RFID News

Welcome to RFIDReceiver, news pages. Here is a round up of the recent RFID news stories.

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Report Reveals RFID Performance on Different Surfaces
By John Burnell

Researchers at the European EPC Competence Center (EECC) in Neuss, Germany, released a new report on comprehensive testing that shows how various UHF RFID chips from different vendors perform when attached to different surfaces. Users can reference the report, UHF Tag Performance Survey (UTPS), to determine how RFID tags will perform when applied to their specific products, packaging, or assets.

"We want to introduce to the customer an easy tool for qualifying the right tag for their application," Conrad von Bonin, manager of the EECC, told RFID Update by e-mail. "Many business owners look for a transponder that is suitable for a number of different products and goods in an effort to bundle their order volumes. The new UTPS enables users to estimate the transponder performance ranges on various materials, which was previously no simple task."

The tests measured 20 different UHF inlays from six different vendors (Alien Technology, Avery Dennison, KSW Microtec, Omron, RSI ID Technologies, and UPM Raflatac). All inlays conformed to either the Gen2 and/or the ISO 18000-6C standard and were tested separately at the frequencies allowed for use in Asia, Europe, and North America. Each transponder type was tested on eight different substrates commonly used to create tags, including paper, synthetic, glass, and fabric. Researchers then used computer modeling to predict tag performance on additional materials derived from the tested substrates.

Every tag performed differently at the different frequencies used in different regions of the world, and there were also significant performance differences among tags from different vendors, according to von Bonin. Some tags outperformed others on the same material by a factor of five, and not all tags worked on all materials, von Bonin said. He also noted tag performance is improving. The EECC produced similar research last year, but did not test on different subsurfaces.

"We see that the tags get better every year," von Bonin said. "The new generation of chips...has rapidly increased performance. Tags have become much more stable in performance in the last year."

The EECC was formed by representatives from leading German RFID end users and GS1 Germany, the German association that manages EPC and other GS1 standards there. In 2005 the EECC became Europe's first EPCglobal-certified performance testing facility.

"From our point of view it is essential for customers and vendors to get transparency about the performance to avoid misleading RFID solutions," von Bonin said. "We [EECC] hope that this testing can help to speed RFID deployment. That's the aim of the EECC: successful RFID deployment."

The 2008 UHF Tag Performance Survey is available from the EECC for €795, or for €395 as part of a five-year subscription. The report appears unique among RFID testing and research. ODIN technologies, a for-profit RFID development and integration firm, periodically releases RFID technology benchmark test results, but has not released a report on UHF tags since 2006. EPCglobal oversees interoperability testing to certify whether products comply with its standards, including Gen2. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently announced a research service for RFID tag developers to design and test prototypes (see New Method Promises Cheaper RFID Tag Development).

Also, organizations and individuals can design and conduct their own RFID tests at numerous labs, test centers, and universities around the world -- see RFID Centers Offer a Chance to Try Before You Buy and 50+ RFID Labs and Test Centers Identified Worldwide for more background on these services and a listing of facilities.

EPCglobal Ratifies Global Standard for Secure, Real-Time Data Sharing
EPCIS Standard Provides Greater Visibility for the Benefit of Business and Consumers Across Industries and the Globe.

EPCglobal Inc announced a groundbreaking industry standard providing the capability for unprecedented visibility into the movement, location and disposition of assets, goods and services throughout the world. EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) allows for the seamless, secure exchange of data at every point in the lifecycle of goods and services
EPCIS, by providing a standard set of interfaces for EPC data, enables a single way to capture and share information, while still allowing the flexibility for industry and organization-specific implementations. The specification supports powerful business cases and consumer benefits such as container tracking, product authentication, promotions management, baggage tracking, electronic proof of delivery, chain of custody, returns management, and operations management.
“With the EPCIS industry standard, the technology supporting visibility into the movement and whereabouts of goods and services is coming of age “said Chris Adcock, president of EPCglobal Inc. “In terms of industry significance, I believe that the EPCIS standard may have much more of a transformational impact on the industry than the [2004] release of the UHF Gen2 Passive RFID standard. Capturing EPC data has proven, well-defined advantages for businesses and consumers, but the technology’s true potential will be realized when enterprises begin to share that data about products using the EPCIS standard to improve efficiencies in a controlled setting throughout the supply chain.”

In October 2006, EPCglobal successfully completed interoperability testing of the platform along with 12 other large and small solution providers from Japan, Korea, and North America, including Auto-ID Labs, Avicon, BEA Systems, Bent Systems, IBM, Globe Ranger, IIJ, NEC, Oracle, Polaris Systems, Samsung, and T3Ci. The interoperability test marked a significant milestone in the development of EPCIS, which is the result of years of effort by more than 150 companies and organizations participating in the EPCIS working group. The positive results of this test and solution provider support have led to the ratification of this standard.
"The EPCIS standard is a major step in the greater adoption of RFID and sensors that can help protect us from counterfeit drugs, secure our ports and provide food traceability," said Craig Asher, IBM WebSphere Product Manager and EPCglobal EPCIS Software Action Group Co-Chair. "This standard has already been deployed in real business scenarios around the world and will facilitate revenue-enhancing and cost-saving collaboration among supply chain trading partners."
EPCIS is the foundational specification for capturing very granular event information across and within organizations. It is anticipated that EPCIS will be built upon, with additional end user and community use cases serving as the driver for enhanced data sharing models.

About EPCglobal:
EPCgIobaI Inc. is a subsidiary of the global not-for-profit standards organisation GS1, and supports the global adoption of the Electronic Product Code as a global standard to enable accurate information and visibility about products in the supply chain. More information about EPCglobal Inc. can be found at http://www.epcglobalinc.org.

IDTechEx Releases RFID Market Predictions for 2008

RFID Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2008-2018
Complete RFID analysis and forecasts 2008-2018
By Raghu Das and Dr Peter Harrop

full article

Electromagnetic Interference From Radio Frequency Identification Inducing Potentially Hazardous Incidents in Critical Care Medical Equipment

Remko van der Togt, MSc; Erik Jan van Lieshout, MD; Reinout Hensbroek, MSc; E. Beinat, PhD; J. M. Binnekade, PhD; P. J. M. Bakker, MD, PhD

JAMA. 2008;299(24):2884-2890.

Context  Health care applications of autoidentification technologies, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), have been proposed to improve patient safety and also the tracking and tracing of medical equipment. However, electromagnetic interference (EMI) by RFID on medical devices has never been reported.

Objective  To assess and classify incidents of EMI by RFID on critical care equipment.

Design and Setting  Without a patient being connected, EMI by 2 RFID systems (active 125 kHz and passive 868 MHz) was assessed under controlled conditions during May 2006, in the proximity of 41 medical devices (in 17 categories, 22 different manufacturers) at the Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Assessment took place according to an international test protocol. Incidents of EMI were classified according to a critical care adverse events scale as hazardous, significant, or light.

Results  In 123 EMI tests (3 per medical device), RFID induced 34 EMI incidents: 22 were classified as hazardous, 2 as significant, and 10 as light. The passive 868-MHz RFID signal induced a higher number of incidents (26 incidents in 41 EMI tests; 63%) compared with the active 125-kHz RFID signal (8 incidents in 41 EMI tests; 20%); difference 44% (95% confidence interval, 27%-53%; P < .001). The passive 868-MHz RFID signal induced EMI in 26 medical devices, including 8 that were also affected by the active 125-kHz RFID signal (26 in 41 devices; 63%). The median distance between the RFID reader and the medical device in all EMI incidents was 30 cm (range, 0.1-600 cm).

Conclusions  In a controlled nonclinical setting, RFID induced potentially hazardous incidents in medical devices. Implementation of RFID in the critical care environment should require on-site EMI tests and updates of international standards.

Checkpoint to Become the One-Stop-Shop Provider of Shrink Management and Merchandise Visibility Solutions

THOROFARE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 23, 2008--Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CKP), a leading manufacturer and marketer of identification, tracking, security and merchandising solutions for the retail industry and its supply chain, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OATSystems, Inc., the leader in RFID-based application software and middleware. The all cash transaction is expected to close within two weeks. Checkpoint expects the transaction to be dilutive to earnings per share through 2009 and accretive thereafter.

OATSystems is the leader in RFID-based application software and middleware. Its international client base consists of leading companies in the retail, consumer products, consumer electronics, manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense industries.

Checkpoint and OATSystems offer complementary merchandise protection and inventory management applications that together strengthen their combined presence in the retail market. For retail customers, OATSystems solutions help turn large quantities of data from RFID hardware into meaningful and actionable information. These solutions enable retailers to enhance operational efficiency by obtaining accurate perpetual inventory levels, ensuring on-shelf availability of merchandise that is seamlessly integrated within the framework of existing loss prevention strategies and practices.

With this acquisition, Checkpoint is once again redefining the scope of Shrink Management, said Rob van der Merwe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Checkpoint Systems, Inc. The addition of OATSystems builds upon our previously announced strategy to help retailers and their suppliers migrate more easily with our Evolve(TM) Electronic Article Surveillance platform to Electronic Product Code RFID. As our industry moves to a common EPC standard, Checkpoint with the addition of OATSystems' capabilities will now be able to offer solutions that enable retailers and their supply chains to gain deeper inventory visibility - further reducing shrink and increasing bottom-line profits by enhancing on-shelf merchandise availability for consumers.

Senior management of OATSystems, including Michael George, President and Chief Executive Officer of OATSystems, will continue to operate the business as a division of Checkpoint. The Company will continue to use and develop the OATSystems brand and software platform to serve retail, consumer products and industrial customers.

This is exciting news for OATSystems, its customers, partners and employees, said Mr. George. We will continue our mission with the agility and technology innovation that has made OATSystems the leading provider of real-time RFID solutions. Combined with Checkpoint's global resources and leadership, we will be better positioned to help customers optimize their operations and achieve their goals.

The addition of OATSystems provides Checkpoint with multiple avenues for expansion into higher growth markets as cross-selling opportunities are leveraged. We acted quickly and decisively on the acquisition of this industry recognized market leader, added Mr. van der Merwe. The transaction is consistent with our plans for growing revenue both organically and through acquisitions. Importantly, in acquiring OATSystems we are welcoming one of the most respected management teams in the industry and a group of employees who are second to none. We look forward to working closely with the OATSystems team as we continue our efforts to grow our business and position Checkpoint for the future.

OATSystems, Inc.

OATSystems, Inc. is the recognized radio-frequency identification (RFID) solution leader with software that empowers businesses to achieve competitive advantage and ROI from RFID enabled applications. As a pioneer in developing RFID technology, OATSystems has been setting the standards in RFID for over half a decade and is responsible for industry firsts that include the largest scale and largest scope of deployments, as well as the most innovative approaches to providing enterprise-wide RFID solutions. OATSystems' multinational client base consists of over 100 customers in retail, consumer packaged goods, consumer electronics, manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense. OATSystems is headquartered in Waltham, MA, and has a development office in Bangalore, India and various direct sales offices and resellers around the globe. To learn more, visit www.oatsystems.com.

Checkpoint Systems, Inc.

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. is the leading supplier of retail shrink management solutions. Checkpoint's global team helps retailers - and their suppliers - reduce theft, increase inventory visibility and provide consumers with greater merchandise availability through the company's rapidly evolving RF technology, expanding shrink management offerings and Check-Net labeling solutions. Checkpoint has more than one million RF devices installed in stores today and has secured more than 100 billion products. Scaling cost efficiently, Checkpoint's solutions provide increased revenues and profits to a fast-growing community of successful retailers and a superior experience for their consumers. Listed on the NYSE (NYSE: CKP), Checkpoint operates in every major geographic market and employs 3,900 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.checkpointsystems.com.

CONTACT: Checkpoint Systems, Inc.:
Ray Andrews, Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Bob Powers, Vice President Investor Relations
856-848-1800
or
Investor Relations:
FD
Christine Mohrmann
Matt Steinberg
212-850-5600

SOURCE: Checkpoint Systems, Inc.