The following are news announcements made during the past week.
Indian Sugar Manufacturer Tracks Raw Materials Via RFID
Mumbai-based Essen RFID, which produces radio frequency identification software, antennas, readers and other products, has announced that Shree Renuka Sugars, one of the world’s largest sugar manufacturers, is employing Essen’s vehicle-tracking system to monitor sugarcane deliveries. The implementations at Shree Renuka’s sugar mills include the installation of Essen RFID’s Xtenna readers with integrated antennas. During the harvest season, each mill has a continuous flow of vehicles carrying fresh sugarcane for crushing onsite. Prior to adopting RFID, the company used a cumbersome manual system for maintaining a record of all these vehicles, according to Essen RFID. This required one person at the gate to record the number of vehicles entering, along with the number of trailers attached to each vehicle. A second individual at the gate issued tokens to each vehicle, while a third was required to issue receipts. Due to the heavy traffic volume, the manual entry system was extremely time-consuming and inefficient, causing higher processing and queue times, overpayments, delays and more, the company reports. The Essen RFID solution automates the vehicle tracking and data updates in near-real-time, and generates receipts at the point of entry for farmers bringing in their sugar cane. For the implementation, an Xtenna reader was installed and mounted at the entry gate. Essen’s Metallica ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID tag was affixed to the side of each tractor or trailer, and the company’s EPC Gen 2 Parka tag was affixed to each truck’s side window. According to Essen RFID, the system has streamlined the entry process, reduced the number of labor and manpower requirements, and greatly reduced the incidence of errors during the manual processes of recording the amount of sugarcane each farmer delivered. Essen RFID has also completed implementations of its vehicle-tracking system at Larsen & Toubro‘s modular fabrication facility in Hazira, India, as well as at the Hiranandani Residential Complex, in Powai. For the Larsen & Toubro facility, the RFID system is designed to track vehicles entering and exiting the parking lot, and includes Xtenna integrated antenna-readers installed at the lot’s entry and exit gates. Parka tags were issued to every approved vehicle, and were affixed to the windshield. The tags were registered using an Xtenna antenna-reader, and the tracking system incorporates a signal light, triggered via RFID at the entry gate, to manage vehicle flow. When a vehicle enters the company’s parking lot, its tag is detected at the entry gate by the Xtenna, which reads that tag and verifies that it is registered and has been assigned to an authorized vehicle. It then logs the entry time and transmits this data to the server, which triggers the switch controlling the gate’s signal light. If the tag is verified, the signal light (which is red by default) turns green, and the car is allowed to proceed inside. As the car’s tag is read at the entry gate, its time log is stored in the database. Similarly, the Xtenna integrated antenna-reader mounted at the exit gate detects the exiting vehicle’s tag, and its departing time is logged in the server database. A similar system was implemented at Hiranandani to accurately identify residents, automate the vehicle entry and exit process, and supply accurate identification regarding authorized vehicles at the residential complex.
Datalinx, Dunlop Test RFID on Tires Used in Motorcycle Race Championships
Dunlop Motorsport has announced a new RFID trial that tests the use of EPC Gen 2 tags embedded in the tires of the motorcycles raced during MotoGP, a premier motorcycle racing World Championship featuring 18 races held in 13 countries. The goal is to make the tires more intelligent and enable them to provide real-time information, according to Datalinx, a U.K.-based software company that is providing the race-tire-management system. Dunlop is the official tire partner of the Moto2 and Moto3 championships, which form part of MotoGP. The trial got underway this month at Spain’s Circuito de Jerez. The goal, according to Datalinx, is to introduce a production-ready RFID technology at the start of the 2014 MotoGP season. Dunlop Motorsport has teamed up with MotoGP organizers Dorna Sports and the International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA) on the initiative. The RFID tag—which is programmed with a unique code that identifies the tire and correlates it with data regarding its type and size—is built into the tire on the assembly line at Dunlop’s plant in Birmingham, England. When used at the races, the RFID technology identifies which tires a team utilizes, and ensures that no tire is overlooked. The RFID tag data is collected using Motorola Solutions RFID readers. The data will provide the Moto2 and Moto3 organizers with an accurate log of each tire’s activity. The hope, Datalink explains, is that in the future, it will be possible to expand from identifying data at a static point in time to include more dynamic, intelligent information that a racer could use in real time. Dunlop and Datalinx have worked together on previous races, including the British Touring Car Championship, in the United Kingdom, and the FIA European Truck Racing Championship (see British Touring Car Championship Tracks Tires). Datalinx and Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe also worked together on field trials of RFID-enabled bus tires in 2012 (see Goodyear Dunlop Europe Plans RFID Trials for Bus Tires).
Hong Kong RFID Unveils New Active RFID Reader
Hong Kong RFID Ltd., an RFID hardware manufacturer, distributor and consultancy firm operating in Hong Kong and South China, has added a new 2.4 GHz RFID reader to its Empress product family. The new model (EM02-ETH) is designed to be a low cost, easy-to-install active RFID reader that connects with a PC via a local area network (LAN) cable, according to Hong Kong RFID. The EMO2-ETH reader supports received signal strength indication (RSSI), a technology that measures the strength of a signal, which the company says enables the creation of more sophisticated RFID applications. The device can read more than 150 tags within seconds—a performance that, Hong Kong RFID claims, is faster than that of other Empress family readers. In addition, its reading range is 20 to 30 percent greater than those of other Empress models. The EMO2-ETH reader features three configurable input-output (IO) ports that can be used to control external devices, like light-emitting diode (LED) lights and alarms, as well as for inputting commands to the reader to perform certain functions. Moreover, the reader’s plastic casing is designed to make the device light in weight—only 180 grams (6.3 ounces)—but durable. Remote firmware upgrades are expected to be supported in the future that will make it easier for users to add additional functions and logic to the reader easier. Finally, the EMO2-ETH reader features a new 16-bit platform (compared with the 8-bit platform utilized in other Empress reader models).
SML Group, Nordic ID Partner on RFID for Apparel Retail and Supply Chain Markets
SML Group, which supplies brand-identification labels and RFID data solutions for apparel, has teamed up with RFID technology specialist Nordic ID to deliver a range of RFID applications designed for apparel retailers and brand owners. The two companies report that they have developed bundled RFID solutions including Nordic ID RFID handheld readers configured to run with SML’s ViziT retail and supply chain applications. Unveiled in July 2012, ViziT is an end-to-end RFID solution comprising labels, printing and encoding functionality, reader infrastructure, installation and software (see SML Group Buys CGP Labels). The Nordic IT readers, offered as part of a complete package that includes RFID labels, are specifically tuned to achieve the best possible read-write performance, according to the two companies. The initial package is designed for in-plant applications, allowing RFID labels to be printed and encoded at the garment manufacturers’ site. In-plant Electronic Product Code (EPC) printing and encoding enables fast delivery of RFID labels to meet tight manufacturing schedules, the companies add. Additional supply chain and retail applications are planned for release this year. Nordic ID built software applications on its readers that interface with the SML ViziT program, says Jorma Lalla, Nordic ID’s CEO, in order to create a simple solution that is easy to install and simple to operate.
Memorial Hermann Health System Expands Deployment of Stanley Healthcare’s Infant-Protection Solution
Stanley Healthcare, a division of Stanley Black & Decker, has announced that Memorial Hermann Health System, a not-for-profit health system in Southeast Texas, will expand its use of Stanley Healthcare’s Hugs infant-protection solution. The RFID-enabled solution will provide infant security at nine of its hospitals that offer maternal childcare services throughout the greater Houston region, Stanley Healthcare reports. The Hugs system employs active tags that transmit signals at a variety of frequencies (some incorporate dual frequencies) and communicate via proprietary air-interface protocols, and is designed to help prevent the unauthorized removal of babies from a medical facility. The solution includes such features as skin-sensing capabilities that can trigger an alert in the event that a tag is removed from a wearer, and can also trigger an alarm if a person attempts to exit via a monitored door without authorization, if a tag’s strap has been cut or tampered with, if the system fails to detect a tag’s signal for a specified span of time, or if a tag’s battery power runs low. Previously, according to Stanley Healthcare, the Hugs solution was adopted by four hospitals within the Memorial Hermann group, including the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, encompassing both newborn and pediatric patient protection. Memorial Hermann Health System has also initiated projects to implement the Hugs solution at five of its other hospitals. Of these, two are already in operation, including the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, the primary teaching hospital for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School (UTHealth), and the Women’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, in The Woodlands, specializing in health care for women. Once the Stanley Healthcare solution has been deployed at all nine hospitals, Stanley Healthcare reports, it will help to protect more than 20,000 newborns annually.
Zebra Technologies Delivers One Millionth RTLS Tag
Zebra Technologies has announced that it has achieved the milestone of shipping one million real-time locating system (RTLS) tags. Zebra’s solutions incorporate RTLS and RFID systems based on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, as well as WhereNet 2.4 GHz tags (complying with the ISO 24730-2 RTLS standard and/or the IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi standard), to help customers track the locations of assets, individuals and transactions in real time. Customers employing Zebra’s active RFID technology and RTLS solutions include leaders in the automotive, manufacturing, health-care and sports industries, the company reports. Zebra expects businesses will increase their adoption of RFID and RTLS solutions in order to improve visibility and enable more informed business decisions. A recent global study commissioned by Zebra Technologies found that 53 percent of respondents are planning to implement Internet of Things (IoT) solutions during the next two years, and cited bar-coding and RFID tracking technologies as important to enabling IoT solutions (see RFID News Roundup: Internet of Things Gains Real-World Traction, According to New Study).
NFC Netstore to Supply Tags to German Transit Agencies
NFC Netstore, a global Finland-based supplier of Near Field Communication (NFC) products, as well as tags, readers and print media, has announced that it will supply tags to two German transit agencies: national rail operator Deutsche Bahn and Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), the Rhine/Main Regional Transport Association. NFC Netstore will deliver the tags for use in Deutsche Bahn’s national NFC ticketing scheme, known as Touch&Travel. Announced in early 2008, that initiative was designed to work with NFC-enabled signs and cell phones to eliminate the need for paper tickets in the country’s extensive public transportation network (see Deutsche Bahn Launches Touch&Travel). NFC Netstore will supply its Kontaktpunkt (Contact Point) tag, consisting of an NFC RFID inlay embedded in a patent-pending structure. The inlay is placed between protective layers that make it suitable for metal surfaces, as well as for resisting harsh weather conditions and vandalism, according to NFC Netstore. Implementation of the Kontaktpunkt tags is slated to begin once Deutsche Bahn’s partners begin ordering and installing the tags. The Kontakpunkt tags enable passengers to check in and out for their journey using NFC technology. NFC’s second contract is with RMV. Last year, NFC Netstore supplied the agency with more than 25,000 of its Kontaktpunkt tags, which have been mounted at approximately 11,000 bus and tram stops throughout the greater area of Frankfurt, and are a part of RMV’s mobile information and ticketing strategy (RMV-App and RMV-MobilePortal). The implementation lasted for around three months, according to a Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund media spokeswoman, and RMV teams had to mount the tags on different types of aboveground and underground structures, including metal vending machines, painted metal posts, plastic structures and more. RMV, a Deutsche Bahn partner in the Frankfurt region, had asked NFC Netstore to develop an inexpensive NFC-QR tag that could be easily attached to metal bus-stop posts and withstand harsh outdoor conditions. In addition to using the Kontaktpunkt tags for the RMV-App and RMV-MobilePortal, the Kontaktpunkt tags at the RMV stops can be utilized with the Touch&Travel ticketing system.