Oct 13, 2003Oct. 14, 2003 - With venture capital from from firms in Germany and Austria, Meshed Systems, a Munich, Germany startup, wants to break into the RFID market by providing just about everything a customer needs: tags, readers, software and integration services.
Dr. Michael Wernle, founder and CEO of the new company, says Meshed Systems will develop RFID transponders in a number of formats, including discs, sticks, labels and inlays. It will also create reader modules using a new chip-making technology developed by Denver, Colo.-based NanoPierce Technologies.
Wernle says the initial focus of Meshed Systems will be to develop and sell 13.56 MHz systems in the European market, but that sales in the United States could follow down the line.
Before assuming his position at Meshed Systems, Wernle was president and CEO at NanoPierce subsidiary, ExypnoTech, a manufacturer of RFID components founded in February 2002. After launching Meshed Systems, Wernle agreed to acquire 51 percent of ExypnoTech from NanoPierce for an undisclosed sum.
"ExypnoTech has a unique technology for the manufacturing of smart inlays. This will be used to fulfill orders from Meshed Systems," says Wernle.
The technology Wernle refers to is a fast flip-chip bonding process for high-volume inlay production. According to ExypnoTech, the system can be applied to virtually all standard RFID chip types directly on the wafer. NanoPierce has granted ExypnoTech the right to sublicense this technology in the RFID market.
But Meshed Systems wants to extend its reach into all aspects of the RFID arena by developing software that will link its tags and readers to other software applications. "We expect hardware to account for around 60 percent of our revenues, with software, engineering and consulting accounting for the rest," says Wernle.
The company will focus the software integration of all its RFID components around Microsoft’s .NET web services technology. Meshed Systems does not plan to sell packaged solutions, such as warehouse management systems. Instead, it will pull together all the elements needed to deliver specific applications.
The company says it will sell its products and systems in conjunction with systems integrators that have experience in specific applications and industries but need Meshed Systems' RFID expertise. For its components business, Meshed Systems will sell directly to RFID companies, Wernle says.
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