Virgin Atlantic Takes Off With Printronix RFID Solution

Irvine, CA, May 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Printronix Inc.(Nasdaq: PTNX), the leading integrated supply-chain printing solutionsmanufacturer, today announced the completion of an extended RFID (radio frequency identification) trial with Virgin Atlantic Airways, Britain's second-largest airline. The trial, which includes Printronix's RFID SL5000r printer, was intended to evaluate the impact of RFID technology on accuracy, efficiency and accountability in the company's central logistics, maintenance and engineering departments.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has a fleet of 33 aircraft and is now based at both London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports. It operates long-haul services to 26 destinations worldwide as far apart as Las Vegas and Shanghai. Accuracy, schedule maintenance and accountability are critical to success in the highly competitive air-travel market.

The decision to pilot RFID technology at the airline's Heathrow operation was based on several critical factors, including increasing competitiveness and operational cost pressures in the airline industry, and recognizing an opportunity for increased efficiency and risk reduction in the spare-parts supply chain. Additional anticipated benefits include an increased ability to comply with guidelines concerning traceability and authenticity of aircraft components from the European Aviation Safety Agency and integration with RFID specifications proposed by Boeing and Airbus.

"Working closely with TATA Consulting Services and ORACLE, we chose to partner with Printronix after considering other RFID printer manufacturers," sats Graham Holford , senior system analyst at Virgin Atlantic Airways. "The technology and support offered by Printronix was unparalleled in terms of reliability and professionalism. In addition, the company was able to work toa quite aggressive timeframe of less than five months from initial meeting to full trial rollout.

"The trial received positive feedback from the users involved, as well as offering some measurable benefits. We were able to demonstrate that, should the RFID/Mobile Technology processes replace Virgin Atlantic's existing ones, then task time would be substantially reduced."

"We were delighted to be involved with this very successful trial," said Claus Hinge, vice president of sales and marketing, Europe , Middle East and Africa . "A great deal of attention has been paid to the role of RFID in the retail sector but this is a perfect example of the way in which the technology can deliver financial and efficiency results in other mission-critical areas as well."

About Printronix Inc.

Since 1974, Printronix, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTNX) has created innovative printing solutions for the industrial marketplace and supply chain. The company is the worldwide market leader in enterprise solutions for line matrix printing and has earned an outstanding reputation for its high-performance thermal bar-code and fan fold laser printing solutions. Printronix also has become an established leader in pioneering technologies, including radio frequency identification (RFID) printing, bar-code compliance and networked printer management. Printronix is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. For more information, see www.printronix.com.

SOURCE Printronix Inc.

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