The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions, SML Group, Xterprise ;
ITL, Overheer Systems;
Asset Vue;
L-com Global Connectivity; and
InvoTech Systems.
Xterprise Rebrands as SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions, Plans 2015 Announcements
To better reflect its strategy to provide RFID-enabled inventory-management solutions to the apparel market, Xterprise, the item-level RFID software subsidiary of SML Group, a global RFID label manufacturer based in Hong Kong, has announced that it has changed its name to SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions (SML IIS).
“Changing Xterprise’s name to SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions reflects the fact that we are leading innovators in the field of RFID software and it highlights the expanded focus and commitment of the SML Group to the RFID market,” said Dean Frew, SML IIS’ president, in a prepared statement. “Our RFID tag and software businesses have become tightly integrated, bringing customers a unique spectrum of offerings to assist them to use RFID technology and solutions to ensure project success and provide rapid ROIs.”
SML Group acquired Xterprise in June 2013 (see SML Group Buys Software Company Xterprise). Since then, SML Group says it has combined its RFID tags and inlays with Xterprise’s Clarity software suite, and the combination has helped it win numerous key accounts with a technology solution designed to help customers quickly, easily and affordably deploy item-level RFID on an enterprise scale. SML IIS will continue offering its flagship inventory-management software suite under the Clarity brand.
“Clarity is well established as a best-in-class software application suite for RFID item-level inventory management,” Frew said in the statement, “and as SML IIS we will continue to invest and innovate on it, incorporating the latest technologies and applications, such as omnichannel fulfillment, fixed reader technologies, loss prevention, customer experience and brand authentication.”
In a blog posting about the re-branding, SML mentioned that SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions plans to launch several major innovations during the first half of 2015, “including mobile-ready inventory management applications and a new version of Clarity that will make retailers believe SML has been reading their minds (hint: it has).”
As part of these upcoming launches, SML IIS plans to unveil iOS- and Android-compatible versions of its Clarity item-level RFID software so that retailers can leverage their investments in in-store mobile technology, according to Paul Knepper, SML IIS’ director of marketing and business development. Knepper says these updates equal “big cost savings, since a Bluetooth sled affixed to an iPod Touch that the retailer may already be using for a variety of other apps is much cheaper than having to buy a special-purpose device just for RFID.”
The new release of Clarity, Knepper reports, will have several new features and functionalities designed to make the software more scalable, and make it easier for store employees to get work done. This will include including enhanced replenishment, stock-taking and advanced architectural changes, he says.
ITL Acquires Majority Ownership of Overheer, Plans to Offer Complete RFID Solution
The ITL Group, an international retail apparel label solutions company owned by SA Bias Industries, has announced that it has acquired a majority shareholding in Canadian RFID software firm Overheer Systems.
The acquisition is central to ITL’s larger strategy of offering retailers an end-to-end RFID solution. The company plans to integrate Overheer Systems’ cloud-based, item-level RFID application, Reflect RFID, into ITL’s existing LabelVantage IT online platform, which retailers can use to optimize their global supply chain.
Founded and previously owned by Philip Lassner, Overheer Systems has spent several years developing its Reflect RFID software. Lassner will continue to lead Overheer, promoting and developing the Reflect RFID application in conjunction with ITL. Overheer Systems will continue to operate under its current name, but will add “member of the ITL Group” to all of its marketing and promotional materials.
The LabelVantage IT service includes ITL’s development team, which adapts the LabelVantage supply chain application to suit each retailer’s unique requirements; data integration services for setting up the exchange of label data between the retailer’s purchase order system and LabelVantage; a service to load all relevant information related to label specifications for each label program into LabelVantage; distribution of label order information that is extracted from the retailer’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and distributed to ITL’s global operations, in order to enable the placement of online orders; a streamlined ordering process for garment manufacturers (for added convenience, speed and accuracy, label orders may be pre-populated within the application, using the purchase order data extracted from the retailer’s ERP); variable data encoding and printing to further automate the workflow that caters to RFID-enabled labels, bar-code tickets and care labels; order tracking; and full management reporting and service-level reporting.
ITL, which has been a global supplier of brand labels and variable data printing solutions for more than 30 years, operates a network of service bureaus, positioned in all of the world’s major garment manufacturing locations. In recent years, ITL has focused on developing RFID capability, and its service bureaus now offer RFID-enabled labels in addition to traditional variable data printed tickets.
Asset Vue Intros New Solutions for Data Center IT Asset Management
Asset Vue, a provider of RFID-based asset-management and data center management solutions, has introduced two new solutions in its portfolio of data center IT asset-management tools: Asset Vue Cloud and Asset Vue Mobile. In addition, the company is offering both solutions together as Asset Vue Suite, which it says provides a comprehensive IT asset-management solution that can be quickly implemented into any data center or server room facility.
Asset Vue’s RFID-enabled data center asset management (DCAM) solution includes all the hardware and software, such as ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and a reader, which are required for an organization to monitor assets within its data center and throughout its facilities.
Asset Vue Cloud is a cloud-enabled solution designed to reduce hassles associated with purchasing and provisioning dedicated hardware for data center asset management, the company reports. Asset Vue Mobile is an RFID-based IT asset-management system that works with iOS and Android smart tablets. The new Asset Vue Mobile handheld device provides an enhanced user experience with an easy-to-use graphical interface, the company reports—all in a familiar form factor. Asset Vue Suite combines Asset Vue Cloud with Asset Vue Mobile, including a passive UHF RFID reader for iOS or Android smart tablets, for tagging and tracking data center assets, along with RFID tags optimized for use with IT assets.
To provide data-center managers and other IT professionals with the ability to quickly deploy the new data center IT asset-management system, Asset Vue is offering a 30-day, no-obligation pilot program of Asset Vue Suite.
L-com Announces New Embedded PCB Antennas for OEM Applications
L-com Global Connectivity, a designer and manufacturer of wired and wireless connectivity products, has released a new series of embedded PCB antennas designed for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODM) developing RFID readers and other wireless devices, particularly those requiring integration flexibility.
L-com’s HyperLink brand of embedded and internal antennas are designed to be directly integrated into devices requiring wireless capability. Embedding these antennas directly into a device eliminates the need for external antennas, L-com reports. The new embedded antennas include support for 2.4 GHz, 4.9 or 5.8 GHz, and dual-band 2.4 and 5.8 GHz operation, and feature integrated low-loss 1.13-millimeter (0.04-inch) coaxial leads that are terminated with U.FL/IPX connectors. The three new antennas (item numbers HG2402PU-UFL, HG2458-05PU-UFL and HG4958-05PU-UFL) have been specifically designed to provide customers with a quick embedded antenna solution. The first two are priced at $9.95 apiece, which the third costs $11.95.
In addition to these standard offerings, L-com’ engineering team can also custom-design embedded antenna solutions to meet specific customer applications. According to Peter McNeil, L-com’s marketing manager, the company can manufacture 900 MHz (and other frequencies) embedded PCB antennas to suit RFID reader applications.
Hotels in Azerbaijan, Slovenia, and Mauritius Adopt InvoTech’s Linen-Tracking System
InvoTech Systems has announced several new international customers that are using its RFID-enabled linen, laundry and uniform management system, which the company says illustrates global adoption of its solutions that increase profitability and reduce labor and expenses. According to InvoTech, Trump International Hotel & Tower Baku, located in Azerbaijan, has installed its UHF RFID Uniform System; City Hotel Ljubljana, in Slovenia, has selected its Linen Management System; and the Paradis Hotel & Golf Club, in Mauritius, has deployed its UHF RFID Linen and Laundry Systems.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower Baku, slated to open in June 2015, has installed the UHF RFID Uniform System, which leverages passive EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags and readers. The system is linked to a White Conveyors U-Pick-It garment-delivery system, to manage and deliver 3,000 uniforms to a staff of 300 employees. The solution is used by five other Trump properties, according to InvoTech, and has improved labor productivity by 25 percent, by eliminating manual tasks and automating recordkeeping. The property’s UHF RFID readers are integrated with the Uniform System software in order to read each uniform’s tag and automatically identify, count and track uniform inventory.
The City Hotel Ljubljana will implement the Linen Management System to manage and track 15,000 items. The solution eliminates non-theft-related loss and reduces manual labor hours by 50 percent, the company reports. InvoTech tracks and identifies linens that are not returned from the laundry, to lower laundry expenses, RFID linen reading stations process entire carts of soiled and clean linens without manual sorting or counting, InvoTech explains, improving labor productivity by 50 percent by eliminating manual tasks.
Paradis Hotel & Golf Club has installed the UHF RFID Linen and Laundry Systems to manage and protect the property’s investment in 70,000 luxury linens. The Paradis offsite laundry also implemented InvoTech’s Laundry System, which interfaces with the Linen System at the hotel. The Laundry System manages multiple clients and controls all items in the laundry, whether client- or laundry-owned.
InvoTech’s other international clients include the Four Seasons Macau; the Grand Venetian Macau Resort Hotel; the MGM Grand Macau; the Hyatt Shanghai, in China; the Burswood Entertainment Complex, in Australia; Sheraton Seoul, Korea; Resorts World Sentosa Singapore; and Palace Resorts, in Mexico. North American clients include the MGM Resorts International, the Ritz Carlton, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott, Hilton Hotels, Loews Hotels, Mandarin Oriental, Universal Studios Florida, Madison Square Garden, MSR-FSR Laundry and the Empire State Building.