The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations: Ekahau; Zebra Technologies; Localtel, ISRA Cards; iZipline, Evrythng; Identec Solutions, Savi Technology; and Michigan Dept. of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Interop to Use Ekahau RTLS to Track IT Staff, Equipment; Michigan School to Track Emergencies
At next week’s Interop IT expo and conference in New York City, Ekahau‘s RFID-over-Wi-Fi real-time location system (RTLS) will be used to help locate Interop’s IT network operations center (NOC) employees and equipment. Ekahau’s RTLS, which consists of Ekahau’s Wi-Fi-based RFID tags, infrared (IR) beacons to make location data more granular and Ekahau’s Vision software, will leverage New York City’s Jacob Javits Center’s Xirrus high-performance Wi-Fi infrastructure. Interop NOC employees managing the Jacob Javits Center’s Xirrus wireless network will wear Ekahau RFID-over-Wi-Fi badges, allowing technical staff to text one another and locate each other on virtual, Web-based floor plans of the 675,000-square-foot facility, according to Ekahau. The RTLS also will be used to track IT equipment, and the Ekahau Vision software will be used to help Interop’s managers analyze traffic patterns and effectively plan for future events. In other news, at Washington’s Grandview Middle School has implemented Ekahau’s RFID-over-Wi-Fi RTLS to help in the event of an emergency. School staff have the wearable badges with the active RFID capability, which feature a panic button solution they can simply pull down in the event of an emergency. This automatically sends their location and other emergency details to nearby teachers and local dispatchers. If an alert is issued, Ekahau’s Vision software captures and interprets the location and other information. Within seconds, the software transmits a message directly to the appropriate badges within the facility, thereby informing other personnel regarding the emergency’s nature and room-level location of where it is occurring. The Ekahau RTLS solution leveraged the school’s existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, eliminating the need to install devices to read the tags. Grandview Police dispatchers can also log in to Ekahau Vision RTLS software to send mass notification text messages to Ekahau badge-holders, without dependence on cellular networks, according to Ekahau. In addition, Ekahau software automatically records and time-stamps all emergency events, tracking where they occurred, who responded and resolutions, for review by the school board and police, the company says. Other schools employing the Ekahau RTLS to bolster emergency responses include Patrick Henry High School in Glade Spring, Va. (see RFID News Roundup: Virginia High School Installs Ekahau’s RFID Solution to Bolster Emergency Responses, and Idaho’s Skyview High School (see Idaho School Installs RTLS to Make Students Safer).
Zebra Technologies Launches Rack & Container Solution for Automotive Sector
Zebra Technologies announced the commercial release of its Rack & Container management solution—a manufacturing execution system (MES) designed for automotive manufacturers to help them more efficiently track the location, status, condition and history of each reusable rack and container within the automotive supply chain. The solution is aimed at helping the automotive industry cut costs associated with lost and damaged racks and containers, which are made to be reused across the automotive supply chain to transport parts and assemblies. The Rack & Container solution combines passive RFID tags and readers, real-time location systems (RTLS) and visibility software to give manufacturers access to precise information on the location and condition of the racks and containers flowing through their operations, according to Zebra. The solution is designed to solve the core problems facing automotive manufacturers, including the inability to find the exact location of rack and container fleets, the inaccurate count of empty versus full containers, severe rack damage requiring costly, time-consuming maintenance and repair, and the inability to track receipt of new rack fleets. The solution provides real-time location reports, mapping of racks and configurable alerts when racks go into incorrect areas of the supply chain trail, according to Zebra. Reports can be created to give schedulers a real-time count of empty, useable or significantly damaged racks on site, alleviating the need for time-consuming physical counts by plant employees. With the use of active or passive RFID tags, shipments can be tracked and queried to confirm when racks were received on site, as well as record their current location and condition, thus allowing accurate audits of large and in-service orders, the company said. Zebra has been offering RTLS solutions for tracking containers and racks for several years now; in fact, Ford has used WhereNet RTLS (now owned by Zebra) to track racks since at least 2005 (see Adding RFID to Ford’s Supply Chain). But Adebayo Onigbanjo, senior product marketing manager at Zebra, explains that the new Rack & Container solution is focused on the exact business rules and processes experienced during a life cycle of racks and containers. “The applications out there today are generic asset-tracking applications that have been applied to tracking racks and containers,” Onigbanjo says. “The Zebra application takes into full consideration the specific life-cycle management of a rack or container to provide not just inventory count visibility but more specifically status and condition visibility.” For example, managers responsible for managing stamping operations can go to the application and select a part number they intend to run in stamping, and based on this selection, the system will indicate how many racks within the facility are available to support that particular part number. The system will also provide a detailed analysis of how many production runs the manager can actually perform. “This information has a direct impact on the production schedule for the whole facility and provides OEMs with a new level of insight and detail beyond what is currently available in the market place,” says Onigbanjo. In the past, Zebra’s tracking technology (consisting the company’s WhereNet tags as well as its Dart ultrawide-band RTLS technology) has been applied to track racks and container using Zebra’s Visibility Server Software (VSS), but this only provided location visibility. “It did not understand the business rules or take into consideration the life cycle management, dwell times or statues of the racks which this new application does,” Onigbanjo adds.
Localtel, ISRA Cards Work on NFC Solution for the Hospitality Industry
Locatel an integrator of Internet, mobile and TV solutions for the hospitality industry in Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA), are working on a Near Field Communications (NFC) solution designed to enable hotel guests to use their phones for accessing and instantly purchasing a variety of hotel services. Locatel Live Access gives hotel guests instant and authenticated access and purchasing of hotel services by scanning digital NFC tags with their smartphones, according to the two companies. For example, guests could use their phones to scan tags embedded in interactive panels in public areas of a hotel or to scan NFC tags installed in their rooms to access personalized services. VIP cards with NFC tags could be scanned for instant access to a hotel’s exclusive services. Localtel is working with ISRA Cards, a company that specializes in card and NFC technologies, to create a customizable and scaleable solution for hoteliers. The NFC Live Access solution is designed to simplify access to various services, including TV and Internet access and taxicabs. In this way, the goal is to enable a better adoption of these services, and a faster return on investment for our hotel clients.
iZipline, Evrythng Develop NFC RFID Product-Packaging Solution
iZipline a provider of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for consumer product brands, has announced it is partnering with Evrythng, to develop intelligent product packaging designed for NFC RFID-enabled smart devices and used to connect physical things to the Internet. PackageTagz, iZipline’s patent-pending NFC application for pouch-packaging, leverages Evrythng’s software engine, which manages the unique, interactive identities for all the tagged, packaged products in a Web-based system. According to iZipline, PackageTagz is designed to provide instant engagement between a brand and a consumer’s mobile device for product recalls, track and trace, brand protection, mobile marketing, and related analytics. “We believe that PackageTagz is the first system for applying NFC to individual products by lot during manufacturing. Others provide data management for NFC, but we are not aware of anyone who is integrating NFC for individual products during manufacturing for product recall, consumer engagement, track and trace, etc.,” says Michelle Moulin, managing partner at iZipline. “Also, we have a particular niche in pouch packaging, with patents pending in that sector.” With PackageTagz, an NFC RFID tag is attached to each package as it is produced at fill-seal (fill-sealing leverages a type of automated assembly-line product packaging system that constructs plastic bags out of a flat roll of plastic film while simultaneously filling the bags with product and sealing the filled bags). The NFC-enabled pouches are verified, counted and batched for lot number management, according to iZipline. Whenever a consumer taps the NFC tag with an mobile RFID-enabled device, that interaction is tracked, which the two companies say produce valuable analytics for the brand manager, manufacturer or regulatory agency. In addition, brands can deliver relevant and timely product content to consumers via their mobile device at the point of sale or use, according to two companies. Content may include promotional and instructional product videos, redeemable coupons, product safety alerts, product authentication, and more. For example, a consumer could tap his phone or tablet on a medication package and instantly be alerted if a product has been recalled. The PackageTagz solution, which will be commercially available in the first quarter of 2014, includes all the necessary software, equipment integration and support. All the equipment is designed to the customer’s specifications for line integration and speed. Ppi Technologies, headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., and a provider of packaging systems, is testing the technology, according to iZipline.
Identec Solutions and Savi Sign Reseller Agreement
Identec Solutions and Savi Technology have announced a reseller agreement to market and sell each other’s RFID products. Both companies provide real-time wireless identification, location and sensor technologies, and the multi-year agreement strengthens both companies’ sales efforts by leveraging market and geographic synergies, according to the two companies. Identec offers a range of active RFID solutions that operate in the 868 MHz and 915 MHz frequency bands for the maritime, oil and gas, and industrial sectors, such as this solution being used by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) for the firm’s underground Hard Rock Laboratory, on Äspö Island (see RFID News Roundup: Identec Solutions’ Technology to Safeguard Personnel at Swedish Nuclear-Waste Facility). Savi led development of the ISO 18000-7 RFID protocol used by the U.S. Department of Defense and offers a variety of RFID, GPS, GPRS and satellite tracking products and applications. The agreement, according to the companies, will help Savi gain greater adoption in commercial markets, while giving Identec greater traction in defense opportunities. In addition, it will help each company gain a greater presence geographically, leveraging Identec’s presence in Europe with Savi’s established base in the United States, the companies said. “We are already a licensee of the 18000-7 technology from Savi and by building on Savi’s extensive portfolio, we will strengthen our position in an interesting market,” said Brian Robertson, Identec’s CEO, in a prepared statement.
Michigan Dept. of Agriculture Fines Livestock Haulers for RFID Violations
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has announced it has levied more than $22,000 in fines against two Michigan livestock dealers who illegally moved calves without official RFID tags. All cattle are required to bear RFID tags in the State of Michigan before they are moved from any property, according to the MDARD; Michigan is the only U.S. state, in fact, to mandate the use of RFID to improve animal traceability for controlling and eradicating disease (see Farmers Learn to Milk RFID). The dealers were also fined for failure to keep adequate records and dealing in livestock without a license, violations of the Livestock Dealers Act (Act 284 of 1937, as amended), and the Animal Industry Act (Act 466 of 1988, as amended) which were established to protect both the cattle industry as well as the consumer. “We cannot let the actions of two bad actors undermine the integrity of cattle traceability in Michigan,” said Al Rodriquez, MDARD’s Animal Industry Division Compliance Officer, in a prepared statement. “While these findings are disappointing, they reinforce our efforts to make sure all Michigan livestock farmers are in compliance with the RFID law.” Michigan’s cattle industry embraced the RFID program in 2007 (see Wisconsin Ups RFID-Adoption Incentives for Cattle Growers). In February 2013, a dairy herd in Saginaw County was diagnosed with bovine TB. MDARD trace investigators discovered the farm owner sold, and two dealers bought, calves without the required RFID tags. According to the MDARD, an animal disease investigation includes tracking cattle sold from a bovine TB positive farm. With an RFID tag, easily scanned with an electronic reader, it only takes a day or two to find the animals, the agency said. But this investigation took over four months. “Without RFID, it’s difficult to confirm we are testing the correct animals, so instead of one steer, an entire herd needs to be tested—that’s a huge impact on our cattle farmers,” Rodriquez said in the statement. The Gratiot County livestock dealer waived his rights to a formal hearing and agreed to have his Livestock Dealer’s License revoked for the remainder of 2013, plus two additional years for improper record keeping. He was assessed a fine of $11,325 for movement of approximately 53 calves without bearing official RFID. A second livestock dealer waived his rights to a formal hearing and received a fine of $11,320 for the movement of cattle without official RFID tags from a premises.