"At our shops, the Safescan machines have the last word!"

Nico Hoogstad is the head of the Internal Audit department of Dixons. A highly varied and challenging position, since he is in charge of the team responsible for the complete security of the electronics group. Nico: "Our scope of activity is very broad". We are for instance engaged in the security of the buildings and articles, but also in the prevention of internal fraud and in the formulating and control of procedures. Moreover, we check frequently if the Dixons branches have the right tools to give shape to our security policy."

All kinds of things enter into this because the group is going through a period of rapid growth. Between now and the end of October 2007 as many as 24 new branches - under the name
Dixons X-tra – will be opened in V&D department stores. Nico: "Apart from the computers, digital cameras and MP3 players that you expect from Dixons, the branches will also sell personal care articles, such as vacuum cleaners, toothbrushes and shavers."

New shops, familiar Safescan solutions
An example, in the field of security, is that all Dixons Extra branches will be equipped with Safescan checkers! "This will be a proven combination of two Safescan solutions, the 65 and the 125," Nico says. “We have been working with the 65’s since the introduction of the Euro. Before that, we had UV lamps in the shops, but those frequently failed. Initially we were looking for a better type of UV lamp. Electronic alternatives were hardly available. And if they were, the price was shocking and the machines performed poorly."

Check!
“After a long search and lots of testing and comparing, we finally chose the Safescan 65. It satisfied our wishes and requirements. The machine has an attractive price and it offers the possibility of checking both money and identity cards. Since we are a dealer for various mobile phone providers, the latter is very important to us, because unfortunately it sometimes happens that people try to enter in to a contract based on forged documents. In the event of doubt about the authenticity of, for instance, a passport our well-trained staff can immediately check if there actually is a problem by using the Safescan.”

Working rapidly and smoothly
“Although the 65 is functioning well, we have followed developments in the field of electronic money checking closely. Not only because, from time to time, we are faced with counterfeit money, but also because we want to increase the speed of transactions at the cash desk. This can only be achieved if we can check a relatively large amount of money in a rapid and smooth manner. Furthermore, we were looking for a solution in which the machine, and not the human, is decisive for the final judgment."

Pitch with a clear winner
"In 2004 we asked various suppliers if they could place an electronic counterfeit coin detector at our disposal. Obviously, Safescan were also invited, because we were very pleased with their service attitude. It turned out that, at that moment, they were working on developing a new machine, the 125. We were probably the first to hold this machine in our hands. In spite of the positive experiences with the Safescan 65, we were still a bit reserved in the beginning. As it happens, we had also received a machine with comparable functionality, which was twice as expensive. Therefore, we were wondering what the 125 could offer us. Moreover, what the susceptibility to interference would be. However, during the pilot it turned out that the Safescan 125 stood out head and shoulders above the competition. Where more expensive machines sometimes failed, the Safescan kept working perfectly!”

Results
"The 125 we used for the testing process was a prototype. At the time, we asked Safescan how quickly it could be put in production. It materialized that this could be realized in a very short term. Since then, every shop has had both a 65 and a 125 on the counter, visible to the customers, and within immediate reach of our employees. A few times, we have seen that money has been rejected by the Safescan 125. On one occasion, the person in question quickly took off with the counterfeit notes, but on other occasions several arrests have been made.”
A partner who thinks along
“Our policy is that all notes of € 20 or more must be checked by the Safescan 125. The fact that we have been able to opt for this, we owe to the speed at which the 125 works. The checking barely results in any delay and it works very smoothly. Because of this, our employees are very satisfied with the detector, and because the machine hardly shows any malfunctions. As a group, we are exceptionally pleased with both the equipment, and with the relationship, we have built up with Safescan. Since we first became acquainted, they have given us the feeling that they are prepared to think along with us. And that is an absolute necessity, for us as a nationwide retailer!”