Case Studies

Calsonic Kansei North America Selects Intermec Printer for its Performance, Ease-of-Use and Rugged Design

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Calsonic Kansei North America manufactures automobile parts and modular systems for the worldwide market. Its offerings include front-end and cockpit modules, as well as other automotive products including exhaust and air-conditioning systems and keyless entry systems. Calsonic customers include BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Renault and Volkswagen.

An Intermec customer for more than 10 years, Calsonic is a long-time user of the Intermec EasyCoder 3400 printers to generate bar code labels for its warehouse and manufacturing operations. When the 3400 printers were discontinued in 2007, Calsonic needed to identify a replacement that could provide the same performance, ease-of-use and reliability and would not cause any business disruption during the transition. The company chose the Intermec PM4i, a network-ready, midrange industrial printer designed to excel in demanding applications and environments. With five interface ports that can be utilized at once, integrated Ethernet and secure wireless connectivity, the PM4i is designed to meet the advanced needs of today’s manufacturing operations.

For Calsonic, the PM4i was the ideal choice because of its ability to understand and replace older Intermec printers without requiring any changes to the host programming or label formats being used. As their fleet of 150 Intermec 3400 printers need replacement, the PM4i printers will take their place at various Calsonic locations including Tennessee, Mississippi, Michigan, California and Mexico.

“We’ve always had a positive experience with our Intermec products and service, making it a straightforward decision to continue working with them and upgrade to their latest industrial printer,” said Kris Williams, senior manager, IT, Calsonic. “Further, because all of our source coding is written for the 3400, the fact that it is compatible with the PM4i printer was a key factor in our decision.”

Built to Withstand Harsh Conditions

Bar codes are an integral element of Calsonic’s operations, so it is essential for the company to employ printers that not only produce accurate labels in a timely, efficient manner, but are also built to withstand the elements of a demanding environment. Calsonic manufacturing plants do not have air conditioning or heat, so temperature extremes are common in winter and summer. The PM4i printer was the ideal choice because its industrial design and heavy-duty metal construction was specifically built to withstand taxing environments.

“In our environment, we really put our printers through a good survival test,” said Amy Clark, IT supervisor, Calsonic. “We found the 3400 printers to be extremely durable, but we are now finding that the PM4i printers are even more so. This is important because our printers are not simply sitting on a desk. They are placed in a manufacturing environment enduring intense activity 24 hours a day. We know that when using Intermec printers, we will receive high quality output no matter the external conditions.”

A Value Added Printer

While Calsonic enjoyed the functionality and performance of the 3400 printers, the company is experiencing additional key benefits as they continue the PM4i rollout. One major benefit is that the cover on the PM4i is attached by hinges and is not removable, thus minimizing dirt and new maintenance issues. Another advantage is that the PM4i printer keypad interface, which enables operators to easily program the printer when changes are needed, can also be locked to avoid accidental input – a feature that reduces maintenance demands and ensures uninterrupted production. Lastly, because PM4i printers come equipped with standard network connectivity, they are ready to work right out of the box, saving setup time and trouble for IT resources.

A Smooth Migration

The migration to the new printers has been seamless, and the company is finding them to be as dependable and easy to use as expected. Calsonic is also pleased that operational productivity has been steadily maintained without any major business disruptions or down time during the transition.

“We’ve always had great support and success with Intermec,” concluded Clark. “Because of this, upgrading to the PM4i was a practical decision for our company. This migration is going exceptionally well and we look forward to our continued business partnership with Intermec.”