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ASI Corporate Backgrounder
ASI designs and distributes point-of-sale and management software for use in the foodservice industry. ASI’s flagship POS product, Restaurant Manager™, is a fully-integrated Windows-based system that can be easily tailored for use in any sort of establishment from a four-star restaurant to a national pizza delivery chain. It is the most intuitive and easy-to-use software application on the market today and an ideal solution for a vertical market where labor is characterized by high turnover and relatively low computer literacy. ASI’s industry-leading, patented wireless Write-On Handheld™ POS System only enhances ASI’s reputation for harnessing cutting-edge technology in intuitive, easy-to-use applications.
Beginnings
Since its founding in 1987, ASI has focused exclusively on providing “open architecture” solutions in a market initially dominated by proprietary systems. At the time, these proprietary systems were limited in functionality and difficult to configure and operate. ASI’s founders, Alex Malison and Smiley Hsu, had the ideal training and background to penetrate the market with a new kind of product. Mr. Malison, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, comes from a family that has owned and operated restaurants for three generations, while Mr. Hsu, who has a Bachelor of Science and Master’s degree in electrical engineering, has extensive experience in computer systems and programming. Within months of incorporation, ASI had released Restaurant Manager v 1.0, an economical, easy-to-use package that worked on any IBM PC-compatible hardware. From that day forward, ASI has focused relentlessly on providing cutting-edge technology that is both stable and easy to use.
Initially, ASI sold directly to restaurants and other end-users and limited its operations to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In 1992, a major development effort was made to adapt Restaurant Manager for use with touch screens. The demand generated by this new product led ASI to cut back on direct sales to end-users and develop a reseller network throughout the United States and Canada. Over the next few years, these resellers generated a tremendous growth in sales that continues to this day, with an average 30 percent increase in annual revenues over the last three years.
In 2002, ASI released the only wireless handheld POS solution that actually works in a real-world, table service environment. Unlike competitive handheld products that were built around touch-buttons, the Write-On Handheld relied on handwriting recognition technology to create a simple POS solution as easy to use as a pencil and pad. The patented Write-On Handheld quickly became the leading wireless handheld POS technology in the market.
Today
In 2005, ASI shipped more than 6,000 fixed station licenses and 1,000 handheld licenses. Gross software revenues topped $3 million. Currently, ASI has more than 150 value-added resellers in the United States, as well as representatives in international markets including Canada, Mexico, South America, Asia, the Middle East and many European countries.
ASI’s POS product line has continued to expand to cover all areas of the foodservice industry, including table service, nightclubs & bars, pizza & delivery, quick service and chain operations. Popular add-on modules handle everything from employee scheduling to inventory control. One of ASI’s most popular add-on modules is the Browser Interface which allows a restaurant owner to use any standard internet browser to view real-time sales and labor information from anywhere in the world they have an internet connection.
The Future
ASI’s next big push is providing a suite of Web Services that makes it easy for restaurants to use the Internet to increase revenues and enhance business efficiency. Much more than just website design, Web Services include Online Gift Cards & Gift Certificates, Online Reservations, Online Ordering, Online Reporting and Online Staff Management, all of which integrate seamlessly with the Restaurant Manager POS system. Additionally, ASI offers a number of stand-alone Web Services including E-Club, E-Reservations, E-Calendar, E-Employment Forms and E-Coupons. With these services, restaurateurs are guaranteed to increase the profitability of their establishment.
In the meantime, the Write-On Handheld POS System continues to provide ASI with unique avenues for growth. ASI predicts that within five years, wireless handheld POS systems that rely on handwriting recognition will be as omni-present in the foodservice industry as the touch screen is in today’s marketplace. ASI’s Write-On Handheld, coupled with ASI’s track record of dependable, full-featured software and excellent dealer relations and technical support, puts the company in a strong position for continued growth and success for years to come.
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