The Chinese provider of UHF RFID label converting equipment is marketing a flexible converter that provides multiple types of label production simultaneously.
Chinese RFID technology company Ada Intelligent Equipment Company is opening an office in Texas to serve the North American market with RFID label converting equipment. The company’s products are designed to deliver flexibility to label printers who are incorporating RFID functionality into their products for a variety of customers and applications.
Ada, a technology company based in Guangdong Province, offers RFID-related equipment that can be used to incorporate RFID inlays into printed labels. The machines are being used by label converters, some of which have been offering RFID-based products for years, while others are introducing RFID into their label products as RFID tag use is growing for inventory and logistics management.
The company’s latest machines are focused on bringing flexibility to label companies so that they can more easily convert a variety of labels, even several different labels consecutively, says Ada Zeng, the company’s Overseas Sales Department General Manager.
Ada Zeng, Overseas Sales Department General Manager, Ada Intelligent Equipment
Ada recently released its A7000-plus machine with independent double lanes and the ability to accommodate three common form factors of RFID labels as used by brands and retailers for inventory management. The machine takes components of an RFID label – the printed material, the RFID inlay, and the affixing adhesive – and manufactures (or converts) the materials into a completed RFID tag. In recent years, a growing number of traditional label companies have been moving into the RFID space to meet the rising demand from companies that make apparel, general merchandise, electronics, and other products, as well as retailers that sell those products.
Label printers are being called upon by these companies to incorporate RFID chips and antenna inlays into price tags, adhesive stickers, and other labels. “A lot of companies are facing an industry demand to include RFID in price labels,” Zeng says, and some label companies that traditionally provided print labels only are transitioning into the RFID business. “This is a way for label companies to increase their revenue,” she points out, as RFID tags are a higher value product.
However, the label converting machines must be able to print a variety of form factor RFID labels, as well as provide static electricity control, electronic manufacturing testing, and related processes. Many machines offer a single kind of label for each production run. Some label companies then must use different machines for different projects or stop a machine and change the settings to meet the needs for the next order.
Gaining Flexibility in RFID Printing
Ada, operating out of China for the last 20 years, has more than 12 years of experience in label converting for RFID tags. Last year, the company released the A7000-plus machine to enable printers to create multiple types of labels. To accomplish this, the 7000-plus machine has multiple lanes that can be set according to the parameters of each print cycle. The three common form factors the machine can convert represent the most common kinds of labels that are in demand, says Zeng.
The market and design for RFID tags has been changing, she adds, and will continue to evolve, which is why Ada is seeking flexible machinery that can be adjusted as new product types are released.
“We knew we had to make this machine more flexible,” so that customers can adjust the machine settings if their own customers request a new size or different material of label. The machines can also be adjusted to meet maximum speed or minimum speed for a particular order.
Most companies using the 7000-plus are ordering more than three machines to provide the production capacity they need. Customers are mostly in Asia, thus far, but the company is extending its reach around the world.
Moving to North America
Because of the demands for RFID tags in the US, American converters have been seeking RFID converting machines from Ada in the past year or so, the company reports. As a result, Ada is launching a showroom and sales office in Houston, Texas. The company expects it to open before December 2023. From this location, Ada intends to service customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Technical support will be available from the office, as well as training courses for new users of the machinery.
“We have our after sale-service, as well, if anything happens they can just go to the company for support,” Zeng says. By having an office in Houston, the company says it can respond to a needed part or other machinery support more quickly.
Ada also offers products such as its A5000 for half-fold materials， intended to create hang tags. The A8000 is a large width label converter – especially for airline luggage labels, washable sewn-in labels, and wristbands – which features four independent lanes.
Key Takeaways:
- Ada label converting machines are bringing more flexibility to label companies that must meet custom demands for UHF RFID labels in retail and logistics.
- The company is opening a new office in Houston, Texas to serve customers in North America where it will demonstrate and sell its A7000-plus and other equipment.