SCANTECH '99
CHICAGO, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago will become the bar code capital
of the world for four days beginning October 4, when it hosts SCANTECH '99, a
major technology exhibition and conference which brings together the world's
major players in the $12 billion automatic data capture industry.
The 18th annual SCANTECH, being held on the 25th anniversary of the first
barcode scanner at the supermarket point of sale, is expected to draw
thousands of attendees. The 300 exhibitors will occupy nearly 900 booths at
the Rosemont Convention Center, making SCANTECH '99 the world's largest event
focusing on solutions for data collection and mobile information management.
"Since the first supermarket point-of-sale scanning, the barcode has
become the world's most prominent icon for gathering, processing and tracking
information in virtually every industry in the world," said Andrew Cary, show
manager for SCANTECH '99. "The functionality of barcodes has exploded until
today they are found on virtually every consumer product sold in the world and
every carton or package that moves in air or ground transportation.
"More than 800,000 companies around the globe, including 210,000 in North
America, are using the UPC/EAN code in the packaged goods arena," Cary
explained. "Hundreds of thousands of other companies are utilizing other
derivatives of the pioneering barcode to track everything from airline
passengers and baggage to hospital patients and from vehicle information
numbers to quality issues on manufacturing assembly lines."
"Mobility and wireless are key words in information technology today,"
Cary said. "There's a growing recognition that the corporate computer network
is only as effective as the information received. Mobile computers, barcodes,
wireless communications and other forms of automatic identification assure
that management gets 100 percent accurate information from the front line of
business...100 percent of the time."
Cary said that several new-generation innovations will be showcased at
SCANTECH '99, including "smart labels," ultra-thin flexible radio frequency
tags, which can be used to help companies track their products and assets more
quickly and more accurately. For instance, British Airways has recently
conducted a series of trials on "smart labels" imbedded in airline luggage
tags. The result was a drastic increase in the volume of bags handled and a
significant improvement in routing them to the proper aircraft.
"Radio frequency identification tags and labels will rapidly change
the way businesses keep track of their products, people and assets," Cary
explained.
Two-dimensional barcodes, which can contain l00 times more information
than conventional barcodes, also will be featured. The basis for e-postage,
now being implemented by the U.S.Postal Service, two-dimensional bar codes
also are being used by UPS to provide instant shipper and recipient
information and by Intel to imbed vital product and manufacturing information
on each Pentium chip.
Other new product offerings will include advanced voice recognition
systems, hand-held imagers, wireless LANS, and a wide range of new application
and communications software to implementing wireless mobile computing
solutions.
Cary said perhaps the most exciting development impacting the automatic
identification field is the advent of standardized operating systems, like
Windows CE and Palm OS, for handheld computers. These platforms offer a wide
range of benefits, including ease of custom application development and
improved interoperability with software applications. As a result, explained
Cary, the next generations of handheld terminals will have greater
capabilities and will be easier to use.
Other features at SCANTECH '99 include a Software Solutions Pavilion and
Theater, featuring value-added presentations on information technology
solutions for warehousing, supply chain management, transportation,
manufacturing and field service.
Attendees will also get a look into the future of mobile and wireless data
communications in a special presentation of the "Enterprise of the Future," a
high-powered video production focusing on leading edge information technology
solutions.
The SCANTECH '99 exhibit hall is open Tuesday and Wednesday from l0 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and on Thursday from l0 a.m. until 3 p.m.
For further information, contact:
Bill Levy, 216-861-6778 or Michele Anderson, 440-826-2851
Or at the SCANTECH '99 PRESS OFFICE, BEGINNING OCTOBER 4th
847-653-2908.
SOURCE SCANTECH '99
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Related links:
http://www.scantechus.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/141280.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 141280
CONTACT:
Michele Anderson, Press Relations for
SCANTECH 99, 440-826-2851
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