According to HID Global, many organizations have been seeking more robust radio frequency identification solutions capable of handling inventory tracking in challenging environments, and of being connected to the cloud in order to identify, authenticate, locate and engage with various products. The provider of trusted-identity solutions has thus announced its Keg Tag family of RFID transponders, which combine RFID and Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies in a single tag for the management of returnable transport items (RTIs) in supply chains.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID says its trusted-identity solutions are designed to help businesses and individuals “transact safely, work productively and travel freely,” by providing access to physical and digital places, and by connecting objects that can be digitally identified, verified and tracked. Millions of customers worldwide use the company’s products and services, while billions of items are connected through its technology for use by governments, educational institutions, hospitals, financial institutions, industrial businesses and more.
HID’s Keg Tag
The Keg Tag is designed for use in supply chain, logistics, inventory-management and customer-engagement applications, the company reports, for such curved industrial RTIs as bulk containers, gas cylinders and kegs. The tags, which can be affixed to steel containers for long-range tracking, logistics and management from warehouse to distribution and shipping, are intended to enable Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, such as authenticating products and allowing customers to engage directly with items and vendors via smartphones.
“HID Global has been at the forefront of helping organizations streamline processes by securely connecting equipment, devices, inventory and billions of other things to local and Web-based business applications using RFID,” said Eric Suligoj, the company’s director of business development, smart components and identification technologies, in a prepared statement. “Our new HID Keg Tags optimize the full range of inventory lifecycle-management processes by enabling long-range management and bulk scanning logistics throughout the supply chain and for customers. The tags’ cloud-connected capabilities improve the customer reordering process and provide valuable marketing data to help optimize inventory and refine marketing campaigns.”
According to HID, the tags are intended to improve the efficiency of RTI operations while ensuring that steel containers are safely transported and returned. Distribution center teams can use the tags’ RFID technology to manage RTI refills, as well as cleaning and shipping processes. At a recipient location, the NFC technology enables customers to identify RTI content, manage expiration dates, process reorders and interact with vendors, all at the tap of a smartphone.
The Keg Tag is designed to improve logistics performance and visibility, the company reports, as the RFID component enables faster, more accurate RTI processing by simultaneously reading multiple incoming and outgoing containers. The NFC technology, meanwhile, helps customers simplify inventory management without having to invest in RFID readers and software. The tags are built to withstand harsh environments and sterilization processes, and their slight curvature enables them to be welded to rounded surfaces.
The combination of UHF RFID and NFC can also serve additional use cases requiring supply chain management and customer engagement, HID reports. In retail, consumers and employees can tap a mobile phone against tags containing both technologies to determine if products are genuine. Customers can also interact with brands online, as well as read instructions or reorder materials, while companies can stay connected with shoppers via customized communications and marketing engagement.
In addition, HID has announced that it has collaborated with banking software company Temenos to expand the features of its multi-factor authentication solution for those who use Temenos Infinity software. HID’s risk-based authentication solution is pre-integrated with Temenos Infinity, which is used at more than 3,000 financial institutions and supports the digital transformation of banks, whose customers increasingly seek mobile and online transaction experiences.
“HID is committed to helping Temenos’ customers meet today’s extraordinary demand for safe and secure access to mobile and online banking services as a result of the current global health crisis,” said Brad Jarvis, HID’s VP and managing director of identity and access-management solutions, in a separate prepared statement. “We are ensuring that Temenos Infinity users can benefit from the broadest range of capabilities in our risk-based authentication solution, from onboarding and transaction signing through self-service and management.”
HID supports Temenos Infinity through its ActivID Authentication Platform, which features HID’s Risk Management Solution with real-time risk-profiling technology. Temenos Infinity users will have access to the firm’s multi-factor authentication features as they serve customers through digital channels. The system offers options for authentication and onboarding, including static passwords, multiple One-Time Password (OTP) and FIDO hardware authenticators, and mobile push notification leveraging public key cryptography. HID’s Identity Verification Service capabilities are pre-integrated, the company indicates, in order to simplify digital identity self-service and management, while increasing administrative visibility.
“As the leader in banking software, we know that the need for modern digital banking in this ‘new normal’ will be greater than ever,” added James Holland, Temenos’ director of product security, in the prepared statement. “Temenos is helping banks support today’s surge in digital banking volumes while also ensuring that these interactions are secure at every point, including the consumer’s device where they are initiated. We welcome these new capabilities from HID Global.”