SML IIS Read 600M RFID Tags in A Week
SML Intelligent Inventory Solutions (SML IIS) recently reached the milestone of reading more than 600,000,000 RFID tags in a single week. This occurred using its Clarity Store application in more than 8,000 stores in more than 60 countries, utilizing RFID handhelds and fixed readers.
In addition to the store milestone, SML IIS has announced that it is also managing over 3,000,000 items a week across its Clarity Supply Chain application, performing carton-level audits, and is forecasting this number will increase by 100 percent in the next six months.
“We see growing recognition by retailers and brands that changing to an Item-Level RFID operating model with the accuracy improvements that come from an enterprise solution in stores and supply chains drive compelling benefits to shareholders,” said Dean Frew, president of RFID Solutions Division at SML Group. “The 600,000,000 tag milestone provides tangible evidence that the industry’s most innovative retailers are moving to Item-Level RFID and have trusted SML IIS as their partner to support their operational transformation.”
This milestone highlights the accelerating adoption of item-level RFID in apparel, footwear, home goods and electronics sectors, according to company officials. With the adoption of item-level RFID increasing across retail globally, SML IIS is working with more than 20 retailers and brands worldwide helping these brands maintain greater than 98 percent inventory accuracy and accountability.
Identiv Introduces Next-Generation HF NFC-Enabled RFID Inlays
Identiv has released its portfolio of next-generation, high-frequency (HF) near field communication (NFC)-enabled inlays, designed to power and support innovative IoT applications.
According to company officials, ID-Tune I3 and ID-Safe I3 NFC tags are the first to feature NXP Semiconductors’ ICODE 3 chip, delivering superior radio frequency (RF) performance, faster reading speeds, and reliable tag protection and enhanced NFC features. These inlays are suited for applications demanding high performance, operational efficiency, and data protection.
Amir Khoshniyati, executive vice president and general manager, Identiv, said the advanced NFC inlays “deliver unmatched performance, supporting specialized and complex IoT applications that continue to drive the IoT ecosystem forward.”
Identiv’s NFC inlays are being promoted for uses in the healthcare sector as they support applications such as diagnostics, monitoring, therapy, and home medical devices. Other sectors include logistics, wine and spirits, specialty retail, smart home devices, and smart packaging.
Zebra RFID Solution Deployed in Brazilian Hospital
The Instituto do Coração (InCor) has deployed Zebra’s RFID solutions to improve inventory visibility, enhance staff productivity and reduce asset loss.
Based in Sao Paulo, InCor is the largest cardiology hospital in Latin America and Brazil. After deploying Zebra’s RFID FX7500 and MC3300xR readers, along with Zebra AN510 and AN480 antennas, the hospital accelerated operations, improved asset utilization and better tracking of asset inventory, especially wheelchairs.
“By implementing Zebra’s RFID solutions, we have enhanced inventory traceability to improve asset control, prevent loss and benefit our patients with limited mobility,” said Vanessa Santos Sallai, nursing manager, InCor.
To improve the tracking of wheelchairs within the hospital, passive RFID readers were installed in areas that serve as gateways between zones. The RFID handhelds are used to expedite inventory counting, allowing staff to focus more time on patient care. According to Zebra’s Healthcare Vision Study, 60 percent of decision-makers and 55 percent of clinicians rank improving supply chain transparency among their top five challenges. Also, 83 percent of hospital decision-makers consider RFID a transformational technology.
“Zebra helps healthcare organizations capture the real-time location and status of critical resources and equipment across healthcare environments, leading to improved insights for more confident decision-making,” said Vanderlei Ferreira, VP and GM, Zebra Technologies Brazil.
Panasonic Introduces Bluetooth Low Energy Module
Panasonic is now offering new PAN1783 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module to its wireless module portfolio. This module is a 5.4 BLE device based on the Nordic nrf5340 single chip controller. It is available with an onboard chip antenna and RF-bottom pad for external antenna connection.
The PAN1783 has two Cortex-M33 processors, one as an application processor and one as a network processor which easily allows it to be used in standalone mode. With the increased processing power as well as support for isochronous channels and LE Audio, this module is perfect for BLE audio applications, according to Panasonic officials.