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Convenience Retailer Show Daily Friday, October 4, 2019 1 0 Customize Your Way to a Better User Experience Used in restrooms across the country as an alternative to paper towels, conven- tional heated air hand dryers remained the standard until 2001 when an East Longmeadow, Massachusetts family- owned and operated company introduced technology so revolutionary that a new product category was created: high- speed, energy-efficient hand dryers. Today, facilities of all sizes have adopted this technology, and specifically, Excel's XLERATOR ® hand dryer, for the cost and energy savings realized, not to men- tion the near limitless options for product customization. Here are some of the ways conven- ience stores have customized their hand dryers to improve the user experience for their customers, and undoubtedly, the bottom line for their stores. Speed and Sound Controls Some facilities have sound-sensitive environments and require a hand drying solution that can be adjusted according- ly. There is a misconception that the sound is from the dryer alone, when in fact much of the sound is created from the high-speed airflow coming into con- tact with the user's hands. To address this, Excel Dryer offers settings to reduce the air flow, and accessories such as noise reducing nozzles that can significantly reduce the sound of opera- tion and air deflection. To optimize the drying experience, Excel also recom- mends that hands be placed 4 inches from the nozzle. Adjustable Heat Settings Lowering the heat reduces the energy consumption of the dryer. Not only should facility maintenance professionals consider the user experience of adjustable heat settings, but they should also consider how reducing the heat can impact energy costs. This small change is available on Excel's high-speed, energy- efficient hand dryers and can make a big impact for larger, high-traffic facilities that con- sume a lot of energy, but also for environments where heat is not always necessary, such as those facilities located in more temper- ate environments where heat is not a main factor impacting the user experi- ence. Custom, Digital Image Covers From sustainability messages that com- municate the environmental benefits of hand dryers versus paper towels to cor- porate branding and logos, custom cov- ers provide another way to tailor dryers to the needs of a specific setting. Available in a multitude of colors and finishes, including textured graphite and brushed stainless steel, covers can also in some instances be personalized with digital images boasting company logos or statistics regarding environmental impact to match both the buyer's aes- thetic and the décor of the rest- room environment. Optional HEPA Filtration Systems For those environments that require superior hygienic stan- dards, HEPA filters are an available option for the XLER- ATOR and XLERATOReco ® hand dry- ers. When deemed necessary, HEPA fil- ters remove 99.97 percent of potentially present bacteria at 0.3 microns from the air stream, which provides a hygienic solution. In addition to the aforementioned, Excel Dryer proudly offers the most extensive line of hand dryer accessories on the mar- ket to allow facilities to provide the best hand drying and user experience for their patrons. For more information, go to www.exceldryer.com. To learn how much the XLERATOR Hand Dryer could save your store, call 888.998.7704 or visit www.exceldryer.com/calculator.php. Lock America – The Cost-Effective Way to Prevent Skimming Attacks on Petroleum Dispensers By Rich Morahan, Richard Morahan Associates Petroleum dispensers are being com- promised by skimming devices. Despite the industry's best efforts, gas dispenser skimming devices are being discovered at an ever-increasing rate since last year, and successful skim- ming has been going on for years under everyone's noses. For a few years, the industry has placed its hopes on security stickers to indicate tampering – a solution based on a lot of hope. And moreover, stickers tell you that your dispenser has been com- prised after the fact. Data could have been skimmed for more 24 hours. An article in the PEI Journal, titled "Skimmers Gonna Skim," reveals the truth about tape's effectiveness – Patrick Traynor of the University of Florida shared data from Florida regulators and 1,800 motorists that revealed "95 percent of found skimmers were behind a securi- ty tape seal." J. Rex Brown, PEI's Director of Information Technology, adds that "Dispenser cabinet breaches are compounded by the misuse of cabinet security seals and the prevalence of coun- terfeit seals." You need more than stickers and an eagle-eyed minimum wage attendant. The Lock America Key Control System provides a cost-effective alternative that goes well beyond stickers to prevent skimmer insertion. Building on more than three decades of history developing and supplying security products to the gaming, vending and self-storage industries, Lock America has developed easy-to-use retrofit kits that fit virtually every brand and model of dispenser on the market. The high security system is based on a restricted key blank with more than three million possible key codes, and a virtually pick-proof detainer disk mechanism. You need just a few basic tools, and Lock America provides instal- lation instructions in print and online. Each Lock America customer gets its own key code, with multiple codes and master keying available for multi- site operations. Petro Defense of Zephyr Hills, Florida, the exclusive U.S. distrib- utor for Lock America's gas dispenser locks, has an extensive sales force to sup- port the product. For most operators, it remains cost- prohibitive to fit dispensers with a new electronic high security device, or replace the dispenser entirely. There is only one device that protects against skimmers and maximizes your security investment – a pick-resistant lock on the door with a high security key. The other devices – stickers, cameras, alarms – may deter, record and announce crime, but they don't stop it. Stickers don't stop skimming. They just tell you: "You've been skimmed." Thieves are smart. They can buy their own copies online, or even coun- terfeit them with a desktop laser printer. Remember, these guys know how to skim data with Bluetooth. With hand-assembled locks, regis- tered key codes unique to each customer and restricted key blanks, Lock America's easily installed retrofit kits can keep skimming devices out of your dispenser at a fraction of the cost of new equipment. Visit Lock America at booth #4371. For additional information, contact Petro Defense of Zephyr Hills, Florida, the exclusive U.S. distributor for Lock America's gas dispenser locks, by going to www.petrodefense.com, emailing sales@petrodefense.com or calling 888.653.6135. LoRaWAN: Food Safety's New Technological Marvel If you've never heard of LoRa, you're not alone. Although it's the hottest new communication technology on the mar- ket today, it's also relatively brand new. Originally developed in 2012 and only just starting to make its way into mass market products, LoRa specializes in transmitting over long ranges (hence the name). In fact, LoRa devices can transmit over 10 miles with clear line-of-sight. This technology is also remarkable for its low-power consumption, energy efficien- cy and low cost. Most importantly for commercial kitchens and their food safety programs, LoRa also performs well in very difficult environments. Restaurants may not care about transmitting to a receiver located miles away, but they do need a device that can work from within a heavily insu- lated, stainless steel deep freezer. In fact, many heavily insulated cool- ers are essentially Faraday cages that pre- vent electromagnetic signals from escap- ing. A LoRa-based wireless temperature sensor, however, can reliably transmit its signal even under these conditions. LoRa uses lower frequencies in the 868 and 915 MHz ranges, which are more suc- cessful at transmitting through heavy materials. By contrast, although Bluetooth (which operates in the 2.4 GHz band) and Wi-Fi are the de facto standard for most wireless devices to communicate with other equipment or with the cloud, they can falter in these condi- tions. Before LoRa, remote- ly monitoring the tempera- ture in a cold-holding unit often entailed making unde- sirable compromises, like drilling holes to run cable or setting up multiple antennas to extend the signal. Those efforts add expense, labor and potential points of failure – and could end up void- ing equipment warranties. LoRa requires none of that. It just works. Digital, automated and wireless food safety systems are proliferating in restau- rant kitchens, thanks to their ability to provide better results, safer food, enhanced brand protection and peace of mind that operations are shielded against food safety disasters. However, smart devices like temperature sensors cannot work if they cannot successfully and con- sistently communicate at all times. The LoRa-enabled sen- sor "lives" fully in the envi- ronment it is monitoring, so no wiring, drilling or extra equipment (like repeaters or external antennas) are required to get data from the device to the Cloud. LoRa sensors are also hardened against power grid issues; data can be stored on the device until power and/or internet connectivity is restored. LoRa presents exciting new opportu- nities for restaurants to get smart about their operations, implement more effec- tive food safety systems and drive greater efficiencies. For more information, go to www .compliancemate.com, call 678.526.4628 or email info@compliancemate.com.