SkyTrain RFID

Vancouver Skytrain RFID controversy - uses same technology as in London, UK ...

RFID Horse Passport

European Union issues requirement for horses that involves RFID chipping and passport documents. ...

... "The new system will build on a single identification document--one passport, issued for lifetime when the animal is born or imported. The document will be linked to the animal by an electronic microchip (also known as radio frequency identification, or RFID) ... " ...

Via The Horse: European Union Requires Horse Passports

RFID Solution Solves Reusable Item Tracking in Europe

Xterprise releases its RFID solution for Reusable Transport Items (RTIs) into the European supply chain market. ...

... "Reusable transport items play a critical role in many environments to help ensure the timely, continuous flow of materials and products to production lines, distribution and ultimately customers. Xterprise and third-party research indicates that more than 50 million RTIs are lost, damaged or otherwise removed from service each year at an estimated cost, globally, of close to $1 billion – a significant portion of which are in Europe. Without proper visibility and management of these valuable assets, stockpiling occurs at artificially high levels at critical choke points, resulting in unnecessary replenishment to meet demand. Xterprise has purposely built the Clarity RTI application to address the unique uses and resulting challenges of managing RTIs as they move between stakeholders in closed-loop environments typically found in retail, 3pl, and manufacturing organisations." ...

Via Xterprise: RFID-Enabled Reusable Transport Item (RTI) Application

Global RFID Interoperability Standards

GS1, ETSI and CEN have joined forces to create the Global RFID Interoperability Forum for Standards (GRIFS) project. The project is supported by funding from the European Union to collaborate on the standards that drive global interoperability of RFID technology. ...

... "The project is funded by the European Commission's Framework Programme 7 for Information and Communication Technologies, in which the European Union has recognised the importance of inter-enterprise interoperability as we move towards ambient intelligence environments where most devices are connected to seamless, ubiquitous networks. GRIFS will work to characterise the variety of standards activities taking place globally: (1) To create a number of liaison activities to disseminate information about the importance of global standards; (2) To align RFID standards development globally; (3) To put in place the Global RFID Interoperability forum for Standards (GRIFS) comprising global stakeholders; (3) To ensure continuing close collaboration between standards activities. " ...

Via GRIFS: Launch of a Global RFID Interoperability Forum for Standards

RFID Paris Library System Implementation

Paris will implement radio frequency identification (RFID) systems from 3M at 42 city branches. The technology is expected to increase efficiency, improve security, and boost customer service. ...

... "According to Rory Yanchek, 3M Library Systems business manager, the agreement with the Paris library system calls for 3M to provide at least three million RFID tags, as well as workstations, readers, detection gates and SelfCheck Systems that allow customers to check out and return items, and in some cases even pay fees and fines, without staff assistance. Installations are scheduled to begin later this year.

For the Paris libraries, 3M will supply tags incorporating Geneva-based STMicroelectronics Company's LR12K chips, which are warranted for the life of the library items to which they are affixed. " ...

Via 3M Library Systems: City of Paris Conversion of 42 Branches to RFID

Bookstore RFID Implements Item Level Tracking in SuperStore Format

Byblos implements item-level RFID tracking in its large-format bookstore in Portugal, using solutions from Vue Technology. ...

... "Byblos is using the TrueVUE RFID Platform to help track more than 150,000 items across its 35,000 square foot retail outlet. Every individual item within the new Byblos Amoreiras store is equipped with a UHF RFID tag. The company is using the item-level RFID solution to help maximize store operational efficiencies and on-shelf product availability, as well as provide a better customer experience. The Lisbon store is the first in a series of superstores planned to launch across Europe. " ...

Via Vue Technology: Largest Item-Level Retail RFID Deployment

RFID Mobile Phone Enables NFC Payments

Mobile phone incorporates near field communications, NFC, and RFID technology to support contactless playment and identification with mobility. ...

... "Explore mobile weather and news by touching your phone to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags ... " ...

Via Nokia Europe: Nokia 6131 NFC

Alien RFID European Implementations in Various Markets

European businesses are looking to differentiate themselves and gain efficiencies by applying RFID technology in their business processes. Here is evidence of the adoption as Alien gains customers in Europe in the food and retail industries. The companies are looking to increase the performance and responsiveness of their supply chains. ...

... "Penam, a leading bread producer in the Czech and Slovak republics, will use Alien tags and readers to track three hundred thousand crates throughout their supply chain. Additionally, Portuguese fashion retailer Throttleman, has specified Gen 2 Alien Squiggle inlays be used for the roll-out of its RFID pilot. " ...

Via Alien Tech: Czech Bread Producer and Portuguese Retailer Select Alien

RFID Fast Moving Consumer Goods

TOSHIBA TEC is working to demonstrate fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) in an integrated Supply Chain Management system, called the RFID EXPRESS POS Project. ...

... "The TOSHIBA TEC set up consisted of a barcode printer at the manufacturing side to print RFID tags and the innovative RFID-driven Express POS terminal in the retail shop. The combination of barcode and RFID technologies allows a gradual integration of RFID into the retail organisation while at the same time protecting their ICT investment. " ...

Via TOSHIBA TEC: TOSHIBA TEC tests Supply Chain Management program for item-level RFID consumer goods

Europe RFID Poised For Growth

European RFID markets will grow in the near term and have to deal with rising volume of data generated by RFID devices. Middleware is the best means for addressing the data flow. Europe has location-specific issues that need to be considered in RFID middleware. ...

... "However, several issues which will present significant challenges for the European RFID middleware market remain. Some of the immediate challenges include meeting regulatory requirements such as Listen Before Talk (LBT), which are unique to Europe. In addition, to the Europe wide issues, certain countries such as France have dedicated frequencies in the UHF band for military and defence, which clash with RFID frequencies. " ...

Via Frost & Sullivan: RFID in Europe

Metro Supplier RFID Tag Pilot

METRO Group's Tag It Easy! pilot uses Checkpoint RFID labels to manage the inbound supply-side of its supply chain in Asia to Germany. ...

... "The METRO Group expects that the RFID pilot will optimize efficiency and transparency in the international flow of goods. Access to more-accurate, real-time shipment data will help the retailer improve control over its international supply chain, resulting in lower warehousing costs and reduced out-of-stock situations.

METRO Group has standardized on UHF EPC Gen 2 tags for compliance to all regional requirements: 917 - 922 MHz for China; 920 - 925 MHz for Hong Kong; and 865.6 - 867.6 MHz for Europe. The RFID tags on the labels provided by Checkpoint will store the Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), which will be read at several points along the supply chain from Hong Kong to Unna, Germany. The METRO Group will receive an electronic delivery note in advance of the shipment, detailing the container content. The supplier also benefits, by gaining detailed proof of package delivery. The pilot will run for three months, and the METRO Group expects to extend the project to include several other Asian suppliers at a future date if the concept proves to be feasible. " ...

METRO Group and Checkpoint Systems Partner to Help Suppliers Tag it Easy

RFID Retail Enables Book Sales Growth

BGN, Boekhandels Groep Nederland, the Netherlands largest book retailer, selects Vue Technology's TrueVUE item level RFID infrastructure platform. This infrastructure enables BGN RFID initiative to create operational benefits and improve customer service. ...

... "As a leading adopter of item level RFID, BGN has already achieved success with the technology through a proof of concept deployment in two of its retail stores in the cities of Almere and Maastricht. Results have shown a 12% increase in sales, a significant decrease in receiving and inventory costs, a reduced risk of books being out of stock, and have provided BGN the ability to track which books are selling quickly and which haven't moved recently. As a result of this success, BGN has publicly announced it's commitment to rolling item level RFID across all of its retail locations. " ...

Via Vue Technology: Building upon initial proof-of-concept successes, the Netherlands largest book retailer selects Vue as it prepares for nationwide rollout

RFID Tech Enables Lafinca Reebok Sports Club Customer Experience

The Reebok Sports Club La Finca leverages an efficient access control system, installed by LEGIC Identsystems' impolementation partner, Gantner Technologies. LEGIC's RFID contactless technology is installed at the Calle Serrano Reebok Club in Madrid. The LEGIC partnership is realizing benefits, through efficiency that resulted EUR70,000 in annual savings. Members benefit from simple access control, increased security, and the ability to obtain various services. The Club has implemented the contactless credentials for 6000 members using these form factors: fabric and plastic bracelet, a watch, and a card. Access turnstiles at the club support two readers (one for entry and one for exit). The company is able to better understand the customer experience at the club. ...

... "But the services provided by the LEGIC all-in-one-card go well beyond mere access control. Members can use their contactless smartcard to reserve the locker they want, and they can purchase minutes in the sun cabin by using their LEGIC smart card. Lastly, the Club is about to install a new LEGIC based application on the all-in-one-card so that members do not need to worry about having small change and notes on them if they want to purchase food and drink in the Club's cafeteria, because they will be able to pay for it using their card or bracelet with integrated LEGIC chip. " ...

Via LEGIC Identsystems AG: Reebok Sports Club La Finca opts for LEGIC technology at its sports facilities

Government RFID Position

US and EU position on RFID technology is cautiously optimistic, with an eye toward protecting privacy. In order to enable efficient and effective commerce, governments appear willing to allow the technology to mature without the burden of legislation, at this time in the development lifecycle. ...

... "We were afraid the EU would mandate RFID legislation and would perhaps fail to understand where the technology was going. Instead, they took a step in the direction of monitoring the technology to prevent consumer harm. " ...

Via GCN: Commerce Dept, Robert Cresanti Interview

RFID Technology Goes Postal in Spain

Spanish Postal Service, Correos, deploys the RFID Anywhere platform in Europe. its implementation of a radio frequency control system, called Q-RFID, is in a number of Automated Processing Centers and bulk Admission Centers. The RFID technology deployment enables the company to drive quality control and traceability of deliveries. ...

... "Correos' successful implementation of one of the largest RFID projects in Europe highlights the potential of RFID solutions. The state-controlled company required its RFID solution to be integrated into the Correos computer systems, resulting in the purchase of 13,000 passive electronic labels and installation of more than 2,300 permanent antennas and over 331 readers for the 16 APCs and the additional Admission Centers. The RFID Anywhere-powered solution gives Correos the ability to monitor the status and transit time of a letter at each stage of the delivery process, allowing the company to oversee the entire process and adopt corrective measures when a fault is detected in the system. Correos is one of the earliest to use RFID technology to comply with the standards set by the European Union (ETSI EN 302 208-1 and EPC GEN 2) and to be approved at the state level by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade. " ...

Via Sybase iAnywhere: Spanish Postal Service Deploys Sybase iAnywhere RFID Technology

European Perspective on RFID Technology

European Union provides results of regional survey on RFID technology. ...

... "RFID – smart radio tags - are the keystone of the emerging Internet of Things that will connect objects and places. " ...

Via European Union: Radio Frequency IDentification RFID - The Internet of things - European Perspective



Survey reveals key findings, such as mixed views on the benefits of RFID, belief in a higher risk to privacy due to RFID, and a general lack of adequate information on RFID to support education of citizens. Europeans want to continue the dialogue on the privacy risks of RFID. ...

... "Overall, 60% of respondents feel that there is insufficient information available to make an informed analysis of RFID technologies. There is therefore considerable support for awareness and information campaigns. Views on whether RFID can improve the lives of Europeans are evenly split. The benefits mentioned include food safety (identification of allergens, more comprehensive information, easier product recalls), healthcare (prevention of drug misuse, authentication) or supply chain management (fewer stocks-out, better after sales service). Privacy, health and environmental risks are among the RFID concerns given." ...

Retail RFID Implementation: European Shoes

Checkpoint Systems enters into a strategic agreement with RENO, European shoe retailer. The agreement will enable an RFID source-tagging program and implementation at 700 retail locations across six countries with NDRF-based (New Digital Radio Frequency) RFID tagging system. The implementation will be completed in May. The RFID system will support reduction of shrinkage and improvement of the customer experience. ...

... "Switching from EM to NDRF technology, RENO wants to further optimise both its market presence and its operational processes. To be successful in the shoe retail trade the goods have to be presented in the right way. As well as displaying shoes in pairs and in boxes, an open shop construction is also particularly important, says Konigs. With NDRF, the current aisle widths in the branches could be increased from 90 cm to 1.80 m and a more customer friendly entrance introduced. Further improvements in the business process include simpler deactivation of the tagged goods at the point of sale. The cashier transaction is sped up while it guarantees that no customer will leave the store with a tag that accidentally remains activated, thereby triggering a false alarm. RENO's decision for radio-frequency source tagging is a further step towards a uniform standard in security technology, not only in Germany, says Ulrich Schafer, Vice-President and General Manager NCE Unit, of Checkpoint Systems. For retailers, radio-frequency source tagging is the best option for reducing the costs of shrinkage. At the same time they are able to create a customer-friendly shopping atmosphere, which will help to boost sales. " ...

Via Checkpoint Systems: RENO Partners with Checkpoint Systems for Its Source Tagging Programme

RFID Internet of Things at EU Forum 2007

Upcoming European Union Forum on RFID will explore the internet of things. ...

... "13 - 14 March 2007, Brussels, Belgium: The event calls for an identification of research needs from RFID towards the Internet of Things with respect to different application areas. The Forum also act as a platform to continue the dialogue with RFID stakeholders on a European level. The first conference stream is part of a series of meetings of the RFID Academic Convocation, driven by the Auto-ID Labs at MIT and being organised around the world to build collaboration across academic disciplines, institutional and geographic boundaries. " ...

Via European Information Society: The EU RFID Forum 2007

Honda RFID Assemply Line: Critical Component Traceability

Honda Italia partners with IBM to implement RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology and infrastructure in production processes at its plant located in Atessa, Italy. The solution will enable Honda Italy to increase efficiency and accuracy in managing its motorcycle production in Italy. ...

... "IBM Global Business Services will support Honda Italia in the design and development of the RFID implementation, which will enable the real time, automatic identification of each vehicle along the entire production chain. The RFID tags will also be used on micro-lots of critical components, such as engines. IBM business and technology consultants have been collaborating for a long time with Honda Italia engineers in the design of the new processes and in the identification of the best solution. The RFID technology will be then completely integrated with Honda's existing IT systems through an open standards-based, Linux and Java (J2EE) application built on the IBM WebSphere Application Server to track inventory and to monitor ways to improve efficiency.



The first phase of the project, completed earlier this year, simultaneously with the celebration of the 35th anniversary of Honda Italia, calls for the transformation of Honda's large-displacement bikes (Hornet 600, CBF1000/600/500) assembly line. The RFID tags were used to monitor the traceability of critical components, WIP (Work In Progress) management and inventory replenishment. In the future, RFID tags will also be applied to Honda's scooter production line, starting with the European best seller SH150i/125i and the bigger SH300i. " ...

Via IBM: Honda Italia and IBM Revolutionize Motorbike Production With RFID: Innovation Project at Honda's Plant in Italy Expected to Improve Efficiency and Accuracy ...

Checkpoint RFID Metro Pilot Implementation Solves Technical Challenges

Checkpoint Systems is involved in pilot of UHF RFID technology at METRO Group's Distribution Centres near Hamm, Germany, under supervision of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) task group 34 (TG34). The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) plays a major role in the global standardization of Information and Communication Technologies. This pilot has been created to improve the read performance of RFID tags in a high-density UHF reading environment and validate the performance of portal dock door solutions. The successful pilot solves UHF RFID challenges and supports Metro's plan to implement RFID more broadly in 2007. The Metro RFID implementation is aimed at enhancing customer service and increasing the efficiency of its supply chain. METRO Group is an international retailing company with 2005 sales of EUR55.7 billion. The company has a headcount of about 250,000 employees and operates more than 2,200 outlets in 30 countries. ...

... "Utilizing equipment from numerous RFID suppliers in Europe and North America, Checkpoint served as a hardware integrator for the trials. In this capacity, Checkpoint helped with the design work for the hardware solution and procurement, configuration and installation of the 36 RFID-enabled dock door portals which were used to validate successful simultaneous operation of multiple dock doors using a 4-channel synchronized approach under the ETSI 302 208 standard. Pallets containing 62 individually tagged cases largely containing RFID unfriendly materials (such as cans, liquids and metal lined items) were simultaneously transported at warehouse speeds through 36 adjacent loading dock doors. Some 4.5 million individual reads were recorded over the course of the trials. Complying with the ETSI listen before talk (LBT) requirements, the tests achieved a 98.5%+ read rate simultaneously from multiple pallets as they were wheeled through the dock doors. " ...

Via Checkpoint Systems: Checkpoint Systems Partners with Metro Group to Successfully Deploy UHF RFID Dock Door Solution: 98.5%+ Read Rate Represents Milestone in European RFID Deployment ...

RFID Drug Authentication eCustoms

IBM announces solution that provides ability to share and analyze real-time RFID sensor data to enable drug authentication and e-customs for clients in the pharmaceutical value chain. ...

... "The new technology, WebSphere RFID Information Center, is based on a recently completed EPCglobal standard called EPCIS, which provides a standard way to securely communicate the data created by sensors and RFID tags, and tie it to existing business information and trading partners. The growing trend of item-level tagging will create exponential growth in sensor data well beyond that generated from conventional barcode technology. This creates a need for a new way to manage this explosion of data in a manner that does not overwhelm a business and its supply chain partners. In addition to managing the massive amount of data RFID creates, two other barriers to widespread RFID adoption to date have been the lack of standards and data sharing capabilities. RFID Information Center solves all of these issues, clearing the way for wider-spread RFID adoption in various industries.

The IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center has already been successfully deployed for a number of early-adopter IBM clients across several industries, including consumer packaged goods company Unilever, the e-customs project ITAIDE in Europe, and Big Three pharmaceutical distributor AmerisourceBergen. " ...

Via IBM: IBM Enables Drug Authentication, E-Customs With Release of New RFID Technology ...