In our experience, there are really two primary measurements that are widely accepted that you can use - Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE). ROA is defined as Net Income÷Total Assets while ROE is defined as Net Income÷Shareholder's Equity. These two ratios are the ones that top management uses to decide which projects get funded and their priority. The common factor in both is Net Income, which is where you are going to calculate how the implementation of the data collection system is going to impact the Net Income, or profitability, of the company (taking into account the added investment for the project). If the impact is going to reduce Total Assets (e.g. inventory, equipment, warehouse space, etc.), then use the ROA for justification. This way, even if Net Income stays the same, the ROA factor will go up. If the impact is not going to reduce Total Assets, but increase Net Income (e.g. due to personnel reductions, less errors, etc.), then use the ROE equation.

Although these are not the only methods to justify technology investments, they are powerful tools that every company owner and management team uses in their decision process whether to fund a project or not.

RECENT PROJECTS

1. Printer emulations - implemented at a major retail chain and a pharmaceutical company to enable them to transform their label printing without any software modifications
2. TWLot™ - implementing at a bakery and at a soft packaging manufacturer

ToolWorx News..........

ToolWorx announces that they have been certified as a Platinum Partner for Niceware. Niceware Platinum Partners are certified resellers and integrators who are eligible to sell, implement, and support the products from the NiceLabel Enterprise Series, including NiceWatch Enterprise with HL7 support for health care integration.

In order to ensure that our customers achieve the maximum return on their investment using our data collection systems, ToolWorx is now offering a no-charge Business Process Review service to any customer that has purchased software from us regardless of how long it's been in use. The primary objectives of this service are to identify the following:

1. How the software is being used
2. What improvements (in both hardware and software) can be made to enhance the value of the software
3. What business processes can be modified to take better advantage of the software

To accomplish these objectives, we will meet with both end users and management personnel to ensure that we understand all perspectives. Then, we will review the results with the management team and offer recommendations for improvements.

If you are interested in scheduling a Business Process Review, please contact your ToolWorx Account Representative.

Installing vs. Implementing a Traceability System

All too often, software developers have a tendency to use the words "installation" and "implementation" interchangeably as if they're just synonyms. In reality, installation is merely one component of implementation, which involves a series of steps to ensure the success of any software project. This holds especially true when you're implementing a traceability (track and trace) system, which typically has a significant impact on the current business processes.

Here is a high level snapshot of our general implementation process:

• Identify the stakeholders that will be involved with the project and what their roles will be
• Define customer and system objectives
• Develop acceptance criteria for success
• Develop an action plan to meet those objectives
• Execute and monitor the action plan with the Project Team

Within the action plan, here are some typical steps specifically involving lot traceability:

• Identify each data collection point where traceability is required
• At each data collection point, identify each parent and child and how each field of data needed for traceability will be captured
• Identify any hardware needed (both printing and scanning) that will be needed at each data collection point
• Identify the human logistics that will be needed to provide that data capture and review with the traceability team to ensure that there is buy-in at all levels of the organization
• From that, detail any business process changes that will need to be implemented in order to support the traceability objectives
• For any material consumed that is an outside purchase, work with Purchasing to implement a Supplier Compliance Program to ensure a smooth transition for supplier labeling

By working with traceability systems providers that recognize that implementation is more than just installation, you will find that the Lot Track project will be more easily accepted and will more quickly meet your traceability objectives.

PARTNER NEWS

• Glacier
  • W200 Wearable Computer. Combines features of a standard computer and a device providing the convenience and ergonomics of a wrist worn instrument.
  • Everest E2000 CE. Designed for vehicle and fixed-mount industrial applications using Windows CE. Demos are available in late June with shipping expected in August.
• Intermec
  • 2009 Printer Trade-In Program. Receive rebates when you trade in equipment and make eligible purchases of Intermec printers. Earn rebates of up to $625 per unit. Program has been extended to December 31.
  • CN4 Mobile Computer. With integrated 3.5G wireless technology, the fully rugged and feature-rich Intermec CN4 Series mobile computers enable enterprises operating in the most demanding environments to leverage the benefits of high bandwidth data collection and communication to achieve gains in worker productivity, improvements and expansion in their service offering, and reductions in overhead.
  • CN50 Mobile Computer. The only 3.75G wireless mobile computer that combines a small and light-weight form factor with a rugged design to deliver the most advanced, high performance voice and data communication solution specifically designed for the highly mobile field worker.
• Microscan
  • MINI Hawk Imager. New from Microscan is the MINI Hawk Imager, a compact tool for tricky decoding. X-Mode technology is used to read damaged or diffcult symbols with no configuration or setup required.
  • QX-870.
  Also released is the QX-870, a laser scanner used for barcode track, trace and control applications. Decodes even damaged, poorly printed, or misaligned codes. It has the ability to selectively target codes within a single read cycle.
• Niceware
  • NicewareŽ International is excited to announce the release of a new edition of the NiceLabelŽ Barcode and RFID labeling software. The NiceWatch Enterprise Business Connector extends the existing NiceWatch Enterprise product for high demand labeling with new connectivity options that enable a wide variety of simple or complex business environments to integrate printer agnostic labeling.

Quarter 2 and 3 Happenings ::
ToolWorx/Intermec Smart Printing Webinars
July 1 and July 22

July 1 at 1:30 pm ET: Error Proof Your Labeling With Smart Printing
Registration information to be provided via email invitation.

July 22 at 3:00 pm ET: How Smart Printing Powers Profitability
Click here to register.

Smart Printing technology puts the power of a personal computer into the printer, streamlining control of peripheral devices and enabling applications to be hosted directly on the printer.

Ed Weber, VP Sales and Marketing, will feature case studies of ToolWorx customers and projects where Smart Printing played a significant role in reducing errors and increasing profits.