China's RFID Market Will Exceed 5 Billion RMB
"Analysys International, predicts that China's RFID market will grow to exceed 5 billion RMB, with a annual growth rate of 33.2% in its recently released Consumer Electronics -- Focus Report on China's RFID Market 2005. Analysys International points out that the development of China's RFID market is subject to many factors, among which price, performance, protocol, policy, pioneer and privacy (6P) will be key factors to determine the penetration and coverage of RFID applications. According to the study, government support and promotion is the prime factor for rapid development of the RFID market in China. The Chinese government's program of second-generation ID card which implements RFID technology has accelerated the development and adoption of the technology." Source: ecnasiamag.com
Maritime industry next up to catch RFID wave
"One of the world's largest shipping concerns is preparing to participate in a track-and-trace, radio frequency identification technology supply chain pilot in Asia with EPCglobal Inc, a non-profit organisation spearheading RFID adoption. The move underscores an unprecedented wave of RFID adoption in the maritime industry. Cindy Braun, general manager at Maersk Logistics, a division of shipper A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, which is participating in the pilot, detailed the program on Wednesday at an RFID forum hosted by the Wireless Internet for the Mobile Enterprise Consortium at the University of California Los Angeles." Source: itnews.com.au
Chase Rolls Out RFID Credit Cards in N.Y. and Philadelphia
"J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. said Thursday that it has begun rolling out its contactless credit cards, known as "blink," in the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. To use the blink cards, customers wave the card near a reader at the checkout line. The reader emits a tone and lights up to signal payment confirmation. Chase is delivering the cards, which use a radio-frequency identification chip, to two million customers in the New York metropolitan area and 900,000 customers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The initial merchants that will accept blink are 7-Eleven, AMC Theatres, CVS, Duane Reade, Regal Entertainment, and Sony Style stores. The blink cards, which also include a traditional magnetic stripe, can be used anywhere Visa and MasterCard are accepted." Source: informationweek.com
The Global Packaging Market and RFID in Packaging
"Rexam commissioned IDTechEx to write their annual packaging innovation report, which includes detailed statistics of the packaging market, growth areas and how RFID will impact packaging." Source: idtechex.com
Rules for RFID chips in US passports
"The US State Department on Tuesday set out rules that will govern the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips in US passports. The passports, which will be piloted from December, are due to be issued in the US from October 2006, according to reports. The system is designed to follow the biometric standardisation developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) – a UN-level body that acts on behalf of governments to create international standards for airline navigation, safety and security – in 2003. This provides that the initial international biometric standard for passports is facial mapping, although additional biometrics such as fingerprinting can be included. But there have been difficulties in developing the technology quickly, and the US has decided to preempt matters by insisting that all US passports issued from next October contain an RFID chip, to which fingerprints or iris scans can be added later. In order to counter fears that the chipped passports will allow holders to be tracked or to fall prey to identity thieves, the State Department has announced that the covers of the passport will contain an anti-skimming device to block casual access. It also proposes a security system that will ensure that the chips only provide the data to recognised readers." Source: theregister.co.uk
All US passports to be RFID chipped
"All US passports will be implanted with remotely readable computer chips starting in October 2006, the Bush administration has announced. Sweeping new State Department regulations issued on Tuesday say passports issued after that time will have tiny RFID chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitised photograph of the passport holder. Eventually, the government contemplates adding additional digitised data such as "fingerprints or iris scans"." Source: silicon.com
Sun Trials RFID Asset Tracking
"Sun Microsystems Inc. on Wednesday launched the Sun RFID Industry Solution for Physical Asset Tracking, a combination of products and services meant to simplify the process of designing and integrating a radio-frequency-identification system for tracking physical assets. The application and business processes in the solution rely on RFID technology to determine the real-time location of critical assets and issue an alert when an asset being tracked is not in its assigned location. "We saw the need in our own facility to track assets," said Julie Sarbacker, director RFID business unit at Sun. Sun has more than 1,500 labs worldwide to support its multibillion dollar research and development efforts. To reduce costs and increase efficiencies, it has begun to consolidate its labs and found that it needs a better method of tracking its equipment." Source: informationweek.com
RFID reduces costs, gets supplies to troops in Iraq faster
"Wal-Mart has proven that RFID technology can help it keep its store shelves stocked with the products customers want. Similarly, the Department of Defense is demonstrating that the technology can get key supplies to its soldiers in Iraq much quicker. Speaking at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' annual conference, the DOD's Alan Estevez told attendees on Monday that by using RFID in conjunction with other technologies, the DOD has been able to reduce inventory in Iraq from about $127 million to about $70 million. In addition, the DOD has increased its ability to fill requests for critical supplies from Marines in the field. With the help of RFID, the fill rate has improved from 77 percent to 89 percent, while soldiers, confident their orders will arrive on time, have reduced the retail backlog of requests for items coming into supply areas from 92,000 items to 11,000. The results were obtained by using active RFID tags, although Estevez says those tags were used only because the depots were already set up for them, and that the use of passive tags is quickly being phased into the DOD operations." Source: dcvelocity.com
Radar reader spots RFID tag location at a distance
"A South African company claims it has invented a scanner that can read multiple radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and pick them out from a crowd, allowing users to accurately locate objects among multiple targets. Trolley Scan, says its new RFID-radar based readers is able to read tens of tags at a distance, allowing food manufacturers to use cheaper equipment and at the same time speeding up the rate of processing." Source: foodproductiondaily.com
RFID Spending Picture
"There was $400.2 million of spending on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in 2004, according to a new report ("World Retail RFID Markets -- A Retailer Perspective") from Frost & Sullivan. But the really eye-catching figure is Frost & Sullivan's projection of $4.169 billion of RFID spending by 2011. That represents a tenfold increase in spending over a mere seven years." Source: line56.com
New Technologies in RFID Tag
"DOMINANT Semiconductors announces the release of new state-of-the-art technologies in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag to deliver higher levels of performance in automatic identification, tracking and management of objects and information. DOMINANT now provides a total solution for the production of RFID tags. This includes converting processes such as inlay assembly, lamination and test from raw materials to finished goods such as smart labels, smart tickets and tags. Three kinds of tags are available from DOMINANT categorized by the radio frequency: High Frequency tags (13.56MHz), Ultra High Frequency (860MHz – 960MHz) and Microwave (2.45GHz)." Source: arcweb.com
Intelligent network foundation for RFID from Cisco
"Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com) is shipping an Intelligent Foundation for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) this month to help enterprise introduce RF technologies into the supply chain to increase visibility into product information and optimize business flow for lower operating costs. The Cisco RFID Solution delivers integrated RFID capabilities and the support that enterprises need to optimize available network capacity and simplify RFID infrastructure deployment. Key elements of the Cisco RFID Solution include: * Cisco Application Oriented Network (AON) for RFID. * Cisco Services for RFID. * Cisco Wireless Location Service. * Supporting RFID-related products from partners ConnecTerra, Intermec Technologies Corp., PanGo Networks and ThingMagic." Source: enterprisenetworksandservers.com
RFID and Smart Labels: the evolution for AIDC
"If current Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) technology providers do not start taking RFID technology seriously then they are going to be left behind, warned Ray Chappelow, product manager for Dy-Mark, at a recent Australian Institute of Packaging seminar on RFID. "RFID will play a significant role in future bar coding and product identification technologies and providers need to become better educated on the technology and its benefits over existing solutions," Mr Chappelow said." Source: ferret.com.au
RFID in UAE jewellery stores
"Damas is trialing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in its stores in the UAE, prior to a global rollout. The jeweller is using RFID tags to cut inventory costs and make it easier to guard against theft. Dubai-based company The Jewellery Store (TJS), which was set up this year by Damas and three other firms, has created the RFID tags. Each RFID tag contains a unique identification number which, when scanned by a reader, is transmitted to an inventory database which runs on a standard PC in the store. The database contains detailed information on each piece of jewellery and by passing the reader over any number of items a stock check is carried out in minutes." Source: itp.net
Grant allows MCC to launch RFID program
"Using a grant of more than $850,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor, Middlesex Community College plans to establish a “radio frequency identification” program at its Lowell campus. The new course offerings will make Middlesex a leader in an emerging field, said Barry Werner, the college's dean of computer and engineering technologies." Source: lowellsun.com
RFID in the Postal Service
"Postal bags are often tagged with active or passive RFID tags to keep track of them. The Italian Postal Service has been a leader in this and other uses of RFID in the postal service. Deutsche Post of Germany has bought courier company DHL so now it ships about 27 billion items yearly, DHL being responsible for one billion yearly. DHL has carried out successful item level tagging using 13.56 MHz tags from Identec and wishes to tag everything in this way using EPC coding." Source: morerfid.com
Open Source RFID Middleware M1 Release
"i-Konect announced the first milestone release of Singularity 1.0, an open-source java-based platform that integrates Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and sensory data with enterprise applications as well as business partners. The Singularity architecture segments the functionality into two major components (Information Services and Middleware). It is designed to provide integrators and users the ability to more rapidly deploy RFID technology and significantly advance the realization of a return on investment." Anonymous reader via newsforge.com
Time is Now to Investigate RFID Technology
"ProLogis , a leading global provider of distribution facilities and services, today released the latest edition of the ProLogis Supply Chain Review entitled, "RFID - Lessons Learned." It is based on interviews conducted with 31 supply chain leaders and describes their companies' preparations or strategies for dealing with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as well as the lessons that they have learned. Leonard Sahling, head of the ProLogis Research Group, noted, "To date, the high cost of RFID tags and readers has generally outweighed the potential benefits. But technological breakthroughs announced during the past few months have reduced these costs by about a third. Within the next year or so, we expect to see a sharp acceleration in the number of companies that have purchased state-of-the-art RFID systems and incorporated them into their supply chain operations."" Source: finanzen.net
Army tests RFID to beat 'friendly fire'
"The British Army has been testing technologies - including radio frequency tags - that could reduce casualties from 'friendly fire' incidents. Earlier this month Nato's Operation Urgent Quest exercise tested the potential of a number of combat identity systems under battlefield conditions on Salisbury Plain, with 800 troops, 94 combat vehicles and nine aircraft putting a series of technologies through their paces." Source: silicon.com
AIM Global Publishes RFID Position Statements on RFID Standards and the RFID Regulatory Environment
"AIM Global, the industry trade association and worldwide authority on automatic identification and mobility technologies, today published the second in a series of Global Position Statements addressing issues surrounding Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), including both passive and active RFID. The position statement addressing RFID standards states that “AIM Global supports cooperation between ISO and industry consortia (e.g., EPCglobal, AIAG, and IATA) to eliminate redundant or conflicting efforts, and recommends that industry consortia users and technology providers participate in and support the ISO standards development process.”" Source: aimglobal.org
Boeing's RFID Mandate
"Aerospace and defense (A&D) giant Boeing is mandating the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) for suppliers participating in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner project, which aims to deliver the next generation of Boeing airplanes to customers by 2008. On the surface, Boeing's mandate is reminiscent of those already instituted by Wal-Mart, the U.S. Department of Defense, and many large retailers, but it is even more challenging than those. That's because Boeing wants its suppliers to use a 64-kilobyte passive tag resistant to changes in pressure, temperature, and humidity; able to carry a unique identification number; and carrying a slew of maintenance and inspection data." Source: line56.com
RFID Makes Headway In India
"Historically, RFID is said to be a technology around since World War II, when the British put IFF transponders in planes to identify returning aircraft. Lately however, it has caught the attention of the whole world. A 2-day conference-cum-exhibition has been organized by EPCglobal India, in New Delhi. The focus of this event is on global developments, applications, benefits and future of RFID technology in India across retail, aviation, logistics, IT and pharmaceutical sectors." Source: cxotoday.com
Reva Taps Into RFID Data
"Just a few months after stepping out of stealth, Reva Systems Corp. has unveiled its first product: a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) appliance which aims to ease the strain on users' back-end storage and servers. Keeping track of the masses of data generated by RFID readers poses a potential nightmare for data center managers, something Reva hopes to cash in on. The one-rack-unit Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) sits on a local area network (LAN) and draws information from RFID readers. The appliance then uses the Auto-ID Infrastructure (AII) interface to make the data available to SAP and SQL applications sitting on back-end servers." Source: unstrung.com
Wal-Mart quantifies RFID benefits, finally
"Wal-Mart, which has mandated that its suppliers use RFID technology, commissioned the University of Arkansas to conduct a 29-week study to analyze out-of-stock merchandise at 12 pilot stores with RFID and 12 control stores without the technology. The study, which Wal-Mart stressed was independent, found a 16% reduction in out-of-stocks and that out-of-stock items with RFID were replenished three times faster than comparable items using traditional bar codes. Wal-Mart also saw a 10% reduction in manual orders, which mean a reduction of excess inventory." Source: cbronline.com
Top 10 Tips for Optimal RFID Smart Label Success
"Now that EPCglobal has ratified the new Class 1 Generation 2 (Gen 2) protocol for radio frequency identification (RFID), more companies will make serious headway in adopting RFID for the supply chain, according to Zebra Technologies, a provider of on-demand printing solutions, including for RFID. With that in mind, Zebra is offering the following tips to help companies optimize the printing and encoding of RFID "smart" labels... (more) " Source: sdcexec.com
Best Buy's Spin On RFID
"Best Buy is just months away from using tags on some shipments to improve its supply chain and customer service. Best Buy Co.'s radio-frequency identification deployment, three years in the making, will go live in January. Nearly 80% of its hundreds of suppliers, which are responsible for generating 80% of the company's $27 billion in annual revenue, will begin shipping cases and pallets tagged with passive RFID chips to two undisclosed distribution centers and from there on to five of the 700 stores in the chain. Best Buy has big plans for the emerging technology, including RFID tagging at the item level as early as February with the participation of suppliers such as iriver America Inc., which makes portable music devices. These ambitions led Best Buy to open an RFID lab in Minnesota in 2003; it has developed 10 to 12 supply-chain and product-location applications tied to RFID and its inventory system." Source: informationweek.com
Toyota South Africa Motors Ltd. Selects Alien Technology(R) RFID Solution for Vehicle Identification
"Alien Technology Corporation today announced that Toyota Motor Corporation's South African operation, Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd., has selected Alien(R) RFID products as the basis for its automated vehicle identification application. The use of Alien's low-cost, EPC-compliant RFID tags and readers will enable the automotive manufacturer to accurately and cost-effectively track vehicles from post-production to shipment, thus helping to reduce the time required to invoice dealers on new vehicle shipments." Source: businesswire.com
Wal-Mart to Expand RFID Requirements
"Wal-Mart also says it will expand its RFID tagging requirements. The company is working with suppliers that are not tagging all of their stock-keeping units to tag more SKUs. In addition, it's asking suppliers to ship to distribution centers and stores in other parts of the United States that have been RFID-enabled; currently, suppliers are only required to tag products being shipped to three distribution centers and some 150 stores in the Texas region. Wal-Mart is also moving ahead with plans to require an additional 200 suppliers to begin tagging specific SKUs. These requirements will generate significant activity and give a boost to RFID technology and service providers that have been growing frustrated at the slow pace of adoption." Source: rfidjournal.com
Dallas Firm Receives RFID Medical Patent
"Caducys, L.L.C., an early stage medical electronics company announced today that it has been granted a Notice of Allowability by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company will receive a fundamental patent on a system utilizing RFID and other detection technologies focused on counting and accounting of items used during surgical procedures. The CountORtm system under development at Caducys integrates RFID and metal detection technologies to create a cost effective handheld system that enables operating room personnel to account for sponges and instruments before, during and after surgical procedures. “This award is very timely because of the increased focus on patient safety as well reducing the cost of healthcare. All of these concerns are addressed through the CountORtm system.” Lacinski said." Source: emediawire.com
FlowSense and Digital Defense Group Partner to Pursue the RFID Biometric Access Control Market
"FlowSense and Digital Defense Group announced a joint marketing agreement under which FlowSense will integrate and sell Digital Defense Group's Factor4 and IronGate on-card self-enrolling biocards. "Digital Defense Group's RFID-based technology will position FlowSense to better serve the government and commercial market place," stated Bill Schlueter, Manager of Biometric Solutions Business Development for FlowSense. "Digital Defense Group's series of biocards are clearly in its own category above and beyond traditional smart card system." Source: morerfid.com
Avery Dennison’s medium-duty RFID label printer offers cost-effective labeling solution
"Pressure-sensitive technology and self-adhesive solution provider Avery Dennison Printer Systems brought new medium-duty RFID label printer. A new competitively priced, medium-duty RFID label printer with RFID Generation 2 capabilities is now available from Avery Dennison Printer Systems. The product, called the AVERY DENNISON AP 5.4 RFID Printer, enables companies to meet stringent RFID labeling requirements in the apparel, footwear, retail, packaging, distribution and a broad range of industrial markets." Source: fibre2fashion.com
Wal-Mart RFID Trial Shows 16% Reduction In Product Stock-Outs
"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. says its customers are finding the items they want in stock on shelves more often in stores that are using radio frequency identification technology with embedded electronic product codes, compared with those that are not, according to initial findings from a University of Arkansas study conducted during the last several months. Researchers found a 16% reduction in out-of-stock merchandise at Wal-Mart stores equipped with RFID labels using EPC codes. The study also shows that out-of-stock items with RFID were replenished three times faster than items using standard bar-code technology. Wal-Mart also experienced a "meaningful reduction" in manual orders resulting in a reduction of excess inventory, according to the university report. The study also showed that RFID-enabled stores were 63% more effective in replenishing out-of-stock products than control stores not equipped with the technology." Source: informationweek.com
Consumer Group Calls For RFID Protest At Dallas Wal-Mart
"Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, a consumer privacy advocacy group, is calling for consumers to march on a Dallas Wal-Mart store on Saturday to protest its use of radio frequency identification technology. With protest signs in hand, privacy activist Katherine Albrecht, CASPIAN founder, will attend the march, along with Liz McIntyre, co-author of the newly published book "Spychips." For more than a year Wal-Mart has been working with suppliers such as Hewlett-Packard & Co., Procter & Gamble, and other consumer goods companies to deploy a supply chain inventory tracking system based on RFID technology. Labels with the tiny RFID chips are affixed to cases and pallets before the supplier ships the goods from its distribution center in Sanger, Texas, to one of several stores – most in the Dallas area – where Wal-Mart has installed RFID readers and equipment – most of them in the Dallas area – before the products are shipped to participating stores." Source: informationweek.com
Amsterdam Libraries Deploying RFID
"Twenty-five branches of the Amsterdam Public Library are on their way to deploying RFID to help manage their collections. The library system’s ongoing deployment began a year ago and is due to be completed by the end of 2005. Approximately 15 branches have already been outfitted with RFID readers (interrogators), allowing staff to track inventory more easily and enabling staff and patrons to check books in and out more quickly. The project was announced by French RFID equipment maker Tagsys at the RFID Journal LIVE! Europe conference, held this week in Amsterdam." Source: rfidjournal.com
Privacy groups question RFID use in medicine tracking
"As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the use of radio frequency identification tags to help fight counterfeit prescription drugs, privacy advocates are cautiously watching to be sure consumer privacy isn't lost in the process. Last year, the FDA called for the widespread use of RFID tags to help ensure that drugs sold to consumers are legitimate (see "FDA Backs RFID Tags for Tracking Prescription Drugs". Under the FDA proposal, RFID tags would be used on cartons and pallets of drugs throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain by 2007. The problem, according to privacy advocates, is that the FDA is considering more than just tracking large shipping containers or crates of medicines with RFID tags; it could also use the tags to track individual medicine bottles or even individual tablets. That, privacy advocates said, would be invasive." Source: computerworld.com
GE Aviation Finds Value in RFID
"John Hamilton, logistics operations leader for GE Aviation, a General Electric division that manufactures jet engines for civil and military aircraft, says that when his company saw the specter of an RFID mandate coming from the Department of Defense (DOD), it quickly started looking at how it could get value out of RFID to improve its own operations. In August 2004, GE Aviation began a proof-of-technology pilot for an internal, closed-loop RFID tagging system. After working through some challenges regarding tag readability and data integration with its warehouse management system, the division completed the pilot early this year and made the RFID system a part of its business process." Source: rfidjournal.com
RFID The Right Way
"Manhattan Associates created RFID in a Box. It provides all of the components and services that are needed to roll out an enterprise-wide RFID initiative (or a more limited version). This deployment can include being EPC compliant and can fulfill an enterprise's need for tags, readers, printers, middleware, software, service and training." Source: forbes.com
Using RFID tags to improve food safety
"Recent food security scares have triggered public outcries and intense concern. People want to know exactly what is in their food, and what is done to it by whom. In response, Canada and many other countries are introducing traceability requirements – records that track all links in the food supply chain, from farmers to processors to retailers to consumers. In the coming years, entire industries will be affected, and many are looking to RFID to automate tracking." Source: itworldcanada.com
RFID Copying Nature
"As the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun. Still, it is prudent to look at what went before and to avoid reinventing the wheel. This is particularly true of nature. Biomimetics is the mimicking of nature to create manufactured products. In RFID it is not new but there is much more to come and nature has lessons for those going in the wrong direction. Animals identify each other using many forms of mark and emission, including features that glow in the dark. Interesting then that Brady has recently announced RFID tags that fluoresce. Velcro was invented when someone saw hooked seeds sticking to his socks and it is used on RFID wristbands, used, for instance, by UPS drivers for vehicle access." Source: idtechex.com
Privacy fears hinder the growth of RFID
"Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is not being used to its full potential, according to research published this week. The 2005 Consumer Packaging Report argues that RFID has so far only scratched the surface of its capabilities, with use limited to internal tracking projects. Privacy concerns are hindering the full exploitation of RFID’s potential to improve consumer safety and service radically, says the research." Source: vnunet.com
Top 10 Tips for Optimal RFID Smart Label Success
"Now that EPCglobal has ratified the new Class 1 Generation 2 (Gen 2) protocol for radio frequency identification (RFID), more companies will make serious headway in adopting RFID for the supply chain. Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a global leader in delivering on-demand printing solutions for business and process improvement with 10 years' experience in RFID, offers the following tips to help companies optimize the printing and encoding of RFID "smart" labels..." Source: Zebra via prnewswire.com
RFID gaining investment momentum
"Evidence suggests that radio frequency identification (RFID) is clearly moving forward. Despite implementation challenges and adoption risks, development continues at a brisk pace and an increasing number of end users are evaluating the technology. From a supply chain perspective, the key driver has been "the mandates," primarily driven by Wal-Mart and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). EPC Global also is playing an important role by advancing industry-specific work groups. In addition to supply-chain opportunities, there is significant RFID momentum in safety and security, most notably in the pharma and government markets." Source: wisetechnology.com
Cisco and Intel Collaborate on RFID Project in China
"Cisco Systems and Intel Corporation have announced a collaborative effort to support EPCglobal Hong Kong's EPCnetwork initiative, to bring end-to-end supply chain visibility to the Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region. Cisco and Intel are developing Electronic Product Code/radio frequency identification (EPC/RFID) enabled solutions for the network's infrastructure, which will connect manufacturers and logistics companies in the PPRD with retailers worldwide. Based on the recently announced Cisco RFID Solution, the EPC intelligent network infrastructure will help enterprises to increase visibility into product information, thus improving business flow and lowering operating costs. The key elements of the Cisco RFID Solution include the Cisco Application Oriented Network for RFID, Cisco Services for RFID and the Cisco Wireless Location Service, which together deliver integrated RFID capabilities that support enterprises' need to optimize available network capacity while simplifying RFID infrastructure deployment." Source: frontlinetoday.com
California RFID Bill Update
"California State Senator Joe Simitian has found a way to get his RFID bill ("Identity Information Protection Act") to the Senate floor after it was held in Appropriations. A different bill, also authored by Simitian, SB 768, which addressed marine finfish aquaculture and which had already been approved to go to the Senate floor, was completely gutted and the text replaced with his RFID legislation (SB 682). This change was approved by the Senate on 2 September 2005. Opposition to the bill continues." Source: aimglobal.com
Getting a Return from RFID
"Question: Are companies focused too strongly on the ROI of RFID — perhaps so much so that they neglect to see the possible strategic value of the technology? Brooke: RFID has been producing a valuable ROI and business benefit for 50-plus years, in both the public sector and government. It is critical to view RFID with ROI in mind, because otherwise there is no need for the technology. As a consulting services company, we are constantly asked to assist companies in determining the return on investment. We find compelling ROI every day with RFID. It pays to have very deep knowledge of the opportunity available through RFID so that the technology can deliver optimal returns." Source: itbusinessedge.com
New Study Shows Strategic Shift of RFID Hardware Vendors
"A new in-depth study into the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) market shows a remarkable shift of industry focus from European RFID vendors. Until 12 months ago, most vendors were targeting the open supply chain applications in the retail industry, hoping to capitalise on the potential high volume of RFID tags and readers in these applications. Since then, many vendors have broadened their focus and begun targeting opportunities in other market segments. Despite a converging set of standards for North America and Europe, the focus for RFID implementations is very different on the opposite sides of the Atlantic. North America continues to view the technology as key for the retail and defence sectors, a perception driven by companies such as Wal-Mart and the US Government. But Europe is starting to recognise the wider applications for the technology in areas such as logistics, aviation, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry." Source: prnewswire.co.uk
BEA Buys RFID Firm ConnecTerra
"Application infrastructure software company BEA Systems said Tuesday it is buying ConnecTerra, a company that makes software used for automatic identification technology known as RFID (radio frequency identification), for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will help BEA integrate RFID into its middleware products. BEA is one of the top providers of middleware, the software layer that lies between the operating system and the applications." Source: redherring.com
RFID policy seeks identity
"RF identification technology graduated from the warehouse pallet to the global public-policy arena here last week, as delegates to a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) debated RFID's economic promise and societal implications." Source: commsdesign.com
RFID Implementation Challenges Persist
"Mix a promising but immature and costly technology with fast-moving adoption mandates from a huge customer to which you can't afford to say no. Throw in a pinch of inevitable human errors, stir in the unyielding laws of physics, and then top it all off with a dash of bickering about standards. And what you get is the passive radio-frequency identification market near the end of 2005." Source: informationweek.com
You need not be paranoid to fear RFID
"Why is [RFID] so scary? Because so many of us pay for our purchases with credit or debit cards, which contain our names, addresses, and other sensitive information. Now imagine a store with RFID chips embedded in every product. At checkout time, the digital code in each item is associated with our credit card data. From now on, that particular pair of shoes or carton of cigarettes is associated with you. Even if you throw them away, the RFID chips will survive. Indeed, Albrecht and McIntyre learned that the phone company BellSouth Corp. had applied for a patent on a system for scanning RFID tags in trash, and using the data to study the shopping patterns of individual consumers." Source: boston.com
RFID tested on shop floor
"The Warehouse Group will wrap-up a radio frequency identification proof-of-concept by Christmas. The low-cost retailer, which operates 85 stores in Australia and New Zealand, is one of the first retailers in the region to seriously trial the next-generation tagging technology. The proof-of-concept is being run at the company's test centre, the Merchandise Display Centre. The trial involves a couple of hundred of tags and readers from Alien Technology. Saito Group is providing RFID printers and labels and IBM is consulting on the project." Source: australianit.news.com.au
NCR and Technology Solutions Company Spotlight End-to-End Solutions Design and Integration at RFID Journal LIVE! Europe
"NCR Corporation announced that Technology Solutions Company will be a co-exhibitor in NCR's booth at the RFID Journal LIVE! Europe executive conference, Oct. 10-12 in Amsterdam. NCR's RFID solutions encompass thoughtware, hardware, software and deployment offerings, and range from labeling to enterprise data warehousing solutions." Source: morerfid.com
Hand Held Products Joins Intermec RFID Rapid Start Licensing Program
"Hand Held Products and Intermec Technologies Corporation have agreed to cross-license portions of their RFID intellectual property portfolios. Hand Held Products recently joined Intermec's Rapid Start Licensing Program, gaining full access to Intermec's reader portfolio of patented RFID technology. In return, Intermec will have access to Hand Held Products' RFID-related patents." Source: frontlinetoday.com
RFID Offers Tangible Returns in the Pharmaceutical Sector Despite Cost Variations
"A recent market research report "RFID in Pharmaceutical Sector (2005)" by RNCOS, discusses that companies offering integrated solutions to curb drug counterfeit are likely to yield tangible returns in shortest time span by ensuring smoother operations within the healthcare facilities. In light of recent developments, growth of RFID in pharmaceutical sector is likely to replace the barcode technology that able to reduce ADE (After Drug Event)-related incidents and deaths." Source: powerhomebiz.com
Best Buy Initiative Will Include Item-Level RFID
"One of the earliest participants in Best Buy's RFID initiative, iRiver America, is currently doing pre-pilot testing of OATSystems Inc.'s RFID framework, with plans to launch a full-fledged pilot two weeks from now, and to move from there to item-level tagging of its $200-and-up portable music devices in February. The consumer electronics product manufacturer and distributor also expects to join in on Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s RFID initiative, although probably not until 2006, according to Deepak Govil, senior manager of sales operations for iRiver." Source: eweek.com
USA : Avery Dennison bags DoD order for RFID Printer/Encoders
"Tag-free labeling firm Avery Dennison Printer Systems has been granted Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) for Class 1 RFID printer/encoders by the US Department of Defense (DoD), the company has announced. Previously, Avery Dennison Printer Systems earned BPAs for Class 1 RFID labels and fixed RFID readers. The DoD’s Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center issued BPAs to 10 supplier companies, including Avery Dennison Printer Systems, covering Electronic Product Code (EPC) Class 1 96-bit RFID printer/encoders. The BPAs are in effect until June 2007." Source: fibre2fashion.com
Sato America Offers Gen 2 RFID Labels For 14.9 Cents
"Leveraging its state of the art RFID label converting facility in Charlotte, N.C. and its strategic relationship with Avery Dennison RFID, SATO America is proud to offer 4" x 2" Gen 2 RFID labels for 14.9 cents a piece in single roll quantities. This new low-priced smart label opens the door for immediate adoption of Gen 2 RFID by end users. The thermal-transfer-printable label is also available as a Gen 1 product. The Gen 1 version is available for immediate shipment at this price and the Gen 2 product will be commercially available upon release of the Gen 2 capable CL408e printer. A variety of other label sizes and inlay configurations are also available." Source: morerfid.com
VeriChip Corporation ships 15,000th Active RFID Asset Tag
"Oct. 6, 2005--VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital (NASDAQ:ADSX), announced today the shipment of its 15,000th radio frequency identification (RFID) asset tag within the past five months, as it nears completion of its third hospital asset-tracking system installation during this period. "By incorporating RFID-based asset location and tracking into healthcare environments, hospitals gain control of their medical equipment, resulting in improved patient care and a better bottom line," stated Kevin McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer of VeriChip Corporation." Source: businesswire.com
100% Organic Matter RFID Chip Developed in Korea
"Sun-chan university in Korea has developed an organic chip which will cut down the price of RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification). Before this new process it was very complicated to manufacture RFIDs, and this resulted in high prices. The new RFID Tag chip is able to function on the 30 kHz frequency by only using 100% organic compounds and an inkjet printer. By cutting down the price considerably it will allow for thee mass production through the printing process. The chip can also be printed on any paper, plastic and wood standard." Source: mobilemag.com
Scientists Track Fish With GPS, RFID
"Scientists in New York State are putting battery-powered implants, hydrophones, GPS and sonic waves to use in the Hudson River, where they are tracking and studying several species of fish. About 45 fish are swimming in Hudson River's salty estuary emitting sonic waves, allowing New York's Department of Environmental Conservation to track them with hydrophones and GPS. The state's Hudson River Estuary research program is one of dozens across the nation in which environmentalists and scientists are using RFID tags, sonic transmitters, antennae, GPS, video, phones and other technology to study underwater ecosystems." Source: informationweek.com
High Frequency RFID Casino Chips
"VendingData(TM) Corporation, announced today that it has agreed to purchase all intellectual property ("IP") including global distribution rights for the current high frequency (13.56 MHz) RFID Chip within a Casino Chip technology from Australian-based Dolphin Products as well as all future generations of the technology, including but not limited to continuations and applications, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Dolphin Products will become VendingData(TM)'s exclusive casino chip manufacturer." Source: prnewswire.com
RFID automation
"The industry buzz says that RFID is the next great ship sailing to the promised land of automation – in this case, supply chain automation. Last year’s ratification of EPCglobal’s Generation 2 standard (for multi-vendor interoperability between chips and readers) joins the ongoing mandates from Wal-Mart, the Department of Defense and the FDA. With Cisco’s announcement earlier this month of its new RFID add-on board, the technology appears to be on course for mass adoption." Source: computerworld.com
RFID in Canada's Public Sector Offers Opportunity and Risk
"Policies are needed to safeguard citizens from the collection and use of personal information in both the public and private sectors. Industry Canada has been a leader in intellectual property rights and digital signatures, says Smith, but is lagging behind when it comes to RFID." Source: technewsworld.com
Unisys sees RFID tipping point in 2006
"Unisys, which claims one of the largest global RFID services businesses, expects more enterprises will move from RFID pilot projects to implementation during next year, based on key industry developments. This will see a 400% spike in the outsourcing of RFID infrastructure support next year, Unisys predicted. In turn, Peter Regen, VP of global visible commerce at Unisys said the company expects growth across several of its RFID services division." Source: cbronline.com
RFID in the automotive industry
"The automotive industry already uses RFID technology for a variety of applications. Sokymat, the global market leader in transponder sales, sold around 30-million RFID transponders (50 per cent of its total sales) to the automotive industry in 2003. Such applications include just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, "zero error production", reduced cycle time, stock management of raw-materials / finished goods, warehouse management, sourcing and procurement, assembly, order processing, distribution & transportation. And now with standardisation of the RFID technology through the work of EPCglobal Inc (a non-profit consortium of supply chain providers) the EPC / RFID technology has the potential to enhance those applications by an ubiquitous infrastructure that provides standardisation for automatic identification. Technology standards will significantly reduce hardware costs of RFID systems. e.g. where RFID today is only used with valuable goods (e.g. special racks) it soon will pay of for any kind of containers that are used for the transport of parts." Source: domain-b.com
Federal Agencies Ready to Deploy RFID
"U.S. government agencies are on the brink of expanding a number of current RFID pilots, according to one company involved in several ongoing technology trials. "The federal government is poised to take many projects in the pilot-and-study phase into full-blown deployment," says Sam Malhotra, CEO at Subsystem Technologies, a Rosslyn, Va., a company specializing in providing technology services to U.S. government agencies. " Source: rfidjournal.com
RFID Reality Check
"RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) technology is at the peak of the hype cycle where there is over-enthusiasm and unrealistic projections about its benefits. Large retailers around the world, including Wal-Mart, have issued mandates to their suppliers to comply with their RFID initiatives within a specific time-frame. This mandate has sent the suppliers into fast forward mode to implement and comply with the mandate in a relatively short span of time. The majority of RFID implementations are focussed on mandatory compliance for outbound tagging and shipping processes by adopting a slap ‘n’ ship process. These implementations add significant cost to the supplier, while not adding much value to their own supply chain. This begs the question, how can these companies utilise RFID in other parts of the supply chain including manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and realise the true business benefits and value by implementing RFID technology." Source: expresscomputeronline.com
Symbol Exec Calls for RFID Standards
"Larry Blue, vice president and general manager of the RFID Tag Business Unit at Symbol Technologies Inc., told a government committee today that radio frequency identification standards are needed to ensure the technology can effectively track prescription drugs. "The United States should work with other governments to help them understand the value of working together on standards," said Blue during testimony before the Government Reform Committee, a House committee that oversees legislation on various issues, including the use of emerging technologies and standards. "It is in their long-term interest, as well as ours, to develop uniform standards that will speed international commerce and make it more secure." " Source: mobilehealthdata.com