Interactive Digital Signage

Project Introduction: More than 2,000 employees attended Advantech's year-end party this year. There was a multi-course dinner; there were prizes, fireworks, and live entertainment; there was even an airship cruising inside the party hall. Of course logistics and event planning for such a gathering is a major undertaking. In years past, logistics were handled largely by paper-based systems: coupons, ticket stubs, and the like. But in keeping with Advantech's new slogan of 'enabling an intelligent planet', it is no surprise that the industrial computer giant had an efficient and unique technology solution on hand to ensure that the minutiae of registration, prize drawings and dining hall seating were kept in order. Advantech's system needed a way to handle the arrival, registration, and seating of theteeming employees. While festivities were underway, several lottery style prize drawings were planned, and a means of registering the employees, determining the winners, and awarding the prizes needed to be in place.

Solutions:

Advantech began well before the event by distributing a new iPlanet card to each employee. This card works as a cash card around town for such things as convenience store purchases and payment of municipal transit fares. Advantech issued the cards with extended multi-functionality in mind. So in addition to their usefulness outside the company, they can also be used inside the company for employee services and identification. As employees arrived at the year-end party, they had only to approach one of the UTC-520 all-in-one computers placed on stands near reception. AnRFID reader processed the swipe of their iPlanet card, instantly registering them. A real-time database lookup confirmed identity, matching the card's stored employee number to the HR database record. A seating arrangement chart was presented on the display, and an attached thermal printer produced a "lucky number" to be used in the drawings that evening. Total time elapsed was a second or two. The system had no trouble keeping up with the registration of 2,000 plus employees. UTC-520 is an all-in-one, touch panel computer; it is IP54 and NEMA4 compliant, and different peripheral kits, such as the RFID reader and thermal printer, can be easily attached, customizing the system for a specific application.

System Description:

Advantech's UTC-520 was equipped with an RFID reader and a thermal printer, providing an intelligent registration system with lucky draw registration and floor seating and it was connected via the network toback-end database systems.

Benefits

	Employee education through exposure and to an intelligent, all-in-one system
	Decreased wait times
	Instant identification and lucky prize registration
	Simple-to-use interface, accessible through a standard iPlanet card
	Quick and easy seating guide
	Easy tally and prize calculation
	Confirmation of identity and attendance via link to HR database