Intermec launches RFID migration strategy
Technologies has launched an RFID migration strategy to help
customers meet new RFID requirements. Under the scheme,
manufacturers and retailers will be able to begin pilots with
current Intermec tag and readers with the assurance they can switch
to meet final requirements simply through field upgrades and
software downloads.
This strategy is designed to assure companies that they will be in full compliance of traceability laws, when they come into force in Europe in 2005. Many are worried that pilot equipment being evaluated today may perform quite differently from those that meet final requirements. Intermec's promise of field upgrades offers customers a solution to reduce that risk.
The purpose of the scheme is also to help companies avoid short-lived equipment purchases by providing gradual but comprehensive installation of RFID technology.
"Intermec's goal is to help customers receive a significant business value while dealing with developing RFID standards," said Intermec vice president Mike Wills. "Instead of ripping and replacing obsolete systems that won't eventually meet a final RFID requirement, we offer a fluid, reliable migration strategy to maximise hardware usage, eliminate risk and eliminate down-time."
RFID is being seen as a complement to industry's current bar code-based tracking systems, allowing companies to automatically track inventory throughout an entire supply chain. RFID automatic data collection typically does not require line of sight or manual scanning as do most bar code-based systems.
For example, information from RFID-tagged cases on a pallet can be read automatically using fixed, mobile or handheld readers rather than requiring individual bar code scanning. EPC UHF Generation 2 RFID technology adds the capability to change and update the information on each tag as it proceeds, providing new levels of up-to-date information for better decision making.
And the technology is here to stay. In an international study undertaken by IT consultancy LogicaCMG, the majority of the companies interviewed in the Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Germany, France and Belgium, gave RFID top priority in terms of planned IT investment. The study shows that half of the 50 companies interviewed in Europe have or are planning to deploy RFID pilot projects throughout 2004, with the vast majority planning to start implementing the technology within the next three years.
"The research shows that we are on the threshold of a breakthrough of RFID technology in the European market," said Paul Stam de Jonge, director sales and marketing at LogicaCMG.
RFID technology is based on a relatively simple concept. It consists of two elements that communicate through radio transmission - a tag and a reader. The tag contains a small chip and an antenna and can be placed on any object. The information on the tag, such as an identification number, can be transmitted to an RFID reader over a distance of a few metres.
The readers are placed in various locations throughout the supply chain. RFID allows objects to be electronically identified and followed throughout the complete distribution chain.
