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Scantec sub-Saharan African distribution partner for Toshiba TEC

Scantec, provider of point of sale (POS) scanning equipment and enterprise mobility solutions, has been appointed as a major distributor of Toshiba TEC's range of thermal technology label printing solutions for the sub-Saharan Africa region. As part of the agreement, the company will also provide repair, warranty and systems integration services to its partner base.

According to Scantec general manager Andre Viljoen, the Toshiba range will complement Scantec's existing thermal printer offering and the RFID ready units will future proof investment.

The Toshiba TEC B-SX range of thermal printers provide transport, logistics, manufacturing and retail organisations with an impressive focus on investment protection, maintaining flexible options for virtually every RFID need on the labelling market. The new integrated RFID capability ensures that the B-SX range will provide top of the range functionality and performance.

Toshiba TEC's B-SX range does not have factory-fitted RFID read/write units. An antenna is easily fitted and the RFID module of choice is plugged into the CPU. This allows the B-SX printer to read, write and verify RFID-enabled smart labels and provide visibility to the entire supply chain - improving merchandising and inventory management activities.

To reduce the risk of impact damage to the programmed chip, Toshiba TEC's R&D Division enabled the ribbon save module of the B-SX series in combination with Toshiba TEC's floating head technology to safely lift the print head over the chip in the label.

Users of the Toshiba TEC B-SX range of RFID-enabled thermal printers treat the encoding as just another bar code. By selecting the RFID bar code in the Microsoft Windows driver or sending the command to the printer as part of a format, the printer will encode the data based on the module fitted and the chip detected.

"Labels influence every part of the chain in the markets we sell to," says Viljoen. "Our customers have a wide range of print volumes and operating environments and this determines what type of printer they need. We will now be able to offer even more choice, across the full range of customer requirements."

From 2" format mobile units with wireless connectivity, through desktop, up to industrial strength offerings suitable for 24x7 operation, the new range offers a solution that will fit any operation. On the desktop side, Scantec offers the Toshiba TEC B-SA4 desktop printer for office and industrial environments. The printer offers a small footprint, top-loading design, high speed (up to 152,4 mm/s) and enhanced connectivity with its standard fitted interfaces: parallel, USB 2.0 and Ethernet LAN. "The SA-4 series is an ideal choice for customers with midrange printing requirements," comments Viljoen.

For high-end industrial requirements, Scantec offers a range of robust models. The B-852 is a versatile thermal transfer/direct thermal printer with an 8,5" 300 dpi printhead, for high resolution printing. "The 852 is an ideal replacement for a laser printer, easily producing A4 documents and labels at a very low running cost," he says.

Also at the high end, the B-X82 series builds on the highly successful BX series printers from Toshiba TEC. The available models in this series, the B-682 and B-882, offer many advanced features including faster processing and larger standard memory capacity, as well as Web printer control, e-mail, FTP and XML functionality.

The portable B-SP2D is a 2" format compact and high performance design suited for producing quality bar code labels and receipts. The Bluetooth and RF connectivity options make it ideal for in-store applications such as shelf-edge and reduced labelling, doorstep delivery receipts, tracking parcels in warehouses and other mobile worker environments.

This appointment comes at a time when Toshiba TEC Europe Retail Information Systems has reinforced its identity as part of the Toshiba Group of companies by rebranding its product range from TEC to Toshiba. This re-branding is the next logical step forward in the company's growth and will provide the European and African retail market with more integrated in-store technology solutions, embracing EPOS, bar code printing and digital merchandising.

Paul Reynolds, senior manager at Toshiba TEC Europe, commented on the appointment of Scantec, "We are excited about the opportunities for Toshiba TEC and Scantec in Africa. Scantec's position as a leading automatic identification distributor will provide an important route to key vertical markets for the latest range of Toshiba bar code products."

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