“2011 has been our best year in Argentina”

How are you preparing for the 19th edition of SAGSE Buenos Aires?
We are enthusiastic to visit our customers and introduce our new product SC Advance, the next generation of CASHFLOW SC, to the market.

How do you think the show will be affected by the change in the gaming calendar?
Although the show is later in the year, we still expect to see all of our customers in attendance.

Will your presentation be different compared to the catalogue that you have displayed in G2E Las Vegas?
Just as shown at G2E, we will be exhibiting SC Advance and EASITRAX Soft Count.

What are the main features of your latest releases?
MEI will exhibit SC Advance, the next generation of CASHFLOW SC.  SC Advance is evolutionary – applying new technology and market knowledge to make a great product even better. MEI further raises the bar for performance features that directly impact operator profitability: acceptance, jam rate, security and cost of operation.    
SC Advance is currently in the OEM script testing phase.  MEI plans to go through beta testing and submit to OEMs for final approvals by the end of the year.  
Increased value created by SC Advance is highlighted by the following enhancements:
•   an improved recognition system, which provides proactive security by utilizing transmissive sensors to see all the way through notes in multiple wavelengths.
•   faster bill-to-bill speed, which upgrades the player experience and speeds up transactions to expand throughput.
•  expanded memory, which limits part numbers and submissions by allowing more notes to be recognized in a specific release of firmware.
•   comprehensive barcode recognition, which processes barcode coupons in all four directions and improves acceptance on multi-width currencies.
•   upgrade to USB 2.0, which speeds up communications with the host machine and even potentially expands functionality.
Because the enhancements are localized to the acceptor head, SC Advance can work hand-in-hand with legacy CASHFLOW SC units already in the field.  This capability is facilitated by CASHFLOW STS, intelligent support tools, which are able to sense the product version and provide the appropriate software.  It supports a full range of configuration and software update functions with easy-to-use software and handheld tools, performance management and reporting and modular product repair.  Additional benefits include fast and easy updates for currency data, configuration data and software.
MEI has also expanded its offering to casinos with the introduction of EASITRAX Soft Count.  The integrated software/hardware solution places information collected in the CASHFLOW SC bill validator into a database that can be networked to multiple locations and be accessed to analyze slot floor performance.
RFID technology is used to connect slot machine asset numbers and bill validator operational information to a specific cashbox.  Accessing data has never been faster – allowing operators to base decisions on several instant reports programmed within the accompanying software:
•   Acceptance rate of what is in the cashbox
•   Currency report documents how many bills are in each Cashbox and the percentage of collected denominations over a period of time
•   Drop status manages the daily collection of the money and cashboxes
•   Jams reports, if they occur, identifying potential problems
•   Rejection types defines one of seven categories as to why the bill was rejected
•   Version report ensures each bill validator has up-to-date software.

How did you see the Argentinian and Latin American industry during this year?
2011 has been our best year in Argentina since MEI has started working with our local distributor Permaquim.  We have maintained our position in Latin America and even expanded, making it an excellent year.