Intermec introduces EasyADC Data Collection System for Small-to-Medium Businesses

EasyADC is a turnkey system of Intermec hardware, software and services that is designed to help companies automate inventory management, shipping and receiving and other key business processes. The basic EasyADC system includes two handheld data collection terminals, a wireless access point, a bar code label printer, two rolls of labels, a software/installation disk that provides the integration with Microsoft Business Solutions-Great Plains business software, two days of on-site consulting and installation services, and one year of product service and support. The system is easily expandable to support future growth.

This is the first in a series of EasyADC systems. Future editions will support additional Microsoft Business Solutions software products such as Navision.

According to research conducted by Gartner Inc., automating data collection provides substantial business benefits. In North American small and midsize businesses, in which inventory is a substantial component of the business, Gartner has seen up to 90 percent decreases in putaway and location errors and up to 70 percent decreases in picking when switching from manual to automated data collection processes Similarly, SMBs have often achieved as much as a 35 percent to 40 percent reduction in inventory cycle counting time. Overall productivity has jumped as high as 12 percent to 15 percent, with labor costs trimmed because operations don't have to be redone to ensure accuracy.

Intermec and its partners have a long history of helping customers, from small to mid-sized businesses to large enterprises, incorporate automated data collection into their business processes, said Richard Mahany, Intermec vice president of products. Now were bringing the results of that experience together in a convenient, all-in-one data collection package thats tailored to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Business Solutions - GreatPlains software. EasyADC is designed to deliver immediate benefits and a quick return on investment by helping companies control costs, increase inventory accuracy and improve speed and accuracy of shipping and receiving processes.

Wireless solutions that drive inventory management processes often result in high return on investment and increased competitive advantage, said Bob Anderson, Gartner Inc. research director, small and mid-size business practice. Years after its debut among larger enterprises, wireless data collection and management is finally evolving into mature, reliable, low-cost, fast-ROI solutions demanded by price-conscious SMBs. With the potential of ROI delivered in months rather than years, North American SMBs in data collection-intensive industries that want to maintain competitive parity with leaders should begin evaluating these solutions.

This is an incredible win for our mutual customers. Microsoft has always focused on trying to make advanced tools and functionality available to small and medium sized companies, and this initiative will certainly help those companies realize even greater return on their technology investment, said Tom McHale, industry marketing manager, Microsoft Corp. Intermec has provided a valuable component to help our mutual customers compete effectively and achieve big company benefits at a price point relevant to medium business.

The EasyADC-to-Great Plains interface software is based on a proven system developed by Maximum Data Solutions, Inc., an Intermec Honors Partner that specializes in the design of applications for Microsoft Business Solutions products.