|
Case Studies... NavyStar Project Case Study
Blazepoint and ICL worked closely throughout the bid phase
of the NavyStar Project. The solution offered by the ICL Team to the
MoD drew on the expertise and experiences of ICL, in terms of systems
integration and IT infrastructure and Blazepoint, in terms of IT ruggedisation
in extended environments. On the award of the NavyStar contract Blazepoint undertook
the task of designing mounting systems for the IT hardware, which included
the pc workstations, tft screens, workgroup printers, line printers
and hubs. The basis of the ruggedisation for the project was the requirement
to be highly compact, flexible, ergonomic and meet stringent standards
in an unusual operating environment.
All the equipment was put through extensive testing using DERA's test facility at Rosyth. Drew Selwood (Head of Design) of Blazepoint said: "Due to the short time scales the key issues were to agree the design on paper with ICL and MoD and pass shock tests first time". This was achieved and all the mounting systems passed the initial tests of 30g and went on to pass the 70g test without the use of shock mounts. Thus removing the requirement for "x" mounts in certain locations and further reducing the space envelope and weight. The reduction of unit weight calculated across the installation base has a beneficial effect for naval ships, especially submarines, where weight and space are critical factors. Having passed the testing and design reviews the first production units were manufactured and installed in a very short space of time meeting the tight refit schedule. Blazepoint and ICL had regular review meetings with the MoD to improve the products even further as additional requirements and requests were fed back from the users. Demand has increased due to the small footprint, much improved processing power and functionality of the workstations. The workstation and tft is smaller than the old display previously installed. Blazepoint and ICL will continue to work closely together in partnership throughout this 5-year contract to supply the optimum solution to the MoD in this ever changing and progressive world. Blazepoint will continue to produce on average 150-200 units per month for the NavyStar Project. For the full case study please click here to download the pdf document (183 kb).
Thales e-security is a global specialist in security solutions for electronic payments and high value transactions by business and government. Their staff had been experiencing problems using external production facilities for the production of personalised payment cards for use in systems which guarantee payments between banks and their corporate customers. They felt that they had little control over production and were too reliant on external suppliers and factors. Thales therefore decided to look into the possibilities of bringing the production in-house. Blazepoint's solution which utilised Eltron P420 plastic card printers had to provide highly reliable, flexible, on-demand plastic card printing on what could sometimes be extremely short lead times. In addition, it had to be not only economical but the quality and security of the finished plastic card were of paramount importance. Thales e-security looked at proposals from several leading manufacturers and solutions providers. Their selection of the Blazepoint was based on the company's quick and thorough response to technical issues and its ability to provide a personal service and local backup and support. For the full case study please click here to download the pdf document (181 kb).
The Royal Opera House is one of the world’s great lyric theatres, home to The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The Royal Opera House approached Blazepoint with the aim of finding a solution to their ticketing needs. Attracting over thirteen thousand people per week to the shows alone they needed a ticket printer that could accommodate the many ways that tickets can be purchased. They required the capacity to print specialised two part tickets, credit card slips and address labels. Within the busy box office environment it was essential to have highly reliable, high speed ticket printers as every break down would inevitably cause immense inconveniences. The Royal Opera House selected Blazepoint’s proposal to install Practical Automation Ticket Printers. They were attracted to Blazepoint’s proposal to install 40 machines into their ticket offices by the company’s rapid and thorough response to technical issues and its ability to provide a reliable, personal service with local backup and support. Forty Practical Automation Ticket Printers were installed by Blazepoint at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and are now used on a daily basis, producing over 1.5 million tickets in the course of a year. "Having worked with these printers for a long time we are confident that we have made the right choice. Apart from anticipated maintenance issues, we have never had any problems with our ticket printers, and we therefore recommend Blazepoint’s Practical Automation Printers to other box offices.” For the full case study please click here to download the pdf document (101 kb).
The Oracle is a state-of-the-art shopping and leisure destination located in Reading City Centre boasting department stores and over 80 top high street name shops. The Oracle approached Blazepoint with three very distinct requirements, which they wanted to meet from one plastic card printing solution. Firstly, they needed to produce time attendance cards for their own staff to monitor the internal staff’s hours. Secondly, The Oracle intended to implement a Visitor Management System using plastic cards. The third requirement was for a printer that could produce fully personalised ad hoc Retail Discount Cards. The printer needed to be capable of incorporating personalised security features into the cards such as an ID photograph, magnetic stripe and digital signature. The Oracle selected Blazepoint’s solution, which utilised Eltron P310C plastic card printers. This decision was primarily based on the suitability of the printer specified but also on Blazepoint’s ability to provide local, quick-response backup and technical support. The Eltron P310C installed by Blazepoint at The Oracle is now used on a daily basis to produce on average 40 fully personalised cards per week for their applications. The Oracle is extremely satisfied with the solution that Blazepoint delivered and continue to purchase all consumables for the printers from Blazepoint. For the full case study please click here to download the pdf document (42 kb).
The National Railway Museum (NRM) is situated in the historic city of York. Due to the new legislation that museums can be accessed free of charge the National Railway Museum had to find new ways of fund raising. In addition to many other activities the museum developed a special campaign for the Queen's Jubilee - the Golden Jubilee Draw Ticket. For £1 visitors can purchase a ticket, they fill in their name and address and get the chance to win attractive prizes including Eurostar tickets and London Hotel Superbreak vouchers. The NRM approached the Blazepoint Team with their requirement for three high-quality ticket printers. The printers needed be able to be connected to a network under a Windows application for on-demand ticket issuing. Blazepoint recommended Practical Automation's ITX Series to the National Railway Museum. Due to their ability to operate under Windows, their high reliability and print speed the ITX 2003 was the ideal solution for printing the Golden Jubilee Draw Tickets without leaving the visitor unnecessarily queuing for their chance to win. The National Railway Museum was impressed by the quality of service and quick response and just purchased another two counter-sunk versions of the printer. For the full case study please click here to download the pdf document (106 kb). |