Intermec Upgrade Gives Interstate Batteries More `Juice'

    EVERETT, Wash.--Aug. 31, 2001--Route sales managers for Interstate Battery System of America Inc., the leading supplier of batteries in the U.S., now are able to collect and store more business information, thanks to a technology upgrade from Intermec Technologies Corp.
    Interstate Battery System, which has more than 200,000 retail customers, has chosen to upgrade its 1,200 route sales managers' Intermec 4500 DOS handheld computers to Intermec 6110 mobile computers that use the Microsoft Windows operating system. The computers run Interstate Batteries' mobile software co-designed by Intermec partner Mobile Tech Solutions Inc. and Interstate Batteries to address custom needs.
    The Intermec 6110 mobile pen computer combines rugged portability with a powerful, highly integrated 100 MHz AMD processor and 32 MB of memory, making it ideal for Interstate Batteries' route sales applications.
    Although the older units still performed, it was the lack of sufficient memory that led the company to upgrade its equipment. With both daily and overnight routes, route sales managers needed a lot of account information. Those using a unit with only 1MB of memory would generally have to return to the office once a day to upload information from their handheld computers to ensure they would be able to continue servicing the rest of their customers. Those with overnight routes primarily used units with 4MB of memory, which still allowed them to view only a portion of the records they have available today. Now, route sales managers not only can track traditional information such as truck inventory and customer transactions, but they also can store and track customer history, generate reports and reconcile sales dollars and inventory while in the field.
    Interstate Batteries' software application automates every aspect of the route sales manager's day, with sales history provided by the automatic route book function, multi-level sales tax support, and space for promotion plan descriptions
    Benefits of this hardware and software include the ability to track additional Direct Store Delivery information. The new units use the Windows operating system, which allows more functionality, along with an easy-to-use graphical interface and opportunities for future expansion.
    "The battery industry is unique, because it has to track battery sales and returns, warranty information and product freshness," said John Allen, Mobile Tech principal "Before the upgrade, Interstate Batteries wasn't able to track the amount of information they wanted to due to the limited memory on the older units."
    Even when Interstate Batteries selected the new Intermec equipment, participation by its distributorships was not mandatory. "Eighty-eight percent of Interstate Batteries' distributorships are independently owned and operated and could have picked another solution, but they chose to continue using the Intermec hardware because they experienced long-term durability and dependability," said Brian Beans, Intermec sales representative.

    Interstate Batteries sells nearly 12 million battery units each year, including automotive, commercial, marine/RV, motorcycle, lawn and garden products. That makes Interstate Batteries the number one replacement battery provider in the North America. Interstate also sells laptop, camcorder, flashlight and other types of batteries.