“CPI is well-positioned to further build upon its momentum throughout 2016”

What were the main obstacles the industry had to overcome in 2015? How have market challenges affected your company's performance?

Though the casino market has stabilized since the financial crisis, capital remains tight, resulting in fewer openings and lengthening the replacement cycle for games on the slot floor. CPI recognized that increasing the value associated with our products would be necessary to 1) compete for limited opportunities and 2) when it comes to upgrades, compete against capital expenditures.

The ability of our EASITRAX solution to tie the slot floor to the back room has allowed our company to evolve from a component supplier to a cash management expert. Adding more labor and maintenance efficiencies to our strong value proposition has created the payback operators need to justify an investment in CPI. In turn, we have ensured that our product portfolio is matched by the exceptional service we provide.

What was your best-seling product? To what do you owe its success?

SC Advance continues to be successful globally. Operators understand its key performance attributes – acceptance rate, jam rate and security – all make a profound impact on player satisfaction and, accordingly, the bottom line.

CPI continues to build upon the SC portfolio. The EASITRAX extension, for example, was created to extend the functionality, and resulting benefits, of note acceptors into the soft count room. Now, we’re even exporting SC Advance technology into other products, including our new two-denomination SCR note recycler for markets that don’t utilize TITO.

What are the company’s plans for 2016?

A commitment to continuous improvement rests at the heart of CPI’s success. Accordingly, CPI is focusing resources to expand the functionality of EASITRAX. First, we will be introducing a proactive maintenance alerts feature that will notify operators when key performance metrics begin to breach performance thresholds. Operators will therefore be able to take immediate action to prevent downtime. CPI will also introduce functionality that makes EASITRAX applicable to route operators – providing the ability to manage accounting and performance on both micro (site) and macro (network) levels.

Looking ahead, what will be the main challenges for gambling-related companies?

Despite economic headwinds in the industry, 2015 was a very good year for CPI. We have continued to gain market share and are well-positioned to further build upon our momentum throughout 2016. Identifying, and executing on, new ways to help operators become more profitable and efficient in managing their cash will set the foundation for our success in the coming year.