Kiosk Solutions Apr-May 2020 | Page 5

news news Absen Offers Corporate, Retailing and Rental Staging Focused LED Webinar Series With events being cancelled and projects getting postponed across Europe, Absen has set up a new webinar series to help companies and individuals interested in learning more about LED. The inaugural session focused on Absen’s rental and staging products, and had in excess of 350 registrations and over 200 attendees; 84% of whom rated it as being either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. The second rental and staging webinar, hosted by Absen’s rental and staging industry director Christian Czimny, took a more in-depth look at Absen’s key rental products from the inside out, as well as covering what to look out for when investing in LED. The session featured a Q&A portion at the end where attendees had their productspecific questions answered; equipping them with all of the knowledge they need when eventually returning to work. Absen’s retail industry director Ben Phelps, hosted a session focused on the applications and benefits of LED displays for retail and corporate environments. This taster webinar is designed for system integrators and anyone else involved in the design, delivery, and support of LED systems, including architects and consultants interested in gaining a better understanding of the technology and its uses. More specifically, the session will address the advantages and differentiators of LED displays, the benefits of using LED for digital signage, and how these apply to real world applications. n New Sanei Kiosk Printers with Enhanced Functionality Star Micronics, manufacturer of packaged and modular specialist kiosk printing solutions, has announced the latest additions to its range of Sanei SK1 kiosk printers, the SK1- 211/221 and SK1-311/321 series, as well as the new low cost SK4-21 and SK4-31. These printers enhance Star’s wide selection of highly compact Sanei open frame printers for limited space enclosures. The Sanei lightweight open frame solutions feature a variety of print widths and print speeds. The new 58mm SK4-21 and 80mm SK4-31 offer a low cost slimline printer that is ideal for hospitality applications including takeaway ordering, while the SK1-211/221 and SK1-311/321 series benefit from extra bezel and presenter options as well as high print speed. The SK1-211/221 and SK1-311/321 series now support StarPRNT Emulation as well as ESC/POS. These printers therefore benefit from Star’s Advanced Android SDK and Windows Printer Software utility which have been specially created for the Sanei range and offer direct cable printing support for low cost compact tablet-based kiosks. Furthermore, the SK1-211/221 and SK1-311/321 series can be configured in the same way as Star’s range of kiosk and desktop printers, thus providing maximum flexibility in kiosk design. Benefitting from an extended paper cutter life (2 million cuts), 250mm/sec. print speed and easy paper loading, the SK1-211/221 and SK1-311/321 series additionally feature an LED presenter and anti-paper jam bezel. With the same outer dimensions and variety of install positions as the SK1- 21 and SK1-31, the new Sanei printers also offer USB and serial interfaces within a compact footprint. “In response to the growing need for compact printer mechanisms to meet the current trend of slim, space-saving kiosks, Star has been at the forefront of developments in this area,” states Simon Martin, Director & General Manager, Star Micronics EMEA. “Offering the new Sanei SK1-211/221 and SK1-311/321 series with StarPRNT Emulation demonstrates Star’s commitment to providing a range of solutions with exceptional functionality alongside greater ease of configuration and maximum flexibility in kiosk design.” n Innovative Technology Americas, Inc. becomes KMA premium member The US arm of Innovative Technology has recently joined the Kiosk Manufacturer Association (KMA) as a premium member. KMA is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organisation focused on better self-service for customers and employees through kiosks and information technology (IT). The kiosk industry association leads efforts to optimise self-service engagements using information technology. Membership is made up of representatives from the selfservice industry who are interested in establishing and following common guidelines on accessibility. Rebecca White, VP Sales & Business Development for Innovative Technology Americas said, “2020 is set to be an exciting year for us in the US and surrounding territories with lots of opportunities in the pipeline especially in the retail market. I am delighted to announce that we have become a premium member of the Kiosk Manufacturer Association (KMA) which will help us capitalise on these opportunities within the self-service and kiosk industry.” White continues, “KMA Membership opportunities include networking with kiosk manufacturers and software providers as well as access to member resources such as market research and trends, regulatory guidelines as published by the government and technology solutions such as AI and biometrics. Most importantly, together with other members, we will support an industryled association which promotes the industry on an objective basis.” White concludes, “Our retail, kiosk and self-service offering is continually expanding, and we have developed many new products with our Spectral Technology designed specifically for this market. Our core business is all about automating transactions in the most business efficient and cost-effective way. Our suite of highly secure cash validation, recycling and smart safe products offer numerous advantages such as, fast bulk note processing speeds, multi-denomination recycling and reduction in overall operation costs. We are particularly excited about our new ICU Age Verification and Facial Recognition device which can help users manage the sale of age restricted goods to ensure compliance, plus intelligent AI algorithms can identify faces to control access. ICU does not require pre-registration or human intervention and quickly and accurately predicts age and identifies faces so is ideal for automated selfservice and kiosk markets. Joining the KMA will give us the opportunity to network with key organisations within the industry and therefore introduce our new retail and kiosk portfolio to this growing hi-tech market.” n 8 KIOSK solutions KIOSK solutions 9