19 September 2007 19/09/07 - NRI APPOINTS DISTRIBUTOR IN GREECE AND MALTA
NRI is pleased to announce the appointment of Solutions & Options as the new distributor for Greece and Interbrands Limited as the new distributor for Malta. Both Solutions & Options and Interbrands will distribute all NRI products in all markets.
Looking to Greece first. Solutions & Options was founded in 2006 by Mr. Yiannis Tamaresis. Mr. Tamaresis holds a masters degree from an English university and has been involved with vending customers for many years. The excellent customer service that Solutions & Options offers has quickly convinced major vending companies of the opportunities to work together with Yiannis. Solutions & Options also acts as a distributor for the leading vending manufacturer, Crane Merchandising Systems.
Mark Simmons, NRI's Overseas Manager, comments on the appointment of Solutions & Options as Greek distributor as , 'The Greek vending market continues to grow in importance and with question marks on future possibilities in the Greek gaming market, now is the right time to place our trust in Solutions & Options. Although this is a relatively new company, we have dealt with Yiannis over many years and Yiannis is well known and trusted in Greece'.
Yiannis himself makes it quite clear why he has chosen to work together with NRI: 'The working relationship with NRI is excellent. Now with customer and sales support in their own country, Greek customers have all the more reason to place their trust in NRI. I thank NRI for placing their trust in me'.
Now moving on to Malta. Interbrands was formed in 1994 with specific focus on the cigarette vending market. Immediately the company became confronted with requirements for coin handling. After having carefully studied the market, Interbrands chose to specify only NRI products in its vending machines. During this time the relationship has continued to expand and Interbrands has gained much specific knowledge required for the successful representation of the NRI product range.
Mark Simmons explains the strategic importance of this appointment. 'Although Malta is a relatively small island, the coin-op industry is growing in importance. We are very pleased that Malta will be joining the Euro next January and with the appointment of Interbrands as NRI distributor in Malta, the local coin-op industry has a local contact of expertise'.
The Managing Director of Interbrands, Mr. Jean Claude Chetcuti, underlined, 'We have many years of experience with NRI and thus are very pleased to offer our know-how to our local market. Maltese customers can be rest assured that we are well equipped for the Euro introduction.'
The increasing recognition of NRI as a solution provider is something that the Maltese people really appreciate, as Jean Claude explains: 'Being from a small island, we very often have to look outwards to other countries to realize business opportunities and maintain continued economic growth. Thus, dynamic companies are especially welcome here. NRI provides not only a wide range of products but offers the right solutions for each specific application. Such management practices are well received here in Malta'.
19 September 2007 19/9/07 - ITL finishes year of restructure
2007 has seen Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL) embark on an ambitious reorganisation of its manufacturing sites; make significant changes to the Group Board and invest in additional resource to grow the capability of the Research and Development department.
In May 2007, Aidan Towey was promoted to Managing Director responsible for the global Innovative Technology Group with R D Bellis, ITL founder, continuing as Chairman.
During his 12 years with ITL, Aidan has made an outstanding contribution to the success of the business and his ambitious plans for the coming years with an aim to take ITL to world leader status.
'Over the next 3 years I would like to see ITL become the number one manufacturer of bank note validators in the world, to do this we are increasing our range of products three-fold. We have doubled our development and research teams and created a new support team for both customers and manufacturing' said Aidan Towey, Managing Director.
Mustapha Hadj-Ahmed has been with ITL for 11 years, initially responsible for our Spanish Office, Mustapha has full responsibility for both sales and manufacturing in South America.
Mustapha has made a significant contribution to the complexities of transferring production to our facility in Brazil and remains focussed in this complex and challenging environment.
It has been a challenging year for the Board as we shift production to a third-party manufacturing site in China, retaining just product test capability and final assembly work at our factory and Head Office in Oldham, UK.
After joining ITL late 1998 as a newly qualified Electronics Graduate, Peter Dunlop fast tracked his career to become Development Director in 2005.
His 60-strong multi-talented team span the globe and Peter's extensive responsibilities include research, design and technical support for the Group.
Marcus Tiedt was our first employee in Germany 9 years ago and he very quickly established an important office for the Group based in Pinneberg, a short drive from Hamburg.
Marcus was instrumental in growing our German and Eastern European customer base and 2007 saw him promoted to Sales Director responsible for Sales and Marketing across the European and Australasian markets.
Alun Evans joined ITL in September 2007 as Financial Director; a qualified chartered accountant Alun joins us from outside of the industry with considerable experience in finding opportunities to grow SME businesses.
Autumn 2007 sees the launch of models BV20 and BV100 designed for amusement and vending markets and the AWP market for the BV100. The BV100 now has a lockable stacker and both models possess a range of new features including SPF technology and anti-strimming devices.
10 September 2007 10/9/07 - Elaut Strengthens UK Distribution.
As from January 8th 2008, Elaut will strengthen their representation in the Uk by adding a 2nd distributor in addition to Crown Leisure Ltd. Mrs Helga Verstraeten, sales director : our relationship of 6 years with Crown continues to be very strong and intense and we both agreed that John Ferguson Spares would be a perfect add on to cover every possible crane lead that may exist. The 3 company's will continue to work closely together in the benefit of the operator and our final customer, the player.
31 August 2007 31/8/07 - Brand new products from Comestero Group
Comestero Group is proud to announce the new models of
coin to note and note to coin change machines that enrich its range.
Whereas the traditional machines change only coins into banknotes, Comestero Group’s new series provides a wide selection of both coin and banknote change options, to satisfy the highest change requirements and to provide totally reduced management intervention and relative activities. A player can e.g. change banknotes into coins prior to a playing session and can then change any coins won back into banknotes when the game session is over. The machine automatically recharges itself with the coins that are fed in. There is therefore no need for the management to recharge it frequently.
Two are the main models of the range. Super-slim (only 20 cm in width) and sturdy, 2Change is the ideal solution for all indoor environments with reduced space capabilities, such us gaming arcades, pub, internet cafés or offices. Despite its size, it features an impressive distribution capacity which amounts to 3400 coins and 300 banknotes, thanks to the type of hopper and note dispenser installed on the machine. 4Change provides a higher dispensing capacity thanks to its 2 hoppers and 2 note dispensers. It is suitable then for every indoor and pass-trough environments such us big gaming arcades, as well as shopping centres, gyms and sporting facilities. Safety performance here is absolutely faultness, thanks to an excellent lock system and an innovative “wireless” anti-theft device, available as on option.
An other novelty deals with the compact and versatile Changeuro Easy Plus,
Comestero’s most widespread change machine in the market. Now it is available in a new version with multicoin payout hopper, its best value being the fact that it can dispense simultaneously up to 3 different type of coins. In this way it is possible to save time and reduce management intervention as it is not necessary anymore to sort the coins, i.e the ones of the cashbox, before introducing them into the hopper.
31 August 2007 31/8/07 - FutureLogic, Inc. Names Alan Rea Vice President of Quality Assurance.
FutureLogic, Inc., manufacturer of thermal ticket printers for cashless gaming, today announced the appointment of Alan Rea to the position of Vice President, Quality Assurance.
A Certified Master Six SigmaBlack Belt, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Quality Auditor, Alan brings more than 20 years of quality management experience to FutureLogic. Working with both domestic and international operations, Alan has managed and implemented a wide variety of Quality Management Systems, including ISO-9001, ISO-13485, QS-9001, TS-16934, AS-9000, Mil-9858A, Design For Six Sigma (DFSS), Six Sigma Quality, as well as product transfer, test lab and supplier development programs. His background includes key management positions with Medtronic, Zebra Technologies, Eltron International, and Kodak (Datatape Corporation).
Eric Meyerhofer, FutureLogic President, said, “Alan’s expertise in quality management and process improvement makes him an ideal leader for our organization. His understanding of our manufacturing processes, business structure, supplier relations and customer satisfaction will help us enhance our competitive position in the global marketplace.”
Alan received his BS in Management from University of Redlands and his MBA from University of Phoenix.
