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Company Contact: Don Bynum 972-494-3073 bynum@mouse-trak.com |
PR Agency Contacts: Bob Robson 210-820-3070 ext. 100 bobr@weinkrantz.com |
Editors note: Images are available as .tif files for downloading from the Press Room at http://www.itacsystems.com/.
HOUSTON, Texas-September 10, 2001-At ISA today, ITAC Systems challenged traditional criteria for an effective user interface, focusing on the most common input device-the mouse-and ITAC's tough and rugged mouse replacement, the MOUSE-TRAKŪ. For the past decade emphasis has been on the "look and feel" of computer screens, the way data is managed on screen by the user, and elements that determine whether a control system is "user friendly," "intuitive," "interactive," and "easy-to-use." ITAC isn't saying that is not important. It is saying that gaining productivity with better software, then having even occasional downtime due to failure or simply degraded performance of the human-machine point of physical interaction-the $3 mouse-can be terribly costly and is avoidable.
According to Don Bynum, President and CEO of ITAC Systems, "the weakest link in the user interface is where a human being comes in direct contact with a mouse-a mouse that was designed for light home or office use by people who have a fair chance to wash up before touching the computer. On the shop floor, or even in the control room, people come and go, often in a great hurry. You can reasonably expect your doctor or waiter to wash up before starting a task, but that is often simply impossible on the shop floor. Today, though, when computers are just another piece of industrial equipment that is likely as not to be sitting out on a shop floor, some system managers just resign themselves to installing a new mouse every week, or every month, because that's as long as they'll last in an industrial environment. They plug in a new mouse and toss the old one in the dumpster and forget it ever even happened, because they assume that there is no real alternative. The cost of the mice is not an issue; the cumulative impact of small disruptions in the production flow is the issue. We're here to say, 'you don't have to do that, and, for many years, we have been helping many of your competitors not have to do that.'"
ITAC Systems offers a family of ruggedized MOUSE-TRAK devices that are reliable and resilient. They're tough enough to stand up to dirt, grime, and rough treatment and still provide precision handling for data input under the adverse environmental conditions of a productive industrial setting. The most disruptive thing in a factory is system downtime-whether it's due to equipment, people, computers, or an external factor. In times of economic downturn, productivity pressure only increases. ITAC can't guarantee "no downtime," but ruggedized MOUSE-TRAK mouse replacements eliminate some of the weakest links in the chain that is today's factory floor operation, resisting the grit and grime on a busy user's hands.
Added Value for OEMs and VARs
OEMs and VARs know how important their products are to maintaining and improving productivity in an industrial environment. Still, they often overlook the difference in the physical environment between their software development lab and the place where their product really gets used. They will want to ensure that that performance edge is not compromised by unmanageable environmental contaminants or by inadvertent damage caused by a user just trying to do his or her job. Making MOUSE-TRAK devices standard equipment to protect operational systems in factory-floor applications is a small but valuable investment toward improving user productivity, eliminating unnecessary service and support, and adding a large factor of customer satisfaction. That is why large players such as FOXBORO ship a MOUSE-TRAK trackball with their control stations. They could just ship the free mouse that came with the host computer and let the customer sort out the reliability issues, but they don't. They see offering a more reliable device with excellent ergonomic values as one more way to keep earning the customer's confidence.
Plug and Play Convenience
Like all of ITAC's products, these devices offer easy installation. Just plug them in. There are no special software drivers to install-they work with the drivers that come with your operating system (for USB users, Windows98 or Windows 2000 is required).
A Family of Precision Input Devices and Factory-Floor Ruggedizing Tools
The MOUSE-TRAK family offers a selection of mouse replacement devices that are not only built to withstand rugged use in harsh environments, but also offer precision accuracy and comfort of use to enhance productivity in industrial, medical, business, and military applications.
About the Company
ITAC Systems, Inc., founded in 1977, is a privately held company based in Garland, Texas. ITAC designs, manufactures, and markets MOUSE-TRAK high-performance computer input devices used in manufacturing process control, transaction processing, and medical systems, as well as computer graphics, engineering, and government markets, and EnviroCase computer enclosures.
ITAC Systems, Inc., 3113 Benton Street, Garland, TX 75042. Toll Free: 800-533-4822, Ph: 972-494-3073, Fax: 972-494-4159, sales@itacsystems.com, http://www.itacsystems.com/.
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MOUSE-TRAK is a trademark of ITAC Systems, Inc., registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other names may be trademarks of their respective companies.