Detect foreign contaminants or materials
Optical sorting of waste, plastics
Pharmaceutical inspection
Metrology and calibration of sensors
Those are just examples of the solutions that EFFILUX has to offer. Combine them with the extensive CCS product family, as well as our Solutions Partner Gardasoft’s products for advanced lighting control, and you can satisfy every requirement to assure a successful machine vision installation.
For more detailed information and to discuss your specific requirements and challenges, contact GlobalAutoID.
Follow Global Automation & Identification Group on Twitter @GlobalAutoID, and connect with us on LinkedIn.
This audiocast was produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
The audiocast background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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via press release
Honeywell has announced it’s helping companies with complex supply chains leverage blockchain technology for end-to-end tracing, identifying and removing counterfeit parts, improving inventory management and managing their brand reputation.
Honeywell is working with iTRACE Technologies, Inc., GlobalAutoID’s Solution Partner and a leading provider of supply chain security applications for anti-grey market and anti-counterfeit, to integrate product verification technology with industrial printers to provide real time verification, authentication and track-and-trace of printed labels.
The iTRACE 2DMI® solution can be easily printed, verified and registered to the blockchain directly on the Honeywell PX940v Industrial Printer, enabling secure product authentication and track and trace to be deployed in any warehouse or production location.
This new integration allows the physical printed item to be connected to the digital ledger creating a digital twin for online authentication, adding another level of security for industries including transportation and logistics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, shipping and distribution centers, industrial manufacturing, automotive parts suppliers and applications that are regulated and require high precision and error-free printing.
“The use of blockchain offers businesses many opportunities to ensure supply chains of all complexities reduce fraud and increase trust with consumers and suppliers,” said Kevin Dehoff, president of Honeywell’s Productivity Products business. “This simple to use and easy to deploy secure implementation of an anti-counterfeit technology used with our industrial printers will have a huge impact in the manufacturing and distribution industry where it has often been difficult to deploy these kinds of advanced track-and-trace and authentication solutions.”
Industry studies show the business value added from blockchain technology will grow to more than $3.1 trillion by 2030. Blockchain technologies provide new ways for value exchange, represent assets and implement trust mechanisms. These technologies, working in conjunction, can serve as the foundation for new business and economic models impacting major swaths of business and society.
“The PX940v’s ability to capture the printed image, inline while printing, made it the ideal platform to print and register 2DMI Marks to a database or blockchain digital ledger,” said iTRACE Founder and CEO Mark Manning. “This printing, verification and registration of the printed label creates a complete chain of custody for the label from the moment it is created, this information can then be used to authenticate the product or label anywhere in the supply chain using the iTRACE mobile apps.”
Once the secure label is applied to the product it can be tracked and authenticated on the blockchain ledger at every stop on its journey, creating a provenance for the item and confidence in its authenticity.
iTRACE has previously helped Honeywell’s GoDirect Trade fight counterfeiting in the Aerospace industry with blockchain technology. GoDirect Trade is an online marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers of aerospace parts from around the world in an intuitive and easy way. The supply chain security company is now a part of Honeywell’s Independent Software Vendor Partner Program, and its software is now available in the Honeywell Marketplace, an enterprise app store that enables customers to discover, evaluate and download business-critical software for a wide range of industries.
To learn more about our Solutions Partner, iTRACE Technologies, visit GlobalAutoID.com/iTRACE
For more information about supply chain security solutions, contact GlobalAutoID for a consultation @ GlobalAutoID.com/contact.
Visit GlobalAutoID.com for more from our Solutions Partners, as well as feature articles on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
Follow Global Automation & Identification Group on Twitter @GlobalAutoID, and connect with us on LinkedIn.
The audiocast background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The audiocast was recorded and produced by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group.
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Listen now | In this feature, courtesy of our Solutions Partner, Gardasoft Vision, we will explain how the different kinds of lighting controllers work in machine vision and which applications they suit best. First, we’ll cover a few basics about machine vision lighting and the importance of lighting control in getting the best out of a machine vision system.
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Are the machines that you build, or use, safe? Is your work environment safe? Have you had a formal certified risk assessment completed?
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
In the United States, there are over a dozen OSHA documents that address regulations for machine safety. In the European Union, that number is more than twenty. These regulations specify machine design issues, machine limits, proper use, and operator protection.
If you are a machine builder or the user of those machines, it is your moral and legal responsibility to ensure that those machines are safe, when used as expected and directed. The only way to determine the safety of the machines that you design and build, or use, is by engaging a certified service to conduct risk assessment and make recommendations for addressing, and correcting if necessary, any functions, designs, or instructions for use, of the equipment. Risk reduction may take the form of machine redesign, addition of supplemental protective devices, or specific/additional user instruction.
Global Automation and Identification Group works with several global companies that are trained, qualified, and certified to perform risk assessment and make recommendations for corrective action, if required. The safety services they provide are all compliant with current safety directives and regulations.
In addition to Safety Services and Risk Assessments, the organizations with whom we are associated are equipped to provide state of the art safety systems and solutions.
These solutions include:
Light curtains
Area scanners and alarms
Safety switches
Wide variety of sensors
Automatic disconnects
To learn more about safety services for your production line, please visit GlobalAutoID.com/safety to receive more information and future updates on the topic.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as topics of interest for the customers and potential customers of our solutions partners. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/LinkedIn.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
New & Notable's theme and background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay
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In a previous edition, we briefly discussed the use of RFID as an alternative for traditional 1D and 2D data acquisition applications. While printed codes satisfy many requirements, RFID offers some unique advantages.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, July 15th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
As we mentioned previously, in order to ensure a successful implementation that continues to perform as expected, it is critical to employ a trained and certified System Integrator or Developer. One such organization is our solutions partner, Barcom Inc. They are one of the few recognized Developers for Zebra RFID solutions, and they are an accepted leader in the area of data acquisition for logistics, material handling, and many other applications.
Barcom has the expertise and training to define application requirements, design the correct solution architecture, deploy the solution, provide training, and be ready and able to continue service and support after acceptance.
To learn more about Barcom, visit GlobalAutoID.com/barcom.
And now, a message from GlobalAutoID: Is your Supply Chain secure?
As you may be aware, counterfeit products and product diversion results in global financial losses, each year, approaching 1 trillion dollars. This number does not include damage to brand credibility, caused by low quality products that infect the market.
In the Automotive market, legitimate parts and components are being sold through unauthorized channels without the knowledge of the respective Brand owner. In addition to the negative impact that these corrupt sales have on the Brand owner’s profits, the credibility and reputation of the Brand is diminished.
Global Automation and Identification Group has over 40 years of experience in evaluating, recommending, and implementing various methods and technologies for anti-counterfeiting and anti-diversion initiatives. We can assist your organization.
Visit GlobalAutoID.com/consulting to learn more and to contact us.
And closing out this week’s edition of New & Notable, some notes:
Patient identification and medication identification are crucial safety steps in this era of Coronavirus. Code can help your healthcare system with safety steps using barcode scanning software and hardware.
Your functional safety personnel may form productivity-impacting biases in response to the COVID-19 threat. Read Omron's white paper to learn strategies for mitigating the negative effects of these biases.
Machine safety is really about "people safety". Even packaging your favorite sweet snack can be dangerous without proper safeguards. Leuze MLC safety light curtains keep the candy moving safely.
Check out these news and announcement items, and all of our other new and notable posts, at GlobalAutoID.com
This has been New & Notable for July 15th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
New & Notable's theme and background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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This week, we look at diffuse off axis lighting and how it is critical for direct marking, followed by some notes from our solutions partners and others.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, July 8th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
It is well-recognized that proper lighting configurations are key to successful vision applications. This is the case for surface inspection as well as capturing human readable data and 1D/2D codes, particularly when directly marked. When reading marks that are created with laser or dot peen, appropriate lighting is even more critical.
CCS has the best solution. Until now, the solution that was often selected for capturing images that are directly marked − especially with less than perfect backgrounds and often with poor contrast − would be to use a dome light or coaxial arrangement. Even for surface inspection applications these are the lighting solutions of choice. These solutions work very well for specific applications. However, they do have drawbacks. Both dome and coaxial lighting devices are not very compact, require significant mounting arrangements, are not very flexible from one application to another, and can be rather costly. The cost is often more than the imager hardware.
The new CCS LFXV Series of flat dome lights are industry leading. These patented lighting solutions provide flexibility in application as well as installation. Flat dome lights do not have a camera hole and are designed for imaging directly through the light. They provide highly uniform, crisp images without a dark spot. Available in 10 sizes and 4 different colors, they address a very wide variety of requirements. When mounted close to the workpiece they recreate the effect of a Dome Light, and mounted further away, they recreate the effects of a Coaxial Light.
The LFXV Series represents the latest innovation in diffuse lighting technology, offering high-contrast, shadow-free illumination in a compact form factor.
Global Automation and Identification Group is proud have CCS as a valued Solutions Partner. Learn more about CCS at GlobalAutoID.com/CCS
A quick message from GlobalAutoID:
The pandemic continues. Instead of the curve flattening, COVID-19 cases are hitting new records daily in many areas. Any company whose plan was to wait things out is going to be waiting for much, much longer.
There are companies out there that are not waiting. They have responsible health and safety plans in-place and are moving forward. They are finding the opportunities that are present, and are taking advantage of their competition’s fear and delays.
Which kind of company are you a part of?
Global Automation & Identification Group is here to help you move forward. Visit GlobalAutoID.com/consulting.
And now, some notes:
With folks getting back to the office, remember to disinfect shared equipment. Aside from standard office equipment, special care should be taken to disinfect mobile and handheld barcode equipment after use. Learn more from our solutions partner, Barcom.
Also, some questions for you from Barcom: Are the number of mobile device users in your facility increasing? Are you noticing a decrease in performance from your wireless network? Consider a site RF survey to iron out the issues.
The hardware style can vary, but the muscle behind a barcode scanner or mobile app is the software. Learn more about Code Corporation’s scanning software.
Read the new article from Quality Magazine: “Achieving Higher Levels of Quality Consciousness with Traceability 4.0”
Will the current pandemic affect functional safety? Learn more from Omron’s experts.
GlobalAutoID’s solutions partner, iTrace Technologies, has a different take on the low-cost luxury goods you find at big-box stores.
Check out these news and announcement items, and all of our other new and notable posts, at GlobalAutoID.com
This has been New & Notable for July 8th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
New & Notable's theme and background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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This week, we ask the question, “barcodes or RFID: which one?” as well as sharing some news and announcements.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, June 24th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
Everyone is familiar with the use of barcodes, or 2D symbols, for traceability of products at the item, pallet, and container levels. Applications include material handling, production, logistics, and many others. In addition, printed machine-readable symbols are widely accepted for access control and personal identification.
For over twenty years, as an alternative to traditional 1D and 2D codes, there has been growth in the area of RFID. Many companies, particularly the larger retailers, are looking at, or are using, RFID tags and labels to track goods at the pallet, case, and even item level.
While there are some big advantages of implementing RFID, it is important to carefully consider the costs versus the benefits, just as with any other typical business decision. RFID may make data acquisition easier, since it does not require line of sight configuration between reader and label/tag. It can speed up scanning and reduce labor costs. For companies that utilize returnable and reusable containers and/or pallets, RFID allows those items to be tracked across the supply chain and manage those assets.
The downsides of RFID are both technical as well as financial. RFID is susceptible to environmental conditions. Among these, if the labels/tags are surrounded by considerable metal or liquid, multiple types of system configuration may be required. Considerations can also be financial. The cost of RFID labels/tags are still significantly higher than traditional methods.
In addition, equipment, installation, and implementation and system support may be much more than 1D and 2D solutions.
There are clear advantages for both 1D/2D and RFID solutions. To determine the best solution for your particular requirements, engage the services of experts. Barcom, Inc. has been a leader in data acquisition and management for over 25 years. They have a professional team of software, hardware, and application experts that are experienced and ready to provide the most successful and cost-effective solutions. Before you make any decisions, contact us at GlobalAutoID.com/contact and learn more about Barcom at GlobalAutoID.com/barcom.
And now, some news and announcements:
This week, CodeREADr completed the integration of solution partner iTRACE’s 2DMI anti-counterfeit and anti-diversion technology into their mobile apps for iOS and Android. This integration enables a whole new suite of applications for manufacturers looking to control counterfeit and diversion of their products. Check out the blog and video.
Whether palm-held or handled, Code Corporation's ergonomic designs make it easier and more comfortable to manage scanning tasks. See how they can help you make barcode scanning better for your organization.
To improve operating expenditure and increase productivity of sites, Omron Automation and Docomo are partnering with Nokia to test 5G. This will help reshape Manufacturing for the Industry 4.0 era.
The best-selling book, Supply Chain Management For Dummies, is currently available on Amazon for 30% off. Written by “Mister Supply Chain” Daniel Stanton, the book helps you connect the dots between things like purchasing, logistics, and operations to see how the big picture is affected by seemingly isolated inefficiencies.
Check out these news and announcement items, and all of our other new and notable posts, at GlobalAutoID.com
This has been New & Notable for June 24th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
New & Notable's theme and background music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod.Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkoramaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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This week, we are highlighting Power Flash technology from our solutions partner, CCS, as well as sharing some news and announcements from other companies.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, June 17th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
The PF Series from CCS and CCS America is a collection of high-power LED strobe lights and controllers that represents their “power flash” technology. It was developed to support manufacturing processes needing high-speed imaging due to fast-moving parts, as well a lot of required lighting.
What sets a PF Series solution apart from other solutions is its extreme light output, up to 7 million lux; super-fast strobe times that can range from 1 to 100 microseconds; special high-output LED lights with dedicated control units that are available with 4 channels; ethernet & parallel interfaces; 512 light levels; delay function; and high brightness comparable to xenon flash lamps, but without all of their drawbacks. A PF Series solution achieves a brightness that is at least 8 times greater than strobe lighting in conventional products.
Run your line faster with the PF Series. With a higher brightness compared to xenon lighting and 48 models available in a variety of lighting types, you can have a solution that is optimized to eliminate image blur. What this means is a manufacturing line using PF Series lighting and controllers can potentially run up to 14 times faster, compared to conventional lighting.
The PF Series is typically applied to:
Electronics part manufacturing
Can and bottle manufacturing
Food inspection
Pharmaceutical inspection
Cosmetics manufacturing
Metal parts manufacturing
Printing and label inspection
Containers
2D code reading
To learn more about CCS and all of their product lines, including the PF Series, visit GlobalAutoID.com/CCS.
And now, some news and announcements:
In a video just released by Mechatronic Solutions, they cover the MicroHAWK V430 Barcode Reader from Omron Automation.
From Allied Vision, learn more about how their Alvium cameras are used in deep learning hardware ecosystems.
Tired of non-compliance fees due to unreadable barcodes? The Honeywell PX940 automatically voids and reprints when printed labels don't meet standards. Watch the video from our solutions partner, Barcom.
Did you know that Roush Yates Systems decorates their Ford Performance engine block covers using a fiber laser marking system from TYKMA Electrox?
Check out these news and announcement items, and all of our other new and notable posts, at GlobalAutoID.com
This has been New & Notable for June 17th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
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This week, we learn more about how iTRACE Technologies employs that symbology, and how their solutions stop counterfeit products at step one.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, June 10th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
In last week’s New & Notable, we provided an overview of iTRACE Technology’s use of proprietary symbology in helping to secure your supply chain. To listen to or read that edition of New & Notable, in case you missed it, click here.
What are the most challenging product knock-offs to catch? Answer: the ones that are absolutely genuine -- except that you didn’t order, acquire, or sell them.
Counterfeit products can begin at the point of manufacturing, where the manufacturer simply makes more of your product then you ordered and paid them for, packages them in the same packaging material that the products you ordered were packaged in, and are then sent to market outside of the supply chain you authorized.
iTRACE Technologies has solutions that curb these unauthorized products before they can even be created. With iTRACE’s 2DMI Supply Chain Security integrated into your manufacturer’s process, only the amount of products you authorize them to make can be done by their machines. Once that number is reached, the machines cannot make more until the manufacturer obtains additional digital licensing from you.
At the point of manufacturing, your product and the packaging for it is marked with codes using proprietary symbols from iTRACE. Using a reader application with software licensed by iTRACE, these codes can be checked at any point in the supply chain, from rolling off the conveyor belt at the manufacturer, through shipment and customs, to the retailer and even the consumer.
ITRACE's patented secure authentication solution enables their customers to protect their brands from all forms of counterfeiting, including fraud, theft, liability damages, diversion, substitution, tampering, overruns, replacement/repair fraud, and return fraud. The Blockchain integration allows you to create a permanent record of every transaction, connecting your product securely to the Blockchain, not just the packaging or label.
A growing list of companies have adopted iTRACE Technologies solutions to help fight the Grey Market and Diversion of their products as well as Production Overrun and Warranty Return Fraud. The inherent anti-counterfeiting, brand protection capabilities allows brand owners to protect their products from cradle to grave directly on the item, not just the packaging.
To learn more about iTRACE Technologies and everything covered today, visit GlobalAutoID.com/iTRACE.
This has been New & Notable for June 10th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
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Proprietary symbols are a key component of overall anti-counterfeit and anti-diversion solutions, which secures the supply chain from offshore manufacturing all the way to customer receipt.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
For more than 50 years, there has been an effort to develop the best machine-readable symbol. To date, there are approximately 300 such symbols that include a multitude of traditional 1-dimension bar codes, multi-color 1-dimensional codes, widely-accepted 2-dimension codes that are capable of containing several thousand characters, and intricate multidimensional symbols.
Most of the hundreds of existing symbologies remain proprietary and require users to pay a license fee, or royalty, in order to implement them. These fees may apply to creating the marks, read (de-code) the marks, or both. Since these codes remain proprietary, their general acceptance, for many auto ID applications, has been severely limited. They also tend to be very application specific. As a result, many companies that design and manufacture marking equipment and reading solutions, with few exceptions, have chosen not to support these symbols.
The most widely used machine-readable codes are those that were, early on in their existence, released to the public domain. There is no charge for implementing them. A few of these codes, that we see on a daily basis, include Code 3of 9, I 2of5, Code 128, UPC, Data Matrix, QRCode, PDF417, and several others. These symbols are typically implemented in “open environments” where multiple users are expected to make use of the encoded data.
While the vast majority of Auto ID applications utilize codes that are in the public domain, as discussed, there are some unique applications where, due to issues such as enhanced data security, a proprietary symbol is not only justified but crucial. These are typically “closed environments,” as opposed to “open environments" as mentioned above. The application requirements may demand extremely high accuracy and are only used within a single enterprise. Many of these applications involve high price and/or highly sensitive products.
Proprietary symbols are a key component of overall anti-counterfeit and anti-diversion solutions, which secures the supply chain from offshore manufacturing all the way to customer receipt. To fight counterfeit and diversion as a brand, you first have to secure your production, starting with securing how you mark and read the marks on your products.
The economic damage from counterfeit products and diversion from authorized channels exceeds 1 trillion dollars per year. This damage includes loss of revenue for the brand owner, cost from fraudulent service and support, contamination and disruption of the supply chain, and others.
After more than 40 years of reviewing most of the proprietary symbols available and considering the applications on which they are focused, GlobalAutoID believes that iTRACE Technologies achieves the objectives of secure data acquisition and control better than any other source.
We are proud to have iTRACE as a solutions partner and recommend their unique solutions. More information on iTRACE Technologies can be found at GlobalAutoID.com/itrace.
GlobalAutoID is available to discuss with you our insights on a secure supply chain, auto ID, and other topics covered here. We can lend our decades of experience to help tackle any production or distribution technology challenge you may be facing. Learn more about how we can help at GlobalAutoID.com/consulting.
This has been New & Notable for June 3rd. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
Image by PIRO4D from Pixabay
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This week, we visit solutions partner Barcom in the cloud, we watch how solutions partner High-Mark Systems gets around packages, followed by some brief notes from other companies.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Wednesday, May 27th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
First, a brief message from us.
The global pandemic continues, the world is learning how to keep going on, and companies are working to evolve under new rules and within a shaky economy.
The evolution companies must take on involves looking at the world differently, looking at their customer base and partnerships differently, and seeking out new opportunities that are waiting to be found.
GlobalAutoID can help. We can help you assess the current business landscape, review your strengths and weaknesses, and help point you in the direction of new opportunities and new connections.
Contact us via GlobalAutoID.com to get started.
Thinking of moving your systems to the cloud?
With the popularity of hosting for their transACTION clients, Barcom is now extending hosting services for organizations interested in moving their on-premise server to the cloud.
Barcom offers convenient monthly billing that makes budgeting and planning easy. You pick the billing options that works best for you and your budget.
Barcom’s team of industry experts are available to answer your questions and provide support, day or night. Visit their support page and submit a request, and a technical engineer will respond to your inquiry within 1 hour.
Barcom offers primary & secondary storage, and primary storage is SSD optimized to provide fast, reliable speed for sending and receiving data to and from the server.
And, one of the major benefits of cloud servers is that you can scale up or down easily and instantly. When you experience fluctuations in your business, Barcom has the ability to accommodate your needs. They can increase your cloud server’s dedicated resources at any time in seconds.
To learn more about Barcom, their cloud hosting service, and all of their other offerings, visit GlobalAutoID.com/barcom
Inspect 100% of your production. Packaging Verification is crucial to getting products safely to the consumer. Packaging Verification Systems not only ensure efficiency, but also saves money from unnecessary recalls.
When your product is round, 100% inspection is challenging. High-Mark Systems is up to that challenge with multiple scanning and imaging options.
Visit GlobalAutoID.com/highmark to learn more, including a video demonstration of the High-Mark Systems Data Pro 6, with its set-up of six Microscan MicroHAWK Barcode Readers to cover 100% of round packaging.
And now, some brief notes.
With over 30 years of Safety Laser Scanner experience, Leuze offers a technologically advanced safety scanner that is user friendly.
Cut your traceability costs with laser markers. Learn more from Keyence.
Why is green industrial LED task lighting a superior solution for detecting surface imperfections on manufacturing materials? Banner Engineering has the answer.
Code Corporation is actively looking to fill several key positions, including Senior Firmware Engineer, Process Engineer, and Warehouse & Receiving Lead
This has been New & Notable for May 27th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
Subscribe at globalautoid.substack.com
This week, we are highlighting the solutions of our solutions partner, Barcom, followed by some brief notes from other companies.
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Tuesday, May 12th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
With Barcom, streamline business processes and increase productivity with data collection automation and business mobility solutions that improve operating efficiency in your warehouse, out in the field or on the factory floor. They have completed over 15,000 installs and have over 25 years of experience in data collection automation and warehousing, so they have seen it all. They know what works, and what won’t – so you don’t have to.
Inventory Tracking Solutions
Improve worker productivity and get a handle on costs with an automated solution to track and manage your inventory.
With an automated inventory management solution, accuracy improves, employee productivity increases, and your operations become much more efficient. Incorporating bar codes into your process can yield greater visibility, better identification and accuracy, and increased worker productivity.
When implementing Barcom's transACTION software with your hardware devices, you can easily generate inventory reports and create bar coded shipping and compliance labels in seconds. Barcom makes it easy with the ability to customize the modules you need most, including a mobile screen builder for mobile devices.
Asset Tracking Solutions
Maintain accurate inventory and information on your assets.
As your business grows, the more assets you will acquire. Although it may be easy to track your assets at the start, maintaining information about your assets (including maintenance records) become more difficult to do manually. For those with more than one location, it can be even more difficult to maintain an accurate count and record of assets. When you automate the process, it becomes a much easier job.
Tracking assets throughout the supply chain improves operating efficiencies and saves hours and hours of time. When assets are properly tracked, forecasting and managing stock levels become much easier. It also improves response time to customers when you can accurately locate inventory.
Using today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to access information and make informed decisions to improved asset allocation and management. Based on your work environment, there are many ways to access and perform asset management functions, including vehicle-mount computers, voice-enabled devices, handheld and hands-free bar code scanners, and mobile computers.
Track & Trace Solutions
Maintain better control of sensitive materials.
Maintaining quality control with real-time information right down to lot level and item level detail allows for better overall management and quality of inventory assets, not to mention protection of your brand, your suppliers and customers.
Track & Trace controls in place offer:
Improved quality operations
Better tracking of items to control release of expired products
Improvements to prevent counterfeit materials and the
More robust security measures
Do not risk non-compliance; Track & Trace Solutions provide:
Real-time visibility to inventory, components and raw materials
Traceability throughout the supply chain
Reporting tools for better management and collaboration
Better control and confidence when issues arise
Efficient containment and clarification of at-risk product
Shop Floor Control Solutions
It’s time to take control.
Proper shop floor control means effective integration of the daily production schedule, master production schedule and materials requirements planning, giving workers easy access to real-time information.
If you’re looking to maintain or increase your competitive advantage, your shop floor operations must take top priority. Proper tracking and feedback of shop floor activity are key, and require access to information about workflows and schedules so you can make the right decisions for each work center.
Combining Barcom's transACTION software with the use of mobile computers, workers and management can more easily identify areas that need attention including employees, processes and machinery. Benefits of shop floor control include being able to:
Execute and release work orders based on priority
Achieve greater visibility to real-time status of work-in-progress and finished goods
Have a solid understanding of material usage and availability
Improve inventory planning
Effectively employ changes that will provide reliable revision of BOM (bill of materials) and processes for the production team.
Automate control of equipment and data to reduce data entry errors and increase worker productivity.
Workflow Management Solutions
Improve workflow performance with automation.
From shipping and receiving to material handling and order fulfillment, connecting your workers to the process can achieve overall success in the warehouse or distribution center.
Worker productivity is directly related to how your workflow process is carried out. With paper-based, manual processes, personnel are constantly moving from one location to another which can be prohibitive in terms of productivity. Manual processes are also subject to human error – whether it’s translating hard-to-read handwriting mistakes or a simple data entry error, you are risking time, money and customer satisfaction.
Barcom offers a number of technology solutions to tighten up your workflow processes, control labor costs and increase profitability.
To learn more about Barcom, visit GlobalAutoID.com/Barcom. Now, some quick notes from other automation, inspection, and vision systems companies.
Flexible communication from the field to the cloud: check out Leuze's network and connection technology. Link
Don't let its small size fool you - the CR1100 from Code Corporation is a powerhouse of scanning ability. Its compact size means it fits just about anywhere, and its versatility means it's perfect for any scanning function. Link
Get immersed in Omron’s powerful Sysmac Studio. They are offering a five-day online course led by their expert instructors to help you gain familiarity with Sysmac programming and built-in simulation. Link
This has been New & Notable for May 12th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
Subscribe at globalautoid.substack.com
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Tuesday, May 5th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
This week, we are highlighting our solutions partner, CCS America, and their parent entity, CCS, followed by some brief notes from other companies.
CCS is the global leader in LED lighting solutions for machine vision applications. With over 15 locations worldwide, the largest selection of standard products in the industry, and complete semi-custom and custom capability, CCS has the resources to help you find the right lighting solution. Their expert staff, with unmatched industry experience in lighting, imaging, and machine vision, can help you address any application from the simplest to the most challenging. Their extensive technical support includes evaluation products, application testing, workshops/seminars and consulting services.
CCS lighting products are designed together with customers, in response to their needs. They provide consultation services based on highly qualified lighting solutions and experience from more than 50,000 applications evaluated and 10,000 custom designs. Applications include:
Automotive
Metal
Cans
Packaging
Electronics
Pharmaceuticals, and
Food
Semi- Conductors
Glasses & Bottles
CCS manufactures and/or distributes for several product lines in order to fulfill as many lighting needs as possible for its customers.
The CCS standard product line is the industry's widest range of precision lighting, covering area, linescan, and specialized illumination. CCS offers over 2,435 products for machine vision/inspection applications and continuously develops new products to suit the needs of their customers. This includes Intelligent Lighting with consistent intensity and Industry 4.0 compatibility. Also available are LED lights and controllers for specialized business fields such as microscopy, art galleries & museums, medicine, and agribiotech.
The QL3 Series is an OEM line of lighting that is ideal for a wide variety of machine vision and inspection applications. These products are exclusively available through CCS's OEM partners.
CCS subsidiary, CCS America, is the master distributor for Gardasoft products in North America. CCS America offers the full line of Gardasoft high performance LED lighting controllers. These controllers add value to many machine vision systems with features such as intensity control and overdriving, multiple channels, Safe Sense/Safe Power protection, and Ethernet connectivity.
And, CCS is a distributor for EFFILUX. The EFFILUX product lineup offers many new and complementary solutions. These plug-and-play lights are ideal for a wide range of machine vision lighting applications, including large illumination areas. Key benefits include flexibility, easy product selection, and outstanding price-performance.
Since 1999, CCS America has helped thousands of customers identify the best lighting solution for their machine vision applications. They offer high quality products and advanced lighting technologies, and are continually developing new lighting systems that will meet a diverse range of needs.
CCS America's free loaner program gives customers a chance to test their products before purchase. They have hundreds of lights in a variety of models available for a 30-day trial period.
At CCS America, they are committed to providing their customers with prompt, high quality service and technical support. They have staff experienced in lighting, optics, and all aspects of machine vision imaging. CCS America's offices in Burlington, El Paso, San Jose, and Detroit are equipped with a testing laboratory for application testing, lighting recommendations, and technical support.
From the simplest to the most challenging applications, let CCS America show you how to optimize your imaging system with no charge, no obligation lab testing. Using CCS products, they show possible lighting solutions for a customer’s machine vision application.
CCS America provides its business partners with regular product training sessions, lighting seminars, and technical support.
And, while CCS and CCS America has the largest selection of standard products in the industry, when they don’t have one that fits your needs, they offer custom and semi-custom lighting solutions. They can leverage their large database of existing designs to provide you with the optimal solution for your application.
To learn more about CCS and CCS America, visit GlobalAutoID.com/CCS.
Now, some quick notes from other automation, inspection, and vision systems companies. For all referenced links and materials, visit GlobalAutoID.com.
Cognex has released an online demo of the DataMan 262. The short presentation covers the product's high read rates, simple installation in tight spaces, easy-to-use tune and trigger buttons, and optimal image formation for any code.
When reliable traceability is essential, Leuze is here to support you with their various identification technologies. They want to hear about your application. Connect with Leuze through GlobalAutoID.
Automated Medication Packaging, meet the zero-miss safety inspector. Ziuz Medical is the solution for automated medication dispensing that requires exacting performance, and it relies on Code Corporation and the CortexDecoder.
This has been New & Notable for May 5th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
Subscribe at globalautoid.substack.com
From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Tuesday, April 28th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
This week, we are highlighting our solutions partner, High-Mark Systems. High-Mark Systems provides industrial machining and fabrication of the highest quality for auto labeling, auto ID, and vision systems.
High-Mark offers the latest in industrial marking technology.
For small character marking, High-Mark's continuous inkjet technology meets the demands of high-speed and fast-dry ink. It is also suitable for a wide variety of substrates as well as printing bar codes and logos.
For large character, their drop-on-demand technology offers a rugged and reliable way to print information on many industrial substrates, including lumber, steel, plastics, fiberglass and a variety of package substrates.
And for high resolution marking, High-Mark's thermal inkjet and "Piezo" technologies offer the ability to print text, bar codes and graphics across a large area on a package or substrate with resolution up to 600 dots per inch.
High-Mark Systems' ink varieties for marking include non-porous, porous, and UV curable.
The non-porous ink is fast-drying, solvent-based inks offer good adhesion to almost any substrate.
The porous ink is environmentally-friendly water-, glycol- and oil-based inks that are low maintenance for printing on porous surfaces.
And, ultraviolet radiation curable inks offer a safe and low-maintenance ink that adheres to virtually any substrate when cured with a UV lamp.
From semi-automatic to fully customized automatic labeling systems, High-Mark Systems can find a solution for you. Label applicators, print and apply labelers, along with a variety of other custom labeling solutions, are available with the highest level of reliability.
High-Mark offers ongoing support for all supplies and services, and a variety of high-performance labels and ribbons to meet your specific needs.
For Auto ID and vision systems, you must ensure you have quality in every step of your process. High-Mark Systems can identify defects efficiently, verify and collect data, track and trace, and provide quality-related information for any part, label or package. Their experience and innovation can help integrate a solution into your existing processes.
Whether it’s simple or complex, High-Mark can provide solutions for a variety of industries, including food and beverage, medical device, automotive, electronics, and general manufacturing. Those solutions include three lines of package verification systems:
The 9800 series is an auto ID packaging verification system with LCD keypad
The Data Pro LT series Color touch screen with camera images shown for individual inspections
And the Data Pro 2 series Color touch screen for up to two independent inspections, with camera images shown for individual inspections for each camera.
All packaging verification systems by High-Mark are stand-alone with dry contact relay for Machine Stop Interface.
High-Mark Systems has more than 40 years of experience, providing solutions and service to customers all across North America. Their team is committed to responsive and knowledgeable service, and stand behind and support all of their products to meet and exceed their customers’ needs.
High Standards plus High Performance equals High-Mark.
GlobalAutoID is proud to have High-Mark Systems as a solutions partner. To learn more about High-Mark and their products and services, visit GlobalAutoID.com/highmark
This has been New & Notable for April 28th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
Subscribe at globalautoid.substack.com
In this edition, we cover fake stuff, rugged & robust stuff, & computationally illuminated stuff.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
For everything referenced in this week's edition, and to subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
Our solutions partner, iTrace Technologies, has been following the ongoing issues with medical supply counterfeiting occurring during the pandemic. As a leader in anti-counterfieting and anti-grey-market, iTrace has valuable experience and insight on how companies can catch these issues in their supply chains.
GlobalAutoID has curated iTrace’s recent posts on medical supply counterfeits. Check those posts out at GlobalAutoID.com/iTrace.
Optimize your warehouse operations with a 1-2 punch from Honeywell and our solutions partner, Barcom. With Honeywell and Barcom products in-place together, you will improve inventory, warehouse, material handling and mobilty performance with one total solution.
The 1-2 punch is rugged hardware from Honeywell and robust software from Barcom.
Honeywell’s hardware solutions feature:
Mobile devices designed to withstand tumbles, bumps, and drops
Support for multiple users, and ease of use that lowers the bar on required device experience
Shift-after-shift operation
And long-life batteries
Barcom’s transaction software solutions include:
The ability to track people, inventory, and assets
Control of labor hours
Ability to maximize the lifespan of company property
Custom software to fit your requirements
And both mobile and desktop version of the software
Barcom’s President, John Rewcastle, and VP of Sales & Marketing Dale Conerly recently delivered a presentation on Honeywell’s and Barcom’s combined solutions. Watch that presentation and learn more about Barcom by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/Barcom.
With Illumination Systems for Computational Imaging from our solutions partner, CCS, they offer you a new way of thinking.
Computational Imaging (CI) refers to digital image capture and processing techniques that combine computation and optical encoding. Relying on data extracted and computed from a series of input images captured under different lighting or optical conditions, CI can improve the capability of a camera or introduce new features not previously possible. By creating an output image focused on the image properties most important to a particular machine vision task, CI offers powerful advantages over traditional one-shot imaging.
To learn more about Computational Imaging, check out the video, brochure, and white paper CCS has produced – all available at GlobalAutoID.com/CCS.
Also, check out the 2020 General Catalog for lighting solutions from CCS, also available at GlobalAutoID.com/CCS.
And now, some quick notes from other automation, inspection, and vision systems companies. For all referenced links and materials, visit GlobalAutoID.com
Today and tomorrow, Balluff is hosting a virtual event on industrial automation called “Challenge: Productivity.”
“Safety increases productivity. Productivity increases profitability.” Learn more about Leuze’s Safety Services Program with the PDF they have available for download.
Medication errors have been identified as one of the largest safety issues in healthcare. Learn more about Nursing Point-of-Care Solutions from Code
Closing this week’s New & Notable, a quick message from us: we’re here for you, and will be.
There is fear and uncertainty on both sides of the buying and selling equation. Global Automation & Identification Group wishes everybody to take to heart that we will get through this, together. The world may be a different place after this pandemic, but it’s still a world that needs supply chains, needs manufacturers, needs entire functional industries -- and needs everybody to step up and adapt for the benefit of their customers, employees, shareholders and stakeholders.
GlobalAutoID is working hard to anticipate where everything is heading, and navigating the changing landscape. We’re here for any business within our niches, on either side of the buying/selling equation, to share what we’re learning during this time. And we’re available for those businesses later, if they have to pause now. We’re here to work together now and the future, to help us all thrive in this new world, and whatever new worlds we reach.
This has been New & Notable for April 20th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well, and have a successful week.
Subscribe at globalautoid.substack.com
This week’s edition takes a look at how some of our solutions partners are operating during the coranavirus pandemic, and what they want GlobalAutoID to convey to their customers & potential customers during these challenging times.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
For everything referenced in this week's edition, and to subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
First, a message from GlobalAutoID.
Coronavirus & Your Business: Let Us Help You.
COVID-19 has changed how all businesses are doing business. Trade shows and in-person meetings are impossible right now. Uncertainty is driving operational and financial decisions. Where many businesses are finding they can shift their business development, sales, and marketing teams to all-virtual and remote working, our new economic landscape is full of challenges and risk, but is also full of opportunities to be discovered.
What can GlobalAutoID do for you?
We can facilitate meetings between potential buyers and solutions providers or vendors who have missed connecting with each other.
We can brief you about resources and solutions you missed seeing at a trade show.
We can help plan your future events attendance, post-coronavirus.
We can help solutions providers with a post-coronavirus marketing strategy.
And we can help solutions and components purchasers with a post-coronavirus purchase evaluation plan or RFP strategy.
Whether you are looking to acquire solutions for your manufacturing process, laboratory, or supply chain — or you are a solutions provider looking for customers — Global Automation & Identification Group can help you navigate and thrive in this quickly evolving business world.
For our solutions partner, iTRACE Technologies, operating during the pandemic is pretty much business as usual.
Since 2015, iTRACE has operated a virtual office and infrastructure. They use Join.me for client facing calls and, Skype or Cisco Webex teams for internal support and development communications.
Their hours of operation are normal Pacific Daylight Time business hours, and always respond to new opportunities as soon as possible. The biggest change iTRACE has noted is the lack of travel to see clients in-person, but note that the time they have gained from not traveling has allowed them to focus even more on clients and the details of their projects.
Our solutions partner, CCS, has been continuing operations as normal and getting shipments in from Japan a few times a week.
There has not been a reduction in their working hours or any change to their shipping terms, which are next day to one week delivery on standard orders, and 2 or more weeks on custom lights.
CCS has been using Microsoft Team meetings for training and virtual meetings.
Their regional, inside, and application sales team are working normal business hours and are responding to any and all requests that come in.
And, the CCS lab is available as always to test any applications the customer needs.
And closing today’s edition, our solutions partner, Barcom, wants you to know that they are here for you.
Barcom is considered an essential business, serving the supply chain that supports other essential businesses in their home state of Tennessee and throughout the United States.
Much of the work they do was already performed electronically, so the impact on their customer base has been minimal.
In addition to phone support, Barcom can provide technical assistance using video and remote device technology which eliminates the need to go onsite unless absolutely necessary.
To learn more about GlobalAutoID’s solutions partners, visit GlobalAutoID.com/partners.
This has been New & Notable for April 14th. Be sure to return next week for news and highlights from our solutions partners and other companies.
To subscribe to New & Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced and presented by James D Kirk for Global Automation & Identification Group. Thank you for your time and attention, be well and have a successful week.
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From Global Automation and Identification Group, this is New & Notable for Tuesday, April 7th, 2020.
New & Notable is a weekly series covering the news, announcements, and product highlights of our solutions partners, as well as other companies with something new and interesting to share. Our focus is on vision, inspection, and automation solutions for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, and consumer packaging industries.
For everything referenced in this week’s edition, and to subscribe to New and Notable, visit GlobalAutoID.com. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
We start off today with a question: where’s your stuff?
Our solutions partner, Barcom can answer that question with their software tool, transACTION.
TransACTION was developed to help you keep track of your valuable assets, including people, inventory, and company equipment. Maintain better control of labor hours and maximize the life of company property with an application designed to save you time and money.
A variety of modules are available to help in every area of your organization, including Inventory Control & Warehouse Management, Production Reporting, Label Printing & Compliance Labeling, Asset Tracking, Shop Floor Control, Labor Management & Time/Attendance
This highly configurable software tool can be configured to work with your business rules and maintain the terminology and language native to your organization.
Barcom’s software engineers can manage any level of customization you require; or, if you have an internal team, you can customize it on your own.
With transACTION, you get the best of both worlds with a solution tailored to meet your needs — at an affordable price.
Visit GlobalAutoID.com/Barcom to learn more about transACTION, and all of Barcom’s solutions.
Now, some quick notes.
On April 21st and 22nd, Balluff is hosting a virtual event on industrial automation called “Challenge: Productivity.” 25 online sessions will be presented over two-days, covering RFID, IO-Link, Condition Monitoring as well as Machine Learning and much more. Link
Available on YouTube: watch AutoBeat Group’s interview of Jeff Hall @ Omron Automation, covering innovative and scaling solutions for the automotive industry. Link
And, MHI has announced the winners of the 2020 MHI Innovation Awards. Awards include Best New Innovation, Best Innovation of an Existing Product, and Best IT Innovation. Link
We close today with the top five business reasons to use solutions from our partner, iTRACE Technologies.
Reason #1: Grey Market Protection
Preventing grey market and diversion allows your retailers to maintain their margins and prevents price erosion across regions. By cutting off the grey market supply before it gets online, policing and promoting your online presence is simpler and more effective.
Reason #2: Anti-Counterfeiting
Identifying and removing counterfeit products from distribution protects your brand image and value, recaptures lost revenues, and prevents liability claims and loss from the failures of counterfeit products.
Reason #3: Returns Validation
Preventing false warranty returns from counterfeit, used or grey market products allows you to reduce your support costs, keep bad product out of the customer environment, and improve the reliability of your systems.
Reason #4: OEM Production Control
Product overrun and third shift issues at OEM manufacturers mean that your market could be flooded with “genuine” product, made at the same factory and using the same parts as your brand. Identifying and eliminating unauthorized product from distribution allows for recapture of lost revenue and reduced support costs.
Reason #5: Prosecution of Violators
Being able to uniquely identify and track each individual product or component anywhere in the world provides real evidence which your legal team can use to cut off and shut down illegitimate vendors and operations. Recapture lost revenue, reduce support costs, and reduce liability from out-of-use and counterfeit products.
Visit GlobalAutoID.com/itrace to learn more about iTRACE’s solutions.
This has been New & Notable for April 7th. Next week, you will hear about how our Solutions Partners have risen to the challenges presented by the global pandemic we are all currently facing, learn more about how GlobalAutoID can help your company deal with the new reality COVID-19 has put it in, and more.
Don’t miss next week’s New & Notable by subscribing at GlobalAutoID.com/subscribe. Follow us on Twitter at GlobalAutoID, and on LinkedIn by visiting GlobalAutoID.com/linkedin.
New & Notable is produced by James D Kirk for Global Automation and Identification Group. Thank you so much for your time and attention, be well, and have a great day.
Subscribe at globalautoid.substack.com