RFID Journal, the leading source of news and in-depth information regarding radio frequency identification (RFID) and other Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, announced the winners of its 15th annual RFID Journal Awards this week at the RFID Journal LIVE! 2021 conference and exhibition. The event was held in Phoenix, Ariz., and the winners were selected in six end-user categories.
Best Retail RFID Implementation
• Havan S/A—for its use of RFID on hundreds of thousands of products to improve inventory visibility and on-shelf availability (see Havan Labs Reduces Store Inventory Time via RFID and Havan RFID-enables 100 Percent of Its Operations)
Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation
• Danaher-Cepheid—for its use of RFID to increase the production of COVID-19 test kits with less manpower during the pandemic
Best Healthcare RFID Implementation
• Başakşehir Çam & Sakura City Hospital—for its use of RFID and IoT technologies to maximize the utilization of more than 187,000 assets
Best Logistics/Supply Chain RFID Implementation
• Lockheed Martin—for its use of an RFID-enabled autonomous robotic system to perform nightly cycle counts, thereby improving inventory accuracy and visibility
Best RFID Implementation (Other Industry)
• ESAN Eczacıbaşı Industrial Raw Materials—for its use of an active RFID system to track the locations of personnel and equipment with sub-meter accuracy, boosting safety and mine efficiency
Best Use of RFID to Enhance a Product or Service
• MTR—for its use of RFID and GPS to monitor light-rail vehicle speed and operations, as well as improve pedestrian safety
Mark Roberti, RFID Journal’s founder and editor, presented the Best New Product award to startup InPlay Technologies for its low-cost, low-power Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) beacon IC. This product has the potential to usher in a new era of active RFID real-time location applications.
In addition, Roberti presented this year’s Special Achievement Award posthumously to Dr. Patrick King, the founder of Technologies ROI, for his years of innovation regarding tags that could survive high heat levels and harsh environments. King passed away earlier this year (see In Memory of Pat King), and members of his family received the award on his behalf.
Last year’s Special Achievement Award winner, Dr. Tali Freed of the PolyGAIT-RFID Research and Development Center, was also honored due to LIVE! 2020 having been held virtually. “We congratulate all of this year’s winners and finalists,” Roberti says. “This was a unique year because of the global pandemic, but there were many great projects and exciting new products presented at LIVE! 2021. We’re seeing RFID enter the mainstream as a business technology.”