Last year started with production fully booked and operating at 110% for the first four months. It was a year of overtime for our factory workers. By the end of the first half many of our major customers had exceeded orders for the entire previous year. In marketing we changed our corporate colors to a rainbow hue that we hope not only catches the eye, but also shows our dedication to innovation and new ideas.

New products in 2007 included our first cordless imagers the AS-8510 and the AS-8000CL. Both models offer high-performance wireless scanning capabilities. There was also the PT-18 portable data collector, featuring wireless infrared data transmission to minimize wear and tear on connectors, a common problem in industrial environments. There were also new products and second generation products in development that are soon to be announced.

Argox teams were often the road, as our sales people and engineers visited customers around the world for product demonstrations and training. In 2007 we visited dealers and distributors in India, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Ukraine, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, and Chile. Argox and our representatives also participated in many events around the globe, including CeBIT, Trade & Warehouse Moscow, Retail Solutions World Asia, Invex, SMAU, and BT-day.

Meeting RoHS standards also inspired Argox to take a close look at going “green.” A new XRF analyzer was brought online in 2007 to screen Argox products for hazardous substances. This is just one of many steps that Argox is taking to become a more environmentally-friendly company.

The demand for barcode-based information management products continues to expand globally. Argox is working hard to fulfill our customer’s needs. We are looking forward to the coming year, and wish everyone a busy and prosperous Year of the Rat.

AIDC is relatively new in India and the Argox team’s goal was to show distributors how to create opportunities with applications. Our Indian partners were interested in how AIDC products are used in other markets. The major competitor in India is the “Z” brand, which arrived earlier with multinational companies. Yet with Argox’s emulation and cost/performance we have become a popular replacement. We demonstrate these capabilities to our distributors through training, who then show their customers.

Meeting personally with our Indian partners is very important. One of their biggest concerns is after-sales support. Our frequent travel to India is our way of reassuring our partners that we are on hand whenever they need us. A good example is the recent entry of a large U.S. competitor into the Indian market. Even though they were selling scanners below cost, our partners still preferred Argox.

Argox teams are visiting India regularly. Our next trip is scheduled for March when we will send our engineers for a technical road show. We plan to reach out to second tier distributors through first tier distributors, and we will also demonstrate new printers and other new products. The December road show was a great success and we look forward to returning to India soon.