PSC inks two-year deal with Kroger.

Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald The Register-Guard

PSC Inc., a Portland-based bar-code scanner maker, has signed a two-year deal to supply scanners to leading grocery-store chain The Kroger Co.

Cincinnati-based Kroger will install PSC scanners as it builds new stores and upgrades technology in existing stores. Kroger operates about 2,500 stores in 32 states under various names, including Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less and QFC.

Kroger is a major industry player, highly regarded for its use of cutting-edge technology, and PSC officials are confident that other retailers will follow Kroger's lead.

"Right behind Kroger, we have two or three other major retailers, so we're really bullish," Matt Schler, PSC vice president of new product development.

The new scanner, dubbed the Magellan 9500, was designed, engineered and manufactured at PSC's 580-employee facility in west Eugene.

The scanners help retailers boost productivity, thwart theft and reduce the incidence of false alarms when paying customers exit the store, Schler said.

Using the Magellan 9500, a clerk can scan an item and deactivate its security tag all in one swipe, instead of first scanning the item and then rubbing it against a separate system to disable the tag.

PSC is the first company to offer retailers this all-in-one-solution, and it has better features than the only alternative on the market, which is produced by NCR Corp., Schler said.

The announcement is good news for PSC, which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and is in the process of transforming itself from a public to private company under new owners. Littlejohn & Co. LLC, a Connecticut-based firm acquired PSC in November.