One of Innovative Technology Ltd.’s Spanish customers, Vulkan Systems, have recently launched their new Hydra model offering a complete solution for access control in a new era for biometric security. Their Hydra model uses ICU Lite from Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL) for facial recognition which is intelligently integrated with an ID and fingerprint reader to offer a highly secure and reliable access control solution.

Commenting on the collaboration, Jose Garcia Escudero, Business Development Manager at ITL said, “During the recent Expojoc Gaming Exhibition in Valencia, Vulkan Systems launched their Hydra and Hydra Zone versions, equipped with ICU Lite facial recognition and age estimation, as well as an ID card reader, people flow management, fingerprint biometric detection and integrated management system.  I would like to congratulate our colleagues at Vulkan Systems – this is a fantastic example of access control of the future. Integrated with our ICU Lite facial recognition technology, Vulkan Systems can offer its customers a complete solution.  I was personally fascinated by its futuristic design, combining ICU integration with ID and fingerprint reader and pass-through flow control sensors, all intelligently integrated with smartwatch connection and remote management. Ideal for customers who want it all and want the best access control solution! I hope this will see fast adoption, not only in the Spanish gaming market but also in other sectors and countries.”

ICU Lite from ITL is a biometric solution that uses facial analysis to control access to buildings or allow hygienic contactless entry, as well as performing age estimation. The device is a compact, USB sized stick which can be used in any standard USB port available.  ICU Lite can also be combined with an existing document scanner or RFID reader for 1:1 face matching. It intelligently ensures the ID photo matches the person in front of the camera to add an additional layer of security and multi-factor authentication.                                                                                          

Jose Luis Quiles, Technical Director of Vulkan Systems and lead integration engineer commented, “I am impressed with how small the ICU Lite device is, yet it provides us with such a powerful and competitive tool for facial recognition. ITL have supported us with the best possible service, and I am very happy with how smooth the integration process was. We look forward to progressing this collaboration further with ITL and showing the industry just how easy and useful biometrics can be for your business.”

Bestway Retail has announced that they will be extending the use of age estimation technology in a number of their stores in the UK following a successful trial with Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL). The implementation of the technology is aimed at protecting children from harm in the retail sale of alcohol products.

Andrew O’Brien, Product Manager from ITL commented, “Following a successful trial of age verification technology with the Bestway Retail, we are delighted that they have decided to expand the technology into more Bargain Booze stores.  It was first installed in January this year as part of the Home Office sandbox trial which we completed at the end of May. Since the trial began, we have been busy developing MyCheckr – anonymous age estimation powered by ICU Lite, to give an all-in-one, standalone device that retailers can simply plug in to help cashiers with age check decisions.”

Commenting on the decision to extend implementation at additional stores, Clive Binks, Head of Corporate Stores at Bestway Retail said, “As a direct result of the successful trial we will now be installing Innovative’s MyCheckr device at more of our Bargain Booze stores. The technology is helping to boost staff ‘s confidence when asking customers for ID and of course anything that ensures we protect children is paramount to us as a responsible business.”

The Association of Convenience Stores Crime Report 2022 found that ‘enforcing an age restricted sales policy’ is one of the top triggers for violence or abuse against staff. ITL also report that the technology is successfully being used to aid staff and protect them from abuse.  

Andy Bullock, Senior Business Development Manager commented, “The trial of our age estimation technology with Bestway Retail was a great success and we are grateful to our ICU distribution partner, Chris Woodall from CC Dynamic who was instrumental in siting the stores, establishing the right contacts and ensuring all the kit needed at each location met the specific requirement of the store and its customers. With the help of Chris and our biometrics team from installation to trial completion, staff were impressed with the benefits the technology brings,so we look forward to rolling this out further.”

MyCheckr is simple to use, with a green LED above the screen indicating that no age check is required, or a red light showing when an age check is recommended.  The technology has the highest accuracy of any independently tested solution and is the only GDPR certified age estimation system in the world.

Andrew concluded, “Feedback from one of the store managers was that thetechnology should be rolled out everywhere in pubs and shops to take the sole responsibility away from bouncers and servers.  Another said they would like to continue using it after the trial end date as all staff refer to the unit before serving and commented on its accuracy, even with masks or face coverings.  With over 75% of those staff questioned wanting to keep using the technology, we are delighted that we can now begin installation of the market-ready MyCheckr device at several Bargain Booze stores. Bestway Retail has embraced this initiative and clearly take their responsibility for protecting children from being mis-sold alcohol seriously. We look forward to working with other retailers in the future to help them meet their licensing objectives using age estimation technology.”

Innovative Technology are pleased to welcome Kriangkrai Sirinaphaphan, Customer Support Engineer, based in Bangkok, Thailand. Kriangkrai’s role will be to provide customer support and technical advice to ITL customers based across Asia.

Mirko Zwing, Customer Support Manager, commented, “I am delighted to welcome Kriangkrai to our expanding team. We already have an established sales and support team in China but as Asia is such a vast area, we wanted to bring onboard dedicated technical support to assist Yap and Kravitz, our Business Development Managers who look after the Southeast Asia region. Kriangkrai, also known as KK, will be providing customer support to our established vending & kiosk customers and help our growing retail sector across a wide range of products including the CBA9 bill acceptor which has been designed for the Southeast Asia market to simplify cash handling for OEM’s. He will also look to develop our service partnerships in the region to ensure we continue to meet the needs of customers from right across the region as our customer base grows and we supply to new sectors such as transportation.”

Commenting on his new role Kriangkrai said, “I’m pleased to join Innovative Technology and I am fully committed to providing the best possible technical advice and guidance to support ITL customers throughout this vast region. Since joining the organisation in December 2021 I have travelled to the UK head office for extensive training where I greatly improved my product knowledge and enjoyed meeting many of my colleagues in the UK.”

Kriangkrai continued, “My background is in electronics and computing, and I look forward to using my skills to assist customers with technical queries and training. I am sure this position will provide me with a great opportunity to work with customers from many different Asian countries, and I hope for a successful future with Innovative Technology.”

Concluding Mirko said, “Kriangkrai has over 17 years’ experience providing technical support in previous roles so I am confident he will use his extensive knowledge and skillset to give customers the highest level of customer experience and support. I look forward to working with Kriangkrai and the rest of the team to ensure ITL customers in Asia get the best out of our extensive range of cash handling and biometric products.”

Innovative Technology (ITL) are delighted to announce a 10-year milestone for Group Sales Director, Tony Morrison. Since joining the cash handling company in 2012 as Sales Director, Tony has been promoted and instrumental in many of the organisation’s strategic developments.

Commenting on his decade with ITL, Tony said, “I feel honoured to celebrate this milestone with such a forward-thinking dynamic company. I have the pleasure of working with a highly committed team who are key to the success of the business.  When I first joined, I was responsible for our Retail & Kiosk customers and was tasked with expanding this market sector to the same level as our successful, well-known gaming business. The retail sector has developed considerably since then and we now have an established product range ideally suited and tailored to this industry.  I was promoted to Group Sales Director in September 2019 and now take responsibility for expanding our global reach across all verticals in both the gaming and retail side of the business, as well as researching emerging markets internationally.”

Commenting on Tony’s achievement, Peter Dunlop ITL’s Group Managing Director said, “Tony has extensive international sales experience in the cash handling industry across a range of sectors and territories. He is excellent at building relationships, predicting and understanding key customer trends and he is key to implementing our growth strategies and plans.  The business has shown some incredible expansion and changes over recent years with innovation being our key driver. This desire to continually innovate has led to the development of our AI powered biometric solutions, created tomeet the ever-changing needs of customers. I look forward to working alongside Tony over the coming years to continue to expand our customer base, develop leading-edge technologies and achieve our business objectives.”

Concluding Tony said, “We have a very loyal customer base here at ITL and its thanks to these and every member of staff that we have gained such impressive success. I look forward to further developing ITL both strategically and commercially to ensure we continue to build the best-in-class value for money products that our customers deserve.”

Innovative Technology successfully debuted their latest cash handling solution, NV4000 Spectral at EuroCIS 2022 - the Leading Trade Fair for Retail Technology, in Düsseldorf last week.  ITL demoed how this new product can accelerate customer throughput with advanced mixed bill recycling and with its modular design helps retailers avoid expensive service calls. They also showcased their latest biometrics solution – MyCheckr, providing anonymous age estimation.

Commenting on their presence at the show, Thorsten Labusch, VP of Sales & Business Development for ITL said, “EuroCIS was a great success for us this year, from the moment the doors opened to visitors on Day 1, our stand was busy, followed by a constant stream of visitors throughout the three days.  The star of the show was undoubtedly our new NV4000 Spectral which we introduced to the industry for the first time.  An advanced, high volume mixed bill recycler, this revolutionary innovation is designed specifically for the retailer to move customers through the checkouts quickly.  Visitors were impressed with the large recycling capacity of up to 420 bills of 5 denominations which results in fewer refills to increase staff efficiencies. Plus, automated float management keeps machines running and significantly reduces the number of service calls.”

ITL’s biometrics division also had their full range of AI-powered solutions on display.

“Our solutions providing anonymous age estimation also proved popular on the stand. Visitors were impressed with how this accurate, hands-free age estimation technology can help retailers avoid selling age-restricted goods to minors. ICU Lite can be implemented directly into self-checkout terminals or kiosks and MyCheckr is a stand-alone device designed for manned checkouts to give an extra level of assurance when till operators are checking age ID. We were delighted to receive first orders for MyCheckr at the show from one of our partners after intensive trials with their customers, successfully proving our concept for anonymous age estimation.”, explained Christian Czeskleba, Senior Business Development Manager for their biometrics product range.

Continuing Thorsten commented, “The team also showcased how CashGenic - hygienic cash automation solution can be used in various settings to automate the counting and handling of cash to save time and generating greater efficiencies for businesses. EuroCIS visitors were also keen to see how the SMART Coin System can be used to eliminate coin starvation and significantly reduce cash collection costs.”

Concluding Thorsten said, “It was fantastic to see so many of our products integrated into full solutions on display on our customers’ booths too.  It was great to network with many existing clients and partners and meet new customers after the past few years with no exhibitions taking place. Our international sales teams are keen to follow up on all the leads and show how simple it is to install and combine our retail products to give a cost-effective end solution ideal for retailers.”