iVIZION 2 built for next generation of banknotes: JCM’s Kubajak

Japan Cash Machine Co Ltd, also known as JCM Global, says its new iVIZION 2 bill validator has been designed to work with the latest forms of banknote security technology. The product is already being shipped to customers, with markets including Australia, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia earmarked to receive it, says Dave Kubajak (pictured), senior vice president of sales, marketing and operations at JCM. The firm says the iVIZION 2 – to have its global debut later this month at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas – provides twice the processing speed, four times the image resolution and four times the reliability of its predecessor. Mr Kubajak spoke to GGRAsia about the development of iVIZION 2, the work of JCM’s global engineering teams, the product’s rollout and plans for further work on it. The original iVIZION was commercially introduced about 15 years ago. What was the main challenge JCM set out to address with iVIZION 2? JCM is a partner with many central banks around the world. We sit on advisory boards for those central banks and help them introduce new currency technologies into the actual design of the note. One of the challenges is taking that technology and making sure that our hardware is compatible, and can read and take advantage of those new security features. There is a whole new generation of banknotes coming into the global economy. As those new notes come out, there are key features that we’ve advised on and recommended they put in. To give consumers the best protection and security, and casinos the best operational efficiency and functionality, we’ve had to make sure that our technology on the sensing side evolves with the technologies we’re recommending go into the notes. We use this tagline: “Built for what’s next”, and that really is what the iVIZION 2 platform is. We’re releasing it this year and it’s specifically designed to take advantage of all those new security features that are getting embedded in currencies around the world. How much feedback from casino operators went into the development of iVIZION 2? We absolutely incorporated operator feedback. One of the big things JCM does is that we believe in selling and servicing our products directly. There are very few markets where we enter into a partnership with a key distributor. We do that so we can hear their feedback and understand whatever pain points they might have… and what they want to see in the next generation of products. We took all of that feedback and put it into this new product. We’ve already shown engineering samples and commercial samples to a number of key global operators. The feedback we’re getting is that they’re amazed at how quickly the product moves and accepts notes. They’re also amazed with the quality of the image we take. Our product uses contact image sensor (CIS) technology, which provides high-resolution, full-colour digital imaging. Rather than just showing a waveform, it produces a full high-resolution image that you can zoom in on and look at security features in the note. It’s something that nobody else has at the level that we do in the casino gaming market. The new validator can capture serial numbers and retain recent note images. How can that help a casino operator? Most currencies around the world actually have intelligence built into the notes. Many central banks have unique identifiers in the serial number that tell you that a serial number matches a particular note printed in a particular year. With imaging technology such as the iVIZION and iVIZION 2 platforms, we’re able to look at the serial number, look at the intelligence built into it and check it against the features on the note. We can determine whether that serial number matches the corresponding note, print year, series and plate number. That gives us another level of validation and compliance. The specifications for iVIZION 2 give a 2.1-second stack speed and an acceptance rate above 98 percent. What does this mean in practical terms for a busy casino floor? If you go back a generation, some products in the global market took up to six seconds to process one note. That’s 10 notes a minute. If you’re averaging about two seconds note-to-note, you can take 30 notes in the same amount of time. For an operator, it gives them the ability to improve the player’s experience. The player can feed notes in just about as quickly as they can take them from a stack. That’s particularly important in markets where you need to process large amounts of cash quickly and where customers might be using a large number of lower-value notes. The iVizion 2 is already being shipped to clients, says Mr Kubajak JCM has highlighted the development work involving its global teams. How did that collaboration influence iVIZION 2? JCM truly is a global company. We have three offices that give us the ability to expand around the world. They’re all spaced about eight hours apart, so our development teams can basically work around the clock. So, you’ve got our office in Las Vegas, eight hours to the east you have our office in Germany, eight hours to the east of that, you have our office in Japan. Each group brings its regional area of expertise. Our Japan team travels extensively throughout Asia and focuses on the major gaming markets in Asia and Oceania, including Australia, the Philippines, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore. They’re experts on those currencies and currency designs. Here in the U.S., we’re experts in North, Central and South America, while our European division does the same thing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. When you combine those three offices, you truly have a global approach, and you also have this amazing synergy between different cultures. Asia is also unique in terms of their philosophy on gambling, their style of play, how they interact with the casinos and what the player experience is tailored for; so, our teams in Asia bring that into our global expertise. For an operator already using the original iVIZION, how will it handle the upgrade to iVIZION 2? It’s extremely easy: you literally take the iVIZION out and slide the iVIZION 2 in. It’s compatible and automatically operates. It really couldn’t get much simpler from an operator perspective. Even when replacing somebody else’s product, it isn’t much harder. The product was designed to be simple, easy and user-friendly. It’s essentially a plug-and-play replacement. On the software side, operators have several options. They can use our BlueWaveDX tool or remotely upgrade through a compatible back-end system. With our FUZION system, software can also be remotely downloaded across the casino floor. In regulated casino markets, does iVIZION 2 still require regulatory approval before it can be installed? Yes. For anybody wanting to upgrade to iVIZION 2, there are two layers. First, they have to make sure the product is approved for use in their jurisdiction through the regional or local regulatory entity. Second, at an OEM [original equipment manufacturer] level, they have to make sure the product is approved for the individual platforms they have. All of the new platforms currently in production, plus everything that’s coming from the different OEMs, will already have iVIZION 2 integrated and designed in. Then it’s a matter of going through the regulatory approval process to make sure the unit can actually be used in that platform. Which markets will see iVIZION 2 first? The U.S. was first, second was Canada. From there, we move into Australia, Macau and Taiwan. You’ll also see it transition into Singapore and Malaysia. Then it’ll spread through the various regional operators. You’ll see it slowly expand into some markets in Europe and some markets in Africa as well. It’s actually already started to ship. We’ve already got customers who have started to receive the unit as we’re doing the world launch at G2E. Beyond the initial launch, is there scope to add further capabilities to iVIZION 2? There is already a very robust road map for iVIZION 2 around systems interconnectivity, as well as standalone capabilities and operations. There are several things we’re working on that are already designed into the product from a hardware and software perspective, to bring new features and capabilities to casinos. A lot of it revolves around connecting to a system. People want to see our device connected to systems to bring them more capabilities. You’re going to see a lot of technology in the coming years involving us bringing new types of media and new transaction types to the gaming floor. * This interview has been edited for length and clarity.