GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES

The compact Epson TM-T58 receipt printer fulfills big and tough printing requirements for Kopitiam Singapore

The Challenge:

Due to regulations set by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), all merchant receipts in the country need to be serially printed and duplicate copies must be retained for auditing purposes. Therefore, all food operators need to ensure that receipts printed are both legible and neat.

Kopitiam Investment Pte Ltd runs Singapore’s largest chain of food courts which experience a large volume of transactions daily. Therefore they required robust POS receipt printers that will withstand the rigors of operating reliably in the high heat and humidity environment of the food courts.

Objective:

To provide a receipt printer that is easy for vendors to operate, able to issue receipts with clear legible prints, and able to withstand the oily, humid and warm environment in the food court (as POS counters that are often located near food preparation areas).

Approach:

Replace the point-of-sale receipt printers with the Epson TM-T58 receipt printers.

Business Benefits:

• 1.Compact size saves counter space
• 2.Spill resistant covers increase its durability and reliability
• 3.Saves paper cost with its small receipt size (58mm) and ability to minimize receipt margins

Background:

In 2009, when it came time for Singapore-based F&B food court operator, Kopitam to upgrade its receipt printer fleet in 2010; the key purchase criteria were: compact size, durability and speed. Their choice was of utmost importance, as it would be installed in over 400 POS locations in the company’s food courts across the country.

Under the recommendation of its systems integrator, the company was introduced to the Epson TM-T58 thermal receipt printer. “The Epson receipt printer proved to be very user-friendly and intuitive; it is also very quick and easy for our vendors to learn to operate,” Ms. Goh Wee Ling, Corporate Communications Manager of Kopitiam Singapore reveals.

Key Deciding Factors:

With regards to pre-purchase considerations, Ms. Goh explains “Our food tenants need to use receipt printers that can churn out high volumes of receipts, especially during the peak hours at lunch and dinner. In addition, the environment in which they operate in tends to be very oily, humid and warm due to the proximity of the food preparation and cooking areas to the cash counters. Hence, we need receipt printers that withstand the rigorous environment and not cause disruption to our operations and customer service.”

Additionally, the user-friendly and intuitive Epson TM-T58 receipt printer ensures that vendors can easily learn to operate the device, while its top access paper loading feature makes it more convenient for stall owners to reload the printer, reducing downtime and subsequently improving customer satisfaction.

Lowering Running Costs with Smart Paper Saving Feature:

Compared to standard receipt printers that use paper that is 3 - 4 inches (70mm - 80mm) in width, the Epson TM-T58’s 58mm receipt media (hence it’s model name) is significantly narrower, and therefore paper costs are also significantly lower. “Thanks to its narrower paper width, the cost savings in paper totals to a large sum for the company in the long run,” Ms. Goh reveals, adding that Epson’s prompt and efficient provision of maintenance services has also boosted the longevity of the printers.

Robust Printing Capability

The thermal printer has a mean cycles between failure (MCBF) rating of 15 million lines and a mean time between failure (MTBF) of 180,000 hours, making it highly reliable while maximizing the company’s investment into the printers. On top of that, it also features a spill resistant cover that is dustproof and waterproof - which is “ideal in withstanding the harsh environment in food courts”, says Ms. Goh.