Dec 16, 2010The following are news announcements made during the past week.
Avery Dennison, UPM Raflatac Each Intro Item-Level UHF RFID Inlay With NXP's G2iL Chip
Avery Dennison and UPM Raflatac have each announced the introduction of a new item-level ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID inlay with NXP Semiconductors' latest EPC Gen 2 (ISO 18000-6C) integrated circuit, the G2iL. According to Avery Dennison, its new inlay, the model AD-232, is suitable for the item-level tracking of assets, retail goods (including apparel) and many other applications in which close proximity or the stacking of goods is required. According to the company, it is designed to perform well on difficult-to-tag items, such as denim apparel, and to provide global performance in the 860 to 960 MHz UHF band, with balanced performance across a wide range of applications. The inlay has an antenna footprint of 70 millimeters by 14.5 millimeters (2.75 inches by 0.57 inch), enabling it to fit well into a 3-inch-wide RFID label. "We are proud to partner with Avery Dennison RFID with our latest Ucode G2iL series IC, which offers excellent read range and unique features such as tag tamper alarm and privacy modes," said Chris Feige, NXP's GM of tagging and authentication, in a prepared statement. "The high chip sensitivity allows for small tags and great performance in high tag population. Our close strategic relationship brings forward solutions that address a host of applications where high and reliable read rates are a must."
UPM Raflatac's new Belt tag, also made with NXP's G2iL chip, is optimized for a wide range of mass-volume applications, including item-level retail supply chain and apparel tagging, the company reports, adding that its advanced features also make the tag suitable for a number of other item-level applications, including consumer electronics, in which reliability and durability are essential. Like the AD-232, the Belt has an antenna size of 70 millimeters by 14.5 millimeters (2.75 inches by 0.57 inch). It also features 128 bits of EPC memory, 32-bit password protection, on/off status flag for quality control and security systems, a unique 64-bit unalterable tag identifier (TID), and a read-protection function to support privacy. Available now, this model comes in three delivery formats: dry inlay, wet inlay and paper-face label. "Our close collaborative relationship with UPM resulted in a high-performance, robust Belt tag suitable across multiple applications in the high-volume RFID market," Feige said. "On-chip features such as the 4R mode support specific privacy needs in the RFID industry, allowing broader use of RFID technology and thus helping fuel market growth as new applications emerge."
STMicroelectronics Unveils High-Density RFID Memory Device
STMicroelectronics has unveiled a new high-memory RFID chip that it says allows technical equipment to "talk back," thereby providing detailed information, such as a full maintenance history, to speed up servicing and simplify record keeping for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and equipment operators. The new chip, known as the LRiS64K, combines passive 13.56 MHz RFID circuitry with 64 kilobits of non-volatile Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) capable of storing extensive data, such as initial manufacturer details and complete records of repairs or upgrades, the company indicates. With these features, and using a standard RFID reader, engineers servicing medical devices, industrial equipment, automotive controllers, avionics modules or other equipment containing an LRiS64K chip can access important unit-specific information held directly on the device. According to STMicroelectronics, this on-board storage can eliminate the need to retrieve paper records or access an online database. The unit's service history, the firm reports, can be updated in the LRiS64K memory for access during subsequent inspection or servicing, which can save downtime and help reduce maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) costs in such sectors as health care, aviation, logistics, oil and chemicals, construction and manufacturing. The LRiS64K is based on the ISO 15693 and ISO 18000-3 mode 1 RFID standards. It supports a 64-bit unique identifier (UID) and multi-password protection, and its 64 kilobits of user memory can retain data for more than 40 years and withstand more than 1 million write/erase cycles. The LRiS64K, which is now beginning mass production, is available in bumped and sawn-wafer formats suitable for direct chip attachment.
Intelleflex Closes $11.5 Million in Funding, Gears Up for Expansion
Intelleflex has announced that it has closed an $11.5 million Series A extension with current investors Arcapita Ventures and New Venture Partners. Intelleflex manufactures battery-assisted ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags and products based on its XC3 technology platform, which is compatible with EPCglobal's Gen 2 and the newly updated ISO 18000-6C RFID standards. The XC3 platform includes temperature sensors, and is designed to provide a solution for the perishable food and pharmaceutical cold supply chain, in order to help eliminate the waste of temperature-sensitive products. According to Intelleflex, this new capital investment will be used to expand sales and marketing, as well as accelerate key vertical-market initiatives with strategic partners, in response to an increased demand for the company's solutions. "Conditions are ideal for Intelleflex to emerge as the break-out performer in on-demand tracking and monitoring at the product level," said Tom Hawkins, Arcapita Ventures' director, in a prepared statement. "Intelleflex has delivered a very compelling solution based on its proven XC3 Technology, which addresses the extensive losses in perishable products across the cold chain. We have high confidence in their ability to deliver beyond market expectations, given the impressive customer traction we have seen since Intelleflex announced the product's general availability last quarter." The investment announcement follows an announcement earlier this month regarding Intelleflex's efforts on the recently adopted ISO/IEC 18000-6:2010 industry standard, which includes specifications for battery-assisted passive UHF RFID tags (see RFID News Roundup: ISO Publishes Updated ISO 18000-6 Standard With Support for BAP). The standard, according to Intelleflex, establishes best practices that are expected to guide producers of RFID technology in developing solutions for a range of tracking and asset-management applications.
VDC Research Group, a provider of market intelligence and strategy consulting services to technology companies, reports that 2010 has been a banner year for the automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) market, with many RFID suppliers experiencing double-digit growth. Among the top five trends in the RFID solutions market that VDC's analysts expect to see in 2012 is the continued surge in the adoption of item-level tracking applications, particularly in the retail sector. Growth will also be further driven as RFID continues to migrate toward the point of manufacture, the analysts predict. Another trend, they add, will be the continued expansion and use of asset-tracking solutions. More specifically, the firm indicates, asset-tracking solutions will expand beyond just providing an asset's location, and will increasingly be leveraged to provide additional information about an asset—its environment, movements and users—as a means of supporting and enhancing business processes, increasing asset utilization, supporting compliance and minimizing costs. Product authentication and anti-counterfeiting applications are anticipated to grow quickly and expand into a broad range of vertical industries over the next three to five years, VDC reports, as companies look to create a more secure supply chain. These applications are expected to extend the functionality of existing systems beyond track and trace to protect brands, further improving RFID's return on investment. VDC's analysts also expect continued convergence of RFID, bar-code and other AIDC solutions that will provide end users with more actionable business intelligence, and less disruption to existing solutions and processes. The combination of these technologies, the company notes, will be particularly beneficial for such applications and environments as supply chain and inventory management. Finally, the analysts say they expect a shift toward consumption coming from new accounts, which should occur in late 2011 or early 2012. This tipping point, they forecast, will be a function of favorable pricing, increased packaging of solutions, the availability of off-the-shelf solutions, an increase in benchmark and performance metrics, enhanced standards and improved business models. In comparison, approximately 80 percent of total global RFID revenues in 2009 and 2010 were from established accounts that have been evaluating and piloting the technologies for at least 18 months.
Identec Solutions' RFID Systems Help Train Oil-Rig Personnel Working in the North Sea, Middle East
Identec Solutions, a provider of wireless sensor networks and RFID-enabled tracking systems, has announced that its Watcheroffshore system is now used exclusively at the Sørlandets Sikkerhets Senter (Southern Safety Center) for the training and certification of oil-rig personnel stationed in the North Sea and Middle East. The Watcheroffshore systems, deployed on oil rigs in that region, employs Identec's SensorSmart software, RFID-enabled ID badges and other RFID hardware to track the number of personnel on a particular oil rig at any given time, as well as their identities—and, in some cases, to pinpoint each staff member's location (see Active UHF RFID Tags Muster Support for Oil Rigs). The system has an emergency function enabling oil-rig management and emergency responders to ensure that all personnel are accounted for if something goes wrong, such as a fire or explosion. According to Identec Solutions, the recently opened Sørlandets Sikkerhets Senter is affiliated with Falck Nutec, which has been at the international forefront for industrial safety training and certification for the oil and gas industry for more than 30 years. The training center, located in Kristiansand, Norway, features simulators, fire-drill areas, a pool for barrel-roll evacuation practice and the Watcheroffshore system. The onsite training and counseling conducted at Sørlandets Sikkerhets Senter provides the necessary certifications for offshore workers stationed in the North Sea and Middle East.
KSW Microtec Announces RFID-enabled Mobile Phone Sticker
KSW Microtec, a German supplier of RFID components and inlays, has announced that it has added to its product portfolio a smart mobile phone sticker (MPS) for e-payment, e-ticketing, loyalty and access-control applications. According to the company, the MPS can be used for financial transactions, comes in customized layouts and is compatible with a variety of RFID ICs, such as NXP Semiconductors' Mifare and Fast Pay chips. Because the MPS can carry visual branding, the company reports, it is also suitable as a marketing tool for issuers, and can be personalized individually. The new sticker is manufactured at KSW Microtec's MasterCard-certified production site, which KSW says ensures high quality and security practices throughout the entire production process.
