RFID Testing: Goodyear Turns To Sun To Get RFID - Ready

From Information Week ... The tiremaker will use Sun's new RFID test center to experiment with tags, other hardware, and software to determine the best method to cope with mandates from ...

Goodyear is investing in RFID technology in the hopes that it will help the company increase tire sales and reduce costs by ensuring product availability, making supply chain operations more efficient, improving business processes and lowering operating costs. Goodyear is also addressing additional challenges, including ways to use and store the new information, managing the transition period between bar code and RFID tags, and ensuring an error-proof communication link. In the interest of consumer privacy, all radio frequency tags applied to tires by Goodyear will be designed to be disabled at the point of sale.

The TireIQ system, which is being evaluated by original equipment manufacturers of automobiles, motorcycles and trucks, relays specific tire information to drivers through a custom "tire tag," composed of a computer chip and sensor that are built into the tire. The system provides the driver with appropriate warnings when improper inflation is detected, improving safety, efficiency and convenience.