RFID Journal has announced the winners of its second annual RFID Journal Awards. The winners, selected by an independent panel of judges, are aircraft maker Airbus, for best RFID implementation; Montreal public transits authority Agence Métropolitaine de Transport, in the category of best use of RFID in a product or service; and floor-covering manufacturer Interface for most innovative use of RFID.
In addition, 10 companies releasing new products have been selected as finalists for the new Best in Show award, which will be presented to the RFID technology provider exhibiting the best new product at RFID Journal LIVE! 2008, being held April 16-18 in Las Vegas. The 10 finalists consist of American RFID Solutions, Intermec, Lexmark, NCR, Omni ID, Pramari, Reva Systems, SkyeTek, Wirama and a company whose name is being withheld because it is currently operating in stealth mode.
“We had more than 100 submissions for this year’s awards,” says Mark Roberti, founder and editor of RFID Journal, and one of the five judges who chose the finalists, “and I’m extremely pleased that we are able to recognize some of the best implementations around the globe and showcase some of the best new RFID products at RFID Journal LIVE! 2008.”
The four other judges consisted of Harold Boeck, a professor at the University of Sherbrooke in the province of Québec; Bill Hardgrave, director of the University of Arkansas’ RFID Research Center; Gordon S. Holder, a retired vice admiral of the U.S. Navy and a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton; and Fred Riggins, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
“As a judge for the awards both this year and last, I was amazed at the increase in the number of applications, the breadth of applications and the quality of the applications this year,” Hardgrave says. “Some of the technologies entered for this year’s Best In Show award are truly game-changing, and will allow us to do things heretofore impossible with RFID technology.”
“Whoever says RFID is dead needs to hear the absolutely incredible stories contained in the award entries,” Boeck says. “I was very impressed with the quality of the submissions.”
Each of the three award winners will receive a Steuben glass award at RFID Journal LIVE! 2008, and will have the opportunity to make a 20-minute presentation describing its winning solution. The 10 Best in Show finalists will provide live demonstrations and presentations on the exhibit hall floor, and the winner will be selected by the judges, with input from attendees.