7 years of work, 2 million cuts and 150 kilometers of checks: a little more about the reliability of iron in modern stores

We continue to talk about retail infrastructure. The requirements for the hardware used here are seriously different from those that must be met by "consumer" gadgets or office equipment. Today, our blog tells a story about these strict standards of reliability using the example of cash registers ( CCPs , former fiscal registrars) - devices without which the operation of a modern store is impossible.

CCP - what is it and why is it so important

According to the requirements of the new edition of FZ-54, retailers must install online cash desks that send real-time data on all sales to the tax office. Old cash desks with fiscal registrars without the ability to connect to the Internet are out of date, according to new requirements they should be replaced by online cash desks. After modernization, the fiscal registrar is called KKT (cash registers).

In fact, CCP is a receipt printer with a special drive that not only stores, but also transfers sales and refund data to the tax service. On the basis of such devices they create a POS system - the cashier’s workplace (they connect a computer and various additional equipment, for example, a barcode scanner).

CCP prints checks and sends the data about the sale of the store to the tax office. This means that any malfunctions in the operation of the device immediately lead to problems for the business and direct losses (you cannot trade without checks). Therefore, such critical elements of the retail infrastructure must be very reliable and meet very high standards.

How reliable should the equipment be in retail

Choosing a CCP for use in a store can be compared to buying a car by a transport company. As in the automotive market, in retail there are products of various price categories, but you cannot focus on price alone - reliability, operation life of the device and the cost of its maintenance are also important.

When it comes to the reliability of the device, its overall service life is considered, as well as the possibility of uninterrupted operation of individual elements - in the case of CCP, this is, for example, a print head and a knife for cutting checks. If the KKT printing device is broken, the cashier will not be able to punch checks, and serious problems will begin in the store’s work - the load on the remaining cash registers will increase, queues will grow, etc.

If we talk about the average statistics on the reliability of the CCP, then such indicators are considered good:

• printing speed 200-220 millimeters per second;

• printhead resource 100-150 kilometers of checks;

• a check tape knife should provide 1 million cuts.

However, you have to pay for reliability - equipment from well-known manufacturers is expensive, so many retailers even in the middle segment can not always afford it. As a result, businesses and customers who experience disruptions suffer.

We decided to fix this problem and developed a new product - KKT SKY-PRINT 54-F . With the cost of equipment from the middle price segment, it has the characteristics of more expensive hi-end devices.


Below are the indicators of the device, which significantly exceed the "average" numbers of popular CCPs:

• The printing speed is 300 mm / s, the knife resource is 2 million cuts, the print head is capable of printing 150 km of receipts, and the total service life of the CCP is 7 years.
• Today, instead of RS-232, more and more often they use additional USB ports, and Ethernet ports, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are also present for organizing a network connection in expensive KKTs - these ports are in SKY-PRINT 54-F.
• SKY-PRINT 54-F runs on the Italian vendor platform - the selection of components, assembly process control and quality control of finished products is carried out with the participation of Italian partners, which positively affects reliability.

Why design is just as important

For a long time, retail was one of the industries in which the principle “the main thing is working” prevailed. Little attention was paid to the appearance of the devices, so often the equipment of the stores looked quite frightening for an unprepared person. Trends in the consumer electronics market penetrate retail more slowly - for example, the same USB ports appeared here in hardware quite recently, and most devices are connected to each other via COM ports.

However, progress is also being made in this complex market, and in recent years, manufacturers and businesses have begun to pay more attention to the usability and appearance of the devices. For example, among such changes can be called the spread of equipment that is assembled without the help of a screwdriver and bolts. Even the SKY-PRINT 54-F small KKT has a special pocket for quick replacement of the print head. This greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of service.

Devices are gradually starting to look pretty - for example, the case of the fiscal printer SKY-PRINT 54-F can be matte, glossy and made in several colors.

Instead of a conclusion: how to choose a reliable CCP

In conclusion, here are some practical tips for choosing a reliable cash register equipment:

• When choosing a CCP, technical characteristics should be analyzed - for example, today printing parameters of 200-220 millimeters per second, printhead resource of 100-150 kilometers of checks, and 1 million cuts of receipt tape are considered good parameters for such devices.
• When choosing a device, you should always check the real compliance of its work with the declared indicators. It often happens that on the websites of KKT sellers overestimated numbers are indicated that the device does not show in real work - for example, - often taking into account the speed of the fiscal cycle, the real speed of the device is much lower due to pauses in print commands.
• Keep in mind which cash register software the device works with. It may turn out that after purchasing CCP, you will have to spend additional funds on integration with the cash program. For example, KKT SKY − PRINT 54 − F works with the Pilot cash register platform Profi-T, is compatible with cash registers from 1C and the specialized software product for drugstores F3TAIL from Spargo Technologies JSC. In addition, the model can be easily integrated with other programs.
• It is important to understand that the lower cost of the equipment itself often results in a higher cost of ownership - the probability of a device breakdown is higher, it will last less years. These problems were solved in SKT-PRINT 54-F - at a low price of devices it has the characteristics of equipment from the highest price segment.

In addition to technical characteristics, design factors can also play a role in the selection. For example, the small size of the CCP can give businesses more opportunities to use the device in a limited space and by field workers, and a memorable design will emphasize the individuality of the store - this is important, for example, for boutiques.