Wordpress’ power, flexibility and ease of use have turned it into an amazingly popular personal publishing platform.

The power and flexibility of WordPress never ceases to amaze me!

But WordPress isn’t powering only personal blogs these days. Corporate websites, news sites, online magazines, and others are powered by WordPress.

Something we’re seeing more of lately, is WordPress as a content management system (CMS). With some knowledge of how WordPress Pages work, and a few handy plugins, you too can have your very own WordPress powered content management system, or CMS.

Read the full article.

The new 32-channel DVR (Digital Video Recording) store solution, Profit Track: Guardian Extreme, from Scanning Systems Australia  has been well received by clients with numerous successful medium-large convenience and independent grocer roll-outs. Clients are seeing the savings and increased performance of a combined 32 channel DVR over having to purchase 2 separate 16- channel DVR units.

Every week new sites are being connected with seamless integration to Scanning Systems Australia’s Profit Track retail system. Store owners deploying in-store retail surveillance security systems are actively taking control of public liability risks, reduction of shrinkage in stock and Work Health & Safety provisions.

Continued development is underway for future releases of Profit Track: Guardian Extreme with extensive testing in progress to ensure the latest release of our Profit Track: Guardian Extreme product continues our standard of exceptional software with new beneficial store features.

Scanning Systems Australia has released Profit Track: Guardian Extreme a complete theft management solution integrating industry-standard digital security surveillance with Point of Sale for retailers. Stores can now efficiently and easily track employee and customer related company theft.

A key feature of the system is the daily highlights package. This brings all suspect activity and questionable behaviour together in a ten minute vision of the business for owners and managers to review as part of End of Day procedures.
The Profit Track: Guardian Extreme integrated solution provides irrefutable evidence for police in identifying persons and tracking theft within the business. Employee-related theft is acknowledged as the cause of up to 67% of all theft experienced by commercial retailers.

Request a complimentary 19-point checklist to reduce and manage employee theft

Most retailers in the small business sector work strenuously in their business and put in many extra hours in an endeavor to get the return they deserve on their investment. They take pride in their achievements and yet they are often disappointed at the end of the year when they assess the bottom line.

It is a fact of business that there are others who also take an interest in the business and plan many devious ways to get their hands on a share of the action. A share which they certainly do not deserve.

Some customers indulge in taking an ‘additional discount’ and unfortunately there are also employees believe in ‘topping-up’ their weekly pay packet.

In both cases it is the business proprietor who is funding the illicit activities of these individuals. People who seem to take great delight in taking a share of the profitability of the business.

Recent innovations in Electronic Surveillance Systems now provide opportunity for astute Retailers to discover just how wide spread these activities really are within their business, and to identify the perpetrators and to put a stop to their “profit sharing” activities.

According to Martin Coughlan, Security Division Manager at Scanning Systems Australia, it is not just a matter of installing a quality security system, but rather the combination of a number of technologies that will provide the power to enable management to trap the offenders. Internal theft represents up to 80% of losses sustained by Independent Retailers, and this is largely due to inadequate investment in systems and procedures that are necessary as control measures in a self-service retail store.

A smart POS system, fully integrated into the latest digital video technology will enable the Retailer to establish the linkage between what is going on, and who the individuals are & whether they be customers or staff.

Martin Coughlan explained that the new PosGuard Extreme Security system marketed by SSA has been fully integrated into the Profit Track point of sale system developed by SSA. The end of day management reports from the Profit Track POS identifies suspicious transactions and enables the Manager to recall the video evidence by simply clicking the mouse on any event of interest.

These new concepts being introduced by SSA, provide functionality for the checkout operators to touch a security icon on the POS register screen and view live images straight from any of the security cameras in the store. In effect each checkout operator becomes a security officer assisting Management to achieve the reward that is rightfully theirs.

Profit Track is recognized as one of the most user-friendly retail management systems available for retailers who are looking to manage prices and control gross margins in a specialty retail store.

SSA has recently introduced a number of new features into the system to provide greater power for hospitality industry applications where food item costing and control of remote peripherals are important aspects of the business operation.

The ingredient costing module in Profit Track enables each component of the finished product to be quantified and costed as part of the process of establishing the selling price that is necessary to achieve profitability objectives.

Profit Track also offers simplified procedures to enable the implementation of strict stock control measures to identify any areas of shrinkage of materials or trading margins within the business.

Particular attention has been given to the presentation of information relating to cooking instructions and condiments on the kitchen printer to assist staff in their objective of providing the highest levels of customer satisfaction in an industry where getting things right is so important.

Maybe it’s time to review technology that will assist in attaining greater customer satisfaction and, at the same time, building profitability within the business.

[Scanning Systems Australia,] A Logan-based company supplying its retail technology and supermarket software throughout the South Pacific has been awarded a Smart State grant to plan for future growth.

Minister for State Development John Mickel and Member for Woodridge Desley Scott today visited Scanning Systems Australia (SSA) to congratulate the company on a $49,980 Queensland Industry Development Scheme grant, awarded to help SSA expand with guidance from expert business consultants.

“SSA creates specialised point-of-sale (POS) software for supermarkets and service stations,” Mr Mickel said.

“As customer items are processed on the touch screen registers, SSA’s successful flagship product Profit Track displays colour images of products to ensure correct identification and price.

“The software generates sales and profitability reports as well as statistical information to help the retailer make management decisions. It can also automatically prepare and send orders electronically to replenish stock.

‘Profit Track, which was released 10 years ago, is today used by grocery stores, service stations, pharmacies and other retailers throughout Australia, as well as Fiji, New Zealand, Kiribati and Samoa.”

SSA Managing Director David Hagen said the Queensland Government funding would be used to revise business management and develop new growth strategies.

“Hiring a business consultant will help us refine the way our business functions and provide a greater focus on achieving our goals, which includes introducing new products in our priority markets of pharmacy and petroleum retail sectors,” Mr Hagen said.

“The expected growth could see us add another 20 employees in sales, programming and technical support positons over the next three years. It should also lead to an 80 per cent increase in profits during this time.”

Mr Hagen said a new security software program SSA had been developing for the past year was expected to be released in the market in July 2007.

“The software enables images from security cameras to be displayed on the same point-of-sale screen used to process transactions at retail checkouts. The operator can pick any camera to zero in on, and view live feed straight to the screen, rather than seeing a possible theft on the back office computer after it has happened,” Mr Hagen said.

“The software was developed with feedback directly from retailers, especially smaller independent stores, who identified the need to have security images more readily available at the pay point. We believe there is no other such technology on the market for this, and that it could help store owners cut retail theft down to half.

“Since a prototype was demonstrated at the Metcash 2006 expo on the Gold Coast, and the Retail Business Technology 2006 exhibition in Melbourne last year, we’ve had a substantial number of advance orders mostly from independent supermarkets in Australia.”

Member for Woodridge Desley Scott said the local company has invested more than $1 million in research and development for security systems and point-of-sale in the past two years.

Since starting out in 1997, the company has gone on to support a team of more than 30 technology specialists including Logan-based staff and customer service employees throughout Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

“Scanning Systems Australia is living proof that great products, coupled with excellent management skills, passion and support from the Queensland Government, can go a long way to business success,” Mrs Scott said.

“Scanning Systems Australia is among 116 businesses in the Brisbane Southside region to share more than $4.1 million in Queensland Industry Development Scheme funding since 1998.

For further information contact the State Development Centre Brisbane Southside on 3884 7860.

Company contact details:

Scanning Systems Australia Pty Ltd
Managing Director, David Hagen
13-23 Mayes Ave. Logan Central Qld 4114
(07) 3387 5555

Media contact: Elouise Campion 3224 6784

New to Fine Food Australia 2007 will be the introduction of Scanning System Australia’s featured Hospitality module for the Profit Track Point of Sales system.

FFA07 showcases the latest hospitality innovations available to retail, convenience, foodservice and hospitality operators in POS systems at what has become Australia’s largest national fine food industry event.

Scanning Systems Australia will be joining over 60 industry leaders in displaying new technology, innovations and equipment at this years show as well as the contingent of 1,000+ exhibitors across all six halls filling the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Come by and introduce yourself, the SSA stand is prominently located at H13 in Convenience World at the Fine Food Australia Expo.

Presenting at Fine Food Australia is our opportunity to reach and inform thousands of retailers on issues that are vital to building profitability as well as turnover. SSA aims to establish strong relations with Australian shop owners at Australia’s definitive event for the retail, foodservice or hospitality industries as well as restaurant, convenience, hotel & motel markets.

Exhibition Director of FFA, Mr Timothy Collett said…

“The demand to please customers and improve the bottom line has never been stronger so the opportunity to see and learn about the latest innovations in equipment and technology at the one event is not only important, it is good business sense,”

Products on display by Scanning Systems Australia at this year’s Fine Food Australia expo include:

• Point of Sale systems
• POSTEC Forecourt Fuel Countroller
• Stocktaking procedures with hand-held PDA
• Petroleum Forecourt Controller integrated to Point of Sale
• Hospitality Point of Sale with kitchen printer
• Barcode printing scales
• DVR Security Integration to Point of Sale
• POSTEC Forecourt Controller
• Head Office Multi-Store Management
• Pharmacy Dispensary Integration
• Hardware store Point of Sale
• Grocery supermarket Scanning
• Automatic Ordering systems

This year’s C-Store Expo is going to be great! See you there!

FFA07 takes place over three huge days - from the 24th until the 27th of September - at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Center; in the heart of Darling Harbour, Sydney.