Apr 23, 2015The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
The following are news announcements made during the past week by the following organizations:
R-pac International, Tesco;
Kathrein RFID;
Smartrac;
Times-7;
Invengo; and
SATO.
R-pac International Helps Tesco's F&F Fashion Division Deploy RFID at 525 Stores
RFID, trim and packaging solutions provider R-pac International has announced that it has helped F&F, the fashion apparel division of British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer Tesco, deploy RFID technology at 525 stores throughout the United Kingdom. The deployment was executed under strict time constraints in order to meet delivery mandates, according to r-pac.
"The executive leadership from F&F and r-pac International were fully aligned on the resources needed from both organizations to successfully implement the RFID program within the constricted timeline," said Richard Collins, F&F's CEO, in a prepared statement. "The implementation teams continued to meet key objectives and milestones collaboratively to ensure no disruption to the flow of RFID product at source and throughout the supply chain."
According to r-pac, the project included the development and customization of a Web portal to guarantee data accuracy, as well as specialized equipment for label application. "In addition, the sampling and supply chain for the required raw materials were concurrently completed," added Michael Teitelbaum, r-pac's CEO, in the statement. "Once the ordering portal was completed, the F&F supplier community was trained via webinars and face-to-face meetings in key sourcing locations."
Each r-pac RFID tag can be monitored throughout the entire production and commissioning process to increase visibility and ensure quality and a timely schedule, r-pac reports. Quality checks on r-pac RFID tags are executed and recorded at each step of the process—from chip level to final case packing and shipping—according to the company.
Kathrein RFID's Automated Vehicle ID System Up and Running at Munich Airport
Munich Airport, which served close to 40 million travelers in 2014, is now using an RFID-enabled ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) automatic vehicle identification system provided by German RFID firm Kathrein RFID, in conjunction with a parking space management system from Skidata. The complete solution is designed to help manage the fleets of car-sharing service operators DriveNow, Car2Go and AlphaCity.
The solution employs the latest generation of Kathrein RFID's ARU4 series of readers, which comply with the EPC Gen 2 standard and feature an integrated Kathrein 30° Wide Range antenna with three selectable beams. The ARU4's ability to alternate between three well-defined read zones, the company reports, makes the reader a good option for logistics, intralogistics and retail applications, including electronic article surveillance (EAS). Due to an integrated Linux-based intelligence module, applications and parameterization can be run directly on the reader.
Smartrac Introduces BullsEye NFC Tag With Sony FeliCa Lite-S Chip
Smartrac has announced a new version of its Near Field Communication (NFC) BullsEye tag featuring Sony's FeliCa Lite-S chip. The new tag provides 224 bytes of user memory and an enhanced security feature that enables mutual authentication by message authentication code (MAC), Smartrac reports, making it suitable for all typical non-payment NFC applications.
First announced in late 2011, Sony's FeliCa Lite-S chip is a smaller, faster and more secure update to the low-cost FeliCa Lite chip for NFC tags and stickers, Smartrac says. In addition to its enhanced security features, the chip also offers an "anti-broken transaction function" that detects data errors and prevents incomplete or damaged information from being used, according to the company.
The BullsEye NFC tag with Sony FeliCa Lite-S chip supports a variety of application areas, such as electronic pairing, gaming, smart posters, loyalty and product authentication. The tag complies with the NFC Forum's Type 3 tag standard, as well as the ISO 18092 standard, which defines the RFID interface and protocol for Near Field Communication. It is also compatible with the existing Sony FeliCa Lite-S infrastructure, delivers data rates of up to 212 or 424 kilobits per second (auto switching is supported), and is NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) pre-formatted.
Like all of Smartrac's BullsEye NFC tags, the new Sony FeliCa Lite-S-based version is a circular tag with a die-cut diameter of 38 millimeters (1.5 inches) and an antenna diameter of 35 millimeters (1.38 inches), providing the appropriate performance ratio for NFC mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, the company reports.
Times-7's New Circular-Polarized RFID Antenna for Large-Scale Operations
Times-7, a New Zealand-based manufacturer of RFID reader antennas, has launched the Times-7 A5010 SlimLine circular-polarized antenna designed specifically designed for large-scale manufacturing operations. The antenna is suitable for such applications as work-in-process (WIP) tracking, health-care asset tracking and a wide range of asset-tracking applications, Times-7 reports.
The A5010 measures 9.85 inches (250 millimeters) in length and width and 0.55 inch (14 millimeters) in thickness, weighs 1.6 pounds (0.75 kilogram), and features an IP 67 rating, which means it is dustproof, waterproof and able to withstand submersion in liquid for brief periods, so it can be used indoors and outdoors. The right-hand circular-polarized antenna offers a far-field gain of 8.3 dBic and a read range of up to 29 feet (9 meters). The A5010 can be flush-mounted, though a rack-mount accessory is also available. It features an SMA female side connector, and is available for the FCC 902 to 928 MHz and ETSI 864 to 869 MHz frequency bands.
Invengo Markets Its Anti-Counterfeiting Label to U.S. Brand Owners
Invengo is marketing its XC-TF8033 label to regions outside of China for the first time. The tamper-resistant labels are already being used in China for anti-counterfeiting solutions, such as tagging and authenticating high-value liquor, wine and tobacco products. According to Invengo, the XC-TF8033 label—which contains a passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 chip with 128 bits of Electronic Product Code (EPC) memory—is optimized for use on plastic wine bottle caps, paper documents, paper boxes and glass items, providing high data read and write performance, application flexibility and cost effectiveness.
"It's time the world got access to this fantastic product, which Invengo has proven in China on a massive scale in recent years," says Sio Peng Goi, Invengo's market director. "This tag will impress brand owners wanting to give their consumers greater confidence in the products authenticity. High-value food and beverages can be protected, and we expect to see many of the tags going back into China on imported products, as many consumers are already used to having this seal of authenticity."
SATO's PJM RFID Technology Integrated With Diamond-Managing Software
SATO, a Japan-based provider of automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) solutions using bar-code and RFID technologies, and GemBox RFID, a provider of RFID stock-take-view solutions for diamond and gemstone dealers, have announced that SATO's Phase Jitter Modulation (PJM) RFID technology has been integrated into DiaAdmin, an administrative and tracking application developed by XSS, headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, and serving the city's diamond trade as well as clients in Dubai and Mumbai. The integration enables DiaAdmin compatibility with select SATO's PJM RFID readers and printers.
PJM RFID is designed to quickly and accurately identify large volumes of tagged items stacked or stored in any physical orientation, according to SATO, which purchased Magellan Technology Pty Ltd., the inventor of PJM RFID technology, in December 2013 (see SATO Acquires Magellan Technology).
Diamond and gemstone dealers utilize DiaAdmin to monitor stock movements, fund transfers and generate reports on earnings, giving users greater visibility into inventory and cash flow, according to SATO. DiaAdmin also allows users to leverage data to make more strategic management decisions and boost productivity, the company adds.
The PJM RFID DiaAdmin package is designed to offer complete privacy via dedicated servers that provide secured encrypted connections, advanced user management that allows for limited access rights per user, global around-the-clock support through remote sessions, and live reporting that enables real-time inventory views, the discovery of new revenue possibilities and the ability to rapidly add new products into the system.
"With PJM you can stock-count your gemstone inventory in as little as 30 seconds," said Tom Kumabayashi, SATO RFID Solutions' president, in a prepared statement.
"With the integration of SATO solutions, we are able to offer our users the only 100 percent accurate system on the market," added Jan Meeus, XSS' COO and co-founder, in the statement.
