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On the production side of LKCS, one of our greatest feats has been the development and implementation of 2D barcode technology into our inserters. Our inserters are the machines that are responsible for stuffing financial statements at the beginning of the month, as well as other mailings that take place throughout the month.

The strides that we have made in development of our rebuilds have allowed unparalleled efficiency, customizability, and most importantly, security.

Each of our rebuilt inserters are taken down, completely refurbished, and reconstructed with our technology. With the knowledge we gain from rebuilding the machines, we have become the experts of our equipment and are able to handle all issues quickly and effectively. I’ll elaborate on some of the key features that have made our rebuilt inserters an unmatched tool for financial institutions.

The Benefits of 2D Barcode Technology

On our rebuilt inserters, we have positioned 2D barcode readers at both ends of the machine. The first is placed on the feeder where pages are loaded into the machine. The feeder reader is responsible for accounting for every page that gets sent into the machine. It reads a unique 2D barcode that is printed on each page to make sure that all statement pages are there and in the correct set.

The second is placed at the end in the take-out section of the machine. The reader at the take-out is a secondary security measure to make sure that all pieces inserted are accounted for and in sequence. Not only does the 2D barcode technology allow the added security of each piece, but also allows unmatched capabilities in selective inserting.

The 2D barcode tells the machine exactly what newsletters, promotions, and other inserts the member should receive. We can selectively insert up to six individual pieces on top of the main piece in the mailing, helping you turn your statements into a targeted marketing tool!

The Insert Rebuilds Details

Each inserter that we rebuild starts by getting disassembled down to its base. From there, we clean and inspect the base and begin to reassemble. We replace any parts necessary and implement our logic box, which acts as the brain for the machine. The logic box is built and programmed in-house using a series of circuit boards, relays, and PLC’s that control and understand all of the data being read and input by our sensors and readers.

We are also able to add any sensors or readers that we deem necessary. An example is the glue sensors we have installed on the inserters. They are able to scan the flap of an envelope and tell the machine whether or not it has glue on the flap. Since its implementation, we have found over 500 individual envelopes that could’ve otherwise gone out unsealed!

Another major change we make is replacing the pile feeder with a continuous feed GBR feeder. This allows us to keep loading pages without having to make stops between boxes. But we do program the machine to stop every 2500 pieces so we can manually verify the count sequence to ensure there are no statements stuffed together or missing. This leads to a much more efficient run, especially on a high piece count job.

The Benefits of In-House Development

Doing all of the rebuilding, programming, and testing in-house gives us many benefits that would otherwise not be possible. Since we rebuild our machines from the bottom up, not only are we able to understand how the machine works, but we can also trust that all of the machine’s intricate parts are ready for the task at hand.

A benefit of programming in house is the control it gives us over the machine. If there is a bug in the programming causing an error, we can fix it and update the software in minutes as opposed to waiting for the next update to be released and uploaded to the machine.

We are also constantly studying and improving upon our design to fit the needs of our customers. Since we do our own testing, we know what does and doesn’t work for our clients. With consistency, accuracy, and most importantly, security in mind, we strive to bring our clients the best service possible.