May 06, 2011

Automated eCycling Stations will use Seiko printers

ecoATM will be using Seiko printers according to Seiko. We are guessing they got them at a good price.

Award-Winning Designer Chooses Seiko Instruments’ APU-9000-C

Award-Winning Designer Chooses Seiko Instruments' APU-9000-C Kiosk Printer For Automated eCycling Stations

May 5, 2011

Exceptional reliability, ease of integration was central to ecoATM's decision to implement printer within its eCycling green kiosks.

Seiko Instruments USA Inc. (SIU) Thermal Printer Division, http://www.siiprinters.com, a globally recognized leader in thermal printer technology recently announced that ecoATM, the San Diego, CA-based manufacturer of consumer electronics recycling kiosks, will use the Seiko Instruments APU-9000-C kiosk printer in their award-winning Automated eCycling Station.

ecoATM has gained significant attention as an innovative green retail solution. The company has been featured on the TODAY Show and in The New York Times; PowerSource Online has referred to ecoATM as a "new shift in electronics recycling." In addition to national media coverage, the green company has also garnered an impressive listing of industry awards, including: The International Electronics Recycling Conference Innovative Product of the Year; Coinstar Next Big Idea Award; GigaOM Green:Net LaunchPad Judge's Choice Award; and CONNECT's Most Innovative Product Award.

The ecoATM eCycling Station offers retailers a cost-free way to reward customers for recycling consumer electronics equipment. Customers place used portable electronics devices, such as mobile phones and MP3 players, in the eCycling kiosk. The kiosk then inspects the devices, provides an instant, real-time secondary market valuation, and prints coupons, gift cards, bar-coded adhesive labels and promotions for customers to redeem in the store. In December 2010, ecoATM also began testing take-back of other devices such as laptop computers, video games, and eReaders.

For printer qualification, ecoATM designers applied a rigorous test regimen to identify a model with exceptional reliability and performance, and negligible maintenance requirements. Broad printing flexibility was also needed to support receipts, coupons and promotions, and bar code labels, with varying media thicknesses. The Seiko Instruments APU-9000-C thermal kiosk printer met all of these challenges, not to mention the printer's ability to handle both receipts and bar code labels; ease of integration is also one of the printer's strong points.

"We evaluated a number of printers before deciding on the Seiko Instruments APU-9000," said John Beane, Vice President, Engineering, Founding Team, ecoATM. "The printer's ability to print receipts and bar-coded adhesive labels addressed our technical needs. Perhaps even more important is the simple design for paper loading and ease of maintenance. Seiko Instruments' reputation for reliability was also a critical factor in the decision."

"Our top-of-the-line APU-9000 kiosk printers were designed specifically for the demanding needs of unattended applications like the ecoATM eCycling Station," said Kaz Onishi, Vice President, Seiko Instruments USA. "As an ISO 14000-compliant company, we are extremely pleased to be included in this highly-innovative and environmentally-friendly kiosk application."

About Seiko Instruments Inc.
As a member of The Seiko Group, Seiko Instruments (SII) represents a globally recognized brand, embodying innovative design and precision manufacturing excellence. Founded in 1937, SII manufactures and markets electronic components, thermal and specialty printers, consumer electronics, communication and network technology, scientific instrumentation, and precision manufacturing technology. SII has a global presence, with more than 13,000 employees worldwide.

About ecoATM
Based in San Diego, Calif., ecoATM is the first company to create an automated self-serve kiosk system that uses patented, advanced machine vision, electronic diagnostics, and artificial intelligence to evaluate and buy-back used electronics directly from consumers for cash or store credit. ecoATM's eCycling stations provide a convenient trade-in solution that:

electronically and/or visually inspects virtually any consumer electronic device,
connects consumers in real-time with a broad worldwide secondary market to ensure best pricing, and
pays consumers immediately in cash and/or store credit, and
automatically administers trade-in / trade-up promotions for retailers and manufacturers.

In its infancy, ecoATM was supported by EvoNexus, the incubator for early-stage high-tech companies begun by San Diego's high tech industry group, CommNexus. Since then, ecoATM has been recognized by Popular Science, International Electronics Recycling Conference & Expo (IERCE), CONNECT, Green:Net, CES Innovations, and others. For more information, visit www.ecoatm.com/about-awards.htm or www.ecoatm.com.

Seiko Instruments offers a complete solution lineup for kiosk printer, mobile printer, receipt printer, smart label printer applications. Information about Seiko instruments kiosk printers, mobile printers, portable printers, receipt printers, POS printers, point-of-sale printers, and thermal printer mechanisms can be found at http://www.siiprinters.com.

SOURCE: Seiko Instruments USA Inc.


Award-Winning Designer Chooses Seiko Instruments’ APU-9000-C

Posted by staff at May 6, 2011 11:42 AM