Green Thumbs, Black Bar Codes

PIKE Nurseries

When the decision was made for Pike Nurseries to make use of bar code scanners at its 25 locations in the Atlanta area, several nursery-specific problems were encountered. The registers at the nurseries are often under greenhouses, out in the open air. Point-of-sale scanners had to resist moisture and operate reliably in bright sunlight where the scanners' beams could not be seen. Pike also needed a label printer that would work in conjunction with its UNIX-based system, operate in somewhat harsh environments and be able to print on a label stock that would stick to a variety of surfaces.

"It didn't matter what the optics were, the beams were difficult to see in high-noon sunlight," said Nick D'Uva, a regional sales manager for Compsee who worked with Pike Nurseries. "They wanted the scanner with the highest first-scan rate and tried many different guns before deciding on one."

After about six months of testing three different makes and six different models of scanners, and different printers supplied by Compsee, Pike chose to install more than 125 PSC 5312 IP laser scanners and 35 Sato 8400 thermal transfer printers.

The scanners have an RS232 interface but allow the cables to be changed to offer portable capabilities. D'Uva said the future expansion possibilities, along with the price, warranty and scan rate are what made Pike lean toward the PSC scanners.

Another obstacle to implementing bar codes in a nursery setting was finding the right label stock, said Debra Dingess, information systems specialist with Pike. Labels would have to adhere to the variety of surfaces that were sometimes dirty, sat in a hot greenhouse and were watered routinely.

"We chose vinyl labels with an aggressive adhesive from Spectrum Graphics," she said. "We experimented with different types of labels for quite a while before deciding on them."

She said the Sato printers were chosen because of their durability and flexibility. The nursery uses the printers in nursery offices and a few in outside tents. Pike also has a Sato printer in its headquarters that is used to print tags, shelf labels and other special formats.

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