| Back to News |
Contact: Psion Teklogix and Anyware Mobile Solutions Help Food Manufacturers Better Track Safety Seals On Containers Carrying Raw Materials SealTrac™ solution helps Base Inc. increase safety seal tracking accuracy, and save costs in supplying shipments of corn syrup to major soft drink manufacturers and the 2004 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winner The Bama Companies, Inc. Mississauga, ON – March 30, 2005 – Psion Teklogix, (LSE: PON), a global provider of solutions for mobile computing, wireless data collection and RFID, and Anyware Mobile Solutions, a leading provider of mobile application solutions, are working together to deliver a new automated system for tracking safety seal numbers on product containers used for transporting and distributing raw materials to manufacturers. Base Inc. is one of the first customers to use the SealTrac solution to track and record approximately 60,000 seal numbers on shipments of corn syrup, which it supplies to major soft drink manufacturers, as well as to its parent company The Bama Companies Inc., an international maker of frozen bakery products and pizza crust dough for restaurant chains. With compliance to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2002 Bioterrorism Act on the horizon, companies will soon be required to keep strict records of all internal processes relating to the shipping and receiving of food. The joint SealTrac solution helps with this compliancy by providing additional security and automated tracking capabilities to protect food commodities from tampering, and by creating product lot traceability from supplier to customer. The SealTrac solution uses Psion Teklogix’ 7535 or WORKABOUT PRO hand-held computers to automate the tracking and data entry processes involved in monitoring security seals affixed to various contact points on rail cars, hoses, tanks, totes, truck trailers and other user-defined contact points. “We’ve worked with a number of hardware providers, but our relationship with Psion Teklogix is strategic because of the markets they serve and the high quality of their devices,” said Chris Kingham, director of marketing, Anyware Mobile Solutions. “The Base deployment of SealTrac shows how crucial it is to use rugged hand-held computers with the application – operators are climbing on top of truck trailers and railcars in all types of weather to get data readings.” Previously, Base Inc. used a paper-based system which was highly time consuming, inefficient and error prone. Incorrect seal numbers on a load of corn syrup can result in the product being rejected by the recipient and sent back for testing – an expensive process that can cost up to US$25,000 per incident, depending on the situation. “We use approximately 60,000 seals a year, and if you have to check 60,000 seals three times, there is a lot of labor involved and margin for error,” said Jim Youngblood, general manager, Base Inc. “The SealTrac solution will help us reduce these expensive errors, as well as our labor costs and the time it takes to process products.” With SealTrac, barcode labels are attached to each contact point where product can be accessed and possibly contaminated, and then scanned with Psion Teklogix 7535 or WORKABOUT PRO hand-held computers, to verify the placement and removal of the safety seals. Psion Teklogix’ rugged mobile computing devices enable information to be captured directly from the barcode on the seal without the risk of manual errors. As well, real-time wireless information flow from the Psion Teklogix hand-held devices to a central Seal Log database allows immediate reporting on the status of a shipment. “Quality control and product safety issues are top concerns for the food manufacturing industry,” said Rob Douglas, president, Psion Teklogix Americas. “We are excited to be working with Anyware Mobile Solutions to provide customers with an alternative to a paper-based system that will help them better track safety seals and increase worker productivity, while providing the visibility that businesses demand.”
About Anyware Mobile Solutions About Psion Teklogix Psion Teklogix is a global provider of solutions for mobile computing and wireless data collection. The company's fully integrated mobile computing solutions include rugged hardware, secure wireless networks, robust software, professional services and exceptional support programs. Psion Teklogix Inc., a subsidiary of Psion PLC, plays a key role in its parent company's vision to create new ways to access mobile data. With over three decades of industry experience, the company has customers in more than in 70 countries around the world, and over 35 sales and support offices in 16 countries. Psion Teklogix is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada with additional corporate offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.psionteklogix.com. About The Bama Companies, Inc. The Bama Companies began as the Bama Pie Company in the kitchen of its founder, Cornillia Alabama “Bama” Marshall, in 1927. Today, this family-owned business manufactures frozen ready-to-use food products for the quick service and casual dining restaurant business and family dining chains. Its three main products are hand-held pies, biscuits and pizza crust. The Bama Companies has corporate offices and four production facilities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a production facility in Beijing, China. Web Site: www.bama.com.
|