Aug 14, 2006RF Code, a Mesa, Ariz., provider of real-time locating systems (RTLS), has announced that it will switch from providing radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware and software to providing solutions designed for specific vertical industries. These solutions will include industry-specific software modules and tools for customizing software, as well as technical support.
"We've moved the company from a pure provider of technology to providing a complete solutions stack," says Joe Dugan, RF Code's CEO. "Instead of just being an active RFID company trying to do everything, we've packaged up complete solutions around locating systems. We've added sensors, so our systems will not only tell you where things are, but what state they are in."
The company is initially targeting the health-care, aerospace and defense, IT asset management, and hospitality (theme parks and ski resorts) markets. RF Code has created software modules that can be added to its TAVIS platform for real-time location monitoring.
Health-care modules enable hospitals to manage patient flow and maintain assets, while aerospace modules let companies manage rotable parts (those that can be restored to a serviceable condition and reused), inventory and work-in-process. IT asset management modules, meanwhile, assist IT departments in locating assets on a floor plan and tracking the configuration of computers.
RF Code has created a professional services arm and certification program for systems integrators looking to install RF Code equipment. It has also developed a methodology for matching the performance of its systems against a customer's requirements, which it is using for its money-back guarantee.
When a customer needs RTLS technology, RF Code or one of its certified partners analyzes the type of solution needed. The vendor then sets up the metrics to determine if the system meets that company's needs. "When we implement the solution, if we don't meet the metrics, we will either fix it immediately or give the customer his money back and take everything back," Dugan says, adding, "Because we are so rigorous in how we do this, we won't have to give money back."
RF Code has also announced that it has signed an agreement with the SYMX Technologies division of SYMX Corp., a global provider of medical equipment services and products. As per this agreement, RF Code will supply SYMX with health-care RTLS solutions over the next three years, under a contract worth $30 million.
This exclusive agreement lets SYMX integrate RF Code's RTLS capabilities into its SYMX Solutions offering. Additionally, hospitals can use the solution to track the exact location and status of high-value medical equipment, such as infusion pumps and expensive implantable products.
"We feel that winning the SYMX contract validates our new approach," says Dugan. "This is the largest contract for active RFID technology—outside of the U.S. Department of Defense contracts—that we're aware of."
