Shouldn't you be able to buy a variety of scale brands for your supermarket? Scales with different features, price, performance and support? We think so, which is why we designed the InterScale System to communicate with over 50 models of intelligent scales and bar-code label printers from a variety of manufacturers. Avery Weightronix, Bizerba, CAS, Digi, Exact, Hobart, Ishida, Mettler-Toledo, TEC and Weldotron - you name it (full list here).
InterScale hosts future-dated item, price and label information from one 'scale-neutral' system at your grocery chain headquarters to an entire mix of scales, regardless of vendor, model or protocol. Finally, you're free to find the best scales and label printers for the job without connectivity restraints or single-brand software restrictions. Free to determine your degree of centralized control. Free to realize virtually mistake-proof labeling accuracy with less human intervention and full closed-loop feedback visibility of errors.
By improving scale pricing and tare accuracy, InterScale can save each of your stores $1000 per day - in each department. Less labor costs, higher profits, higher sales volume, reduced spoils and shrink. Brilliant, isn't it?
A robust closed-loop scales management system is essential not only to manage the items and pricing in your scales, but also to maintain regulatory label compliance for ingredients lists, allergens, nutri-facts (including Trans Fat), Country Of Origin (COOL) and traceability information. InterScale was first released in 1995 and is today at Version 6 managing over 60,000 scales worldwide. Shouldn't your scales be next?
Central System In-Store Connectivity
The web-centric InterScale Central System provides a user interface for price managers and scale data owners to define and transmit scale data maintenance. In-store associates use any web-browser to access the system. Many data elements can be zoned to meet specialized local store conditions. Zoned data includes:
- Item/PLU, including tares and shelf life
- Prices, including n-tier frequent shopper support
- Dated change batches with on and off sale dates
- PLU label descriptions
- Extended text ingredients
- Nutritional data
- Recipe data for labels
- Scrolling marquee and action messages
- Grades and groupings
- Label formats and graphics
- Label rotations
InterScale gives central control to the definition of ingredients, nutritional information and labeling. This maintenance is transmitted to the InterScale Scale Server(s) residing either on a central server (serving Ethernet scales over the WAN/intranet), in-store iScale, your in-store processor or POS controllers. InterScale's central database is also the central data warehouse for scale production data: the Scale Servers are regularly pulling production totals from scales and storing it centrally, so that management can see what is being produced (labeled) with easy cross-store comparisons.
The InterScale Enterprise Edition manages your data at each level of your organizational hierarchy, from corporate, through banners, divisions and districts to stores. The InterScale Central system is easily interfaced to your host systems through the flexible and extensible XML Host-Feed interface. Contact ADC for a copy of the XML Host-Feed Dictionary.
The InterScale store systems deliver changes, via an electronic link from the iScale, in-store processor or POS controller to the bar-code labeling scales in the deli, meat, seafood, produce, bakery and floral departments. Future-dated item, price and label information is automatically transmitted to all scales and label printers, regardless of scale brand or model, when the due date and time of the batch is reached.
Scale production totals are regularly and automatically retrieved for reporting, inventory processing and host retrieval. InterScale communicates to intelligent scales and bar-code printers from most manufacturers, including Avery Berkel, Bizerba, Digi, Exact, Hobart, Ishida, Mettler-Toledo, TEC and Weldotron.
InterScale Store Software Modules:
- Scale Server Module
- Web-browser in-Store User Interface (thin-client)
- In-store Database Module (thick-client)
Modular in its architecture, the InterScale Scale Server software typically runs in the background on the iScale, in-store processor or POS controller in conjunction with either the InterScale Central System or a third-party item management system that has been extended to export scale commands in InterScale's Scale Neutral data format. The InterScale Scale Neutral file format, which passes data to and from the Scale Server software, is in a published format to allow information systems specialists to provide the data that the InterScale Scale Server software needs. Contact ADC for a copy of this specification.
WebStore web-browser in-store user interface (thin-client) - This module answers the need for a thin-client user interface in the store. Many supermarkets today are tired of having many application programs and databases residing on in-store processors. Each requires periodic maintenance and update, which cumulates to an expensive, resource intensive store support cost. Web technology and the implementation of high-speed TCP/IP based Wide Area Networks or intranets linking all nodes of the supermarket organization enable software applications to be installed only once on a central web server, and accessed by standard web-browsers in-stores. ADC's implementation of this thin-client topology is actually 'zero-client', since zero application software is installed in the store.
The WebStore UI provides all of the functionality of the in-store database module: 'manager special' price batches can be created and sent to scales, scale reloads, reporting, etc., yet on a zero-client basis.
In-store Database/User Interface Module (thick-client) - An optional in-store software module, providing a relational database of scale data, with either Windows GUI or character terminal user interface. Allows 'manager special' price batches to be created and sent to scales, scale reloads, reporting, etc. This module can also be configured as a stand-alone system without a central system with all scale data maintenance done on the in-store computer, POS controller or ISP.
InterScale and iScale support any combination of serial, wired Ethernet and wireless Ethernet scales in the store. Ethernet scale connectivity is standardized - if you can ping it, we can communicate to it. The problem of supporting serial scales is that there is no standardization of connectors between the various scale vendors and models. DB9, DB25, RJ11, RJ45 and Tijimi are among the many different connectors used. Even when two vendors use the same size connectors, they use different pins on those connectors.
ADC has solved this problem by standardizing on Cat-5Ethernet cable and RJ45 modular connectors to carry serial signals throughout the store network. To connect to the scale from this ostensibly Ethernet network, ADC provides a range of standardized, part numbered patchcables, each with an RJ45 male on one end and the proprietary scale connector at the other end. ADC's iScale servers implement this standardization on the RJ45 connector for serial communications.
ADC has these made professionally by an external cable specialist manufacturer. Each is 100% stress and connectivity tested. Contact ADC sales for a part numbered pricing list.
By providing standardized connectors, ADC has made scale networking as plug and go as possible, particularly when used in conjunction with iScale. ADC's modular standard also makes the replacement of an older serial scale with a new Ethernet scale a simple patch-cord change.
InterScale and iScale Connectivity downloadable PDF
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