HARTING Systems showcasing smart SCO solution at the “EuroShop”

“EuroShop“ is the world’s largest trade fair for retailing investment products and systems, and will be taking place from February 16 through to 20, 2020 in Dusseldorf. HARTING Systems, a subsidiary of the HARTING Technology Group will be presenting innovative SCO solutions (self- checkout). The SCO area in grocery retailing is where customers scan their products themselves.

At this year’s trade fair HARTING Systems will be showcasing the HARTING cash desk product range featuring extensively upgraded visual elements. The external design has been consistently updated and impresses with linen-grained stainless steel and polygonal corner plates. The new counter cash desk in combination with an extended tobacco infopoint will also be featuring prominently. In addition to the cash desk from the SmokyThek CS it features wooden paneling integrating the TowerlineShop automatic vending machine. This is especially interesting for retail customers that wish to implement a service point or an information desk, combining personal customer interaction with automated support functionalities.

Worldwide, the guidelines and legislation concerning tobacco products are being increasingly tightened. HARTING has acquired in-depth experience in numerous countries and over many years and provides automated solutions for virtually all dispensing regulations in the individual countries.

This is particularly relevant in connection with “plain package“ issues, where all the brand typical attributes are replaced by uniform design. “The sales process is difficult when all the packages look more or less the same, as Peter Weichert, managing director of HARTING Systems commented. The vending machines offer alphabetic listing in connection with the company’s logo – which helps customers locating “their favoured brand.”

Peter Weichert, Managing Director of HARTING Systems

The use of automatic vending machines is also ideal in countries with so-called display bans, meaning that it is not permitted to present tobacco products openly and publically. In such scenarios, automatic vending machines can help minimize such sales disadvantages.

HARTING announced its cooperation with the Norwegian company StrongPoint in February 2019. Over the past months the two companies put their heads together and developed a number of modern self-checkout systems that will be highlighted at the Dusseldorf event.

”The new and innovative systems combine efficiency and security with value creating retailing to optimize the retail space and to ensure even better customer experiences”, says Jacob Tveraabak, CEO of StrongPoint.

The conventional cash desk area that accounts for some 1% of the retail floor space generates around 4 to 7% of sales by impulse purchases and tobacco products. In markets without SCO product offerings these sales are lost entirely.

Powered by the bundled competence of HARTING, as specialist for the storage and dispensing of theft-prone products, and StrongPoint, as expert for self-checkout solutions the SCO system with an integrated vending machine for tobacco products was developed. As Peter Weichert went on to emphasize: “Our new solution is probably the most efficient of its kind in the entire self-checkout market.”

The Espelkamp based company continues to place a strong emphasis on economic efficiency, safety and security. Thanks to the new system retail markets have the option of serving three cash desks simultaneously with a single automatic vending machine. From February 16 to 20, 2020, HARTING Systems will be on location in Hall 13, at stand D62 and will be showcasing exactly what this solution will look like.