Consumer Packaging Specialist Huhtamaki Americas Improves Inventory Management with NCR AIDC Software.Application to Be Spotlighted at Upcoming AIM Global Event Also Eliminates Manual Labeling and Potential Packaging Errors ATLANTA -- A solution using automatic identification and data collection (AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Collection or Capture) Capturing data electronically by scanning bar codes or alphanumeric codes (OCR, MICR), by reading magnetic stripes or by wireless means. See AIM, bar code and RFID. ) software from NCR Corporation (company) NCR Corporation - Electronics company mainly active in the midrange server market. NCR was founded 1884 as National Cash Register Company. It joint the computer industry in th 1950s. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :NCR (NCR Corporation, Dayton, OH, www.ncr.com) A technology company specializing in financial terminal transactions, retail systems and data warehousing. Until the late 1990s, NCR was heavily invested in the hardware side of the industry, known worldwide as a major manufacturer of computers ) is helping global consumer packaging specialist Huhtamaki Americas automate its inventory management and labeling processes. The Huhtamaki Americas solution is among major case studies to be featured at AIM Global's 2007 AIM Showcase, Feb. 25-27, in Tampa, Fla. "Through the use of AIDC technologies, including NCR TransitionWorks([TM]) software, we have reduced working capital and labor costs," said Huhtamaki Americas IT Project Manager Mark Pettigrew. "We have also eliminated manual labeling, which assures all shipments are correctly identified. This is critical to our food-processing industry customers, because it helps them avoid the possibility of filling a container with the wrong product." The automated inventory management and labeling processes at Huhtamaki America are currently bar code-based. "Should we decide to convert to radio frequency identification See RFID. [RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) A data collection technology that uses electronic tags for storing data. The tag, also known as an "electronic label," "transponder" or "code plate," is made up of an RFID chip attached to an antenna. ] in the future, we won't have to worry about the AIDC software," Pettigrew said. "We will continue using NCR TransitionWorks, as it is completely RFID-enabled - supporting UHF (Ultra High Frequency) The range of electromagnetic frequencies from 300 MHz to 3 GHz. In the U.S., analog television has used UHF channels 52 to 69 in the 700 MHz band. , HF and LF spectrums for both active and passive RFID. To our knowledge, no other software offers that kind of investment protection." NCR's inventory management application with high availability Also called "RAS" (reliability, availability, serviceability) or "fault resilient," it refers to a multiprocessing system that can quickly recover from a failure. There may be a minute or two of downtime while one system switches over to another, but processing will continue. supports Huhtamaki America's goal of continuous uptime and superior performance in case of a hardware or software failure, while providing automatic load balancing The fine tuning of a computer system, network or disk subsystem in order to more evenly distribute the data and/or processing across available resources. For example, in clustering, load balancing might distribute the incoming transactions evenly to all servers, or it might redirect them during periods of heavy usage in the plant and warehouse. Huhtamaki Americas also employs the design-time version of NCR's AIDC and process management software platform, NCR TransitionWorks, to develop unique business processes designed to increase effectiveness and efficiency in plant operations as new opportunities present themselves. To date, the AIDC solution has been deployed at three of Huhtamaki America's 18 facilities, and the company is currently implementing it in a fourth location. The firm recently signed an enterprise-wide agreement with NCR, and is considering a global rollout. About Huhtamaki Americas Huhtamaki Americas is a specialty packaging organization offering category-leading food service and retail tableware products, consumer packaging and packaging machinery. With corporate offices in De Soto, Kan., Huhtamaki Americas has 18 facilities in North and South America and is a part of the global packaging company, Huhtamaki Oyj, headquartered in Espoo, Finland. For more information, visit www.us.huhtamaki.com. About NCR Corporation NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leading global technology company helping businesses build stronger relationships with their customers. NCR's Teradata([R]) data warehouses, ATMs, retail systems, self-service solutions and IT services provide Relationship Technology([TM]) that maximizes the value of customer interactions and helps organizations create a stronger competitive position. Based in Dayton, Ohio, NCR (www.ncr.com) employs approximately 28,900 people worldwide. NCR, NCR TransitionWorks and Teradata are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries. |
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