QUESTIONS OVER CASH IN STAR MICRONICS
SP2000 DEAL

Counting money and checking its worth is a pre-occupation with most of us but a fundamental within business operations for banks and retailers alike. Accuracy is a must and efficiency, a high priority. German developer of banknote sorting systems manufacturer, Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, married these two critical issues with those of international currency compatibility and performance reliability in its choice of the Star Micronics SP2000 matrix printer to produce transaction analysis reports as part of its BPS 200 desktop banknote system.

Used internationally in environments dealing with large volumes of banknotes, the BPS 200 system, checks 10 banknotes per second, identifying details including physical and chemical characteristics, denomination, position and format and quality (eg. whether the notes are dirty, torn or old). The Star Micronics SP2000 is used to print transaction reports, recording all the features of the notes in black, highlighting any deficiencies in red.

The SP2000 printer has been chosen by Giesecke & Devrient because of its proven long-term reliability (5 million lines MCBF), its output speed (3.1 lines per second and price/performance ratio, as well as its inherent multi-currency and graphics capabilities, according to Christian Marquardt, purchasing and production manager for the company. Its integral international character set was also particularly important, as Marquardt explained, " The printer had to be able to output information in various languages and character sets from Cyrillic to Chinese. Until the advent of the SP2000, this was only possible using a number of different printers." The choice of switching power supplies, catering for the varying electricity currents across different countries, was a further benefit available from the SP2000, enabling worldwide implementation without the need for local adaptation.

Based in Munich, Giesecke & Devrient is part of the multi-national, 5000-employee GAO organisation, and specialises in the design and manufacture of banknote systems capable of identification, sorting, counting and destruction, as well as cash management and self-service ATM solutions.

Background Information on Star Micronics
Founded in 1947, Star Micronics is one of the world's largest printer manufacturers and has facilities for worldwide production, marketing and support. Employing over 2500 staff and achieving turnover in excess of £250 million, Star Micronics has developed a POS printer portfolio that spans thermal and dot matrix printers and mechanisms, designed for barcode, ticketing, receipts and labelling. Star's proven technology is also being utilised to develop reader/writer systems for visual, smart and magnetic stripe cards and to install print mechanisms in multimedia kiosk environments. The Star Micronics' range is available internationally via a distribution channel comprising distributors and dealers.

For further information contact:

Annette Tarlton or Claire Smith
Star Micronics EMEA
Tel: + 44 (0) 1494 471111
Email: Marketing@Star-EMEA.com