Embedded Solutions

Case Study: Designing a self-service bill payment terminal

Customer: Banks, Finance companies
Technology: Embedded; Mechanical Design

The Customer

Sevak has been currently installed for Ahmedabad Electricity Board, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), Deutsche Bank, ICICI Bank, Shyam Telecom Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank, State Bank of Mysore, Thane Municipal Corporation, and UTI Bank.

The Challenge

In today's fast paced and highly competitive business world, the quality of service and the convenience offered to customers are the key variables that uniquely differentiate an organization from other market players and enables it to stay ahead of the competition.

For banks across the globe, one of the basic amenities that they can provide to their customers is the ability to pay their bills on a 24X7 basis. Tata Infotech's 'Sevak' is a self-service bill payment terminal that accepts payments through bank instruments and cash.

In order to successfully meet the market requirement for a self-service terminal, Sevak needed to incorporate state-of-the-art multimedia options and technological advancements, thus protecting customer investment for all future developments of the product. The hardware and software components of these machines would need to conform to the highest security standards in the market. The color and appearance of the cabinet could be customized to suit customer requirements.

A robust mechanical design had to be developed to incorporate important components such as the touch screen, printers and scanners into the Sevak terminal.

The Solution

SEVAK

Responding to these unique design requirements, Tata Infotech introduced the complete product design solution for Sevak. The mechanical design included sheet metal design, plastic parts design, Zinc Die cast parts and machined parts. The pro-engineer design tool from Parametric Technology Corporation was used for the top-down and bottom-up design.

Data was managed through a PDM link to maintain design and version control as well as to provide a set-up for a large design group to work concurrently on design.

AutoCAD and Mechanical desktop tools were used for 2D and 3D drafting and modeling respectively. CNC, laser, rapid prototyping and machining shops resulted in quick prototypes.

The terminal supports various modules such as barcode scanner, MICR reader, DIP/Smart card reader, reverse endorser, note and coin acceptors, envelope depository, rugged keypad, touch screen, thermal/impact receipt printer, statement printer, and journal printer.

In a world where customer needs are evolving constantly, Tata Infotech's Sevak self-service bill payment terminal can play a vital role in enabling banks and other financial services sector to enhance their quality of customer service.

Benefits to the customer

• Customer could meet the market requirements for a self service terminal 
• Enhanced quality of customer service
• Payments through bank instruments cash and banking instruments
• Supports complex work-flows and payments logistics
• Multiple payment options
• Selective applicability of constraints at runtime
• Seamless integration into existing IT infrastructure
• Configurable collection and reconciliation processes

Top.