Jan 31, 2008The following are news announcements made during the past week.
Academia RFID Launches New Certification Program
Academia RFID, a training, research-development and consulting center in Montreal, announced this month an RFID certification program that focuses on business-problem solving, process reengineering, implementation and scalability. The three-day RFID PRO course, designed for operation managers, engineers, directors, RFID consultants, IT directors and system integrators, can be held at Academia RFID's training centers, or at a customer's site. Prerequisites include at least two years' experience working in RFID and/or CompTIA RFID+ certification (a vendor-neutral certification program offered through the Computing Technology Industry Association). RFID PRO courses, offered in English, French and Spanish, will be held during the next few months in Montreal, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and Christchurch, New Zealand. The cost is C$2,900.
Help for Sam's Club Suppliers
Two more RFID vendors, Sato and Lowry Computer Products, are now offering EPC Gen 2 kits designed to help suppliers implement systems to meet Sam's Club's RFID requirements. Owned and operated by Wal-Mart, Sam's Club announced in January that by month's end, suppliers must apply an EPC Gen 2 RFID tag to every full single-item pallet shipped to its distribution center in DeSoto, Texas, or directly to one of its stores served by that DC. For any pallets not tagged, suppliers will be charged a service fee, starting at $2 per untagged pallet (see Sam's Club Tells Suppliers to Tag or Pay). Sato's Ready-Set-Solved! kit includes the company's GL408e UHF RFID Printer, Label Gallery 2 TruePro label design software, one roll of 4-by-6-inch AD-222 RFID labels and one roll of T101A standard wax ribbons, which are general-purpose, economical paper labels. The Lowry Quick Comply Kits are a suite of bundled solutions, each designed to meet the RFID requirements of a specific retailer or organization. The kits include RFID interrogators, software and a starter supply of RFID labels and ribbons, as well as one-on-one installation support.
Reva Systems Opens Asia Pacific Office
Reva Systems, a provider of RFID network infrastructure, has announced the opening of an office in Tokyo, to serve as the regional headquarters for its sales and technical operations in the Asia Pacific markets. The office will include sales, business development, marketing, systems engineering and customer support resources, and will be led by Satoshi Shiba, Reva's VP of Asia Pacific and Japan sales. Reva opened the office to support RFID deployments among key customers and channel partners in that region, as well as to spur the technology's growth there. RFID continues to gain popularity in Asia, in part because of that area's continued growth as a manufacturing hub (see RFID's Silk Road). Governments and private industry in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan have been active in RFID technology pilots, and in the development of international RFID standards.
Savi Teams With Indian Company; Hits 25,000 Milestone
Savi Technology has announced a partnership with New Delhi, India-based Avaana, a technology and integration services firm focused on RFID. The exclusive agreement will enable Avaana to provide Savi's range of active RFID services and products to Indian companies, particularly those in the defense, homeland security, transportation and port infrastructure sectors. Meanwhile, Savi Networks, a joint venture of Savi Technology and seaport operator Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), has announced that it has now recorded the 25,000th commercial cargo shipment tagged with an electronic seal (e-seal) compliant with the ISO 18185 standard. The e-seals are read as the cargo is transported moving through various port and customs facilities worldwide, including those in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., and Bangkok, Thailand (see Western Digital Uses RFID Seals to Streamline Customs). E-seals combine mechanical locks with battery-powered RFID tags that wirelessly communicate security alerts when doors of e-sealed freight containers are forcibly or improperly opened. Savi Networks' SaviTrak service monitors, in real time, the location and security status of commercial cargo shipments tagged with the vendor's e-seals.
Advanced ID Rolls Out "Guaranteed Life of Tire" Tagging
Advanced ID, a provider of RFID technology for livestock tracking, pet recovery and supply chain applications for the tire management industry, has teamed with the Patch Rubber Co., a division of Myers Industries, to offer an RFID-enabled tire identification and tracking system. The "Guaranteed Life of Tire" solution combines Advanced ID's passive UHF RFID Tire Tag (which supports multiple tag protocols, including ISO 18000-6B and EPC Class 1 Gen 2) with Patch Rubber's rubber patch technology. According to the two companies, the tag can be retrofit on a tire. The program will be showcased at the Truck Maintenance Council's 2008 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition, to be held on Feb. 4-7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
