Fujitsu SA is in the process of rolling out a pilot project at a South African tier-one retailer for electronic shelf labelling (ESL), a technology that updates shelf pricing using data transmitted from a server via existing fluorescent lighting.

Alexander Stamp, commercial executive and sales director at Fujitsu SA, says that the company where the pilot is running does not want to be named, in order to secure its competitive advantage.

Says Stamp: ?The technology allows for prices on electronic labels to be changed and updated immediately through the frequency of the lights, over a modulated system not using network cables, but standard twin cables.?

He notes that there is no need to roll out a separate network, as the technology uses stores? existing lighting infrastructures with minor changes. Magnetic fields or other radio frequencies do not affect the system, he adds.

ESL will assist retailers in the major task of changing product prices on shelves manually, and save both time and money. Manpower can now be allocated elsewhere, to increase productivity in areas where it is needed. Costs are cut by eliminating the printing of paper labels and manual labor, which means that the prices of goods can also be lowered. It further allows for greater price flexibility, as price specials and promotions can be run at short notice, by simply adjusting the prices on the server.

?The technology allows for labels to hold ten streams of data. Apart from the price displayed, information regarding the product, origin, expiry date, and stock availability can also be stored, which is readable by a handheld device to assist employees with stock control,? says Stamp.

According to him, a single hub from the controller can support 2,000 lights, with each light controlling between 50 and 200 individual labels, depending on the distance or height of the lights from the shelves. ?Labels? batteries also last for up to 10 years before needing replacement,? he adds.