Sato America, a global provider of auto-ID solutions, will be unveiling three new products at this year’s National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention & Expo in New York, NY, USA. Among the offerings, Sato will be showcasing products in smart desktop label printing, thermal industrial printing and compact mobile printing.

Sato’s CT4-LX smart desktop label printer boasts a color touch LCD panel for intuitive operation. Its smart capabilities enhance business operations by supporting existing applications, and its seamless functionality means that users of various skill levels can master printing across multiple sectors. Additionally, if errors do occur, simple instructions and video provide instant support and solutions.

“The CT4-LX revolutionizes desktop printing capabilities. Normally customers would have to move up to industrial printers to gain the IoT capabilities now being offered with the CT4-LX,” says Steve Sundstrom, vice president of customer growth, Sato America. “This coupled with Sato’s patented label waste prevention feature, exclusive to the CT4-LX, will provide customers significant savings over the life of the printer.”

In addition to the CT4-LX, Sato will be introducing NRF attendees to the CL4NX Plus. Created as a response to growth of B2B e-commerce since the original CL4NX was debuted, the CL4NX Plus has been designed for the printing requirements of retail, supply chain, manufacturing, automotive, food industry, and healthcare sectors.

“Sato continues to push the boundaries on price versus performance for an industrial printer. The CL4NX Plus’s increased speed and new ‘High Precision Print’ mode sets a new standard for a printer at this price point,” says Sundstrom.

The CL4NX Plus is a 4" industrial printer, ideal for high volume printing of packing slips and shipping labels for distribution centers or for printing hang tags and labels at the store level. The print speed is 16% faster than other high-resolution industrial printers, Sato notes. Additionally, the CL4NX Plus has a capacity for 30% more media for longer continuous usage, to keep pace with today’s e-commerce demands.

Rounding out SATO’s line of new products at NRF is the compact, durable PV3, a 3" mobile printer. The PV3 boosts accuracy, efficiency and worker productivity with its point-of-activity printing for in-store or warehouse applications. Built with durable polycarbonate and rubber overmolding, the PV3 can withstand drop impacts of up to 6.9 feet. The printer is water-resistant and dustproof to an IP54 rating. The PV3 also reduces user fatigue, with its light design (1.53 lbs.) and belt clip hands-free operation option.

“We believe that the PV3 is the printing solution that users have been searching for,” explains Goro Yumiba, chairperson and CEO, Sato America. “Our newest economical compact 3" mobile printer provides quick and easy drop-in media loading, comes standard with a built-in dispenser and multiple connectivity options including Bluetooth, Wireless LAN and USB with Android and iOS compatibility, to provide seamless integration across all applications.”

In addition to new products, the company is announcing new technology partnerships with SOTI and Wiliot. “SATO is excited to be partnered with SOTI on their new platform, SOTI Connect, this next-generation offering will enable Sato customers to take full advantage of SOTI’s latest MDM software to manage their assets,” says Yumiba. “We are equally excited to partner with Wiliot to help bring their new Battery-Free Bluetooth technology to market. We see great potential to create exciting new applications for the retail market with this partnership.”

By leveraging SOTI Connect, Sato printer users can quickly enroll and provision new devices, perform software updates, adjust configurations and settings and initiate maintenance actions remotely. “SOTI Connect allows users to have complete lifecycle management of IoT devices in a secure environment that reduces downtime and maintenance costs,” says Shash Anand, vice president of product strategy, SOTI. “We strive to ensure that all SATO printers using SOTI Connect operate at full capacity for reliable operation around the clock- from setup to decommissioning, lowering the total cost of ownership while maximizing return on investment.”

Sato will introduce the next-generation in IoT solutions for retail in partnership with Wiliot, a start-up company based in Israel. Wiliot technology provides battery-free Bluetooth sensor tags that are powered by energy drawn from ambient radio frequencies. The sensor tags do not require a battery, are the size of a postage stamp and able to transmit information such as ID, temperature and pick-up information.