Mar 13, 2014Five global energy companies—Woodside, Total, BP, Petrobras and Shell—have been working together for nearly a year to promote the standardization of radio frequency identification and other automatic-identification and data-capture (AIDC) technologies within the oil and gas sector. The group is now actively recruiting new members, and plans to hold an pre-meeting in April—at the RFID Journal LIVE! conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla.—with the goal of conducting its first official meeting in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 14, 2014.
The Global RFID Committee for Oil & Gas was established in May 2013. Its members believe that RFID technology has the potential to deliver significant benefits, and are collaborating toward global standardization. The committee also hopes to jointly encourage the development of technologies that meet the specific needs of the oil and gas industry's business and technical requirements, including the creation of RFID equipment certified as intrinsically safe.
The group hopes to raise awareness of the benefits of RFID and other AIDC technologies within the industry, and to encourage the technologies' adoption. It will serve as a vehicle for exchanging AIDC best practices to accelerate learning curves, and will also initiate joint industry studies to fill in existing gaps in the understanding of how and where the technologies can be used to increase operational and supply chain efficiencies.
Members of the Global RFID Committee for Oil & Gas are currently focusing on a global search for IECEX-certified (intrinsically safe) tags, readers and mobile devices, to enable the technology to be used within their oil, gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities worldwide. Woodside is a cornerstone sponsor of RFID Journal's inaugural RFID in Energy, Mining & Construction conference, to be held in Perth on Aug. 12-13.
The meeting at LIVE! in Orlando will be held on Apr. 9 at 5 pm. Committee members will informally discuss the group's plans, solicit input and prepare for the first formal meeting in Australia. Those interested in attending the Global RFID Committee for Oil & Gas meeting can register at the RFID Journal LIVE! website.
