AIM Launches Campaign to Grow Membership, Participation

Jul 28, 2009Automatic identification trade association AIM Global has announced that it is restructuring itself and its AIM North America division. A primary goal of this restructuring is to attract more small North American RFID companies to the worldwide parent association and its committees and activities. The association's North American division has launched a drive to lower dues for small companies, and to provide them with automatic membership to all of AIM's international activities.

These changes, which include creating sectors for different types and sizes of companies, along with price scales for dues to reflect those sectors, are intended to make association membership more affordable and desirable for RFID companies that hope to have a part in decision-making, such as discussions of technology standards. AIM's RFID Experts Group, for instance, has developed four implementation guidelines. These include ISO/IEC TR 24729-2, a technical report that explores the environmental impact of RFID tags, and how to employ them to facilitate product recycling (see Industry Groups Study RFID at the Supply Chain's End), and ISO/IEC TR 24729-4, which examines methods for preventing unauthorized access to information on an RFID tag and in an RFID system

"A tremendous amount of time and effort has been put into this by AIM Global and AIM North America," says Steve Doerfler, an AIM North America board member, and president and CEO of Iowa label manufacturer Metalcraft. "We realize that a lot of changes are being made in the industry, and we wanted to be more connected to those industry members."

The result is an overhaul of AIM Global itself, which will now be known simply as AIM. At present, membership in AIM North America automatically grants a company membership into AIM. That was not the case previously, when AIM North America—which was less expensive to join than its global parent organization—granted members access only to activities within that North American division, but little voice in activities taking place on worldwide. For that reason, businesses often joined either AIM Global or AIM North America, but not both. With the restructuring, North America members now have access to AIM and all of its activities.

The new system will reduce the confusion of potential North American members, says AIM board member Matt Schler, who also leads the fixed retail scanning division of Datalogic, a bar-code and RFID hardware manufacturer. Previously, he notes, members simply did not know which activities they had access to, and which they did not. "The key is to take that confusion away," he states. "They now have extended worldwide access. That is a huge benefit—particularly for smaller manufacturers and distributors to gain access to decision making on a global level."

Doerfler declines to provide a dollar range for the new dues, but indicates that small companies would see a significant fee reduction. The dues structure will now be based on market segment, with membership divided among manufacturers, channel businesses or resellers, associates (including government entities and end users), independent software providers and distributors. Most of North America's approximately 100 AIM members in the global and North American groups are either manufacturers or resellers. With the new fee structure, Doerfler expects more small companies will become members. Currently, there are approximately 700 AIM members worldwide.

The timing of this announcement, Schler indicates, was intended to take advantage of a surge this year in auto-ID interest in the supply chain, in response to the current economic slowdown. The recession, he says, has generated more interest in using technology to reduce supply chain expenses. That growth, he adds, makes for more opportunities for new, small companies, and AIM needs to be in a leadership role at the center of that growth. "AIM has been very good at grabbing loose ends and trying to pull them together," he states, describing how companies may initiate their own technology without the benefit of universal standards, often in conflict with other technology vendors.

Schler hopes new, smaller North American members within AIM will help strengthen the organization's committees and overall membership. "AIM is sticking its neck out there [by accepting membership at reduced costs]," he says, "but we're convinced that people will see value in their membership, and that AIM will see value from them."

The recession, Schler says, "has been a bit of a wake-up call for members who thought they could isolate themselves [geographically], but today, auto ID is really a global marketplace, and this membership will thrust North American companies into the global market, giving them additional visibility and access to decision making."

AIM has had some influence in RFID industry growth, in such areas as the Unique Identification (UID) Supplier Alliance. AIM North America and AIM Global established the alliance in November 2007 with 20 member companies, to help promote compliance of the U.S. Department of Defense's UID process. That effort, Doerfler explains, included lobbying on Capitol Hill and assisting with legislative language.

AIM is currently working to establish a single, universal RFID emblem. With an increase in membership, Doerfler predicts, the association will be able to press forward with an increased number of RFID initiatives, as well as create similar alliances for standards issues in, for example, the pharmaceutical or medical device industries.

The organization also hopes to be able to provide a greater number of conferences and trade shows for its members. "If we grow AIM's membership," Doerfler says, "we will become stronger, more involved and accomplish more."