Oct 01, 2004Advanced Wireless Identification Group: AWID has a solid foothold in the market for RFID systems used to control access to buildings, and it has developed new readers for supply chain applications. Its biggest attraction might be that it’s profitable.
Alien Technology: A large semiconductor company could purchase Alien for its Fluidic Self-Assembly technology, which enables RFID tags to be mass-assembled quickly. Alien has raised tens of millions of dollars in venture capital to develop FSA.
Intellident: Headquartered in Manchester, U.K., this systems integrator specializes in asset tracking, supply chain and other RFID applications that will be in demand over the next several years. It’s attractive because it has done many successful implementations.
OATSystems: RFID middleware specialist OATSystems has been working with many early adopters, including three of the first eight companies supplying Wal-Mart. The company could make a tempting target for a software company that doesn’t have an RFID product and is looking for a quick way to enter the market.
SAMSys Technologies: This company was one of the first to manufacture multiprotocol RFID readers. Its readers work not only with Class 0 and Class 1 EPC tags but also with tags that use ISO standards and proprietary protocols. It could be a tempting target for a large electronics manufacturer.
Tacit Solutions: This Evansville, Ind.-based systems integrator has more than 15 years of experience in RFID, auto-ID and mobile computing systems. It would provide a larger systems integrator with a core group of RFID professionals.
ThingMagic: This engineering startup has developed reader designs that it licenses to other companies. A large electronics manufacturer that wants to get into the RFID business quickly could buy ThingMagic and mass-produce its readers.