ImageID Offers New Release of Visidot AIDC Product Suite

May 25, 2005
Suite is offered as an alternative to RFID for manufacturers and retailers

Retail Systems 2005 TEL AVIV, Israel -- ImageID Ltd. introduces a new version of its Visidot Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) system - an accurate and cost-effective solution for rapid multiple-asset AIDC and asset tracking.

In the Visidot System (http://www.visidot.com), assets are uniquely labeled with standard 2D Data Matrix barcodes or with Visidot Colorcodes. As assets pass in front of the Visidot Reader, it captures hundreds of labels simultaneously and transmits the information to an image processing system, which decodes the data from each label. This asset data is exported to a data management system in XML or other standard format. Images can be stored in a separate Image Bank. An easy-to-use Site Management System controls the entire process.

The new Visidot release introduces the ability to detect and decode all variations of the Standard (ISO/IEC 16022) Data Matrix 2D barcode symbology with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Support for this standard symbology is added to the commercially proven Visidot Colorcode symbology.

"Today, the Visidot system delivers all the inherent benefits of traditional barcode technology, yet far surpasses it in speed and efficiency of code capture - especially for tracking multiple assets," said Roger Hecker, Product Marketing Manager, Visidot. "In addition, at accuracy levels of near-100% in actual installations, the Visidot solution is both more reliable and more cost-effective than RFID solutions."

Industry-Proven
The Visidot system is field-proven in manufacturing and retail applications, including inbound and outbound shipment verification, management of reusable assets and identification of labels from long distances and in a large field of view.

-- Tracking & Tracing Reusable Assets: IFCO Systems is a leading supplier of reusable plastic containers (RPC's) with millions of RPC's in more than 40 RPC Service Centers and Storage depots throughout Europe and North America. The Visidot solution provides IFCO with traceability of labeled crates, real-time views of inventory at depots, views of crate cycle times, accurate records of customer shipments/returns, and a foundation for improving customer request response time.

-- Managing Bulky Assets in Manufacturing: Positioning bulky assets in automotive and aerospace manufacturing for traditional barcode scanning is often impractical or even impossible, as is RFID scanning involving metal assets or in metal-heavy environments. The Ford Motor Company successfully installed a Visidot AIDC System to improve production speed and increase plant efficiency. The Ford plant, in Dearborn which produces Ford F150's, uses a fully automated Build Order system to produce its trucks. With multiple frame types to choose from, the company required an efficient way to expedite verification of the chassis type as it was being placed onto the production line. The Visidot system, installed at the frame entrance to the plant identifies and verifies the correct selection of the chassis type before it reaches the conveyor belt inside. Since installation, the Visidot system accuracy has been perfect - 100%.

-- Shipping Verification: In the retail supply chain field, the Visidot can help reduce costly charge-backs from retail customers by verifying all of the boxes in each outbound order and to use the stored image from each read as proof of shipment and condition.

The Visidot system includes: The Visidot Reader, consisting of a robust processing module and up to four image capture devices; The Visidot Viewer, located at every reading point, provides a visual display of each read and its detections and enables immediate corrective action; the Visidot Image Bank Server, which stores the images and decoded data from all reads at a site, enables quick access for viewing past reads, and provides a proof of quantity and condition for every item in every shipment; and the Visidot Site Management System, a centralized management console that configures and monitors all Visidot Readers at a facility.