Jul 29, 2005This article was originally published by RFID Update.
July 29, 2005—This week saw the opening of a new RFID test center in Singapore, whose international role in shipping and logistics make it a ripe candidate for RFID initiatives. The S$2.7-million center was developed by Singapore-based transportation and logistics company Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) in partnership with Sun Microsystems. It offers equipment and facilities to test an RFID deployment in a simulated supply chain environment. Some of the testing services include: tag and antenna placement, slap-and-ship deployment, reliability and interoperability, EPC mandate compliance, and ERP/WMS integration. Training and support services are also offered. NOL CIO Cindy Stoddard touted the center's vendor neutrality at yesterday's opening, saying, "The RFID world is not one-size-fits-all. What works for one product in one set-up may not work for another. This is the place where we can eliminate the wrong answers and develop and prove the right ones."
Chan Yeng Kit, CEO of Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) was also at the opening, highlighting his organization's interest in stimulating the adoption of RFID in Singapore: "RFID is an important engine of growth for our infocomm industry, and IDA works with the various industry partners to promote the success of RFID development and implementation in Singapore." The IDA, which in May 2004 announced a three-year, S$10 million investment in RFID to "augment Singapore's position as a key logistics hub", maintains a website that covers its RFID initiatives.
Sun's participation in the new center is wholly consistent with its strategy of capturing RFID marketshare by way of test centers. As companies begin to implement RFID, the company hopes to make the process as simple and painless as possible by offering a multi-step plan. "We educate, test, implement, and deploy for the customer," Sun's Director of RFID Product Management Sam Liu told RFID Update in March. The RFID test center concept -- with each tailored to its local market, staffed with RFID experts, and housing state-of-the-art testing facilities -- provides the perfect vehicle.
