RFID Item-Level Demonstration

Impinj founder discusses item-level RFID tracking ...

Hawaii RFID Tomato Tracking

Hawaii pilots RFID technology for tracking of tomato produce ...

... "the Hawaii Department of Agriculture in April started a three-year pilot to track and trace tomatoes and other produce using RFID tags attached to produce boxes. " ...

Via InformationWeek: Hawaii Tests RFID

HDOA PILOT PROJECT: "The three-year pilot project is being coordinated by several of HDOA's division, including the Quality Assurance Division and the Agricultural Development Division, and will use Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) to track and trace food products from the farm to the consumer. "

RFID Lumber Tracking

RFID for Work in Process

Omnitrol Networks embeds IBM's WebSphere RFID Information Center software into its Work-In-Process (WIP) appliance, creating an EPC-based track and trace solution for the manufacturing companies. ...

... "The OMNITROL WIP Appliance integrates all the data from the sensors, RFID readers, mobile handheld devices, and other shop floor equipment to improve monitoring of the supply-chain, inventory, manufacturing, shipping and delivery of products. The appliance helps manufacturers reduce costs and time to market by identifying production issues internally and throughout their supply chain. IBM's WebSphere RFID Information Center enhances the OMNITROL WIP appliance by allowing customers to share product movement information with trading partners using solutions that comply with GS1 EPCglobal's EPC Information Services (EPCIS) standard. " ...

Via IBM: Work-In-Process Appliance

USDA RFID For Bovine TB Disease Control

The USDA implement RFID ear tags in cow populations to control the spread of animal disease. The goal is to link the cattle to their premises of origin. If an outbreak occurs in the future, infected animals can be quickly traced in the supply chain. Bovine tuberculosis investigations are active in several States. ...

... "NAIS-compliant 840 tags provide for individual identification of livestock through a 15-digit number beginning with the U.S. country code. Through the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, the 840 tags allow animal health officials to electronically identify an animal. This increases the efficiency of animal disease investigations that involve the tracing of exposed and potentially infected animals. RFID technology also increases the accuracy of recording the animal's 15-digit animal identification number (AIN). USDA has purchased a total of 1.5 million 840 RF animal identification tags to support animal disease control programs, including the bovine TB and brucellosis programs. " ...

Via U.S. Department of Agriculture: NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM BUSINESS PLAN

RFID Hospital Location Systems

RFID-enabled hospital real-time tracking system receives patent approval. ...

... "A 17-inch tag is attached to a piece of equipment (people may clip it to a belt or lanyard) and tracked by sensors that are plugged into standard outlets. Based on total square footage and the number of tagged assets, the cost averages about $10 to $15 per asset per month. " ...

Via San Diego Business Journal: Real-Time Tracking System

SOA RFID set for CIO Investment

Survey shows interest in RFID investments for 2008. ...

... "Radio frequency identification (RFID) took second place in the survey, with usage of the tags predicted to rise by 122 percent. The track-and-trace chips were used in eight percent of companies last year, while 18 percent of them expect to use it in 2009. " ...

Via ZDNet UK: SOA and RFID

Airport RFID Trials Include Heathrow

Emirates Airline will invest in RFID technology trials at three airports: London Heathrow, Dubai International and Hong Kong International. The pilots will integrate RFID tags into the tracking of baggage in order to validate its effectiveness compared to barcoding and position the airline with a scalable solution for the future, where baggage volume is expected to increase. ...

... "Emirates will be investing close to AED 2 million, to test the effectiveness and benefits of RFID against the existing barcode tracking system. The largest-ever trial of its kind for the airline industry, some half a million bags on Emirates flights will be tagged with RFID chips over the 6-month duration of the trial.

The Dubai-based airline hopes its investment will help revolutionise the way bags are tracked and monitored, and present innovative solutions to handle the increasing volumes of baggage every year as more people around the world use air travel more frequently.

With 58 of the double-decked A380 aircraft entering Emirates' service, each doubling the number of bags handled per aircraft, the airline is keen to find innovative technologies and new ways to improve baggage handling infrastructure and safeguard the level of trust of its customers.

RFID equipment has been installed at some of Emirates' check-in desks at the three participating airports. During the trial, trained staff will apply tags containing RFID chips to bags as part of the normal check-in process. The chips contain stored information including the bag unique ID number and route. In addition to the embedded RFID chips, these tags will also continue to display the traditional bar code.

The chips are read as they pass through the airport's baggage system, enabling effective sorting, security screening and delivery to the aircraft. Arriving bags are read on entry to the baggage system and receipted into the system for effective tracking. Essentially, the chips will enable bags to be tracked at every stage of their journey, and minimise the possibilities for mishandling baggage. " ...

Via Emirates Airline: RFID TRIALS AT THREE AIRPORTS

RFID Tracks Locates High Value Hospital Assets

Ship2Save implements RFID location services at Holland hospital to track and locate healthcare pumps. This smart asset tracking process is becoming more critical in the healthcare industry as hospitals leverage advanced systems and technology to provide healthcare services. ...

... "Tergooi hospital, a 330 000 sq-ft medical center in northern Holland, has adopted a Wi-Fi based tracking infrastructure that is assisting them in locating infusion pumps. Installed and integrated by Ship2Save, an RFID solution provider, in collaboration with Ecole Polytechnique, a Montreal based University; the system uses Aeroscout asset tags to monitor movement and usage of intravenous pumps across various locations in the hospital. Tags that are attached to the infusion pumps transmit information to wireless access points throughout the hospital, this information is then forwarded to a location engine platform for analysis. The calculated location is then plotted to a graphical interface that nurses and hospital management use to find available pumps on the hospital floor plan. " ...

Via Ship2Save: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to track Infusion Pumps

Dillards RFID Pilot Program Will Tag Merchandise Items with Electronic Product Code

Dillards. a national retailer that operates in 29 states, is beginning an item-level Radio Frequency Identification, RFID, tagging pilot in its stores this month, in order to assess the technology's impact on customer service through improved product availability. ...

... "The pilot will consist of certain styles of merchandise being marked with RFID-enabled tags. The RFID/EPC (Electronic Product Code) tags function like an intelligent barcode and contain only the Electronic Product Code unique to each garment. The tags are designed to be removed at the time of purchase. They are not required in the event that the customer wishes to return the garment. No link will be made between the garment information held by the tag and the customer's personal information. These new tags will enable store associates to perform more frequent inventory counts on merchandise, with the ultimate goal of more timely replenishment of out-of-stocks. We believe that the use of RFID technology can enable us to provide an even higher level service to our customers by enhancing our ability to have the right product available at the right time while providing us even more accurate information from our inventory control system. " ...

Via Dillards: RFID Pilot Program

Savi RFID Active Reader Order Enables Tracking

Savi Technology received orders of more than $3 million from Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation for more than 6,000 Savi active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader modules, that will be used in tracking applications. ...

... "Comtech embeds Savi OEM active RFID reader modules into Comtech's satellite-based Movement Tracking System (MTS) kit atop the roof of the driver's cab, providing customers with two-way communications to automatically locate, manage and redirect ground shipments. MTS is used by the U. S. Army to automatically read and relay information of stockpiles at depots or in staging areas by driving MTS-mounted vehicles past RFID-tagged containers and supplies, providing mobile communications to the DoDs In-Transit Visibility network, the world's largest RFID-based cargo tracking system. Savi Technology holds a $424.5 million RFID II procurement contract with the U.S. DoD for active RFID products and services. Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation recently announced that it was awarded a new $605.1 million indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract with the U.S. Army for its Movement Tracking System. " ...

Via Savi Tech: RFID-GPS-SATCOM System Orders Surpass 10,000 Unit Mark

RFID Inlays Enable Airline Baggage Management in Asia

Korea Airports Corporation will use 350,000 baggage tags, Rabbit RFID inlays from UPM Raflatac, to manage its airline baggage tracking. ...

... "By using RFID technology, Korea Airports Corporation seeks to improve its logistics efficiency and reduce the number of lost or damaged baggage. The RFID implementation project has a budget of USD 3.3 million being the biggest South Korean government supported RFID project this year. In addition to the RFID inlays, the infrastructure will cover 98 fixed readers and 85 printers at Asiana Airline's airports including Gimpo, Korea and Haneda, Japan. " ...

Via UPM Raflatac: Korea Airports Corporation selects UPM Raflatac's RFID inlays for airline baggage tracking

AT&T RFID Healthcare Solution Offers Complete Infrastructure

AT&T offers turnkey solution for the healthcare industry that accelerates implementation through standard set of infrastructure. ...

... "AT&T is the first network services company to provide a comprehensive RFID solution for the health care industry. The company is offering the devices, infrastructure and systems needed for full-scale tracking applications - everything from tags and software to networks and data storage. In addition, the solution generates customized reports that can be used to enhance patient safety, increase operational efficiency and improve financial performance. More specifically, it provides a Wi-Fi-enabled location-based service to track equipment, devices and patients. For example, a hospital staff can track the current or a historical location of mobile assets - such as blood pressure monitoring devices, EKG machines, gurneys, infusion pumps, crash carts, computers-on-wheels, wheelchairs and laptops - from a Web browser. The solution will also alert health care staff if at-risk patients have wandered or been moved from their room. In addition, employees can use the data to manage mobile asset inventory across a single health care facility or multiple sites. " ...

Via AT&T: RFID Solution for Health Care Organizations

IBM RFID ePedigree Drug Solution Track Supply Chain Movements

IBM has developed a solution that enables pharmaceutical companies to create an electronic certificate of authenticity, an electronic pedigree or ePedigree, for drugs that move through the supply chain, from manufacturers to distributors, pharmacies and hospitals. ...

... "The ePedigree feature is a key capability of the new version of IBM's WebSphere RFID Information Center (RFIDIC), a high performance data repository that allows clients to efficiently manage and securely share information with trading partners to authenticate pharmaceuticals. Unlike competing solutions, the IBM offering was designed to manage and aggregate product serial numbers to enable processes in manufacturing plants, distribution centers, pharmacies, and hospitals.

IBM's new ePedigree feature allows clients to comply with new and emerging regulations such as those that will take effect in California in 2009 using either RFID, 2D barcodes, or a combination of barcodes and RFID. The offering provides a flexible track and trace framework for generating ePedigrees through standards-based EPC Information Services. By establishing ePedigree via EPCIS events and queries, clients will also be able to easily access key data elements to solve other business needs such as chargeback resolution and expiration management. " ...

Via IBM: ePedigree System to Combat Drug Counterfeiting and Help Clients Comply With Regulations

RFID Tracks Goods for Airport Hub in Thailand

Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Thailand, selects Intermec to supply an RFID and barcode system to track goods in the airport's Cargo Free Zone. ...

... "Suvarnabhumi Airport, the central air traffic hub for Southeast Asia, features an NBIA Cargo Free Zone IT project, which has some of the most up-to-date technology and services in the region, including its RFID Customs Free Zone management system. RFID will be a core part of the IT system for the Cargo Free Zone and will be used to track incoming and outgoing goods in the cargo warehouse and terminal.

The Cargo Free Zone also uses Intermec bar code printers and readers to monitor cargo, complementing the RFID system. Cargo cars entering terminals have RFID tags attached while their loads have bar code labels, which are read using Intermec's bar code readers. The RFID system for the Cargo Free Zone uses a range of Intermec RFID equipment, including 150 Intermec IF5 intelligent fixed RFID readers, 100 Intermec 751 rugged mobile computers, 100 Intermec IP3 portable RFID readers, 600 RF antennae, 46,000 reusable plastic RFID tags, and 4,000 windshield RFID tags. The bar code system includes ten PD4 bar code printers and ten 1551 rugged handheld scanners. " ...

Via Intermec: RFID System to Boost National Transport and Logistics Capacity

Pharma RFID System: BlueVector

BlueVector's RFID solution provides pharmaceutical industry with item-level track and trace, supply chain information accuracy, and integration with drug pedigree and authentication systems. ...

... "The system orchestrates two-way integration with software applications from SAP, Supplyscape, IBM, and others to provide real-time track and trace, authentication, and drug pedigree tracking system integration. In addition to populating these systems with properly filtered events from RFID readers and sensors, the Blue Vector system also retrieves data from these systems to automate the behavior of equipment and worker alerts. The Blue Vector system automatically distributes this downloaded data (which can include expected orders and the content of shipments) out to each individual point of automation - no matter where it is geographically located - where it is used to provide a degree of business awareness that isn't possible with other RFID systems. By knowing what is supposed to happen at a given operational step, the system can instantly alert workers or send signals to product handling equipment to prevent the movement of non-conforming product. " ...

Via Blue Vector: RFID Platform for Pharmaceutical Industry

RFID Open-Standards Benefits Container Tracking Per Pilot

Recent active RFID pilot project using Oracle and Savi Technology infrastructure validates the need for common standards to realize benefits in port operations. RFID-enabled seaborne shipping containers provide real-time tracking status in the Asian supply chain tested in the pilot, using EPC Information Services (EPCIS), a draft standard championed by GS1 EPCglobal. The objective of this effort is to enable greater transport visibility across stakeholders, countries and continents. ...

... "The benefits seem clear, but many vendors and end users believe that the prerequisites for greater RFID adoption in this sector are a common nomenclature for RFID data, and a standard framework for the way in which that information is shared via open standards such as EPCIS. The EPCglobal pilot with Savi and Oracle represents a significant step towards the practical realization of a truly useful standard, notes Liard. It is the first real-world demonstration among port operators of the potential created when multiple trading partners and service providers can speak the same language. " ...

Via ABI ResearchContainer Tracking Pilot Highlights the Benefits of RFID Standards in Port Management

RealTime RFID Cargo Tracking Pilot in Asia

Oracle and Savi Technology collaborate to implement real-time the location tracking of cargo containers shipped from Hong Kong to Japan. The pilot project with GS1 EPCglobal has been completed. ...

... "The milestone project was the first time that real-time information generated from active, battery-powered RFID tags on sea containers was exchanged with EPC Information Services (EPCIS), a draft GS1 EPCglobal standard enabling trading partners to communicate in a common computer language on objects moving throughout the supply chain. The communication interface with the EPCIS Server and Repository was enabled through integration of Oracle Sensor Edge Server, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware, as well as Savi Site Manager operating software and active RFID tag and data collection systems. " ...

Via Oracle: Oracle and Savi Technology Provide Critical Information Link to Track Active RFID-Tagged Containers Shipped from Hong Kong to Japan ...

RFID-Enabled Data Center: Tape Location

Imation teams with B&L Associates, Inc. to deliver an RFID-enabled tape tracking system. Imation's DataGuard system is integrated with B&L's VaultLedger or Vertices software to support data administrators work processes: storage, protection, tracking and instantly location of th audit trail of every data cartridge in their data center's tape libraries. ...

... "With RFID-tagged labels affixed to each tape cartridge, administrators can easily check-in and check-out each cartridge via entry and exit workstations. The cartridges -- or case of cartridges -- are then tracked via the B&L VaultLedger or Vertices software. " ...

B&L Associates Partners with Imation to Deliver Next-Generation Tape Tracking System Software

RFID Track Trace Financial Logistics

SecurCash implements RFID-ready track and trace system, from Transtrack International and Capturetech, to manage dynamic cash logistics and monitor cash transports closely for efficiency and security. ...

... "With the implementation, SecurCash is ready for future RFID technology. RFID makes it possible to work more flexibly and securely. RFID ensures all details of cash transport are registered through reading a chip. This makes the presence of personnel in the transfer of packages partially obsolete. In addition, pay-in safes can independently indicate using specific parameters when a cash transport is required. RFID technology enables SecurCash to use routes dynamically, which benefits security. " ...

Via SecurCash: Tracking & Tracing Prepares Cash Transport for the Future

ItemLevel RFID Pharma Packaging

Impinj RFID solutions address high tag-throughput rates and secure track and trace capabilities, which are essential deployment criteria for RFID technology in pharmaceutical supply chains. Impinj RFID reader achieves read reliability with throughput exceeding 1000 tags per second in supply chain environments, and 200 tags per second in dense reader environments with up to eight readers. ...

... "Scheduled for production-level deployment in the second quarter of 2007, Purdue Pharma's Gen 2 RFID-enabled packaging line will utilize the Impinj GrandPrix UHF RFID solution, comprising Speedway readers, tags powered by Monza chips, and application-specific near-field reader antennas. The packaging line will be certified for production readiness under SYSTECH International's TIPS Serialized Product Tracking solution that includes exhaustive tests modeling Purdue Pharma production packaging environments. During advance testing, the Impinj-powered packaging line surpassed tag read rate requirements with 100% tag read reliability. " ...

Via Impinj: Purdue Pharma Selects Impinj Gen 2 RFID Item-Level Tagging Technology for First-of-Its-Kind High-Speed Packaging Line

Healthcare RFID MayoClinic

3M and Mayo Clinic demonstrate pilot installation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) system in Mayo Clinic's endoscopy surgical suites for management of the collection and tracking of patient tissue samples. 3M RFID system was configured to enable Mayo Clinic's business processes for specimen management. ...

... "Utilizing 3M Track and Trace Technology, this RFID system enhances Mayo Clinic's ability to manage specimen and tissue samples from the collection stage to the pathology laboratory. Collecting and analyzing patient tissue is a crucial medical procedure. Mayo Clinic continues to take a leadership role in health care's effort focused on patient safety and care. Multiple 3M technologies were brought forward during the five-month pilot project at Mayo Clinic. Results demonstrated quantifiable operational efficiencies in the specimen-management process, accurate communication of data, and verification of information. Expansion of the Track and Trace system within the endoscopy practice will take place in planned, controlled phases. 3M and Mayo Clinic expect this rollout to be completed in early 2007. " ...

Via 3M: Two Minnesota Institutions Advance RFID Technologies in Health Care