Pitney Bowes Internet-Enables High-Speed Mail Inserter with Comtrol’s Device Connectivity Products
Challenge
When Pitney Bowes’ customers needed a way to add Internet management and advanced networking to their mail inserting systems, without compromising the highspeed they were used to from their systems, the software engineering team went to work. They had two interrelated issues to resolve: they needed to upgrade the inserting system’s operating system to Microsoft® Windows®, and they needed to ensure that dozens of serial peripherals, like motors, photo eyes, and other sensors, could still communicate in near real-time. The new requirements forced Pitney Bowes to look at new ways to connect their legacy serial devices.
Technology Solution
The incumbent vendor couldn’t effectively support the new operating system and a second vendor couldn’t deliver the high data throughput required. Comtrol Corporation, a 20-year veteran providing device servers and in-server device controllers, provided both capabilities. In testing Comtrol’s technology, they not only confirmed that it met the requirements, but also found that it was nearly twice as fast as they needed! And, one and a half years after rollout of the new systems, they are pleased with the reliability—not a problem yet.
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