Jan 05, 2017The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations: STMicroelectronics; Better Online Solutions Ltd.; Southco;
Market Research Reports; and Research Corridor.
STMicroelectronics, Mobile-Payment Partners Offer Secure Solution for Wearable Devices
Mobile payments may go mainstream on wearable devices like smartwatches by taking advantage of a new ready-to-use payment solution containing technology from global semiconductor company STMicroelectronics. The firm, in partnership with Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) and FitPay, has used ST's security chip to create a secure hardware and software solution pre-approved for use by device manufacturers with the aim of developing integrated, tokenized payments from MasterCard or Visa.
This effort, according to the company, reduces the barriers to implementing card payments on mobile devices, and also enables wearable-device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to concentrate on product development. The joint solution gives users the flexibility to load multiple payment cards from various banks and from different payment networks onto a wearable device, the firm explains, thereby facilitating contactless payments, regardless of an end-device's operating system.
A secure operating system from G&D, payment application-management software from FitPay, and hardware components needed to support a mobile-payment application are included and fully integrated around ST's ST54E security chip, which handles cryptographic processing and tamper-proofing. "Wearable devices are transforming the payment experience, and FitPay, ST, and G&D are making it easier to develop payment-enabled wearables," said Michael Orlando, FitPay's CEO, in a prepared statement. "This reference design from ST demonstrates a fully integrated payment solution for manufacturers."
Axel Deininger, the executive VP and head of G&D's Enterprise Security/OEM division, added in the statement: "The integration work we have done together with ST and FitPay to create this reference design overcomes the critical road blocks to delivering the freedom of mobile payments for consumers worldwide."
Laurent Degauque, the marketing director of STMicroelectronics' Secure Microcontroller Division, noted in the statement: "The market has been waiting for a turnkey reference design that greatly simplifies the way device OEMs interact with the payment ecosystem and this effort fits the bill. It provides everything needed for wearables to become the devices that will make mobile payments ubiquitous, simple, safe, and secure."
The ST54E is available now, the company reports.
BOS's RFID and Mobile Division Receives Order for Warehouse-Management System
Better Online Solutions (BOS), an Israeli provider of RFID and mobile solutions and a global provider of supply chain solutions to enterprises, has announced that its RFID and Mobile Division has received an order from an unnamed Israeli customer for a warehouse-management system (WMS).
According to BOS, the WMS will offer its customer improved management and control of its inventory—which comprises more than 20,000 items—at its new 12,000-square-meter logistics center (129,200-square-foot). The order amounts to $150,000, and the WMS is expected to be installed this year.
"The installation of this sizeable WMS demonstrates the customer's confidence in our solutions," said Yuval Viner, BOS' CEO, in a prepared statement. "Following installation, we will offer the customer additional products and services such as mobile equipment and infrastructure. As a result of our acquisition of the Next Line business at the beginning of the year, we are also able to provide the customer with a turnkey solution for the relocation of its existing logistics center (including counting, moving and labeling of the inventory items in the new location)."
BOS's RFID and Mobile Division offers both integration services and standalone products, including RFID and AIDC hardware and communications equipment, in addition to middleware and industry-specific software applications. The company provides electronic component-consolidation services to the aerospace, defense, medical and telecommunications industries, as well as to enterprise customers worldwide.
Southco's New Electronic Locking Swinghandle Supports Proximity-Card, Smart-Card Credentials
Southco, Inc., a global provider of engineered access hardware solutions, has recently expanded its H3-EM Electronic Locking Swinghandle Series with the launch of the H3-EM with Integrated Multi-class RFID Reader. According to the company, the new model includes the same intelligent electronic locking and monitoring features as the standard H3-EM, but also reads HID 125 kHz RFID credentials and 13.56 MHz iCLASS smart-card-based credentials.
The H3-EM with Integrated Multi-class RFID Reader features an integrated HID SE smart-card reader and supports multiple reader configuration. This, the firm reports, increases security and facilitates the transition to new security technologies used to manage access to keyless entry points at the equipment level.
The new solution features integrated LED indicators for visual status of equipment access, as well as single-hole panel preparation compatible with industry-standard enclosures for OEM integration or field retrofits. When connected to an access-control system, the device enables a user to track and record access to electronic locks, thereby providing an audit trail to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA, HITECH, PCI DSS and Sarbanes-Oxley.
"The H3-EM with Integrated Multi-class RFID Reader allows the user to leverage the existing building security system for rack level access control within the data center," said Steve Spatig, the company's general manager, in a prepared statement, "through the installation of one industry-standardized solution that reads multiple RFID formats."
Southco offers a range of engineered access hardware solutions, including latches, locks, captive fasteners, quick-access fasteners, hinges, handles, inserts and electronic-access solutions. These products are suitable for applications in the networking, telecommunications, computer, automotive, aerospace, mass-transit, off-highway, construction, RV, caravan, industrial machinery, marine and HVAC industries, the company reports.
Fleet Management Propels Global RTLS Market in Transportation, Logistics
Market Research Reports has released a new study that forecasts the global real-time location system (RTLS) market in the transportation and logistics sectors. According to the report, the industry will achieve a compound annual growth rate of 49.23 percent during the period of 2016 to 2020.
RTLS technologies help users to track, manage and identify a target's geographical location, which can range from an object at a manufacturing facility to a vehicle or a person. To accomplish this, an RTLS solution—which is typically embedded in an object, such as a mobile phone or a navigational system—leverages wireless nodes or RFID tags and readers. Current real-time location systems leverage wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or GPS. RLTS-enabled products are rapidly finding application at retail, logistics, transportation, health-care, military and supply chain management companies.
The end-use segment of transportation and logistics has substantially boosted the global RTLS market, the report indicates, due to the growing thrust on fleet management that necessitates the technology's use. Concerns about security and privacy, however, have acted as a market deterrent, the study notes. The report also indicates a prevalent trend in the market: the increased adoption of ultra-wideband (UWB) RTLS technology.
To examine the global RTLS market in the transportation and logistics sectors, the report segments data based on different parameters. For example, it divides the market into bar codes and QR codes, RFID, Wi-Fi and other technologies, then compares the different technologies and studies the differences between active and passive RFID systems. Application-wise, it divides the market into asset and inventory tracking, personnel tracking and others.
Geographically, the report divides the market into the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. It furnishes information regarding the size of the market within each region, based on revenue and sales, and also sheds light on their possible growth trajectory in the near future. To arrive at current market size, the report estimates the revenue generated from the use of RTLS solutions and tags in logistics and supply chain management, in both onshore and offshore projects and from out-of-band GPS, active RFID, passive RFID, AGPS and Wi-Fi technologies applied in transportation and logistics.
Key vendors profiled in the report include AiRISTA, CSR Group, Samsung, Ubisense and Zebra Technologies. The report studies the product offerings, market share and key strategies of the aforementioned players, in order to come up with insights on the current competitive scenario. A sample copy is available here.
Research Corridor Issues New Study on RFID Smart Cabinet Market
Research Corridor has published a new study titled "RFID Smart Cabinet Market – Growth, Share, Opportunities, Competitive Analysis and Forecast, 2015 – 2022." The report examines current and future aspects of the RFID smart cabinet market, based upon such factors as market dynamics, ongoing trends and segmentation analysis. It provides an overall view of the industry, according to the company, covering geographic segmentation, statistical forecast and the competitive landscape.
Geographically, the report comprises dedicated sections centering on regional market revenue and trends. The RFID smart cabinet market has been segmented on the basis of geographic regions into North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and rest of the world, Research Corridor notes. The latter segment consists of Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.
The report analyzes the market on the basis of various regional factors, such as demographics, gross domestic product (GDP), inflation rate, acceptance and more. Estimates are provided for 2013 and 2014, along with forecast for the period from 2015 to 2022.
The research also breaks down the positioning of major players in the RFID smart cabinet market. It concludes with a company profiles section, which includes information regarding major developments, strategic moves and financials of those players. The complete report is available here.
