Oct 12, 2009Hong Kong, my old stomping ground, is establishing itself as a leader in the adoption of radio frequency identification technologies. And GS1 Hong Kong is helping things along by playing an active role in innovative pilots, and in rewarding those who employ the technology.
Last week, the organization announced the winners of the 2009 Hong Kong RFID Awards, co-organized by the Hong Kong R&D Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management Enabling Technologies (LCSM) and the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corp.
Modeled after the RFID Journal Awards, the Hong Kong RFID Awards are divided into three main categories: best EPC RFID implementation, most innovative use of EPC RFID, and most innovative EPC RFID product. Gold, silver and bronze awards were given out in each category, and eleven participating organizations that showed commitment to adopting RFID in their business processes were presented with certificates of merit.
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company earned the Gold Award for best EPC RFID implementation, for its Traffic Operations Management System, aimed at using the technology to improve depot productivity, optimize resource utilization and improve transparency and fairness in duty allocation.
The Gold Award for most innovative use of EPC RFID went to Nuance Watson (HK) Ltd., for its Mobile Discovery RFID Display Station (see Hong Kong Tests RFID for Product Authentication). The kiosks, installed in stores at the Hong Kong International Airport, enable customers to instantly view, on the kiosk screen, the complete details of a product, as well as promotional information and product trailers. Shoppers can receive recommendations regarding matching mobile phone accessories, and compare up to three different models simply by scanning the RFID labels. The station gives them all of the information they need to make an intelligent choice.
The Gold Award for most innovative EPC RFID product was won by Megabyte, for its compact and easy-to-use and -maintain Megascan-M1 RFID Reader. The device can run in power-over-Ethernet mode to minimize energy consumption, and if more than 32 ports are required, multiple Megascan interrogators can be connected via a local area network to form an RFID system.
All the winners of the 2009 Hong Kong RFID Awards will attend a presentation ceremony on Nov. 10, 2009, to be held in conjunction with the ninth annual GS1 Hong Kong Supply Chain Excellence Summit. The prizewinners will be invited on stage to share their ideas and applications with the conference delegates.
"Innovative and effective deployment of technology is one of the most critical factors for business success in today's increasingly interconnected global business environment," said Anna Lin, GS1 Hong Kong's chief executive, in a prepared statement. "The Hong Kong RFID Awards, which we launched last year, were very well received by the industry, and competition is even keener in its second year."
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below. To read more of Mark's opinions, visit the RFID Journal Blog or click here.