Ergonomic Solutions supports new supermarket training centre at Food Akademie Neuwied, with its latest technology mounting solutions
What will the supermarket of the future look like, and how will it operate? In the Food Akademie's new training centre, apprentices learn how and with which latest technologies grocery retail will operate in the future.
Ergonomic Solutions, creators of SpacePole®, is delighted to support the academy with the latest generation of ergonomic technology mounting solutions that simplify the implementation and use of technology throughout the store.
The new supermarket of the future in Neuwied, Germany, which opened on the 2nd of September 2022, is testing many new technologies and concepts, from shopping carts with displays, rolling shelves and robots that provide customers with information and state-of-the-art checkouts with ergonomic workstations. Driving the innovation at the Academy is the focus on enhancing the customer journey and the ease of use of these technologies for both the customer and the employees.
Ergonomic Solutions, supplier of innovative technology mounting solutions, supports the initiative because the company is dedicated to supporting education and training within the grocery sector in line its own Environmental, Social and Governance initiative.
Thorsten Fuchs, head of school at the Food Akademie, is convinced that innovative technologies will continue to develop: “What can be automated will be automated.” He believes that grocery retail will become increasingly digital in the coming years – and that self-service checkouts will become more widespread alongside traditional attended checkouts.
Ergonomic Solutions' mounting solutions play a key role in the current evolution of point of sale design, since they enable the ergonomic use of hardware, provide accessibility for all and simplicity of use of technology at both the manned point of sale and self-service touchpoints.
Students and trainees at the Food Akademie can try out a range of different types of point of sale technology using mounts from Ergonomic Solutions to see how these enable the use of technology touchpoints in any everyday scenario.
Ergonomic Solutions has installed the following new models for this purpose:
- SpacePole POSlift™: With the flexible SpacePole POSlift mount, the display screen height can be continuously adjusted for the use, whether it is an employee at the checkout or a customer at a self-service touchpoint. This also ensures accessibility for all because the screen is visible to everyone at an optimal viewing angle.
- Tab-POS U-Frame: With the TabPOS U-Frame™ from Ergonomic Solutions, this mounting solution is a cost-effective, adjustable frame that can mount standard tablets from 7” to large 13” Pro formats. You can upgrade any tablet, or swap devices to suit the application. It is ideal for TabletPOS applications, front of house or attended self-service or customer information.
- SpacePole Arc™: The solution enables the mounting of touch POS screens and features an elegant design that matches the look of today's slim POS screens. At the same time, the mount improves ergonomics in the workplace because the SpacePole Arc provides a smooth tilting function for screens weighing up to 12 kg. You can replace your current VESA mount without changing your existing SpacePole installation.
SpacePole Arc is designed to work with our SpacePole Essentials product set - developed for a wide variety of settings dependent on your required peripheral hardware. Using these solutions in combination with modern checkout hardware and software, the trainees, future consultants, and managers learn the processes at the point of sale in this supermarket centre of excellence which is unique in Germany.
The not for profit Food Akademie Neuwied GmbH is the economic sponsor of the private and state-recognized Federal College of the Food Trade, which has been the only industry college for the German food trade for over 85 years. The task of the Neuwied school is to qualify specialists and managers for the point of sale.
All students work with the latest technical and store design innovations and receive practical training. The innovative training supermarket and the establishment of a residential unit for the trainees has created a centre of excellent in Neuwied for training future specialists in the food retail sector. The aim is to qualify the skilled workers of tomorrow, today.
Michael Zielke, Project Manager of Ergonomic Solutions Group, explains their involvement: "We are delighted to be able to support the Food Akademie. Our technology mounting solutions in the supermarket of the future in Neuwied enable the trainees to realistically try out how a modern checkout station should be designed and operated. As a result, they experience the importance of ergonomics and accessibility at the workplace pays off for employees and for customers."