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DIGI food industry strengthened by new operation and new product line
Three Teraoka/DIGI group companies started to work together in 2006 with each bringing years of expertise; DIGI Europe Ltd. in the UK for Marketing HQ and R&D, DIGI I’s Ltd. in Japan for production and Teraoka Seiko’s Food Industry Business Unit (BU) in Japan for R&D.

Peter Lydford, Deputy Managing Director of DIGI Europe Ltd. (DEL), proudly announces the new operation and the latest marketing progress.
Teraoka/DIGI’s global operation team
Front row: Peter Lydford (left), Deputy Managing Director of DIGI Europe Ltd. and Takashi Katayama (right), Director and General Manager of Food Industry System BU of Teraoka Seiko Tokyo Japan. Back row (left to right): John Switsur, DIGI Europe Ltd., Daisuke Kajigaya and Ryouta Iida, R&D Engineers and Tatsuro Fujita, Marketing Executive of Food Industry System BU.
  We needed to work together to develop the new range of PC based industrial products. The decision to move mainstream production from DEL’s facility in UK to the newly re-developed facility at DIGI I’s was made in the fall of 2005. This was a strategic and positive decision to improve capacity and strengthen DIGI’s position in the marketplace. DEL will continue to concentrate on product development with Teraoka Japan’s Food Industry BU, software development, sales, service, spares and marketing, and local modification of new DIGI products for our customers needs worldwide.
  Since no one machine can satisfy all requirements of all customers, and an important requirement for one customer may not be important to another customer, we realize we must be able to adapt our equipment to meet the needs of each customer to give us an edge in the market. To achieve this, the software engineer-ing force at DEL increased dramatically to implement the very latest software requirements from end users. We aim to supply a standard machine within four weeks and a modified machine within eight weeks of order.
DIGI Europe Ltd’s Software Engineer Team

  Under the new operation, the 700 series are under development targeting a release this year, including the WI-700, MI-700, HC-700, LIS-700 and DPS-700.

With sales of the HI-700 now exceeding 130 units worldwide, the HI-700 has become well known and accepted in the marketplace.
The product line to be installed at Australian County Choice, in the final stage of checking before shipment.
  There has been great success with sales in the UK. We won a contract to supply the 2 Sisters Food Group with 20 units of HI-3600 installed over four production sites, and in 2005 we won a contract to supply Grampian Country Foods with 40 units of HI-700, installed over six production sites. 2 Sisters and Grampian chose DIGI because of our ability to adapt our products and software to suit their requirements.
  DIGI Nederland b.v. (DNB) and DIGI Belgium has been successful with the HI-700, so far this year DNB have sold over 20 units to customers ranging from tomato producers to beef producers. One order in particular was for the supply of 12 units to two factory sites for a company called Prominent, a co-operative of farmers supplying tomatoes. The majority of units sold in Holland and Belgium have been supplied with cassette type labellers.
  Wedderburn Scales in Australia has been busy installing multiple lines of HI-700. Since last November, British Snag, a sausage producer has installed a HI-700 single top labeller, and Gourmet Cheese placed an order for the supply of a HI\BL-700. Australian County Choice purchased six lines of HI-700 twin top labeller, twin LA-3600, twin LIS-D1 - camera system and rejector for their six production lines.
HI-700 is in operation at a Russian sausage processing center.
  H. Kandolf in Austria had installed three units of HI-700 with top/bottom cassette labellers to a fruit and vegetable packer Danuba Fruits. An existing chicken processing, Titz, will replace their HI-3600 with 7 lines of HI-700.
  PM DIGI OY in Finland has sold nine units of HI-700 to existing DIGI users. Atria OY is the single largest user in Finland of DEL industrial machines and they are very pleased with the new generation of products to come from DIGI.
  NBI in the USA have sold over 12 units of HI-700, to existing users of DIGI machines. Other existing users such as Tyson are looking to replace old DIGI machines with the HI-700 series.
  Other countries already working with the HI-700 and enjoying success include Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Russia.


DIGI gains strength in a new business field, ECOLOGY; REWE group orders 1,150 units of Reverse Vending Machine, Global

Penny Markt operates in Europe; including France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

DIGI-Repant “Global”, specially designed to meet the requirements of Penny Markt in Germany
  DIGI Deutschland GmbH made a historical deal with a leading German retailer, REWE group, for 1,150 units of the Reverse Vending Machines.
  In January 2003, Germany started the deposit system for the one way beverage containers to improve the recycling of especially PET bottles and cans. Every store now has to refund the deposit for the one way empty beverage containers wherever the consumers bought beverage and return their empty containers. This was not the case until the modified regulation was put into force as of May 1, 2006. Since early 2006, especially German Discounters who used to handle the returned empty beverage containers manually started the installation of the Reverse Vending Machines to collect the empty beverage containers automatically. This deal by DIGI Deutschland was for the discount section of REWE Group, Penny Markt.
  Penny Markt ran the field test of many types of Reverse Vending Machines from different suppliers. After about six months of field tests, DIGI-Repant was chosen as a major supplier. The key factors were the flexibility of DIGI and its supplier Repant, and the unique solution by DIGIRepant for the required application by the customer. The model is called “Global” and Teraoka Japan designed part of this model under the global partnership between Teraoka/DIGI and Repant in Norway. The chosen model was the machine that integrated two machines into one housing unit, therefore the quantity ordered was equivalent to 2,300 units of a standard Global machine.
  There was a tremendous amount of work for the testing and development. The organization of DIGI Deutschland has been strengthened to support the large installation and the after-sales support. Everyone involved have been working hard to complete the rollout in the short time period.
  Congratulations, DIGI Deutschland staff, supplier Repant and Teraoka Japan for the big project!

(Reported by Frank Reh, Manager of Reverse Vending Machine Div. and Yujiro Sato, Managing Director of DIGI Deutschland Gmbh, who will introduce DIGI new business at DIGI World Meeting 2006 in Shanghai.)