Nov 22, 2004This article was originally published by RFID Update.
November 22, 2004—The Boston Globe today ran an interesting profile on Silicon Valley-based Alien Technology. One of the most recognized names in RFID, Alien aims to be the leader in RFID tag production. Founded in 1995 and with $150 million in funding to date, the company aims to be the "Cisco of the RFID business," expanding beyond mere RFID tag production (which is their current bread and butter) into all manner of RFID-related software and hardware. Its "fluidic self-assembly" RFID tag production process is Alien's near-term competitive advantage, according to chief executive Stavro Prodromou, who says that the patented process allows it to produce RFID tags cheaper than the competition.
An interesting theme of the article is the author's wariness of Asian competitors entering and ultimately dominating the RFID tag production field, as has happened in so many other hardware businesses. He sees RFID tag production as a Brigadoon business, that is, "one that eventually vanishes [in North America], and reappears in Asia."
Read the article at Boston.com
