Douglas Cosmetics Selects Symbol's MC3000 Mobile Computer for Inventory Management

DIETZENBACH, Germany, May 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Europe's Leading Cosmetic and Fragrance Retailer Will Deploy More Than 4,500 MC3000 Mobile Computers

Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), today announced that Douglas Cosmetics, Europe's largest cosmetics and fragrance retailer has begun rolling out Symbol's MC3000 mobile computer to its 417 German stores.

The deployment, which began in January 2006, is to enable specific processes in store such as stocktaking, prices queries, stock transfers and inventory corrections to become more efficient and less time consuming. Over the next three years, several thousand MC3000 mobile computers will replace the current Symbol PDT 8100. Douglas Cosmetic stores in Austria, Italy, Russia, the Netherlands and the United States, have already deployed the solution.

Douglas Cosmetics have been a long-standing customer of Symbol Technologies. The MC3000 Microsoft Windows.CE(R) mobile computers have replaced their old DOS-based solution. During stocktaking for example, there will be up to 40 mobile computers used simultaneously in one branch. The MC3000 was chosen because it's a small, lightweight and rugged mobile computer for applications requiring high quality data capture and high performance real-time computing. The MC3000's rotating scan-head with left, right, and forward scanning positions gives all Douglas Cosmetics staff a safe and comfortable grip, helping to achieve easy, accurate scans on first pass and for the barcodes to be read quicker. The objective is to assist in eliminating errors and accelerating the whole operations process.

Each Douglas Cosmetics store has its own enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The data is captured locally, processed and the results are then forwarded to Douglas Cosmetics headquarters in Hagen, Germany. If a branch has a product in stock that another subsidiary needs, it will be scanned and booked out of the local stock. The information for the stock transfer will be printed at the same time and the data forwarded to the central ERP system in Hagen.

"The easy-to-use software on the MC3000 was an important factor in our decision-making process. The intuitive menu and the high recognition factor during the migration to the new mobile computers made training our employees straightforward," said Jeroen Timmer, IT Manager, Perfumerie International GmbH "We are pleased with the ongoing relationship we have had with Symbol for nearly ten years."

"The Symbol MC3000 mobile computer is easy-to-use, and ideal for scan intensive store and stockroom applications, that facilitate better inventory management and increased employee productivity." said Frank Mild, sales director, Symbol Technologies Germany. "The MC3000 is designed to enable retailers like Douglas Cosmetics to gain a competitive advantage through higher levels of customer satisfaction, increased supplier efficiency and greater utilisation of resources."

About Symbol Technologies, Inc.

Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), is a recognised worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and manage information in real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services programs under the Symbol Enterprise Mobility Services brand. Symbol enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity, reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realise competitive advantages for the world's leading companies. More information is available at www.symbol.com.