| 17-02-2009 Suzo Happ report “very busy” IGE | ||
| Visitors and journalists alike had good reason to visit the Suzo Happ stand at the ICE this January. True to the company’s strategy of “best-in-class” Suzo Happ presented a wealth of new innovations to the gaming market. “The Suzo Happ team constantly listens to market requirements from our customers. With over fifty years of experience, we understand how to turn ideas into winning products. The new topper range was excellently received at the exhibition. We are very excited about the prospects for these products”, Suzo Happ’s European MD, Marcel Oelen, explained. The continual focus on further developing the topper market has paid dividends for Suzo Happ. Last year’s ICE saw a wave of innovation, such as the RGB toppers, the Ellipse TFT Topper that allows videos to be portrayed on the LCD screen and the ability to link toppers for cascading purposes. The next wave of innovation was presented at this year’s ICE, taking topper technology to the next generation. Traditionally toppers are used to attract players to slots. Now the Suzo Happ toppers can be integrated as part of the game play. Gaming machine manufactures have thus been presented with new ways to distinguish their slots and to extend the gaming experience for the players. The new toppers offer plug-and-play USB connectors for gaming manufactures to integrate as part of the game. This joint-venture with Heber has brought new life in the topper market. Customers can choose from the Round Topper, Round Video Topper and Reel Topper. The latter includes 3 reels from Starpoint. This is an ideal opportunity for manufacturers of video-based gaming machines to integrate the passion of reel-based games into their technology. “The Reel Topper is an ideal example of the synergies that the Suzo Happ Group can make use of – combing the topper technology of Suzo with the reel technology of Starpoint”, stated Mr. Oelen. The three new toppers were accompanied by another topper innovation – the Towerlight Topper. The Towerlight Topper can be added to slots with a towerlight on the top – a simple way to upgrade the attraction of the slot in the casino or arcade. The new Illuminated Handle Mech Ball gives the Handle Ball a new lease of life – in full RBG colour. The depth of Suzo Happ’s product range underlines the varying solutions that the company can offer. Representing the industry’s best compliments the innovative approach of Suzo Happ. Customers could see the latest innovations from companies such as ELO TouchSystems, FutureLogic, MEI, Hess and Elixir. One example of new products from these companies: The acoustic pulse recognition (APR) technology from ELO TouchSystems has been widely recognised by the industry for its quality and the new widescreen 22” 2240L touchscreen was very welcomed. “We wish to thank all visitors to our stand at the IGE”, commented Marcel Oelen in conclusion. |  | |
| 03-02-2009 MEI CASHFLOW SC Specified By Monaco’s SBM Group | ||
| Suzo-Happ’s European Casino Team report SBM’s commitment to the MEI CASHFLOW SC83 banknote reader on future slots orders Monaco has set a precedent within the Gaming industry. With gaming traditions dating back to 1856, its glamour and prestige are unmatched worldwide. SBM’s decision to specify MEI CASFHLOW in its five casinos – Casino de Monte Carlo, Casino de Paris, Sun Casino, Monte Carlo Bay Casino and Summer Casino – is reflective of its desire to offers customers the best possible experience across its 1,000-slot operation. The conversion to MEI began when Erik Wijma and the Suzo-Happ European Casino team introduced a VAT trial as a way to test the CASHFLOW SC’s performance. Erik Wijma of Suzo-Happ in Europe explained, “The industry looks to SBM to prove their worth. SBM is dedicated to anything that can improve the player experience, so their interest was almost immediate and the trial was able to quickly commence.” After ninety days, SBM could see a real difference and became convinced of the MEI CASHFLOW banknote reader. Mr. Pierre-louis Castel, Technical Manager of the Slots Department stated, “The installation was easy and the results at the end of the trial were positive and clear: the acceptance rate was found to be far superior to other models used in our machines.” Mr. Castel continued, “Banknote and ticket acceptance plays a critical role in the revenue of every slot machine. We really saw the value in carrying out this VAT. These units need little to no maintenance and are well appreciated by our floor staff and the players who can now enjoy uninterrupted play.” Mr. Castel further explains the benefits of placing MEI on the casino floor, “The trouble-free performance and very high acceptance rate of the MEI acceptor have significantly increased machine up time and revenue. Thus, we have decided to order all new machines with MEI acceptors as a standard fitting”. The combination of best-in-class products with an in-depth technical team of Suzo-Happ is highlighted by Mr. Castel’s final comment, “I would also like to add that this product is backed up by their very professional sales and technical team who assured a full and comprehensive training course for our technicians”. The casino industry is continuing to benefit from the commercial and technical knowledge of the Suzo-Happ team – that spans a whole range of casino components. Mark Greenawalt, MEI’s European and African Gaming Director, states, “We’re very pleased to have an operation as prestigious as the SBM group recognize the value of CASHFLOW SC. The result speaks for itself … c’est magnifique. In many ways, we feel as if we have won the Monaco Grand Prix: it’s a glamorous victory, was a team effort and required speed and precision to win the race. We’re very proud of our race car, the CASHFLOW SC, and welcome the any opportunity to take it for a test drive. MEI would like to thank SBM for its confidence in our products and for their continued business.” About Suzo-Happ Europe The Suzo-Happ Group is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of gaming and amusement parts and accessories. Suzo-Happ Group was formed in January 2005 as the result of the merger of Suzo (formerly Suzo International) and Happ (formerly Happ Controls). Suzo-Happ Group has nearly 400 employees in 12 locations serving customers in over 70 countries. Suzo International in Oud Beijerland, Holland was founded in 1955 and together with its subsidiaries forms Suzo Happ Europe. About SBM Monte-Carlo SBM operates the Principality of Monaco’s most distinctive assets. It comprises 2 palaces and 2 deluxe hotels, 5 casinos , 60 conference and banqueting rooms, 33 bars and restaurants, 3 spas including Les Thermes Marins de Monte-Carlo, as well as cultural and leisure venues including the Opera, the Cabaret, the Salle des Etoiles, the Jimmy’z night club, the Monte-Carlo Golf Club and the Monte-Carlo Country Club. About MEI Today, MEI systems are relied upon for more than 2 billion transactions per week in over 100 countries. The company developed the first electronic coin mechanism in the 1960s followed by the first electronic non-contact bill acceptor, and more recently the vending management system. Today MEI has the largest worldwide installed base of unattended payment mechanisms. In 2007, MEI reached a milestone of selling more than four million bill acceptors and five million coin mechanisms worldwide. Its products are in widespread use in the vending, soft drink, gaming, amusement, transportation, retail, and kiosk markets. For more information on MEI and its products, visit www.meigroup.com or call 1-800-345-8215 in US (please refer to our website for various international telephone numbers). |  | |
| 19-01-2009 Preview to Suzo Happ’s New products at the IGE / ATEI | ||
| 1. Illuminated Handle Mech Ball . Trigger peoples interest in your handle machines with new illuminated handle ball. This handle-ball can be illuminated in any colour by 2 multi colour LED’s controlled from the host machine. Flashing, glowing any light pattern is possible. This new product lightens the dark gap in between the slot machines. A durable sound-welded construction ensures a long lifetime. The unit is supplied with a special drilled handle to connect the wiring inside the unit. 2. Towerlight Topper A new addition to the Suzo-Happ topperbox line. This mini topperbox is designed to be mounted on top of any towerlight, a special mounting bracket is included. Small in size and equipped with Nichia Multi Colour LED’s The unit provide lighting through a translucent bezel for an elegant illumination effect. Back lighting is provided by white high power Nichia LED’s. The Towerlight Topper is extremely suitable for advertising special features on machines such as: Multi Denomination, Ticket-in Ticket-out, Server Based Gaming etc. 3. Round Topper This is the first release of a new product line where leading technologies from Suzo-Happ, Starpoint and Heber are combined in a new series of products. The Round Topper offers great flexibility to Game designers. Any game based on a disc/wheel type of game such as; Roulette, Lottery wheels, Clock-game etc is easy to develop and cost effective. A newly developed integrated disc-mech with 2 motors creates a new dimension in these types of games. A front and a back disc mounted in sequence or a disc and an arm which can be independently controlled can run on different speeds and directions creating new features for these types of games. In the bottom section there are 2 windows where game features can be displayed or alternatively these windows can be blanked. Option of 2 different illumination effects, multi colour behind a translucent bezel or white LED’s through a (black) chromed bezel. This in combination with customized artwork secures the machine manufacturer the personalization of this product. The Round Topper is equipped with the Xtopper, a customized USB control-board designed for Suzo-Happ by Heber. By the use of this control board any game designer has a powerful tool to make an interactive game concept with special disc and light-effects. The Round Topper is ideal for OEM’s to upgrade existing machines economically in the market creating total new game concepts. Features. - Elegant design in robust ABS housing. - Choice of 2 Different style illumination effects, multi colour behind translucent bezel or monochrome white LED’s through a black or bright chrome bezel. - Option of use on 1 or 2 discs and or arms. - Powered by Xtopper: a USB connected control board - Additional windows to display extra game features, can be blanked. - 2 Power supplies on board, enough to control both disc units and illumination. - Ventilation holes and optionally cooling fans. - Easy to remove transparent dome for cleaning and maintenance. - Adjustable mounting foot is included. 4. Round Video Topper This is the second release of a new product line where leading technologies from Suzo-Happ and Heber are combined in a new series of products. The Round Video Topper offers great flexibility to Game designers: any game which is based on a Video disc/wheel type of game such as Roulette, Lottery wheels, Clock-game etc is easy and cost effective to develop. The unit is equipped with a Samsung 19 inch LCD E4 panel (wide viewing angle) that is elegantly designed in. It looks like the top of the monitor is round. In the bottom section there are 2 windows where game features can be displayed or alternatively these windows can be blanked. Choice of 2 different illumination effects, multi-colour through a translucent bezel or white LED’s through a (black) chromed bezel in combination with customized video display technique a machine manufacturer can secure his personalization of the product . The Round Video Topper is equipped with the Xtopper, a customized USB control-board designed for Suzo-Happ by Heber By the use of this control board any game designer has a powerful tool to create an interactive game concept with special light-effects. The Round Video Topper is ideal for OEM’s to upgrade existing machines in the market cost effective to a total new video game concept. Features. - Elegant design in robust ABS housing. - Choice of 2 Different style illumination effects, multi colour behind translucent bezel or monochrome white LED’s through a black or bright chrome bezel. - Equipped with 19 inch Samsung LCD E4 panel (wide viewing angle) - Monitor adjustments are easy accessible. - Powered by Xtopper a USB connected control board - Additional windows to display extra game features, can be blanked. - 2 Power supplies on board, enough to control both LCD panel and illumination. - Ventilation holes and optionally cooling fans. - Easy to remove transparent dome for cleaning and maintenance. adjustable mounting foot is included. 5. ReelTopper This is the latest release of a new product line where leading technologies from Suzo-Happ and Heber are combined in a new series of products. The unit is equipped with 3 Starpoint reels with 12 symbols that are 150mm in diameter and 90mm wide, (a 4 reelversion is currently in development). Illuminated by multicolour Nichia LED’s. This new design of topperbox offers an elegant extension to any machine in the market today! Not the front but the sides are illuminated in a triangle shaped design to prevent attention loss from the reel action. Bezel options: Chrome or Black Chrome. The Round Video Topper is equipped with the Xtopper, a customized USB control-board designed for Suzo-Happ by Heber. By the use of this control board any game designer has a powerful tool to create an interactive game concept with special light-effects. The ReelTopper is ideal for OEM’s to upgrade existing machines cost effectively in the market to a total new game concept. Features. - Elegant design in robust ABS housing. - Standard equipped with 3 Starpoint reels 150mm diameter and 90 mm wide with 12 symbols/stops. - Side illumination with possibility to integrate customized logo’s in the center. - Powered by Xtopper a USB connected control board - Front bezel in black or bright chrome - 2 Power supplies on board, enough to control both LCD panel and illumination. - Ventilation holes available. - Easy to remove transparent cover for cleaning and maintenance. - adjustable mounting foot is included. 6. Hess HE 303 Note Counter and Sorter This ingeniously developed and robust counter combines a normal currency counter with a full functional currency sorter in one unit. A currency counter that can be used in normal applications, to count banknotes in a teller’s counter, or in demanding applications such as ATM loading, fitness sorting, mixed deposits or value balancing and dispensing. Its array of detectors ensures that the notes processed are genuine and categorized according to their exact parameters. Notes processed wind up in one of the three configurable pockets, depending on their value, condition, face, orientation or authenticity. A key-press is only required to select the desirable function of the HE 303. So visit us at our stand 4240. | ||
| 03-11-2008 Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Owens Precision Fabricators | ||
| Elk Grove, IL (October 1, 2008)…..Suzo-Happ Group, a portfolio company of private equity firm Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C., announced today that it has purchased Owens Precision Fabricators (OPF) located in Henderson, Nevada (Las Vegas). Founded in 1991, Owens Precision Fabricators (OPF) is a recognized leader in precision sheet metal fabrication for the Gaming industry. OPF products include specialized gaming cabinets used for slot and video gaming machines, internal brackets and shelving, as well as door and trim components with highly polished chrome finishes. Cabinets manufactured by OPF are used and distributed throughout the world by industry-leading gaming companies. OPF employs approximately 40 people and recently moved into a larger facility in Henderson. “This is a another strategic move which will enhance the global leadership position of Suzo-Happ Group in the markets for Gaming components, parts and accessories," said Jim Brendel, President, Worldwide Gaming for the Suzo-Happ Group. “OPF is known in the gaming industry as a high quality manufacturer with responsive engineering and in-house, quick turn sheet metal and laminating capabilities”. “Suzo-Happ Group has the global footprint and enhanced logistics that are key to leveraging current customer relationships”, commented Bob Dixon, General Manager, OPF. “In addition, extensive sales and marketing efforts of the Suzo-Happ Group will enable us to expand our customer base and sales.” Both companies will leverage a shared commitment to provide high quality products and world class customer care service. About SUZO-HAPP GROUP: The Suzo-Happ Group was formed in 2004 with the merger of Suzo International, headquartered in The Netherlands, and Happ Controls, headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL. Major additions were made with Advanced Electronic Systems in 2005, Starpoint Electrics in 2006 and ChinaTec in 2007. The combined organization holds a global leadership position in the gaming and amusement parts and accessories market with customers in 80 countries. The company has manufacturing, engineering, distribution and service capabilities with over 650 employees in 14 locations on three continents. More information is available at www.suzohapp.com. About Owens Precision Fabricators: Owens Precision Fabricators (OPF) was founded in 1991. Located in Henderson, Nevada (Las Vegas), OPF is recognized as a leading supplier of precision sheet metal products for the gaming industry. OPF has a solid foundation of fabrication knowledge and experience to develop products that meet the demanding criteria of the gaming industry. OPF standards for fit, function, strength, and cosmetic appearance are second to none within the gaming industry. Though the gaming industry is a primary focus, abilities extend into any and all markets that require precision sheet metal fabricated parts and assemblies. More information is available at www.owenspf.com. About Pfingsten Partners Deerfield, Illinois-based Pfingsten Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm, formed in 1989, which makes equity investments in middle market manufacturing, distribution and business-to-business service companies. Since completing its first investment in 1991, Pfingsten Partners has acquired 62 companies and built value by providing capital, corporate finance and operating resources necessary to improve operations and achieve profitable business growth at its platform companies in partnership with management. For more information, visit www.pfingstenpartners.com. | ||
| 03-11-2008 REAC koppeling voor SUZO’s CCC. | ||
| De langverwachte REAC koppeling voor SUZO’s Casino Cash Centre is een feit!! Middels deze koppeling wordt het Casino Cash Centre opgenomen in het REAC systeem. Functies als bijvoorbeeld “handpay” worden in zijn geheel overgenomen door het Casino Cash Centre. Deze combinatie levert u dus nog meer efficiency en veiligheid! Binnenkort zal SUZO en REAC een demodag organiseren om het product aan u te tonen. Wenst u nu al meer informatie, neem dan contact op met SUZO International (NL) BV 0186-643333 of REAC 010-4156419 | ||
| 20-10-2008 Suzo International Celebrates Elixir Success | ||
| Elixir ShufflePro chosen by Poker Master Suzo International is pleased to report that the leading poker table manufacturer in Hungary – PM Europe Ltd – has integrated Elixir’s ShufflePro into its design. PM Europe Ltd is better known as Poker-Master. The company headed by Andras Marton was quickly convinced of both Elixir’s product performance and Suzo International’s service capabilities. Poker Master was set up in 2007 and manufactures poker tables. Poker Master has quickly set up strong sales in both Hungary and Romania. First contacts with Suzo International were only in April of this year. The visit to Hungary by Suzo International was reciprocated by Poker Master shortly afterwards in order to gain extensive technical training by Suzo’s casino technical manager Marc Martens. Suzo International’s Joost van Egeraat comments on the success, “We gained the European rights for Elixir products barely a year ago and so we have been very busy introducing the Elixir range to the European casino market. Poker Master is a young and innovative company and embraced the opportunity to trial the Elixir ShufflePro. The excellent results quickly convinced Poker Master. We place much emphasis on our sales and technical service. We are very pleased to be able to cite Poker Master as a customer for Elixir’s ShufflePro”. Andras Marton, Managing Director of Poker Master, explains his choice, “It did not take us long to make our decision. Suzo International has provided excellent support for us to integrate the ShufflePro. ShufflePro is exactly what we are looking for – simple to integrate and simple for our customers to use”. About Suzo International Founded in Rotterdam in 1955, Suzo supplies systems and components for the amusement, gaming, casino, and vending industries. Suzo develops and manufactures branded components, electronics, software and systems under the proprietary STC label. Headquartered in the Netherlands, with additional operations in Belgium, Germany, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Argentina, Suzo serves customers in over 80 different countries and has achieved a reputation for providing exceptional customer service. About PM Europe Ltd PM Europe limited is a leading Hungarian manufacturer of poker tables. Set up in 2007 by industry expert Andras Marton, this company has quickly grown and services both the home and export markets. PM Europe Ltd provides a range of solutions around poker, billiards an darts. For further information, please visit www.poker-master.hu. | ||
| 09-07-2008 Suzo International and FutureLogic Key to Swedish TITO Introduction | ||
| Sweden is a country with a relatively short casino history. The first casino was inaugurated in 2001 and its fourth in 2003. The four casinos form the Casino Cosmopol group, which is a subsidiary to Svenska Spel, the largest gaming company in Sweden. Svenska Spel is wholly owned by the Swedish State. The four casinos are located in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Sundsvall. The youth and vitality of the Swedish casino industry is reflected in how quickly casino management can adopt market innovations. The Swedish psychology of consideration and thus choosing the correct market trend is reflected here. The natural move was to adopt a form of cashless gaming but the question was which one. The casino management chose ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) as the way forward for the 1000 slots in operation. Two major factors weighed in favour of TITO over a card system – its simplicity to handle (for the operator) and the simplicity to understand (for the player). Thus, casino management foresee that their staff will have more time to focus on their guests as spending time “running around” to pay handpays is now a thing of the past. Having considered the advantages of TITO over cards, the next question was which printer solution to adopt. Again Swedish consideration was key to take a long-term approach of the benefits each individual company could offer. Having weighed up all options, casino management made a clear choice – of the printer solution of FutureLogic’s GEN2 combined with the service of Suzo International. Erik Wijma, Business Manager of Suzo International’s Casino Group, explains, "European Casinos are witnessing the benefits of working together with Suzo. We have an excellent infrastructure with technical and commercial staff with direct support at the casinos. Casinos appreciate that we can offer them world class solutions and in this case the combination of the support of Suzo and FutureLogic together with the proven printer technology of the GEN2 made us stand out strongly against the competition. This made the decision on which printer to take much simpler for the management team at Casino Cosmopol. We thank them for their trust and look forward to serving them on a long-term basis" Casinos Stockholm and Gothenburg have now gone live with TITO with Casinos Malmö and Sundsvall to adopt TITO shortly after the summer. Roger Jonsson is the Senior Gaming Manager at Casino Cosmopol whose team received individual training as both casinos went live with TITO. He sums up his experience with Suzo International and FutureLogic, “We are very happy with the service we got from FutureLogic and Suzo during the start up. We had no major problems with the printers. However, a lot of them were not correctly set up from our slot suppliers and the help from your staff saved us a lot of time and “heartburn”. Our staff also got very good training during the start up and that makes all of us very confident for the future.” |  | |
| 04-04-2008 Suzo International’s European Casino Group Continues Expansion | ||
| Suzo International continues to place focus on increasing relations with European casinos. Having built very strong business relations over fifty years with European OEM’s, the natural step was to increase Suzo’s presence with the European casinos. Following on from the AESI’s success in the USA (a company within the Suzo-Happ Group), Suzo International has learnt the benefits that can be brought by building direct casino relations. The first step was to bring together a range of world-class casino products. Casinos can benefit from being able to choose from a very wide product range. The second stage was to create a catalogue specifically for casinos. The Casino Catalogue 2008 from Suzo International underlines this focus. The third step was to create a strong European Casino Team. Let’s look at this last point first. Erik Wijma leads the Casino Team with many years of experience. His previous position as Sales Manager for France, Italy and Switzerland brought his first steps into the casino market. Erik explains how this came about, “As gaming OEM’s are minimal in France it was natural for me to turn directly to the casinos, given that France boasts the largest number of casino slots in Western Europe. Here I learnt the benefits for both the casinos and Suzo from creating direct business relations. With AESI joining the Suzo-Happ Group, this allowed us to further enhance our strategy”. Erik has a team of three to help him support the European casino market. Whilst Erik continues to focus on the countries in Western Europe, he can look on the support from two sales colleagues. Mathias Reindl is the Regional Sales Manager for Central and Eastern Europe and Joost van Egeraat is the Regional Sales Manager for Southern Europe. Their professional backgrounds differ but blend in to provide Suzo a whole wealth of experience. Austrian-born Mathias lives in Germany, having had nine years of experience working in Spain. Having gained experience in a global company such as Siemens, he then joined the gaming industry three years ago to become sales manager at Starpoint. With Starpoint now being a part of the Suzo-Happ Group, Mathias has taken on the challenge to support the casino customers in his regions. Thus, Mathias brings a wealth of experience from the components side. Joost, on the other hand, brings a wealth of experience from the manufacturing side. Joost has joined Suzo from Orion and this OEM background brings an essential advantage to the casino group. A major pillar in the raison d être of the Suzo casino group is to provide professional service. Here Erik has turned to Marc Martens who joined Suzo from the photo-processing market. Marc’s experience has been to offer practical, on-site service to his customers. He relishes challenges and states himself the importance of knowing the customers. Therefore, casino customers can look forward to dealing with Marc’s uncomplicated, solution-oriented approach. So now we’ve seen the team, let’s look back to the Suzo product range. The casino catalogue is 65 pages long, thus underlining the strength in depth of the Suzo product range. However, offering the right products is only part of the Suzo casino strategy, as Erik explains, “we seek to bring innovation to the market. This, coupled with our outstanding service, is where we see our unique selling point. It is our stated goal to bring benefits to the casino market”. But how do Erik and his team intend to do this? The example of strategic partnerships explains this. Strategic relationships with FutureLogic and MEI allow Suzo International to bring the benefits of these products within the European casino market. Both companies have proven its technological strengths in their home markets – namely the USA. Suzo is transferring this know-how to the European casinos who are seeing the benefits of having these products fitted as standard within the slots. Casinos thus have direct links to new component technology and with the service that Suzo offers know that they can rely on these components during their life usage within the slots. Many casinos within Europe have successfully trialed the MEI Cashflow SC83 banknote reader in value-added trials (VAT’s). With the increasing importance of TITO in Europe, casinos appreciate the benefits of using the market leader FutureLogic. The Suzo casino team is increasing its dialogue with casinos in traditional gaming as well. Suzo-Happ is the official distributor for Elixir Gaming so can offer a whole range of table solutions with the Chip Washer, Deck Checker, RandomPlus Shuffler and ShufflePro. Erik Wijma sums up the new casino group, “we are providing world class products to the casino market. We are constantly looking to improve our products for the benefit of the market. Our toppers are a prime example with new Xenon technology toppers that can be linked together. We focus on market leaders for our strategic partnerships and thus can offer the casino market the excellent benefits in note and ticket handling with MEI and FutureLogic. |  | |
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| 11-03-2008 Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Suzo Polska Sp. z.o.o. | ||
| Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Suzo Polska Sp. z.o.o. Gaming Distributor in Poland Long-Time Suzo-Happ Distribution Partner Provides Access to Eastern European Markets. ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL (March 6, 2008) —– Suzo-Happ Group today announced completion of the acquisition of Suzo Polska Sp. z.o.o, located in Wysogotowo, Poland. Suzo Polska, a distributor of parts and components for gaming equipment in Poland, has grown very rapidly during the last several years. The company will operate as part of Suzo International, the European arm of the Suzo-Happ Group, with the same local leadership responsible for its recent growth. The Suzo Polska facility will be expanded in 2008. Pfingsten Partners, a private equity firm in Deerfield, Illinois is Suzo-Happ's majority shareholder. Suzo Polska is the eighth company to become part of the Suzo-Happ Group. All eight companies combine to strengthen Suzo-Happ's position as the leading global supplier of amusement and gaming parts and accessories with over 30,000 SKUs, customers in 80 countries, and more than 600 employees in 14 locations. “This acquisition continues our expansion strategy by investing in the rapidly growing Eastern European market” said Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International. “It provides us a physical presence which enables us to serve our customers better and further penetrate the market.” Pedro Garcia, Managing Director of Suzo Technical Components Espana S.A., the Spanish subsidiary of Suzo International acquired in 2006 said, “As a member of the Suzo-Happ Group, we have access to many more resources allowing us to better serve our customers. These additional resources enabled us to achieve a rapid growth rate beginning in 2007 immediately after joining the team. I’m sure our colleagues at Suzo Polska will similarly benefit from Suzo-Happ’s ownership.” Tomasz Andrzejewski, General Manager Suzo Polska, reports that “We are very pleased to be part of the Suzo-Happ Group. Our business continues to grow at a very rapid rate. The additional resources and commitment to the future is very important at this stage of our company’s life.” About the Suzo-Happ Group The Suzo-Happ Group was formed in 2004 with the merger of Suzo International, headquartered in The Netherlands, and Happ Controls, headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL. The combined organization holds a global leadership position in the gaming and amusement parts and accessories market with customers in 80 countries. The company has manufacturing, engineering, distribution and service capabilities with over 600 employees on three continents. More information is available at www.suzohapp.com, www.suzo.com, www.gamingstuff.com and www.happ.com About Suzo International Founded in Rotterdam in 1955, Suzo supplies systems and components for the amusement, gaming, casino, and vending industries. Suzo develops and manufactures branded components, electronics, software and systems under the proprietary STC label. Headquartered in the Netherlands, with additional operations in Spain, Belgium, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom, Suzo serves customers in over 80 different countries and has achieved a reputation for providing exceptional customer service. For more information on Suzo International, visit: www.suzo.com. About Suzo Polska Suzo Polska is centrally located in Wysogotowo (near Poznan), Poland. The Company was founded in 2004 as a 50/50 joint-venture between the Suzo-Happ Group and Horthel Systems BV (“Horthel Systems”). Horthel Systems is a Dutch limited company with manufacturing facilities and operating activities in the gaming and amusement industry in Poland. About Pfingsten Partners Deerfield, Illinois-based Pfingsten Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm, formed in 1989, which makes equity investments in middle market manufacturing, distribution and business-to-business service companies. Since completing its first investment in 1991, Pfingsten Partners has acquired 57 companies and built value by providing capital, corporate finance and operating resources necessary to improve operations and achieve profitable business growth at its platform companies in partnership with management. For more information, visit www.pfingstenpartners.com. | ||
| 07-03-2008 New Casino Catalogue 2008 on-line | ||
| Suzo International is pleased to inform its customers that the new Casino Catalogue 2008 can be downloaded from their website. It’s simple to do – type in www.suzo.com , then pick “Catalogue” on the black bar. Scroll down and click on “Casino Catalogue 2008”. This PDF document is simple to navigate. The whole Suzo casino product range can be found in this catalogue. Erik Wijma – Suzo International’s Business Manager for Casinos stated, “The new Casino Group continues in gaining in momentum. We have now built up a sales and technical team to support the European casino industry. To this end we have put major focus on the casino catalogue which was introduced to the market at the ICE. Our customers are spread all around Europe and so we see this free download service as a further way of underlining the excellent service of our casino team”. Customers can chose from a wide product range in the Casino Catalogue that is spread over sixty three pages. On the last page the index gives a clear overview. The product highlights from the ICE can also be found within the catalogue – namely the new toppers with LED strip, wide-screen touchscreens from ELO and the Elixir product range. Whether you are looking for money handling products, tools, tokens or locks– you’’ find them here as these are just a few examples of the products available. |  | |
| 08-02-2008 Gaming Industry Meets up at the Suzo-Happ Party | ||
| What was inaugurated only four years ago seems to have become s standard feature for the ATEI / ICE calendar. Once again the Suzo-Happ Group invited customers to the Chelsea Village Party. “Each year we have a specific theme related to the Gaming Industry”, explained Marcel Oelen, Suzo International’s Managing Director. “This year we chose to celebrate in Moulin Rouge style with plenty of entertainment around the theme”. Indeed, the variety of dancers and singers gave Suzo-Happ’s guests plenty to be entertained with. Marcel Oelen explained the focus of the party in more detail. “This is our opportunity to thank our customers for their continued loyalty. Combined with our increased product range and the increased demand for our products, we were especially pleased to welcome our new customers to the Suzo-Happ party”. This event is for sure an excellent place to network. Many guests from the industry made for an excellent meet-and-greet occasion. Once again the Suzo-Happ group provided an extended food offering with food provided in many varieties. The Suzo-Happ London party was again very well visited and a favourite place to go in the industry. | ||
| 08-02-2008 ATEI / ICE show review | ||
| ATEI and ICE a complete success for the Suzo-Happ Group The Suzo-Happ group presented as ever with two booths – one at the ATEI and one at the ICE. The ATEI stand is managed by Suzo International (UK) Ltd with the natural strong focus on the home market. The international markets were represented by the Suzo-Happ stand on the ICE. From the amount of visitors on both stands it was clear the success for the Suzo-Happ Group at both the ATEI and the ICE. Looking at the UK and Irish markets first. The demand for toppers continues to rise and this year the special focus was for the RGB topper range. Billiard cloth from Milliken continues to be a strong seller. A growing market for Suzo International (UK) Ltd is for changers from the German company GeWeTe. GeWeTe has been a market leader in Germany for many years and with the new Coin Recycler continues to create much interest. Turning to the international gaming market, on the ICE stand the Suzo-Happ group saw similar demand for the topper range. The RGB toppers and Xenon toppers continued the strength in depth that Suzo-Happ offers for toppers. 2008 begins in a very exciting way for Suzo International. The casino group that was formed in 2007 under the management of Erik Wijma, who predicts strong expansion this year. Erik explains why “We have seen the benefit of securing component sales with the end user. This has been especially appreciated by companies that we distribute for on a global scale, such as FutureLogic. Now we have expanded this service. We are in the process of expanding our sales team to cover the market demands”. Indeed the year 2008 is beginning for Suzo International where 2007 left off. Market figures underline the focus of Suzo’s philosophy of “best-in-class”. For touch screens, the demand for ELO products increased dramatically. The Vice President of ELO Touchsystems – Mr. Luc Mergeay – presented Suzo International’s Managing Director Marcel Oelen with an award during the ICE to commenerate the record-breaking year. Coming back to the ICE – the Suzo-Happ group presented the Elixir Gaming product range for the first time in London. Oelen added, “The Elixir Gaming product range brings in an added example for our customers. Now we can offer products not only for the complete range of slots but also for table gaming. Our casino range continues to grow and our dedicated Casino Catalogue has been updated”. |  | |
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| 30-01-2008 SUZO receives “Star Distributor” award from ELO | ||
| Tyco Electronics' Elo TouchSystems business, a global leader in touch technology, is to make a special presentation to Suzo International at the International Casino Exhibition (ICE 2008) from 22nd to 24th January at Earl’s Court 1, London, UK in recognition of the gaming distributor’s exceptional sales performance during the last 12 months. The “Star Distributor” award will be made on the second day of the show at Suzo’s stand (3920) by Elo’s regional manager Mike Sigona. Sigona commented, “This award is to mark our recognition of Suzo’s exceptional performance in 2007 which has seen a staggering eight-fold increase in sales volume with a number of major contract wins across Europe. In addition we have seen an increase in market share that can only be described as phenomenal. Our association with Suzo goes back to 1999 and has grown steadily over that time, blossoming into a highly fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship last year. This is due in no small part to Suzo’s knowledge and experience of the European gaming market along with the company’s exceptional reputation and international reach. Marcel Oelen, Suzo’s Managing Director, commented, “We are very pleased to receive this award as it acknowledges the hard work put in by all our employees to help make Elo touchscreens and touchmonitors a big success in the gaming market. The unrivalled quality of the product and the excellent technical and logistical support provided by Elo makes our job easier in a very competitive market. With Europe’s booming leisure industry and the new products Elo is launching at ICE, we expect continued growth for Elo touchmonitors in the years to come.” |  | |
| 11-01-2008 Suzo International - Supplying World Class Casino Solutions | ||
| 2008 begins in a very exciting way for Suzo International. The casino group that was formed in 2007 under the management of Erik Wijma predicts strong expansion this year. Erik explains why “We have been seen the benefit of securing component sales with the end user. This has been especially appreciated by companies that we distribute for on a global scale, such as FutureLogic. Now we have expanded this service”. Suzo International can now offer world class solutions for both the slots and tables sections. With the Suzo-Happ Group acting as global distributor for Elixir Gaming, this brings a whole series of benefits for casinos. Suzo International can now offer five major products from Elixir, namely the Deck Checker, RandomPlus Shuffler, ShufflePro and the ChipWasher and Dolphin Chips. Looking at each one individually: Deck Checker™ The Deck Checker™ is an automated playing card scanning machine that specifically checks playing cards to ensure an accurate count and verify that all of the cards are present. This innovative product confirms the integrity of each card and will reject any non-conforming cards. It can be specifically programmed to read up to six different face designs. The Deck Checker™ checks for additional, missing or damaged cards and can run a check by suit and value. No additional staff is required, and in fact the Deck Checker™ saves staff time since it speeds up the start and the end of day procedures. The Deck Checker™ is a card security device that has an integrated management system and an on board storage / vault system. The integrated management system gives a report for every transaction providing a complete audit trail. Best of all, the Deck Checker™ requires limited training time as the machine prompts the user throughout the entire checking process. RandomPlus Shuffler™ The Random Ejection Shuffler™ by Elixir Gaming is by far the most versatile shuffler manufactured today. Casino operators can use the Random Ejection Shuffler™ for any table game that utilizes from one to eight decks of playing cards. The Random Ejection Shuffler™ can: Provide a batch system shuffle with 2 separate groups of cards Allow a continuous shuffle option Accommodate dealing from a traditional shoe ShufflePro™ The ShufflePro™ shuffler increases security and productivity on your casino floor. It can be used in the poker pit on your poker tables, or in the main table games pit on games using one or two decks. It is simple to install, and dealers will find it very easy to use. ChipWasher™ When the action’s hot on your casino floor, you don’t want anything slowing it down. And that’s exactly what dirty chips do – the build-up of oils and residue makes them sticky and difficult for your dealers to handle, which makes for slower play. Surveillance and identification becomes increasingly difficult. And your customers’ gaming experience is considerably lessened. Regular chip washing prevents all of this, but hand-washing is time-consuming and costly. This is exactly why the ChipWasher was created– the practical and efficient means towards cleaner casino chips. Dolphin Chips™ Elixir Gaming’s Dolphin Gaming Chip Line of products has an expansive array of options. From traditional gaming chips to wheelcracks to RFID, Dolphic Gaming Chips are the most advanced in the gaming industry. There is an extensive range on colours and chip variations on offer. The high-frequency RFID gaming chips offer greater processing speeds and data storage capabilities. Special UV pigments ensure latest security. A further highlight for Suzo International at the ICE will be the introduction of the new topper range. The Xenon and Xenon RGB toppers bring not only brightly lit LED’s to give the toppers a more attractive appeal. The Suzo Synchro feature allows up to eight toppers to be connected together, so that the toppers can be linked together. Previously the each topper worked individually on each slot machine – causing a whole multitude of topper formations. Linking the toppers together can underline a bank of slots and makes the slots more appealing to the eye. The Upright topper brings in a new dimension to the topper range. The artwork can be engraved any transparent material (such as acrylic) and be cut to customer requirements. In other words, the Upright topper offers a whole world of topper possibilities to customers. Finally, customers are invited to test the interactive JUPITER BAY monitor on the Suzo-Happ ICE stand to see the installed slotfinder. Jupiter Bay is a manufacturer of interactive digital signage. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International concludes, “We are very looking forward to the ICE and ATEI. With the new products for our casino range, we proudly state that we offer world class casino solutions” | ||
| 2-11-2007 Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Chinatec. | ||
| Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Chinatec Gaming, Amusement & Transportation Component Manufacturer in China Long-Time Suzo-Happ Supplier Provides Asian Engineering and Manufacturing Capability ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL (October 31, 2007) —–Suzo-Happ Group today announced the acquisition of Dynamics Chinatec Industries (HK) Limited (“Chinatec”), a Zhuhai, China-based manufacturer of parts and components used in the gaming, amusement and transportation markets. Chinatec is a long-time Suzo-Happ supplier that will now be part of the Suzo-Happ Group, a portfolio company of Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C. The Chinatec acquisition provides Suzo-Happ with state-of-the-art Asian manufacturing capabilities, expanded engineering capabilities, and additional capacity to accommodate future growth. Chinatec manufactures slot machine toppers, reel mechanisms, push button panels, front plate assemblies, sorters, PC boards, coin collection and dispensing systems for gaming and amusement machines, as well as transit fare collection devices. Chinatec has over 200 employees at its ISO 9001-certified manufacturing facility in Zhuhai, China, and maintains sales and administration offices in Hong Kong and Hamburg, Germany. Chinatec is the seventh company to become part of the Suzo-Happ Group’s strategic platform. All seven companies combine to strengthened Suzo-Happ's position as the leading global supplier of amusement and gaming parts and accessories with over 30,000 SKUs, customers in 80 countries, and now more than 600 employees in 14 locations. Pfingsten Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Deerfield, Illinois and Hong Kong, is Suzo-Happ's majority shareholder. “This transaction assures that we have a high-quality, cost effective manufacturing capability that enables us to service our customers even more effectively,” said Chuck Turnbull, President and CEO of Suzo-Happ Group. “This is an important step in strengthening our control over our supply chain, maintaining our industry leadership, and enabling us to explore new opportunities for growth.” “Suzo-Happ has been one of our primary customers for many years, so joining the Suzo-Happ family is a logical step that also positions Chinatec for significant growth,” said Rudi Meyer, Chinatec Director and co-owner of the company. “We will now have direct access to Suzo-Happ’s administrative, organizational and strategic resources to help shape the company’s future direction.” The Chinatec transaction closed on October 31. About the Suzo-Happ Group The Suzo-Happ Group was formed in 2004 with the merger of Suzo International, headquartered in The Netherlands, and Happ Controls, headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL. Major additions were made with Advanced Electronic Systems in 2005 and Starpoint Electrics in 2006. The combined organization holds a global leadership position in the gaming and amusement parts and accessories market with customers in 80 countries. The company has manufacturing, engineering, distribution and service capabilities with over 600 employees on three continents. More information is available at www.suzohapp.com, www.suzo.com, www.gamingstuff.com and www.happ.com About Pfingsten Partners Deerfield, Illinois-based Pfingsten Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm, formed in 1989, which makes equity investments in middle market manufacturing, distribution and business-to-business service companies. Since completing its first investment in 1991, Pfingsten Partners has acquired 57 companies and built value by providing capital, corporate finance and operating resources necessary to improve operations and achieve profitable business growth at its platform companies in partnership with management. For more information, visit www.pfingstenpartners.com. | ||
| 12-10-2007 Suzo focus on Romania | ||
| Industry veteran Robert van Enkhuijzen from Suzo International attended the first AWP / Gaming show in Romania and came back with a glowing report. The Entertainment Arena 2007 was held in Bucharest from 13th – 16th September. Robert is indeed a long-serving veteran of the industry and has been visiting Romania on business for many years. This long-term approach allows a valued judgement on the movement of a market. This movement was apparent at the exhibition. Robert stated, “It has always been a pleasure doing business in Romania. The people are creative, always looking for new opportunities. An honest comment is that in the past the developments at times lagged behind those in Western Europe. This year’s show underlined that this is no longer the case”. The Entertainment Arena was supported by many strong regional players, including EGT, Casino Technology, BGT, Mega Game, City Games and Danemar. “My figures show a machine increase of 23% compared with last year in Romania. And the market is still growing. These are exciting times in Romania”, Robert concluded. |  | |
| 6-8-2007 SUZO International forms new European casino group. | ||
| Suzo International has formed a new casino group to cater for the particular needs of the casino business. Multi-lingual Erik Wijma is heading up this new casino group with a team of dedicated specialists. Over the years Suzo has grown to be a truly international company and together with Happ, the Suzo-Happ Group is the largest components and spare parts specialist in the gaming and amusement market. Traditional links have always been with the OEM’s (the manufacturers of gaming / amusement machines) and Suzo has grown to become a household name for practically all component needs. Indeed, Suzo offers over 30,000 separate items to ensure the diversity and professional service the industry rightly expects of Suzo International. Suzo’s focus is bringing best-in-class products to the market in a customer-focussed approach. Thus, the natural next step was to concentrate on the casino business. This led in 2006 to the introduction of a Suzo catalogue written specifically for the casino industry. One year later Suzo now has a dedicated team to cater to the casino industry directly. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International, stated, “Being a supplier of tier 1 components, there has been a need from day one to have strong relations with the OEM’s. We have identified that there is a growing demand from the end users, in this case the casinos themselves, to have a direct relationship with the major component suppliers. In the past that would have meant too many companies to deal with. As we can supply the main core of components, casinos then have need to have Suzo as their contact and we can support them on almost all their component issues. That can relate to note readers, ticket printers, touch screens, hoppers, toppers, locks and a whole host of other products”. Major component manufacturers have recognized the strength in depth that Suzo offers and so have placed their trust in Suzo. MEI and FutureLogic are two examples of this, as Suzo is the European distributor for both of these companies. Together with Graphic Controls, Suzo can offer the complete TITO solution. This trend to TITO with higher demands on note readers and ticket printers makes a direct contact with casinos very welcome. Suzo International recognise the importance of supporting their products with the end users. Furthermore, new product introduction directly at the end customer can increase time to market. Together with an independent industry specialist, Suzo are introducing the Cashflow SC Series note reader from MEI directly to the casinos via the so-called VAT (value added trial) process. The casinos are invited to test the product for themselves and the excellent feedback from these trials endorses the Cashflow SC83. “Our customers are delighted with this product”, stated Oelen, “so much so that it is becoming the norm for the casinos to specify Cashflow in new slot purchases after the VAT”. Erik Wijma stated, “Being on the market for over 50 years now and having grown to the largest component supplier in the world, the Suzo-Happ Group has the responsibility to offer only best-in-class. Thus, it was clear for note readers and ticket printers that MEI and FutureLogic make ideal partners. The move to TITO brings not only significant investment requirements by casinos but major new opportunities. Our experience is that casino customers are accepting TITO very quickly. With the promotional ticket option on the GEN2 from FutureLogic, casinos can benefit from new marketing channels as well”. Erik Wijma is welcoming a new team of people at Suzo casino group. First new member is called Marc Mertens who will support the casinos on a technical basis. Erik Wijma himself will continue to support casinos in his countries of sales responsibility – France, Italy and Switzerland. Erik will receive continued support from his sales colleagues. For example, Marc Aarts will continue to be the main casino contact for Holland Casino. The casino team will also be introducing the product range of VendingData to the European casinos. The Suzo-Happ group have secured the global distribution rights for this Las Vegas company, whose products include the PokerOne Shuffler, Deckchekcer and the Chipwasher. |  | |
| 1-8-2007 Nieuwe folder Kassierloos systeem. | ||
| De nieuwe luxe folder van het Kassierloos systeem voor amusementscentra en casino’s is uit. Deze 4 pagina’s glossy folder laat alle producten uit het systeem zien en uw voordelen worden omschreven. Wenst u een exemplaar per post te ontvangen stuur dan een email naar marcaarts@suzo.com | ||
| Klik hier voor een voorproefje. | ||
| 15-6-2007 Suzo-Happ Group and VendingData join forces. | ||
| VendingData(TM) Corporation has announced that it has signed an agreement with Advanced Electronic Systems ("AESI"), recently merged with privately-held Suzo-Happ Group, the leader in providing innovative solutions and high technology peripheral devices to the gaming marketplace with sales and support staff totaling over 100 in the Americas and Europe. The agreement grants AESI the exclusive right to market and distribute VendingData products within North, Central and South America as well as South Africa, Europe and the Russian Federation. The rolling two-year agreement, which carries an automatic renewal clause, gives AESI an exclusive, non-transferable right to promote, sell, distribute, service and support VendingData(TM) products as well as to appoint mutually agreed sub-distributors in the Americas, Europe and the Russian Federation as well as the non-exclusive right to market, distribute and service VendingData(TM) products in the Caribbean. The initial order to be shipped to AESI will consist of 25 units each of ShufflePro, RandomPlus, and Deck Checker with an additional order of a minimum of 25 units of each product no later than January 31, 2008. AESI also agreed not to manufacture, service or distribute any products that compete with the VendingData(TM) products for the life of the agreement. Established in 1955, Suzo International merged with Happ Controls in December 2004 and Advanced Electronic Systems Inc in 2006 to become the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of gaming and amusement parts and accessories. With over 400 employees globally in 18 locations serving customers in over 80 countries, the company generates sales of approximately $150 million annually. "We entertained partnership opportunities with a number of gaming distributors before we arrived at a decision to enter into contract with AESI and its affiliate companies. We believe we have chosen a company that is committed and highly focused on sales and technical support with impressive distribution capabilities," commented Mark Newburg, president and CEO of VendingData(TM) Corporation. "AESI will provide complete support for all our products including on site training, repair services, field technical support, troubleshooting, installation, maintenance, pick up and delivery service, and a direct exchange program. AESI provides 24/7 same day support via an integrated highly trained team of sales people, field technicians and repair technicians." "We are proud to have one of the most highly acclaimed product distribution and support systems in the Gaming Industry. Our customer centric sales and service reputation are clear reasons why VendingData chose AESI and affiliates to distribute and service their products around the world," commented Jim Brendel, president of AESI's gaming division. "We are excited about the opportunity to expand our existing product line offerings to include these table games peripheral products and look forward to launching the ShufflePro and other new products with VendingData over the upcoming year." | ||
| 23-5-2007 SUZO appears on dutch TV as expert in money handling. | ||
| Suzo International has a wealth of experience in the distribution and manufacturing of specialized spare parts. Therefore, when Dutch TV channel RNN7 was looking for a focus for their “Money and Finance” section, they turned to Suzo. Marc Aarts, Suzo International Sales Manager for the Benelux, explains, “Being a Dutch company with over 50 years of experience, we are well-known with the media. Therefore, it was our pleasure to accept RNN7’s invitation to give specialized information on this topic”. The topic was actually a focus on counterfeit money and counterfeit detection. Suzo International has a wide range of banknote readers on offering (MEI and Pyramid Technologies) and so has much experience on how banknote readers master counterfeit rejection. Furthermore, Suzo International also offers a range of banknote detectors (for example for the retail market) with its own range of products CatCoin. “The combination of offering banknote readers and banknote detectors makes us the ideal candidate to inform the public on counterfeit detection”, Marc stated. Marcel Oelen, Suzo International’s Managing Director stated, “It was a pleasure to have RNN7 as our guest. My thanks also goes to Marc Aarts who represented us. Now we have our own TV star within the company!” |  | |
| 23-5-2007 RNN7 op bezoek bij SUZO | ||
| Op dinsdag 22 mei is een camerateam van het Rotterdamse TV station RNN7 bij SUZO op bezoek geweest om een interview af te leggen met Sales manager Marc Aarts. Insteek van het interview was een item “valsgeld en valsgelddetectie” voor het RNN7 programma “Geld en Financiën” . SUZO is als geen ander gespecialiseerd op dit gebied en zal de kijker van het programma van veel nieuwe informatie voorzien. De reporter was zeer onder de indruk van de onderneming SUZO na een complete rondleiding te hebben gehad. |  | |
| 28-2-2007 SUZO International expands sales team. | ||
| Suzo International has pleasure in introducing a new colleague to the market. Bob Wiggers has joined the sales team as Sales Manager Benelux. Bob is new to the industry, but brings a wealth of sales experience in the technical field. Bob will be working for Marc Aarts to further strengthen Suzo’s capabilities in the Benelux. Marc commented,: “The Benelux markets are our home markets and are therefore of vital importance to us. We have always focused on the OEM customers, ensuring we can give them the service they require. We have seen that quality products and service go hand-in-hand, so it was the next natural step to offer such professional service to the operators”. Indeed, Bob Wiggers’ major focus will be sales support to the operators in the Benelux. With the strength in depth of Suzo’s product range, there are many areas of focus for Bob. “This is an exciting challenge for me”, stated Bob, “the Suzo product range gives me many possibilities to support the operators”. A major focus for Bob will be REAC , as Bob will be responsible for the REAC GPRS Management System for the operators in the Benelux. |  | |
| 28-2-2007 SUZO breidt Benelux team uit. | ||
| Per januari 2007 is Bob Wiggers toegetreden tot het Benelux Sales team van SUZO International. Bob zal het aanspreekpunt worden voor het REAC Horeca Management Systeem wat SUZO sinds kort in het pakket heeft. Tevens zal Bob actief de exploitanten binnen de Benelux bezoeken. Door SUZO’s groeiende markt is het een must om het team uit te breiden zodoende de service op het peil te kunnen houden zoals de klant is gewend. Bob heeft zijn verkoop ervaring in een geheel andere branche opgedaan, maar ook daar werd gewerkt met diverse technieken die raakvlakken hebben ten gunste van zijn nieuwe uitdaging. |  | |
| 27-2-2007 SUZO UK secures major supply contract to LEISURE LINK | ||
| Suzo UK is proud to announce attaining a major supply contract with Leisure Link, part of the Inspired Gaming Group plc. This two-year contract refers to the supply of billiard cloth and accessories. Having Suzo UK as an experienced partner in the industry, indeed with over 15 years of trading to look back on, convinced Leisure Link that Suzo UK is the exact partner for supplying billiard cloth. Notwithstanding the competition in this market, Suzo UK was able to offer the right product mix with the professional service that the industry can expect of Suzo UK. Laurel Ditch, Sales Director of Suzo UK, stated, “We have been working very hard to gain this contract and the fact that we could sign this deal for two years highlights even more the strong relationship between Leisure Link and Suzo UK. We focus on offering best-in-class products with excellent service, yet at very competitive pricing. It is this mix that has secured Suzo an excellent reputation in the industry and we have been rewarded here in gaining this valuable contract with our trusted customer Leisure Link.” | ||
| 13-2-2007 Busy January exhibitions for the SUZO HAPP group | ||
| The return of the IMA after a year’s break in a new location, namely Düsseldorf, was reason for uncertainty of its success. However, it did not take long for this uncertainty to elapse. The IMA was a busy show and Suzo had its own stand. The German Suzo sales staff reported being very busy. Michael Pfeil of Suzo Germany commented, “We presented our new German catalogue to our German-speaking customers. We found that the market is picking up in Germany. We had the opportunity to present Starpoint as part of the Suzo Happ Group. Eric Lafranca of Suzo Germany agrees, “Our strength in depth is what our customers appreciate. Our new Evolution hopper created much interest as well as the banknote readers Trilogy from PTI and SC83 from MEI. The Trilogy won the prize of being best foreign product at the Polish Gaming Show recently. It’s great being able to offer such great quality at a real value price to our customers.” A week later Suzo exhibited both at the ATEI and ICE stands. The ICE stand was shared with the strategic partners MEI and FutureLogic. “Mei and FutureLogic have great products. Combine this with the Suzo knowledge and service; this makes the future bright”, stated Suzo’s MD, Marcel Oelen. One of Suzo’s best known characters, Robert van Enkhuijzen was particularly busy explaining Suzo’s new RGB topper, along with ELO touch screens. And the new Trilogy stacker low-cost note reader created much interest”, noted Robert. Last but not least, the Suzo Happ Group took the opportunity to thank their customers and suppliers for their trust in 2006 by celebrating a party at the London Chelsea football club. “We had over 700 guests at our James Bond themed party. It was a memorable evening,” stated Marcel. |  | |
| Pictures ICE 2007 | ||
| 29-12-2006 ATEI / ICE 2007 | ||
| The Suzo Happ group , as ever, has a stand on both the ATEI (number 2110) and the ICE (number 3910). The ATEI booth is more UK-focused and ICE stand internationally focused. Therefore, our American partner AESI will be present at the ICE stand. You will find the products of our latest member to the group – Starpoint – on both stands. The ICE stand is shared with our two major international partners – MEI and FutureLogic, whose products we will be exhibiting, amongst many others. The new ELO touch screens will be on display on both stands. The new series including monitor and touch together in one solution have created strong demand, combining excellent quality with integration simplicity. Also the new Trilogy stackerless banknote reader will be on display on the ICE stand. The Suzo Happ team looks forward to your visit with the accustomed professional, relaxed approach that the industry appreciates Suzo Happ as. | ||
| 7-11-2006 Industry award presented to SUZO Polska for Trilogy | ||
| Suzo International look back on a successful Surexpo 2006 in Poland. The Polish subsidiary Suzo Polska presented the wide range of Suzo products. Indeed,Suzo International is proud to announce winning the “Best Foreign Product Award”. This prestigious award was made related to the Trilogy Banknote Reader, manufactured by PTI in the United States of America. Tomasz Andrzejewski, Sales Manager of Suzo Poland, stated, “Customers really appreciate more and more not only the strength in depth of products and service that Suzo offers, but also the strict focus on best-in-class. Along with our range of products such as hoppers and toppers, the fact that we offer such reknown names as MEI and FutureLogic highlight are quality focus. That is why we brought the Trilogy from PTI to our product range, as best in class low-cost Banknote Reader. Winning this award underlines and compliments our company strategy”. Information on Trilogy: Trilogy Bank Note Acceptors can accept notes from 60mm to 85mm in width,thus including the GBP 50 UK note. Pyramid Technologies have been able to design an excellent, high-security, easy-to-use product but at a price that will raise many eyebrows within the market. The Trilogy can boast a number of features, including dual-stage optical antistringing and a removable note path for easy cleaning and maintenance. A very high acceptance rate comes with high security against fraudulent notes. This 12V DC unit can accept up to 12 notes (all four directions) and has an accept rate of approx. 20 notes per minute. |  | |
| 1-11-2006 Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Starpoint Developments Ltd. | ||
| Suzo-Happ Group Acquires Starpoint Developments Ltd., a Supplier of Gaming & Amusement Components Company’s Fifth Strategic Add-on Acquisition Expands Product Line ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL (November 1, 2006) — Suzo-Happ Group today announced the acquisition of Starpoint Developments Ltd., a UK-based supplier of electro-mechanical devices used in the gaming and amusement markets. The acquisition is the company’s fifth since October 2005, strengthening Suzo-Happ’s position as the leading global supplier of amusement and gaming parts and accessories with over 30,000 SKUs, customers in 80 countries, and more than 450 employees in 18 locations. Pfingsten Partners is Suzo-Happ’s majority shareholder. “This transaction reinforces our position as a global one-stop shop for amusement-and gaming-related parts and accessories sold both to OEMs and through distribution to a broad array of gaming operators,” said Chuck Turnbull, President and CEO of Suzo-Happ Group. “Starpoint’s products, engineering capabilities,and manufacturing operations all complement our portfolio and give customers one more reason to source components from our company.” “The combined Suzo-Happ organizations of Happ, Suzo and AESI are household names in our industry, and becoming part of the group has clear benefits for all parties involved,” said Colin Crossman, Managing Director of Starpoint. “This will simplify the sourcing process for our customers, increase the resources we can devote to continued product development, and allow us to take advantage of strategies developed by our new parent company to deliver the best products at the best prices and with the best customer service.” Starpoint (www.starpoint.uk.com) was founded in 1968 and has 60 employees, a factory close to London that will remain in operation under Suzo-Happ’s ownership, and customers in over 30 countries. The company manufactures reel mechanisms and flexistrips for slot machines, illuminated push buttons for gaming and vending machines, and assorted game devices and accessories. Suzo-Happ will continue operating Starpoint as a separate entity and will integrate the Starpoint line into its catalog for easy sourcing. The firm also plans to extend Starpoint’s current global sourcing capabilities through Pfingsten Partners Hong Kong, the private equity firm’s dedicated sourcing office in China. Suzo-Happ Group’s most significant previous strategic addition was its October 2005 purchase of Advanced Electronic Systems, a sales, technical support and service organization for slot machine peripheral devices. The company also acquired ProSource Group, a manufacturer of coin doors, ticket dispensers and related products, in May 2006; Mazzco, a North American parts distribution company, also in May 2006; and Sadectronics, a European gaming parts distributor, in July 2006. The Starpoint acquisition closed on October 31. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. About the Suzo-Happ Group The Suzo-Happ Group was formed in 2004 with the merger of Suzo International, headquartered in The Netherlands, and Happ Controls, headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL. The combined organization holds a global leadership position in the gaming and amusement parts and accessories market with customers in 80 countries. The company has manufacturing, engineering, distribution and service capabilities and over 450 employees on three continents. More information is available at www.suzohapp.com, www.suzo.com, www.gamingstuff.com and www.happcontrols.com. About Pfingsten Partners Deerfield, IL-based Pfingsten Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm formed in 1989 to make equity investments in middle market manufacturing, distribution and specialty media companies. Since completing its first investment in 1991, Pfingsten Partners has acquired 51 companies and built value by providing capital, corporate finance and operating resources necessary to improve operations and achieve profitable business growth at its platform companies in partnership with management. For more information, visit www.pfingstenpartners.com. | ||
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| 16-10-2006 New strategic partnership between SUZO INT. and GRAPHIC CONTROLS | ||
| Suzo International would like to announce a further new, strategic partnership in the gaming industry. Suzo has teamed up with the global leader in TITO printing – Graphic Controls of New York. Graphic Controls is part of the Tyco Group of companies (a $40 billion giant corporation of whom ELO Touch Screens is also affiliated). Suzo Internationals’ strive to offer the best products to the industry can be underlined within its TITO strategy. Offering the MEI SC83 Banknote reader (the casino’s note reader choice) and FutureLogic GEN2 (with 6 industry awards to its name) – the next step was to choose the correct partner for thermal tickets. The company that stands out in this field in Graphic Controls. Graphic Controls sold over 2 billion tickets in 2005, servicing over 410,000 slot machines and over 350 casinos in the USA and Canada. Graphic Controls’ desire to export this success to Europe and Suzo’s requirement for the best has led to this strategic partnership. Already Graphic Controls can cite the Baltic Olympic Group, the Russian Orlyonok and the Novomatic Group of companies as its customers. Their reason for choosing Graphic Controls lied not only in the service that Suzo can provide in Europe but also the superior graphic quality. Graphic Controls utilises a unique UV Wet offset process to produce “magazine quality” 4 colour process graphics. Furthermore, up to four different images / logos / pictures can be printed in the so-called 4 ticket repeat process. Therefore, casinos are not just limited to one logo / picture on the back side of the ticket. This service is offered at no surcharge. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International stated, “Having the SC83 and GEN2 on board meant a natural step to bringing the industry’s best thermal ticket paper to Suzo. We are very pleased to represent such a reknown company here in Europe.” | ||
| 13-10-2006 Charles Turnbull Named CEO of the Suzo-Happ Group | ||
| ELK GROVE, IL …..Charles E. Turnbull has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Suzo-Happ Group, a leading supplier to the Gaming, Amusement and Industrial industries. Mr. Turnbull will be responsible for all the Suzo-Happ Group companies including Happ, Suzo, Suzo UK, Suzo South America, Advanced Electronic Systems, Inc., ProSource and Mazzco Billiards. Mr. Turnbull has an extensive background leading both public and private businesses. Recently, he served as President and CEO of Sagus International, Inc., a private equity owned manufacturer of classroom furniture with five divisions, four locations and 1,000 employees. Prior to that, he served for three years as President of Zebra Technologies, a publicly-traded manufacturer (NASDAQ: ZBRA) of computer printers for bar-coding and supply chain applications with 2,000 employees in six U.S. and European facilities. Mr. Turnbull also formed a new company, InTone Corporation, with private equity backing to provide a global platform in the office imaging supplies market. Earlier in his career, Mr. Turnbull spent 16 years with Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY), a Fortune 500 company, managing sales/marketing units, leading three divisions, and ultimately serving as a Corporate Officer and Vice President/General Manager for the company. He holds an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. Chuck Turnbull said “I am excited to be part of the Suzo-Happ Group and look forward helping the organization achieve its goal of becoming the leading supplier within its industries.” “As the Suzo-Happ Group has evolved from a domestic to a global business with 16 locations throughout the world, the organization needed a leader with multi-national experience”, noted Jim Norton, Managing Director of Pfingsten Partners. “Chuck brings engineering, international and business process experience to a strong existing management team. Together they will be able to serve the company’s market even more effectively and drive continued growth.” The Suzo-Happ Group was formed in 2004 with the merger of Suzo International and Happ Controls and the additional merger of Advanced Electronic Systems, Inc. in 2005. The combination of these three successful organizations holds a global leadership position in the gaming and amusement parts and accessories market. The combined organization services customers in nearly 80 countries with manufacturing, engineering, distribution and service capabilities on three continents. Over 400 dedicated employees, on 3 continents, are focused on exceeding customer expectations. | ||
| 9-10-2006 Benelux Show 2006 | ||
| The Suzo team welcomed over 500 guests to its Benelux Show on the 4th October 2006. Indeed, for the fourth time Suzo International hosted this exhibition that has become an annual event for the whole gaming and amusement industry in Holland and Belgium. This relaxed platform provides the industry to meet and greet and this Benelux Show has established itself as an important industry exhibition. A whole range of Benelux companies exhibited – Orion Gaming, JvH Gaming Products, Eurocoin International , Janshen & Hanraths, REAC, Elaut, Game Works, Elam Group, Idea Vending, ARB, Signs 4U, G.A.AS., Delta Automaten, Qiosq, Jukebox Gallery. From Germany Hess and GeWeTe exhibited. Suzo International took the opportunity to show its own product range. The linked topper lighting was a real highlight. The whole range of Suzo hoppers were naturally present. Several major partners of Suzo International were also present, including FutureLogic, MEI, Pyramid Technologies and Assa Desmo. The excellent food was enjoyed by all. This year’s theme was Africa with a massive yellow adventure truck was on display. Further details of Suzo’s activities in Africa can be found on. http://www.hollandafricatour.nl/ Marc Aarts, Suzo International Sales Manager for the Benelux stated with contentment, “The Benelux Show was devised to allow the Benelux Gaming and Amusement industry here to find a new platform to meet and greet. You could say like a Dutch version of the Preview Show. It’s a great opportunity for the local industry to network and an opportunity for Suzo International to thank our customers by staging this exhibition.” | ||
| Pictures Benelux Show 2006 | ||
| 9-10-2006 SUZO Benelux Show overweldigend succes. | ||
| De SUZO Benelux Show van 4 oktober heeft zijn succes van voorgaande jaren wederom ruimschoots overtroffen. De in grote getale toegestroomde relaties hadden dan ook niets dan lof over de opzet van dit jaarlijks terugkerend evenement. Het slechte weer kon absoluut geen invloed uitoefenen op het bezoekersaantal. Dit jaar had de organisatie er een Afrikaanse tint aangegeven. De aanwezigheid van een van de trucks van de Holland Africa tour en de inrichting middels “African look” meubilair maakte het helemaal compleet. Voor de aanwezige standhouders was ook deze dag een overweldigend commercieel succes. Van iedereen hebben we positieve reacties mogen ontvangen. Ook voor het “winkelend publiek” was er voldoende te halen. Peter Spelier van JVH Gaming en Entertainment bestelde bij SUZO zijn eerste HESS Casino Cash Centre compleet met Mini ATM en GeWeTe geldwisselautomaten, rede genoeg om hier een goed glas champagne voor te heffen. Marc Aarts van SUZO verteld “Met deze Benelux Show hebben we in korte tijd een trend gezet die we jaarlijks willen laten terugkeren en indien mogelijk overtreffen. Dezelfde dag hebben we al besloten om volgend jaar 3 oktober de editie 2007 te laten plaatsvinden. Een show in een ongedwongen sfeer met een Bourgondisch tintje is voor zowel de bezoekers als standhouders een overweldigend succes.” |  | |
| Bekijk foto's Benelux Show | ||
| 20-9-2006 Suzo International Acquires Sadectronic, S.A. | ||
| Oud Beijerland, The Netherlands. – September 20, 2006 – Suzo International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Sadectronic, S.A. in Madrid, Spain. Sadectronic, S.A. is a parts distribution company within the Gaming and Industrial markets. The combined company is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of amusement and gaming parts and accessories, with over 400 employees in 15 locations serving customers in over 80 countries. Pfingsten Partners is the majority shareholder. Sadectronic, S.A. will change its name to Suzo Technical Components Espana S.A. “Broadening our distribution capability in Southern Europe, while having a local presence in the Spanish market, was a key strategic move for the business," says Jim Norton, Managing Director of Pfingsten Partners and Chairman of Suzo-Happ Group. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International added, “Our Madrid based organization is centrally located to meet the needs of the entire Spanish market. The Madrid based employees are a talented team of professionals with excellent technical skills.” “The Spanish market has unique product requirements which the Suzo Happ Group will be able to supply in Spain”, noted Pedro Garcia, Managing Director of Sadectronic, S.A. “Joining the Suzo-Happ Group will enable Sadectronic, S.A. to access the additional resources provided by their worldwide manufacturing, distribution and service organization”. | ||
| 1-9-2006 Customer Information Notice | ||
| Last Buy for S1 and Compact Payout Products from Money Controls Money Controls will cease producing the mechanical coin validator S1 and its compact payout unit this year. Last orders for these products will be accepted on Friday 22nd September by Suzo International. Money Controls will continue to supply spare parts for these products until 31.12.2011. |  | |
| 22-8-2006 Suzo Americas anounce new freeport distribution centre | ||
| The Suzo Happ group has built up a strong reputation with its vast product range throughout the globe, yet with a local presence to focus on customer needs. Suzo Happ continue to improve on the service it offers and has taken the next logical step. Therefore, Suzo Americas are pleased to announce the new Freeport Distribution centre of Suzo Americas. Companies outside of South America who deal with South America are acquainted with the varied, complicated, often bureaucratic procedures of exporting their goods to Latin America and the complications and costs it means on the client’s side for the import. Suzo Americas have focused on improving the export-import process. Gaming companies exporting to Latin America can bundle shipments and make use of this logistical centre used by Suzo Americas. Instead of sending several smaller shipments to Latin American customers, these can be sent together to Suzo Americas’ Freeport distribution centre and be managed / shipped from there. The Freeport is in Montevideo, Uruguay, and will open its doors to business the end of September. For the regional operators, this means that they can satisfy their needs for a wide variety of spares with just one single import procedure. For South American manufacturers, Suzo Americas offers additional advantages. With over 30,000 products in its range, the local manufacturer can choose many machine components from Suzo Americas, be it a touchscreen monitor, a handle bar, a ticket printer, a note reader or even the tower lights. Instead of having to import these goods from each, individual supplier, the local OEM can rely on Suzo Americas for its needs. Suzo Americas offer the possibility of just-in-time delivery from its Monteviedeo Freeport distribution centre, allowing companies to first receive goods when they are really required for the manufacturing process. Jens Peiler, General Manager of Suzo Americas, states, “Suzo Americas has grown rapidly in recent years. This is because we focus on customer needs. Slot machines require a whole range of components and we at Suzo Americas are willing to stock these. Our focus on building a professional service network has taken the next step in the right direction with our Freeport distribution centre. We welcome all operators and manufacturers within Latin America and those exporting to Latin America to make use of this service”. | ||
| 11-8-2006 Suzo International has agreed a distribution contract with Visaton | ||
| Suzo International is pleased to announce that it has agreed a distribution contract with Visaton. Visaton is a German-based company that manufactures high-end speakers. With Suzo’s drive to offer the best quality to the market, it was only natural to turn to Visaton for speakers. Visaton speakers offer an extensive range of speakers. Having a moisturised cone and metal basket as standard, Visaton speakers offer the reliability that the market is looking for. They are kitted out with high efficiency and high-range rise. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International, stated, “We are very pleased to be able to offer Visaton speakers to the gaming and amusement markets. The very high quality fits in with our strategy of representing the best companies in the given product range”. | ||
| 21-7-2006 Suzo International announces their newly designed website | ||
| Suzo International would like to invite you to visit their website at www.suzo.com to see the new design of the website. Suzo International have focused on making their website as informative as possible for customers. With a product range of over 30,000 separate articles, there is an abundance of information that Suzo can offer. The new website aims to provide a structured, simple-to-find approach so customers can simply and quickly find the information they need. With so many items available, it is vital to have a simple, clear website to help customers. The Suzo Catalogue can be downloaded from the website. It has been separated out into fifteen separate sections. Customers can focus on the types of products they require and download this section. Futhermore, under the heading “Downloads”, brochures and manuals can be downloaded of many key product lines. For example, details of products from ELO, Futurelogic, MEI and Pyramid can be found as well as a host of information on Suzo’s hopper range. Details of new products, press releases and an exhibition overview can be found. Suzo invites you to sign up on its mailing list. Being an information-only website, please note that it is no longer possible to place orders online on the www.suzo.com website. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International stated: “With the rapid growth of the Suzo-Happ group the importance of our website has grown. We focus on our customer base and so have consciously invested in providing a website that is dedicated on providing as much information as possible on our product range. We always endeavour to understand the needs of our customers and we believe the new website is a further step in the right direction”. | ||
| 21-7-2006 Suzo International is proud to announce partnership with Pyramid Technologies | ||
| Suzo International is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with a key dynamic manufacturer of Banknote Readers. Suzo International is now the Continental European distributor for Pyramid Technologies (PTI) from Arizona, USA. Thus, Suzo customers will be pleased to know that they have a new choice in high quality, low cost bank note readers. The TRILOGY is a stackerless bank note reader that can be seen as a serious alternative to the already established products in the market. The Trilogy Series Bank Note Acceptors are competitively priced and designed for indoor use in the amusement, gaming, vending, lottery and kiosk markets. Trilogy Bank Note Acceptors can accept notes from 60mm to 85mm in width, thus including the GBP 50 UK note. Pyramid Technologies have been able to design an excellent, high-security, easy-to-use product but at a price that will raise many eyebrows within the market. The Trilogy can boast a number of features, including dual-stage optical anti-stringing and a removable note path for easy cleaning and maintenance. A very high acceptance rate comes with high security against fraudulent notes. This 12V DC unit can accept up to 12 notes (all four directions) and has an accept rate of approx. 20 notes per minute. Suzo Americas have been distributing Pyramid Technologies and also the new subsidiary in Spain for some time now. The excellent feedback has led to the Continental European distribution contract. Outside of Russia, Ukraine and Kazachstan (separate distributor), Suzo International can offer the PTI products in Continental Europe. Please contact your local Suzo sales representative for further information. |  | |
| 26-5-2006 Suzo Americas Exceeds FutureLogic’s Market Penetration Goals for South America | ||
| Glendale, Calif.—May 24, 2006—FutureLogic, Inc., the leading manufacturer of thermal ticket printers for cashless gaming, announced today that during the last 18 months Suzo Americas (AR) SRL has surpassed expectations for South American market penetration, and has helped establish the largest installed base of thermal gaming printers in the region. Under an agreement initiated in early 2005, Suzo Americas sells and provides service for FutureLogic’s TITO (ticket-in/ticket-out) printers throughout Latin America. Suzo Americas reports installations of more than 6000 FutureLogic GEN1 and GEN2™ printers in all of South America’s major gaming markets – including Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina, Viña del Mar, Chile and Quito, Ecuador. With dozens of new casinos slated for TITO launches in 2006, Suzo Americas expects FutureLogic will continue to grow its share of market. “FutureLogic’s worldwide reputation for reliability and innovative technology provided an excellent foundation for the South American introduction,” said Jens Peiler, General Manager of Suzo Americas. “The versatile GEN2 printer has also enhanced our ability to provide a complete set of cashless solutions to our OEM and casino customers in this burgeoning region.” More than 30 Suzo professionals working in more than 20 Latin American countries help FutureLogic identify and meet customer expectations based on unique local requirements. Suzo Americas’ comprehensive technical service facility in Argentina also ensures timely, cost-effective engineering support, training and technical service. Nick Micalizzi, Vice President Sales and Marketing for FutureLogic commented, “Suzo Americas’ expertise in the gaming industry helped them blast through the goals we set for our first year in South America, and their commitment to total customer satisfaction assures our continued success.” About FutureLogic Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Glendale, Calif., FutureLogic designs and builds high-reliability electromechanical assembly solutions for nearly every printing need. As the undisputed leader in super-robust thermal printer technology, FutureLogic is the industry’s premier supplier of thermal printers for casino gaming, promotional equipment, kiosk, industrial, RTAL, gas pumps and medical applications. In July 2004 the company founded FutureLogic Europe Ltd to provide direct sales and engineering support for the growing OEM thermal printer markets in Europe. More information on the company is available at www.futurelogic-inc.com. About Suzo Americas (AR) SRL Suzo Americas was founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2000 as a subsidiary of Suzo International, based in The Netherlands. With its sister-company STC Componentes do Brasil, Suzo Americas serves all of South and Central America as part of the SUZO-HAPP Group. This arrangement gives gaming clients in the region the opportunity to purchase all necessary products regionally, and provides them with local technical support and customer service. For more information on Suzo Americas visit www.suzo.com or email the company at info@suzo-americas.com. |  | |
| 22-5-2006 Serial Button Panel on cctalk Basis | ||
| Suzo-Happ will be releasing their revolutionary new pushbutton panel at the World of Games in Moscow. The Suzo International team of Robert van Enkhuijzen, John Carroll and Arman Ter-Hakobian will gladly be presenting this highlight to customers at their stand number 2304. This product is simplicity itself. It brings benefits to both manufacturers and players. The button panel is a device consisting of a number of illuminated button switches . The illumination is realised using RGB (red, green, blue) LED’s. The manufacturers can benefit from the cctalk serial interface which is used to connect the button panel to the gaming machine. The wiring is thus very simple and so extremely cost-effective. Traditionally all peripherals are connected in parallel: coin acceptor (usually 10 wires), hopper (usually 5 wires), as second hopper would mean 5 wires, if not more, and the button panel itself with 20 wires. Expanding the system with other peripherals is not simple and often requires more wires. Not only that, as the manufacturers are now given the freedom to drive their buttons serially, they can change the colour of the buttons as they like. They are no longer fixed to any specific colour. The buttons can be blinked, run in sequence, thus allowing the manufacturer to bring in new features, for example bonus features, to the game. The players can also benefit from the attractive colour sequencing from the button panel. The buttons can help explain the game better – for example, all flashing to indicate a certain feature; all changing colour to indicate another feature. Yet again the Suzo-Happ group can demonstrate that they bring constructive, new ideas for the benefit of the industry to the market. Robert van Enkhuijzen, Sales Director of Suzo International, said “We at Suzo have been servicing the market for over 50 years now. We have a wealth of experience and know-how which we use to benefit our customers. We are sure that our customers will be just as excited about this new product as we are” | ||
| 1-6-2006 HAPP Acquires Mazzco | ||
| Elk Grove, IL. – June 1, 2006 – HAPP is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Mazzco, a major parts distribution company within the Amusement, Vending, Billiard, Gaming and Industrial industries since 1984. The combined company is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of amusement and gaming parts and accessories, with nearly 400 employees in 14 locations serving customers in over 80 countries. Pfingsten Partners is the majority shareholder. “This is a another strategic move which will enhance our global leadership position in the Amusement and Gaming parts and accessories market," says Jim Norton, Managing Director of Pfingsten Partners and Chairman of Suzo-Happ Group. “The continued investment in our business is further evidence of our commitment to exceeding our customers expectations by providing value added solutions to the marketplace,” added Tom Happ, President of HAPP North America. “Our success is the result of being responsive to the needs of our customers”, noted Dan Lieberman, President of Mazzco. “Joining the Suzo-Happ Group will enable Mazzco to continue serving our customers with additional resources provided by their worldwide manufacturing, distribution and service organization”. ABOUT HAPP: Happ was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL. The company has additional distribution centers in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Greenville, South Carolina. The company specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of amusement, gaming, vending and industrial parts and accessories. For more information on Happ, visit: www.happcontrols.com ABOUT MAZZCO: Mazzco was established in 1984 and is located in Bensenville, IL. Mazzco is a distribution organization providing components and assemblies for the amusement, vending, gaming and billiard markets. The company has additional distribution centers in Bloomington, MN, Indianapolis, IN, Menomonie Falls, WI, and Pittsburgh, PA. For more information on Mazzco, visit: www.mazzco.com ABOUT THE SUZO-HAPP GROUP The Suzo-Happ Group was formed in 2004 with the merger of Suzo International and Happ Controls. The combination of these two successful organizations holds a global leadership position in the gaming and amusement parts and accessories market. The combined organization services customers in nearly 80 countries with manufacturing, engineering, distribution and service capabilities on three continents. Over 400 dedicated employees, on 3 continents, are focused on exceeding customer expectations. For more information on the Suzo-Happ Group, visit: http://www.suzohapp.com ABOUT PFINGSTEN PARTNERS: Deerfield, Ill.-based Pfingsten Partners is an operationally oriented private equity firm formed in 1989 to make equity investments in middle market manufacturing, distribution and specialty publishing companies. Since completing its first investment in 1991, Pfingsten Partners has acquired 43 companies and built value by providing capital, corporate finance and operating resources necessary to improve operations and achieve profitable business growth at its platform companies in partnership with management. For more information on Pfingsten Partners, visit: www.pfingstenpartners.com | ||
| 22-2-2006 Suzo Happ release the Evolution at the ATEI / ICE | ||
| The Evolution is the next generation belt-driven hopper. The Evolution has been designed with excellent quality and servicing in mind. Not only is the Evolution the quickest belt-driven coin payout hopper, the strong motor and electronics concentrated on one board ensure the long life and reliability of this product. Indeed, the electronics have been designed with service engineers in mind who will be pleased to see the simple accessibility here. The Evolution is available with the parallel or cctalk protocol and can be purchased with either the Cinch or Bulgin connector. The innovative positioning of the connector means that the opposite or adjacent setting can be done easily and quickly by the customer himself. “The Evolution has been in test for several months with key customers and the feedback shows us that this product will quickly establish itself in the market. It is a step forward for our customers but at a price that’s right. We are very excited about the future of this product” exclaimed John Carroll, Product Manager at Suzo International. * - not applicable to Suzo UK |  | |
| Manual | ||
| 22-2-2006 Three Strong Players Together | ||
| The Suzo Happ group will be presenting with its sister company AESI for the first time at the ICE this year. The Suzo Happ group purchased AESI in September last year. Advanced Electronic Systems, Inc. (AESI) provides sales, technical support and service for major peripheral devices of the slot machine such as MEI bill acceptors, FutureLogic printers, Kortek monitors and Starpoint game devices. Founded in 1993 by James Brendel, a 15-year veteran of the Gaming and Amusement Industries, AESI has quickly grown to be the Premier Gaming Solutions Provider. In 1997, AESI relocated the company headquarters to Las Vegas. This allowed AESI to expand its business to include complete repair service and spare part sales for FutureLogic thermal printers, MEI (Mars) bill acceptors, Kortek monitors and Starpoint reel mechanisms, pushbuttons and game devices. Marcel Oelen, Managing Director of Suzo International stated: “Having the three strong companies of Suzo, Happ and AESI working together brings us real depth in strength. Our customers are becoming more globally-oriented and this partnership serves our customer base around the globe. This is the edge we can offer to our customers”. More of AESI to be found on their website : www.gamingstuff.com |  | |
| 22-2-2006 Suzo International launches MEI Partnership Program to Casinos at ICE | ||
| Suzo International will be officially launching their Partnership Program for the MEI SC83 note acceptor at the ICE this January in London. Suzo International are the platinum distributor for MEI in Continental Europe. The goal of this Partnership Program is to form a partnership with casinos by providing total product support. This means that Suzo seeks to earn the casino’s loyalty by proof of performance. In return Suzo asks casinos then to request the MEI SC83 to be fitted on new machine purchases. Said John Carroll, Product Manager of Suzo International: “This concept has been put to very successful affect by our sister-company in Las Vegas AESI. With this concept many casinos have had the possibility to get to know the MEI SC note acceptor and have seen for themselves the benefits of having this product. Many casinos have chosen the MEI SC note acceptor as their default note acceptor, which has led to the great success in the States. Now we are proud to introduce this concept. Not only do casinos have the opportunity to focus on what we believe to be the best-in-class note acceptor, but also to benefit for the service and support from Suzo. The Partnership Program has a series of benefits for the casinos, which the Suzo team will be explaining at the ICE. Chris Mumford, European Gaming Director of MEI stated “We are very excited about the introduction of the Partnership Program. This Program has been of great service to our gaming customers in the States and we see this Program as further aiding our customers in Europe to see the benefits of the SC83 note acceptor.” The MEI SC note acceptor uses patented light bar technology to validate all know legitimate currency with the highest security in the industry. Currency can be inserted by the player at any angle into the SC note acceptor and the contact-less validation process virtually eliminates the possibility of jams and product down-time. Mumford states, “The concept is simple; no jams with best in class validation means that the casino will have more money in the cash box when using the SC note acceptor compared with all other note acceptors.” Further information can be received via the Suzo team. Please note that this Program is applicable to Suzo International in Continental Europe. | ||
| 22-2-2006 See that Winning Goal in your Casino – on the Suzo Happ LCD Topper | ||
| Suzo Happ’s range of casino toppers – the Ellipse, Shield and Ringo and the new Mini Ellipse – are being increasingly seen on casino machines nowadays, creating excitement and setting the theme of the game with these attention-grabbing toppers. Now Suzo Happ group have taken this product a step further with their partnership with Signs4U. An LCD screen can be integrated into the topper. This gives the casino operator all kinds of new possibilities. Thinking ahead to the World Cup this summer, players could be watching the football on the screen of the topper whilst still playing the game. Thus, casinos can be drawing in the football-loving slot players with this innovative feature and won’t have to worry that they will stay away watching the games at home. Imagine the thrill of seeing that winning goal and enjoying your favourite slot at the same time. “We’re very much looking forward to introducing this to the market place. The timing for this is just great” commented Marc Aarts, Suzo International Sales Manager for the Benelux. | ||
