News | August 11, 2009

The Danby Group, Freedom Shopping, Zebra Technologies Win Award for Quick Service

Source: Innovative Retail Technologies
Lincolnshire, Ill., Aug. 11, 2009 — Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in specialty printing and automatic identification solutions, the Danby Group, a value-added reseller specializing in automatic identification solutions, and Freedom Shopping, an RFID retail solutions provider were recognized last month by Retail Solutions Provider Association (RSPA) and Vertical Systems Reseller (VSR) at RetailNow with the Innovative Solution Award for Quick Service. RSPA and VSR honored the group's work on the Fast Track Convenience solution for Sterling Services. The award pays tribute to VARs that have developed multi-vendor retail technology solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses.

"The Danby Group and Freedom Shopping worked with Zebra to develop a more efficient and cost-effective self-checkout experience for offices, schools, fitness clubs, hospitals and more," said Fred Zaeske, Vice President and General Manager, Zebra Specialty Printing Solutions. "With Zebra's RZ400™ printers, Fast Track has seen a return on investment in less than six months as a result of the rapid batch label printing which has reduced time and labor costs."

Traditionally, vending machines limit customer options to a few dozen items, and staffed cafes are costly and have limited hours of operation. Sterling Services' overall Fast Track Convenience solution utilizes RFID kiosks to provide retail customers with greater self service options, including lunch and snack items for customers that would otherwise have to go offsite to find refreshments. Fast Track Convenience stores have expanded accessibility and provided enhanced dining options for diverse customers and locations — selling fresh foods instead of just vending machine items — doubling sales that traditional vending machines yield while offering larger, more varied items.

To achieve such great success, the solution called for collaboration from Zebra, Freedom Shopping, UPM Raflatac and the Danby Group to provide Fast Track Convenience with:
  • Batch printing tied to backend software that expedites daily tagging by an hour or two.
  • RFID tags that include complete information for customers and inventory management.
  • Raflatac RFID inlay tags that cost thousands of dollars less per year.
  • Easy-to-use Zebra printers that delivered a hard ROI in six months. 
"At our volume, the Zebra RZ400 printer delivered a return on investment in less than six months," said John McGlathery, general manager of Fast Track Convenience. "We're very, very happy with the new addition to our processes, and it's having a major impact on the way we do business."

Judging criteria for the RSPA/VSR Innovative Solutions Awards was based on creativity, uniqueness, the ability to enhance the industry as a whole, cost-efficiency and impact on end user.

For more information on this project please visit: www.zebra.com
           
About Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ZBRA) provides the broadest range of innovative technology solutions to identify, track, and manage the deployment of critical assets for improved business efficiency. Zebra's core technologies include reliable on-demand printer and state-of-the-art software and hardware solutions. By enabling improvements in sourcing, visibility, security and accuracy, Zebra helps its customers to put the right asset in the right place at the right time.  Zebra serves more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. For more information about Zebra's solutions visit http://www.zebra.com.