In the face of a growing demand for a variety of automatic identification technologies, including QR codes, Near Field Communication (NFC), real-time location systems (RTLS) and radio frequency identification (RFID), standards group AIM has developed a strategic plan to support that growth, educate new users and standardize technologies as new regulations are released worldwide. The public-facing part of that effort will be the association’s Standards Marketplace, which will be on its new website, launching in June 2022, to provide information about standards and use cases.
AIM is a global association for automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technologies. The Standards Marketplace will serve as a resource for anyone seeking information about AIDC industry standards, according to Mary Lou Bosco, AIM’s CEO. She says the association is working with members of the AIDC industry on the development and maintenance of standards to help the community better meet the realities of the current market. AIM intends to extend its reach by broadening the definition of its stakeholders. Eligible members include any individual, organization, school, agency or association with an interest in AIDC technologies, in addition to technology companies.
Mary Lou Bosco
AIM will celebrate 50 years as an organization in 2023, and it continues to grow as technology evolves, says Chuck Evanhoe, the chairman of AIM’s board of directors. Evanhoe is also the owner of technology startup Aware Innovations, a company focused on the management and tracking of items and assets. AIM started out by identifying things via barcodes, Evanhoe says, such as helping users know boxes are on a conveyor so they can be routed to the correct truck, or enabling them to identify a pack of chewing gum at the point of purchase.
The association started as the Automatic Identification Manufacturers Association. More than a decade ago, Evanhoe says, it transitioned to a stakeholder’s organization to encompass everyone from software developers to systems integrators, distributors and manufacturers, as well as individuals, “so that we could bring everybody a view into the continuing development of standards.” Since its inception, the association has worked with ISO on its standards, such as ISO/TEC JTC 1/SC 31 for barcode and RFID technologies, including those that establish data and carrier formats for enabling the collection of identification information automatically.
In recent years, AIM has found, AIDC technology has been growing exponentially across multiple markets. That growth is, in part, being driven by the pandemic, and the association has seen an increased need for not only standardization but also education about the standards. According to Evanhoe, “Average customers [or consumers] are actually using the term ‘supply chain’ whenever they know that their products aren’t on the shelves, or their prescriptions are on back order. If there were ever a time to demonstrate the importance of asset-tracking technologies, the pandemic definitely brought that front and center.”
To educate potential new users and association stakeholders, Evanhoe says, AIM’s Standards Marketplace will provide access to information regarding each new standard, as well as offer use cases from which companies can gain potential insight into their own deployments. “Standards have always been one of our pillars from the very beginning,” Bosco explains, “but we’re also about advocacy, community and education.”
Chuck Evanhoe
In addition, the association has updated its strategic plan and is organizing working groups that focus on creating and supporting standards, especially as they apply specifically to vertical markets. “Whether it be pharmaceuticals or healthcare or food or cannabis,” Evanhoe states, “you’ll find that there are other standards specific to vertical markets for which AIDC technologies are mentioned in reference.” With that in mind, he adds, “We want to become a one-stop repository for these standards, and we want to develop an easy-to-use interactive section on our website,” to make it easy for users to find the information they need.
The website is being redesigned now, Bosco reports, and the Standards Marketplace will be part of its new design. She expects the marketplace to then grow with technology and regulatory requirements. For example, in addition to the work in SC 31 standard, ISO has groups called ISO/TC 104 (for freight containers) and TC 122 (for packaging standards), and AIM is a liaison to ISO, “so we can help them in those applications in those unique vertical markets,” while making the information available to users. Vertical markets could include pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, cannabis companies, or the railway or airline industries, all of which are subject to regulations.
As part of the new strategy, the association is focusing not just on software vendors or systems integrators, but on end users. Consumer device users can be savvy about a technology in some areas, without knowing the details behind that technology. One example, Evanhoe says, is the proliferation of QR codes. To many people, the system is so ubiquitous that there is little discussion or education about the technology behind it. “It just happens,” he states. “Your phone reads it and users may have no concept of what it takes to make a good QR code [or experience].”
When it comes to RFID, Evanhoe adds, people may not understand the nuances of the technology, since their experience centers around systems such as the Apple AirTag (a device that uses active, battery-powered Bluetooth Low Energy transmissions). “But do they understand how RFID technology might work in a retail environment?” he notes, or the different standards for passive and active RFID, as well as UHF, HF or NFC? As the technology dominance grows, he says, they will need to. UHF RFID, in particular, “is just growing leaps and bounds,” he reports, “with billions and billions of tags, so we need to keep educating and updating [potential users].”
Furthermore, AIM finds that many people in the user community think RFID is a plug-and-play solution, meaning they could become frustrated during deployments. By offering the right standards information and educating users, AIM says it knows that the Standards Marketplace can help to ease implementation. Users can view use-case examples to provide ideas for innovation, and the association hopes to further promote adoption for the industry and save money for end users. “There’s no need to spend money and resources on reinventing the wheel,” Evanhoe says.
With an eye toward today’s and tomorrow’s technologies, the association has a working group for artificial intelligence technology activities, as well as groups dedicated to blockchain and Internet of Things development. The Standards Marketplace will also target legislators to ensure regulations are issued according to standards that already exist, instead of requiring new development to meet new directives.
Sustainability is one subject that the association will focus on, Evanhoe says, along with other regulatory activity around the world. “We have a lot on our plate [and] we’re excited to see how the industry grows,” Bosco says. AIM has recently chartered several new chapters, including those in India, Korea and Japan, and the association has more than 400 members globally.