Jun 18, 2008This article was originally published by RFID Update.
June 18, 2008—Wealth and asset management firm Robert W. Baird & Co. has released its RFID Monthly for June. Baird has given RFID Update permission to reprint the Key Developments section (below), which offers the report highlights. For those wanting more detail, the complete 21-page document is available free here.
The standard matrix of primary RFID providers is on page 15, and following are the Key Developments:
- Track and Traceability Increasingly Important in the Food Supply Chain. We are seeing more movement on the food supply chain seeking better track and trace capability. The Product Marketing Association is moving forward with an industry group to advance data capture standards for food supply chain traceability. While we see this process taking time to advance, we believe components of the supply chain will move forward with bar coding and RFID, particularly for sensing applications. On the retail side, Metro is tracking meat with RFID to ensure freshness (see Item-Level RFID Prevents Meat Spoilage for METRO). Given the increasing focus by consumers on recalls, we expect a freshness marketing message will gain interest.
- Emphasis on Solution Development. We are clearly seeing more signs that end users are seeking solutions to business problems using RFID as a key tool, instead of simply focusing on the technology. We view this as another important sign of industry evolution. We believe the significant product segmentation seen in the past year was a precursor to this emphasis on application/solution development.
- Comment Letters to FDA Urge Restraint on Mandating Track and Trace. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) has submitted two comment letters to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging restraint in mandating "track and trace" technologies (i.e., e-pedigree). The NACDS's concern is that RFID is not yet developed sufficiently and 2D bar coding will be too expensive, and that greater technological and standard maturity will be necessary to move forward. These letters were in response to comments sought by the FDA with respect to the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007. See the "Briefs" section for more details.
Download the full Baird RFID Monthly (pdf)
