Case Study
Smart Safe
Cash Management Machines and Safes require Robust Embedded Print Solutions
In 2016 a major Cash Management Company approached KFI for a thermal printer to be embedded into a family of Cash Management machines. The printer needed to be impact proof permit easy loading of paper by managers; the printer needed to be “plug and play” mechanically and electrically allowing easy substitution in the field preferably without a service call, in the rare case of failure. So KFI engineers started to look at the environment in which Cash Management Machines are employed and came up with the Smart Safe. They found that they are internally located within commercial environments like store back-offices or casinos.
Cash Machines (and safes) are mostly “attended” by clerks and commercial staff, working in these back office environments. Of course all Cash Management Machines and Safes are secured physically and every transaction in and out is recorded and tracked through each user’s personal identification number (PIN). The PIN provides a seamless audit trail. Senior staff can periodically validate secure activities and transactions effected by other members. And audit trails can be viewed in the form of daily printed reports and paper receipts. The Smart Safe printer offers unparalleled security.
Cash Management Machines and Safes are often placed in regular office situations where busy people work: the president of a U.S. Safe Company was concerned about any protrusion being prone to knocks, swipes and even coffee spills.
KFI concluded that an embedded printer mounted simply into the front of the machine offered the best solution for use and maintenance. A panel printer was the natural choice because paper access is from the front and requires no training to operate or load paper. And it can be quickly substituted. The problem with paper loading doors that pivot out, however, is their vulnerability to knocks – not ideal for bustling office environments.
Giacomo Caserini, Sales Director at KFI:
“Rather than a classic kiosk printer, we felt that the NAUT panel printer was the right choice for this application: the paper bay opens from the front making it easy to change rolls even by inexperienced staff. With no element that protrudes outward, it resists accidental impacts and side swipes even when open.”
KFI engineers had already addressed door design on a previous project, and come up with a patented door that pivots inwards, not outwards. The result was the NAUT printer that is naturally robust and has no rivals in its class. With the addition of a backside lever option on the door mechanism, paper access can now be limited to personnel that have access to the inside of the Safe or Cash Machine.