RFID Summary

NFC Public Presence To Increase

2006-11-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

NFC (Near Field Communication) is a term that is used mostly within the RFID industry, but there's a plan [Contactless News] to let the public know more about the technology. The first step has been to conduct numerous trials in a number of countries, including the USA, where trials have included NFC payment options for sports fans at stadiums and transit fare payment for passengers. These options have been in the form NFC-enabled cell phones, wristbands, and cards. The phones used in some of the trials have been from Nokia, a company that recently bought an RFID technology manufacturer.

Crown Equipment: RFID-Enabled Tool Crib

2006-10-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

Crown Equipment, a winner of over 50 product design awards, is using RFID to maintain a 24/7 tool crib for their employees. Under the system, employees can sign out equipment at any time during their shift. The equipment crib no longer needs someone assigned to it 24 hours a day, just a few short shifts for restocking tools. The soft costs include reduced labor costs, less downtime, improved productivity, and more [via Reliable Plant]

Applying The Smart(card)s

2006-09-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

Robert Brandewie, a former US defence director, gave a talk in Australia about smartcards. Brandewie is a former director of the Defense Manpower Data Centre, which provides info services to US DoD's military personnel, employees and contractors. Under that role, he oversaw the implementation of 11 million smartcards. Australia is implementing smartcards that will tie their Medicare and other programs, at a cost of Aus$1B over two years, and Australian Minister for Human Services was being briefed by Brandewie. [via Computer World Australia]

Printronix To Train RFID Solutions Providers

2006-09-20T15:00:00.000-04:00

Printronix Inc., who are involved radio frequency printer solutions, etc., are promoting a new training program, RFID Edge. Under the program, Printronix would train and support solutions providers. The week-long program is endorsed by "12 prominent RFID manufacturers", so I assume training would not be Printronix-specific. [via RFID Solutions]

Given the shortage of skilled workers in the industry, and a dearth of college and university programs (at least in the US), this sounds like a good alternative. Hopefully more vendors will consider adding programs, maybe as a collective. If they don't approach colleges and universities to set up degree programs.

Why Wal-Mart Suppliers' RFID Reluctance?

2006-09-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

IT Jungle points out an interesting tidbit of information about Wal-Mart's suppliers: they are mostly "OS/400 shops". OS/400 is related to AS/400, an IBM mainframe computer operating system for which it's actually difficult to find programmers. As I understand it, "real programmers" wouldn't take a job in AS/400. Then again, AS/400 shops, in my experience, tend to be extremely fussy about who they hire as programmers. Not sure, but if OS/400 shops are the same way, it might actually account for why the IT departments of Wal-Mart suppliers are so reluctant to move forward with RFID.

I'm only speculating, but if you are the IT director of your company and you have a hard enough time finding staff for your current technology, then your boss comes along telling you that the biggest client wants them to convert to RFID tracking, for supply chain management... Well, I can see how some directors may feel some reluctance, especially in a new arena such as RFID. And if this is indeed the case, maybe all it would take is a few more pep talks by Wal-Mart, before a supplier enters the actual conversion process. Just some thoughts.

Savi Technology Wins RFID Innovation Award

2006-09-15T12:45:00.000-04:00

Frost & Sullivan have presented their Product Innovation Award, in the RFID supply chain market, to Savi Technology. Savi, a division of Lockheed-Martin, has been focused on solutions for managing military consigments for coalition defense forces. Their solutions are able to capture data from several technologies including bar codes, sensors, passive and active RFID, and GPS. [via Sys-Con] One of Savi Technology's many gigs was with the Spanish Armed Forces earlier this year.

RFID Teamups: TraceAll and Symbol

2006-09-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

TraceAll and Symbol have teamed up to offer solutions for companies that have to comply with food safety requirements by tracking ingredients throughout the supply chain. The solution will use TraceAll's Traceability software and Symbol's RFID readers. A few select European countries will be part of the first phase. [via Food Production Daily]

RFID Acquisitions: FSBO To Acquire TOTALtrak

2006-09-15T12:15:00.000-04:00

FSBO Media Holdings (FSMH) plans to acquire TOTALtrak's business product line. The latter company makes a variety of technologies, most of which are focused on law enforcement, security and defense applications. The product line will be marketed to the military by Presidential Holdings, a military/ defense consulting company which FMSH acquired last week. [via Yahoo Biz/ Finance]

RFID Acquisitions: Avery Dennison Buys RF IDentics

2006-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Label-maker and office products company Avery-Dennison announced the purchase of RF IDentics, as well as the start of some RFID initiatives. The company, who has been involved in RFID for several years, is the only one in the industry to have a high-speed RFID inlay production process, achieving speeds of over ten times that of competitors. [via RFID Solutions Online]

Eco-Safe RFID Inlays?

2006-09-11T12:45:00.000-04:00

Omron RFID is purportedly using aluminum in their HF (High Frequency) RFID inlays due to customer complaints about their copper inlays - particularly in regards to environmental issues. Omron will continue to manufacture copper RFID inlays as well. [More RFID via RFID Blog]

RFID Plane Tickets

2006-09-11T12:15:00.000-04:00

British researchers are working on plane tickets with RFID tags to track passengers in airports. The tags would be used in combination with CCTV cameras and would help facilitate boarding, especially for large airplanes. Funding for the project is from the European Union. [IT Week UK via RFID Blog] Other modes of transport using RFID for security applications includes railways.

RFID Smart Card Voting In Swedish Parliament

2006-09-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Swedish parliament has introduced a secure RFID-based voting system for their 349 members. Under the old system, secure voting could only take place if a member of parliament voted from their designated seat, for a given session in legislature. Under the new system, members use contactless ID cards and can cast votes from any seat. RFID readers record votes, and the voting process becomes considerably faster. [More RFID via RFID Blog] The contactless cards had already been issued to members of parliament before the advent of the new voting system.

This is obviously an application that could spread to parliaments all around the world. But seriously, when it comes to politics, if someone is powerful enough, how hard would it be for them to jack the voting results? Oh yeah, maybe these politicians need some way to protect their smartcards, to guard against unauthorized interception of card data.

Advanta Bank Launches Contactless MasterCard

2006-09-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

Advanta Bank in the US has launched their own MasterCard PayPass-based contactless credit card for businesses. [via Using RFID]

Amtrak Rail To Get RFID Security System

2006-09-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Amtrak Rail announced that an RFID pilot project for rail security would involve Florida-based Duos Technologies, Inc. Under the contract, Duos would be designing, manufacturing and installing the security system. [via RFID News]

A Few Consumer Products With Item-Level RFID Tags

2006-09-01T21:45:00.000-04:00

Spychips has a list of products from Procter & Gamble and subsihdiaries that do or might have item-level RFID tags. Spychips currently has a boycott against P&G's recently acquired Gillette subsidiary, but not against P&G. [via Spychips RFID Blog]

Slow-Baked RFID System

2006-09-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

While most companies using RFID today only switched within the last 2-3 years, a German bakery has successfully been using the technology since 1998 to track mixing bowls during the mixing process, to ensure the correct ratio of ingredients. [via RFID Journal]

Logistics: Schenker Tests RFID

2006-08-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

RFID is a core element for the future of manufacturing logistics, and more companies are moving towards implementing the technology for supply chain management and inventory control, amongst other uses. Schenker, a global logistics company and subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, is doing a test run on RFID on ten of their service containers. Currently, the containers travel between Hamburg, Germany and Hong Kong. Future plans include electronic seals, using RFID, to document container access. [via Food Production Daily]

Taiwan To Invest Money To Promote RFID

2006-08-31T12:15:00.000-04:00

Speaking of money, the Taiwanese government is planning to spend over NT$2 B to promote RFID. The industry there is expected to be worth around NT$70 B by 2013. [via DigiTimes Systems] Taiwan has been proactive in testing new technologies. Earlier this year, Taipei City's government announced a municipal Wi-Fi project for government workers and others to use up to 200,000 wireless VoIP phones by the end of the year.

Need Money For Your RFID-Related Business?

2006-08-31T11:58:00.000-04:00

IDTechEx is offering free help in hooking up RFID-related businesses, including printed electronics and smart packaging, with VC (Venture Capitalists) who want to invest in the industry. Get more details from IDTechEx. They also have a report that can be purchased about RFID and how to raise funds, etc. There are free sample pages (PDF), an overview (PDF), and a listing of the table of contents.

Reusable Container Market's Use of RFID Growing

2006-08-22T22:30:00.000-04:00

RFID use in the reusable container market is expected to grow, and a trial is being conducted by the Reusable Pallet & Container Coalition (RPCC). Retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target tend to use reusable pallets and containers in their supply chain, and their preferred means of tracking assets is with RFID technology. The study is being conducted to see what type of multi-use RFID tags can withstand long-term reuse. [via RFID Watch Weekly]

Besides RPCC, other testing of RFID-enabled reusable pallets are being conducted by iGPS, Intelligent Global Pooling Systems. iGPS entered an agreement with Schoeller Arca Systems. The latter will manufacture several million reusable all-plastic pallets to iGPS's specifications. The resulting pallets weigh under 50 pounds and handle over one empirical ton of material. They can be used for a variety of industries, which is likely to make iGPS a busy company. [via RFID Solutions Online]

RFID Summary - Aug 22/06

2006-08-22T21:44:00.000-04:00

Infant products manufacturer Peg Perego USA has contracted Northern Apex Corp. to install its RFID technology in Perego's manufacturing and shipping facilities at their Indiana location(s). [via Inside INdiana Business]

SATO American and ThingMagic are partnering to combine their collective RFID experience. Together, SATO's label printers and ThingMagic's readers are expected to serve a wider base of customers. [via Textile Fashion News]

The NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) in the Philippines has published their guidelines (PDF, 4 pages)on the use of radio frequency technology. RFID equipment must operate within three frequency bands, and suppliers have to register with the NTC. [via INQ7]

RFID Summary - Fri Aug 18/06

2006-08-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

SmartCode has set up an RFID manufacturing plant in Chicago, it's largest of all operations. The plant will produce EPC-based products, for use by companies in the US, Europe, and Asia. [via RFID Blog]

Cattle owners in Texas have managed to recover over 5000 cattle, from rustlers, due to the RFID tags used on each animal. [via RFID Blog]

Concerns over the security of the new RFID-enabled ePassport has been a boon for security providers such as Smartrac, whose revenues doubled in Q1+Q2 2006, compared 2005. [via RFID News]

Impinj's Improved RFID Gen2 Chips

2006-08-18T22:00:00.000-04:00

Impinj, once the only Gen2 RFID chip manufacturer, now has increased competition. However, having been the company that helped draft Gen2 standards, they are way ahead of the new Gen2 manufacturers such as STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Philips.

Now Impinj has stepped even further ahead with new RFID Gen2 chips, Monza/ID and Monaco/64, that have better data storage features, including user-programmable memory.

RFID Companies Focusing On RTLS

2006-08-18T21:30:00.000-04:00

RTLS (Real-Time Location System) solutions seem to be the hot thing in the RFID industry. RF Code is offering the TAVIS platform for tracking high-value assets and people. [via RFID News]

Because RFID-based asset management is seen by a number of large companies as a way to cut down on losses, RTLS is expected to a hot industry. So hot, in fact, that companies in the RFID industry are even giving up their existing radio frequency activities to develop and market RTLS systems.

More RFID Industry Partnerships Forming

2006-08-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

More companies in the RFID industry are partnering up to offer solutions jointly to customers. Partnering for companies includes co-marketing. The expectation is that partnerships increase the likelihood of customers for a given company. [via RFID News]

The other reason for this increased trend is to reduce the cost of RFID projects, which have been prohibitive for some clients. Personally, I still think that developing a single RFID chip standard will go a long way towards doing that.

Protecting Your Smartcards

2006-08-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

A California company, Kena Kai, is offering a new line of wallets for people carrying RFID-enabled smartcards. [via Contactless News]

Kena Kai's DataSafe Wallets(tm) are most likely based on the Faraday Cage principle, which Emvelope's RF-shielding wallet insert supposedly uses.

A similar solution, Shelly, consists of a card which temporarily disables a smartcard's communication. These cards come in "Hello Kitty" cutesy themes.[via RFID in Japan]

Spanish Armed Forces And RFID

2006-08-16T20:45:00.000-04:00

The Spanish Armed Forces (SAF) has deployed an RFID solution from Savi Technology. The network is interoperable with similar solutions used by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and other allied forces. This allows SAF and NATO to jointly manage combined supply chains. [via PR Newswire]

RF Code Wins Big RFID Deal

2006-08-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

RF Code a $30M, three-year deal to supply RFID asset management software to SYMX Corporation, a company that makes medical equipment and provides related services. At its completion, this project will involve approximately one million RFID tags. The potential for further projects may exist at the end of this deal. [via RFID Update]

RF Code is a company that RFID industry insiders think may be a candidate for going public soon.

RFID Summary - Wed Aug 16/06

2006-08-16T20:12:00.000-04:00

It's not RFID but it serves a similar functionality. IBM Japan and another company have developed 2D barcodes that remain invisible unless exposed to black light. [via RFID in Japan]

ABI Research has identified four trends in RFID software and services: (1) Consolidation; (2) Vendor collaboration and partnerships; (3) Off-the-shelf solutions; and (4) Experience. All four trends will have positive effects for end users of RFID technology. [via RFID Update]

Intelleflex Corp, an RFID platforms maker, secured nearly US$16M in series B funding. Some series A lenders also participated. [via RFID Solutions Online]

KDDI may be releasing an RFID reader attachment for cell phones in Fall 2006. The device would communicate with mobile phones/ PDAs using Bluetooth. [via RFID in Japan]

Crooks Get Clever With RFID Smartcard Identity Theft

2006-08-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

Engadget has an interesting story of how a couple of UK criminals and a crooked gas station attendant intercepted RFID-enabled smart credit card numbers, then actually flew over to India to make withdrawals. Although they rescinded their story and later said that the cards were "smartcards", not RFID.

Umm, no. Smartcards use radio frequency chips, too. At least the ones I'm aware of. [via Engadget] By the way, a Boing Boing post says it was Sri Lanka, via India, for the scene of the second part of the crime. [Follow the trail of hyperlinks, and this is like a game of "telephone", where information mutates. Scott Carney has the full story. The crooks were Sri Lankan, they went to England for the first part of the crime, and then to India to use the stolen numbers.]

AXCESS' ActiveTag Solution For Asset Management

2006-08-09T18:30:00.000-04:00

PricewaterhouseCoopers will be using AXCESS International's ActiveTag RFID + RTLS (Real-Time Location System) technology to track assets in PWC's Mexico City office. The system will be able to signal in real-time when an asset such as a laptop has been removed from designated areas. [via BusinessWire]

Asset management is an important application of RFID for many large companies, and a system like ActiveTag helps reduce losses and thefts. PricewaterhouseCoopers is the second global consulting firm to use the ActiveTag solution.

Guardian Anti-RFID Device

2006-08-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

A privacy researcher is demonstrating how the data and signals from the RFID chips in smartcards and e-passports can be cracked or cloned. Melanie Rieback, a doctoral student of Vrije University in the Netherlands, came up with a device to hijack radio frequency signals. Although she says that she's not anti-RFID, she feels the technology has to be used responsibly. [via Australian IT]

Lots of Opportunities For IT Workers In The RFID Industry

2006-08-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

IBM and others have already foreseen the need for skilled RFID workers and are trying to do something about expected shortage, especially of IT people. To start with, they're offering free RFID system modelling tools that help businesses understand standards and get up to speed much faster.

The IBM tools, however, do require other not so free software before they'll run. Other companies have taken a different approach, offering up RFID equipment and lab facilities to universities and colleges.

Additional sources: Information Week.

Streamlining The Supply Chain With EPCIS RFID Standard

2006-08-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

As part of their RFID trials, Unilever has been tagging cases of its products using EPC Global's EPCIS standard. Unilever is expecting that EPCIS will help them eliminate some of the time and cost of the supply chain for CPGs (Consumer Packaged Goods).

Unilever's trial uses a new prototype data repository based on EPCIS and created by IBM. The repository also uses the XML standard, so data can be sent back and forth more conveniently to and from software applications. XML is a generalized markup language that is fast replacing the HTML code that powers web pages on the Internet, but can also be used for other software purposes.

Sources: RFID Journal.

India To Build RFID Tag Manufacturing Plant

2006-08-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

With India's economy (and inflation) booming due technology jobs and outsourcing services, it's not surprising that someone decided to finally set up an RFID tag manufacturing plant there. Chennai, once called Madras, is where the new plant will be set up, by Gemini Traze RFID Pvt. Ltd., in an electronics industrial park.

India is the first of the seven SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations to build an RFID tag plant. Production output is expected to be 45 million UHF (Ultra High Frequency) tags each year, with the possibility of more. Potential future tag price reduction is as much as sixty percent. [via CIOL]

Personally, I'm surprised that an RFID plant hasn't been built a lot sooner, considering how much moaning there's been about the cost, and how successful India's been in handling technological work outsourced to them from Western countries .

RFID Lurking In More Consumer Products Than Expected?

2006-08-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

RFID technology has not made as much of an inroads into consumer use as originally predicted by some experts. At least not in the expected time frame, with widespread adoption expected to take much longer. In fact, a lot of announced future applications are still prototypes. However, there already are RFID applications in use that are little known.

For example, 150 million car keys have had RFID technology since 1991. Such a key has to match up with a sensor in the steering column, or the car won't start. So counterfeit keys will not work. [via WFAA.com] Well I'll be! That's one app I wasn't aware of. And 15 years in use, too.

Widespread Adoption of RFID May Take Much Longer

2006-08-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

While enthusiasm for RFID from retailers may have been low the past couple of years, David Hogan, CIO of the National Retail Foundation (US) thinks that will change. He points out that bar-coding took up to 12 years for adoption by retailers, and that it may take longer for RFID's adoption because of its complexity relative to bar-coding. [via RFID Journal]

Of course, a reduced price per RFID tag will make a difference as well. With inflation being what it is, and with consumer perception often being that RFID is more for the benefit of manufacturers and retailers, they would not stand for price increases due to the use of RFID.

Alien Technologies Delays IPO Indefinitely

2006-08-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

Alien Technologies was supposed to offer their IPO sometime last week. Having missed the news of the delay, I came to the same conclusion by checking the stock market board (Nasdaq). In truth, Alien's IPO delay was supposed to be for one day, and now its indefinite.

This delay or postponement of IPOs has been a trend for tech companies this year, and given the volatility of the stock market, might be for some years. Whether this will affect the IPO plans of other RFID companies is to be seen.

RFID Summary - Aug 2/06

2006-08-02T02:22:00.000-04:00

BlueBean's DIY RFID SecureAccess Solution Kit is available to be used with an existing yard management system, in order to identify inbound and outbound trucks and trailers. The kit comes with several components, including a reader, antennas, tags, software, instructions, a demo application and more. [via WebWire]

The University of Kansas is offering a two-day implementation course for RFID Cold Chain management. The course takes place in early Feb 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is aimed at technical people and executives new to RFID and how it applies to the cold chain. More RFID has more info as to who should consider attending.

Jeco Plastic Products has specially designed RFID-ready pallets for th printing and automotive industries. The pallets have slots that can accept RFID tags. [via ThomasNet]

The Royal Post (UK postal service) is using RFID to monitor mail delivery, with the hopes of improving service and reducing lost or stolen letters. [via VNUNet]

RFID Summary - Aug 1/06

2006-08-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

Modern Materials Handling notes that Wisconsin became the first state in the USA to ban the forced implantation of RFID chips, but says that it's "like a law in search of a crime that has yet to be commited." But that's not for lack of trying. One of my university computer professors mentioned in 1986 (might have been 1991) that there's a group in California who wants every newborn baby microchipped like our household pets. So just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean we should wait to pass laws banning this.

The US DOD (Department of Defense) Distribution Center is having over 300 passive RFID portals installed across their logistics network. ODIN Technologies won the contract. [via PR Newswire]

Venture Development Corp's new report says that the market for RFID printer-encoders and applicators will grow by approximately 80 percent annually, on average, for the next few years. This will largely be due to applications in CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), healthcare, agnd government. [via RFID Journal, Supply + Demand Chain Executive] Compare this to Datamonitor's report that says the revenue of the RFID market in general will double over the next five years, due to the wide variety of possible applications. [via CBR Online]

RFID Summaries #5 - Materials + Methods

2006-07-30T23:33:00.000-04:00

New Way To Attach RFID Tags

The new FAT (Foam Attached Tags) tags are designed to attach to metal surfaces and reduce typical interference. The actual RFID portion uses passive UHF tags. [via The RFID Weblog]

VeriChip's RFID Tags Clonable?

According to HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth), VeriChip Corp's implantable RFID chips are clonable. Apparently, one hacker allowed a chip to be implanted in her arm to demonstrate the claim. [via RFID Blog] VeriChip is the company that has been pushing for RFID implants in immigrants, visitors and illegals in the US.

Sturdy RFID Tags For Inclement Weather Conditions

A new RFID tag has been designed specifically for extreme outdoor conditions. The tag can withstand high temperatures and is also considered food-grade. [via RFID Lowdown]

RFID Summaries #4 - Retail + Manufacturing Use

2006-07-30T21:44:00.000-04:00

Canadian Food Retailers Test RFID

A number of food retailers and suppliers in Canada have started RFID trials on a selection of products. The pilot project is being led by the fledgling Canadian RFID Centre and lasts until the end of the year. [via RFID Journal]

Matmaker Tries RFID

CMS, a maker of high-density polyethylene mats, used in industrial situations in extreme temperatures, is embedding passive RFID tags in some of its products. These tags would allow them to track each mat's manufacturing record and associate it with rental and purchase orders. Their outgoing setup consists having to verify as many as 430 tags in an outbound shipment. They've had 100% read rates in just a few seconds. [via RFID Journal]

Dim Future for Passive RFID Tags?

Chris Kapsambelis, founder of Barcode Data Systems, wrote recently about why the future for passive RFID tags is dim. Chris also says that RFID pilots show that the "smart shelf" is too expensive. Item-level tagging still requires a fair bit of testing. As for pallet-level testing, pallet read rates are high, but the case-level rates fluctuate between 50-80%. [via The RFID Weblog]

Variations of existing RFID technologies, as well as alternatives, are being tested. The net result is that many retailers have either postponed their RFID trials, or changed their approach. Overall, the rollout of some projects has been delayed.

RFID Summaries #3

2006-07-17T02:21:00.000-04:00

Here are some RFID-related news summaries:

Gentag has announced a patent for passive RFID tags that can monitor temperatures at a fraction of the price of active tags. [via Extreme RFID]

It appears that the RFID-enabled ePassport will be used in the US a lot sooner than recently expected. Possibly as early as August 2006. [via Engadget]

Citibank has released an RFID-enabled credit card. It is in fact a Mastercard RFID card. [via Portalino] Mastercard has been trialling RFID credit cards in countries like Korea. In this case, the it's more of a device than a card, and attaches to a keychain like a keyfob.

Hewlett-Packard is experimenting with a type of computer on a label which can be stuck onto objects and can store video and audio. HP considers it as a possible alternative to RFID. [via ZDNet]

Philips is offering RFID technology ideally suited to library systems. The ICODE chip has security and privacy features. [via Technology News Daily]

Procter & Gamble is currently conducting large-scale tests one some of their products with RFID tags. Apparenly these test are large enough that they can help determine what works and what doesn't with RFID.

These RFID summaries give you a synopsis of goings-on in the radio frequency identification industry. Topic include RFID tags/ chips, readers, systems, data management, software, privacy, regulations, and more. Links have been provided to more detailed stories, if you want more details. On occasion, I've added a bit of commentary.

Still No Widescale Mandatory Use of RFID For Drug-Tracking

2006-07-15T17:47:00.000-04:00

The FDA is being rather reluctant to force RFID technology on pharmaceutical manufacturers. They do expect certain high-priced, frequently-stolen drugs to be tracked with RFID throughout the supply chain starting Dec 1, 2006. However, their original plan for widescale RFID use by the pharmaceutical industry beginning 2007 has been delayed.

Part of the reason for the change of heart is because RFID is not in as widespread use in the industry as the FDA had hoped. They've been expecting an electronic drug tracking/ pedigreeing solution since the late 1980s. When RFID came along, the FDA assumed the industry would embrace the technology. But due to a variety of technical problems - including the potential of chemically changing liquid drugs with some types of RFID tags - and lack of a single standard, RFID is still in test mode in some parts of the industry.

To help the industry along, the FDA had issued a draft version of their RFID Compliance Policy Guide back in Nov 2004, and has been issuing yearly updates of the Counterfeit Drug Task Force Report (CDTFR). The latest CDTFR update was published in early June 2006, which stated that specific high-priced drugs had to be tracked beginning Dec 1, 2006. Various pharmaceutical industry associations have actually backed this FDA stance on the use of RFID.

The FDA is hoping that widescale use of RFID will follow this Dec 1st requirement, but is not otherwise enforcing the use of RFID in the pharmaceutical industry.

Additional sources: [FDA - Combating Counterfeit Drugs, CPG draft (5 pg PDF), 2006 CPG update 160.900]

RFID Summaries #2

2006-07-09T23:00:00.000-04:00

News and info briefs for the RFID industry.

RFID News:

The entertainment industry is considering the benefits of RFID for SCM (Supply Chain Management) in regards to tracking the distribution of goods such as CD and DVDs. At present, the industry feels that RFID is too costly a solution, especially at the item level. Resellers of entertainment media, such as Best Buy, are exploring the use of RFID in consumer loyalty cards. [via RFID Journal]
The fastest growing area within life sciences for the adoption of RFID is in biospecimen tracking. In various research institutes, biospecimen samples can often arrive from anywhere in the world. [via RFID Update]
The Korea Association of RFID/USN says that the South Korea RFID market will exceed US$500 mln this year. The forecast for 2010 is over US$1.2 bln. [EE Times]
Sirit Inc. was recently awarded an RFID transponder contract worth nearly $6 mln from the BATA in California, to be used for electronic toll collections. This contract is an extension of an existing project, due to increased toll lanes. [via DMN Newswire]
New Zeland's Defence Force is considering using RFID technology to track their assets, especially "consumable items". [via Stuff NZ] Similar plans have been considered by other countries to track components to make a variety of weapons.
The United States currently has the largest active market for contactless payment devices. The "service station retail sector" shows the most potential for opportunity in terms of total payments collected. [via TMCNet] Other reports indicate that India will become the largest market for contactless payment via mobile phones. Estimates are a potential market of 100 million within the next few years.
US Senators John Cornyn (R, Texas) and Byron Dorgan (D, N. Dakota) recently initiated a Caucus to discuss RFID. This includes "benefits, policy challenges and innovation solutions of RFID." [via RFID Journal]

These RFID summaries give you a synopsis of goings-on in the radio frequency identification industry. Topic include RFID tags/ chips, readers, systems, data management, software, privacy, regulations, and more. Links have been provided to more detailed stories, if you want more details. On occasion, I've added a bit of commentary.

RFID Summaries #1

2006-07-08T16:17:00.000-04:00

News and info briefs for the RFID industry.

RFID News:

Want to build your own low-cost, extended range RFID skimmer? [via Help Net Security] Instructions include pictures, diagrams, and technical details.
The Privacy Commissioner for the province of Ontario, Canada, recently released the Ontario RFID Privacy Guidelines. [via Baseline Mag] I haven't read it yet, but I'm hoping that the Commissioner has not proposed any deviation from the current various RFID standards.
This is part of the problem with RFID today - there isn't a single standard around the world, nor are there a common set of usage guidelines. However, several computer software + hardware corporations in the US are working on a joint RFID usage guidelines document, which includes suggestions to retailers on how to notify the public that RFID is in use.
The US FDA recently issued a report on the use of RFID in the pharmaceutical industry. [via RFID Journal] While FDA is not insisting that RFID be used to pedigree pharmaceutical, they do favour it. RFID has been the expected solution of choice in the industry, but until Gen 2 UHF RFID tags were available, there were a lot of technical issues that HF tags suffered from, including potentially changing chemical structures in containers.
Identec Solutions completed the purchase of Baumer Ident GmBH. Identec produces RFID systems for industrial use. Baumer makes automatic identification systems. Some of the funding for Identec came from RFID Invest AG, a company that actively invests in RFID tech manufacturers. [RFID Update daily newsletter]
Broadcom has come up with a processor chip that combines biometrics and RFID technology. A fingerprint scan must match before data from the integrated RFID tag is accessible. Privaris is one of the first companies to use the processor in a consumer offering. Their RFID-enabled biometric key fob can be programmed to access physical areas, devices such as laptops, and for contactless payment. [RFID Update daily newsletter; RFID Gazette.]

Definitions + Acronyms:

AG: Atkiengesellschaft, a German term used by some companies in their name.
FDA: US Food and Drug Administration.
HF: High Frequency.
RFID: Radio Frequency Identification.
UHF: Ultra High Frequency.

These RFID summaries give you a synopsis of goings-on in the radio
frequency identification industry. Topic include RFID tags/ chips, readers, systems, data management, software, privacy, regulations, and more. Links have been provided to more detailed stories, if you want more details. On occasion, I've added a bit of commentary.

Welcome to RFID Summary

2006-07-07T23:52:00.000-04:00

If you are not familiar with RFID, the acronym stands for Radio Frequency IDentification technology, and is used in a growing number of industries for inventory control, asset management, supply chain management, touchless/ contactless electronic payments, secure identification and more.

I'll be providing weekly summaries of goings on in the RFID industry. This includes news, reviews, articles. Topics include RFID tags/ chips, readers, security, light tags, RFID solutions, and more.

Please note that these are summaries. I write more complete articles about RFID at several other websites. (Links to come.)

Most new content will appear on weekends. However, there may occasionally be new postings during the week.