iKaaz ties up with DCB to offer NFC payment solutions

Bangalore-based mobile payments solutions provider iKaaz has tied up with DCB Bank to offer tap and pay mobile payment which will allow consumers to perform cashless transactions across various retailers in India, even as mobile phone users slowly take to cashless micro payments through mobile wallets. The strategic tie-up with the bank will allow iKaaz's service to perform like an open wallet, into which cash can be loaded, used at retail points and taken out when required, said chief executive officer and founder Soma Sundaram, a former Nokia Money team member.

First Intel inside Bitcoin ATM at Internet of Things Roadshow

Recently at the Internet of Things (IoT) Roadshow in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a group of developers created what may be the first Bitcoin ATM powered by an Intel platform. Intel IoT Roadshows are being held at ten different locations around the world. Intel runs these to encourage innovation and give away its Internet of Things Developer Kits to a set number of attendees at each convention. At the Sao Paulo Brazil event, a kit was given to the first 100 attendees. One team went the Bitcoin route and created a Bitcoin ATM over the course of the two-day event.

Could Samsung Build a Better Mobile Wallet Than Apple?

If recent reports are to be believed, Samsung may join Apple and Google in offering a mobile payments system of its own — one that it hopes could be more accessible and universally accepted than Apple Pay. Re/code’s Jason Del Ray reports that Samsung is in talks with a payments startup to create a wireless mobile payments system to be unveiled in 2015, that would rival the recently introduced Apple Pay. The technology would enable owners of certain Samsung phones to pay at brick-and-mortar stores by waving their phones instead of swiping a card. It’s unclear so far if Samsung has actually reached a deal with Massachusetts-based LoopPay, but one source says that a prototype of the payments system has already been created.

Trimble Announces Firmware Update for ThingMagic RFID Modules to Simplify Integration into Finished RFID Readers

Trimble announced an update to its ThingMagic Micro and Micro-LTE, embedded UHF RFID modules in the ThingMagic Mercury 6e Series. The firmware update allows for autonomous operation by enabling hardware read triggers and savable configuration settings in the module. It eliminates the need for users to write and run MercuryAPI development code and simplifies the process of building RFID-enabled products.

Customers currently using the Micro and Micro-LTE modules in their existing RFID products need to use ThingMagic's MercuryAPI to write applications to control the module. The MercuryAPI supports Java, .NET and C programming environments. The MercuryAPI Software Development Kit (SDK) contains sample applications and source code to enable developers to get started demonstrating and developing functionality. With the firmware update, users can now save configuration settings such as RF power, duty cycle, read triggers and which antennas to search on, among many others. This allows prospects, who have not previously used ThingMagic modules and written code to the MercuryAPI, to build RFID finished readers more easily.

The Micro and Micro-LTE with autonomous operation is suited for prospects who have an existing platform that cannot accommodate the use of the MercuryAPI but want to implement an RFID solution. Additionally, this mode of operation results in decreased power consumption because the "read on power up" mode allows the reader to only consume power when it is on. There is no power consumption if the device is off, making it an ideal solution for a battery-operated device such as a handheld reader.

Fujitsu Forges Li-Fi-like QR Code Replacement

Forget about QR codes (if you haven’t already). Fujitsu Laboratories, in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, has come up with a much brighter idea: Its researchers have developed a way to embed identification data in LED lighting that can be projected on any object. Like with a QR code, you’d point your smartphone camera to the object to get more information about it. But in the case of the Fujitsu system, it doesn’t require anything to be physically printed or attached to the object being queried, which can be distracting, costly, or otherwise mar something’s appearance.

Suncorp backs NFC payments, Apple Pay

Suncorp Bank has revealed it will soon support contactless mobile payments on Apple iOS and Google Android devices. “We are now looking into rolling our contactless payments in our banking app for selective Android devices in 2015,” a Suncorp spokesperson told Computerworld Australia. “We'll also be working with relevant parties to enable our cards for Apple Pay when it becomes available in Australia.”

How inspection management software helps you day to day

Automating inspections can dramatically simplify daily processes and speed up tasks compared to paper-based data collection. A paperless inspection management system will use barcodes or RFID tags for instance, to expedite daily routines with minimal effort and simple setup. Features such as one-click recording of visual inspection results and speech-to-text capabilities save time and improve efficiencies during field inspections or audits.

Engineering Firm Ludwig Pfeiffer Uses RFID to Keep Track of Tools

Ludwig Pfeiffer, a global structural and civil-engineering firm based in Germany, eliminated the need for its construction foremen to manually track the company's 6,000 pieces of equipment at dozens of European construction sites, and reduced the amount of time needed for its annual inventory check time by 50 percent, by adopting an RFID-based solution provided by Advanced Panmobil Systems and Reutemann.net. Ludwig Pfeiffer reports that the solution has saved its workers time in tracking equipment, has reduced the incidence of errors related to items' locations, and is now being used by employees to clock in and out at the job site.

The Next Challenge for the RFID Industry: Rapid Growth

The radio frequency identification industry is on the cusp of rapid growth. When precisely we will reach the tipping point, I can't say (though I will provide some insights in the next issue of our digital magazine). But I can say that both potential users and providers of RFID technologies will be caught unprepared for the rapid acceleration in adoption. RFID vendors will also be caught by surprise. Many companies have been burned by investing too much too early in anticipation of growth that never occurred. Now, many are holding back on investing in capacity, because they are concerned that the growth won't materialize.

Swiss Food Co-op Deploys RFID to Automate Shipment Tracking

Migros Ostschweiz (East Switzerland), one of the 10 regional cooperatives belonging to Swiss supermarket chain Migros, is employing radio frequency identification technology to automate the confirmation of which goods are loaded onto vehicles destined for particular stores, and when this occurs. By using the solution, known as Load Unit Identification and Positioning, or LUIDO (LU-Paletten Identifikation und Ortung), the company can ensure that forklift drivers need not visually verify that they have the correct load, move boxes to do so, or scan bar codes. Instead, they can merely proceed with going about their job of moving goods from the staging area onto trucks, while receiving an alert in the event of a mistake.

Should We Use RFID for Order Fulfillment?

There are a couple of factors to consider. Can you place tags on goods when they are being manufactured (if they are your own products), or can your suppliers put tags on the products (if you are purchasing them)? The nature of the shipments is also important to consider. If you are tracking only pallets or cartons, it would be easy to place a tag on each and read them all as they are moved through a portal. But if you have metal parts in cartons and are trying to read them on a pallet, it would be difficult to interrogate the tags on cartons at the pallet's middle.

National Institute of Standards and Technology Makes Case for RFID Forensic Evidence Management

RFID tags & devices that can transmit data over short distances to identify objects, animals or people–have become increasingly popular for tracking everything from automobiles being manufactured on an assembly line to zoo animals in transit to their new homes. Now, thanks to a new NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) report, the next beneficiaries of RFID technology may soon be law enforcement agencies responsible for the management of forensic evidence.

UHF RFID Tags Enabled for Easy and Remote Identification of Stolen Bikes

The solution, named CycloSafe, was developed around a clever idea to equip mailmen of bpost with mobile reader devices to track and locate lost bicycles. The solution uses passive UHF (ultra-high frequency) RFID technology with 2 Confidex Silverline Slim RFID tags installed on the frame of the bike to enable easy and remote identification of the stolen or misplaced bicycle. Stolen bicycles are a large problem in many European cities where people are increasingly using their bikes to commute to work and elsewhere. A growing number of people use bicycles not only to stay fit but also to avoid traffic jams and to minimize traveling costs. For many, the bicycle may also be a significant investment.

Tankers to get anti-smuggling RFID

Bangkok Energy Ministry will require all tankers to install the radio frequency identification systems to monitor incoming and outgoing flows of oil and gas into the country, according to Energy Ministry.

Fujitsu develops compact RFID for wearables

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a compact RFID tag that works on surfaces such as metal, which can otherwise impede radio waves. The tag, 30mm long, 25mm wide and 0.5mm thick, can be attached to any material, including plastic cards, wearables and metal objects. Despite its small size, it has a communication range of about 2 meters.

Gemalto teams up with Chunghwa Telecom

Gemalto has teamed up with Chunghwa Telecom, the largest operator in Taiwan with 10 million subscribers, to secure their mobile NFC services. This commercial launch, supported by MasterCard and four leading Taiwanese banks, uses Gemalto's UpTeq Multi-tenant NFC SIM and embedded software to host mobile payment and Mifare transit purse on a single card. This enables Chunghwa Telecom's subscribers to pay for a variety of goods and services, including rides on Taipei's crowded metro trains and buses, with a simple tap of their NFC phones on a contactless reader.

Gemalto's NFC SIM solution provides banking-grade security for mobile contactless transactions. The Taiwanese are the most frequent users of smartphones in the Asia Pacific region1 and this deployment will pave the way for more service providers to come onboard and deploy mobile contactless services in the country. Chunghwa Telecom customers will be able to download multiple credit cards on their phones, and then use any of them for mobile NFC payments in over 24,000 contactless terminals in major stores, taxis, restaurants, malls, and movie theaters. They will also be able to make contactless payments for their transport and small-value purchases at thousands of other outlets2 where the Mifare transit scheme is accepted.

RFID Companies Need to Focus on Getting the Technology Across the Chasm

Everyone is frustrated by the fact that the RFID market has not grown faster, including me. I've seen businesses reposition themselves as "sensor network" providers and, more recently, as "Internet of Things" companies, in the hope that this might turbocharge sales. I've seen firms make personnel changes and go to different trade shows, always believing there is a pot of gold out there somewhere if they can just find the right rainbow. RFID Journal has done more marketing than any company in the RFID industry. We've served more than 100 million banner ads for our products, sent more than 10 million e-mails and mailed more than 1 million brochures. These have been sent to RFID Journal readers, as well as to many media and association partner lists.

Near Field Communication (NFC) market size and share analysis to 2020 explored in new report

The NFC market is expected to witness rapid growth across various application verticals over the forecast period, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Rapid technological advancement and high smartphone demand due to technology standardization is expected to positively impact market growth.

Demand for cost effectiveness along with increasing availability of NFC-enabled smartphones is also a major market driver. In addition, the market provides opportunities to the direct mail marketing sector, which in turn may drive m-commerce and mobile payment options.

NFC is integrated in a wide range of equipment and devices including tablets, laptops, cameras, headsets, televisions, cookers, washing machines, cars and vending machines. In addition to industrial and commercial applications, this technology is preferred for financial transactions.

High development cost, poor infrastructure coupled with lack of consumer awareness about potential benefits may hamper market growth over the next six years. Transformation in transaction process methods along with social media engagement applications are expected to offer growth avenues for the global NFC market.

Hacking RFID payment cards made possible with Android app

We recently encountered a high-risk Android app detected as ANDROIDOS_STIP.A in Chile. This app, found distributed through forums and blogs, can be used to hack into the user’s RFID bus transit card to recharge the credits. What is the mechanism behind this, and what is the security risk of RFID payment cards in general? Paying via RFID cards is becoming more popular nowadays as more mobile devices add NFC support. Banks, merchants or public services issue RFID cards to their customers with prepaid credits.

Trade groups come together to accelerate NFC-based services

GlobalPlatform and the Global Certification Forum signed a liaison agreement that will enable both bodies to collaborate on the optimization of testing and certification procedures that will support and accelerate the deployment of secure near field communication (NFC) services, according to a press release.

GlobalPlatform is an association which standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technology. Global Certification Forum is an independent certification scheme for mobile phones and wireless devices based on 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards. 

GuardRFID receives CE Mark Approval for its AllGuard Active RFID Platform and Tags

Guard RFID Solutions Inc. announced
that it has received approval for the CE Mark for commercial sale of Readers, Tags and other components of its AllGuard Active RFID platform, used to create leading-edge real-time tracking, location and security solutions for healthcare, enterprise and industrial markets. GuardRFID’s systems have already been deployed in over a hundred facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia since GuardRFID’s inception in 2007.

The diverse range of solutions include TotGuard Infant Security, AllGuard Wandering Patient Protection, SafeGuard Staff Duress and AllGuard Asset Tracking, all specifically developed for healthcare facilities, as well as AllGuard Personnel Safety and Accountability, AllGuard Yard Management and AllGuard Asset Tracking and Security for deployment in industrial and enterprise environments. GuardRFID, in collaboration with its European partners, is already in the planning stages for deployment of systems required in Europe and expects to begin implementation of these over the coming months.
 
“Our 433MHz based AllGuard Platform is ideal for these environments, due to the nature of the frequency band allowing attributes such as long range, low power and therefore very small tags, and the ability to work in the presence of densely populated metal structures,” add Dalibor Pokrajac, Executive Vice President of GuardRFID. “Our technology has been adopted within the IEEE 802.11.4f Active RFID standard as well as the ISO 18000-7 standard, and therefore we are standards ready and the first standards compliant products are already available for commercial deployment. This makes our platform very compelling to end users looking for standards based solutions that offer longevity and multiple sources.”

Rebecca Minkoff Store Uses RFID to Provide an Immersive Experience

Rebecca Minkoff's new clothing store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood is slated to open today, featuring smart technology provided by eBay Inc.'s Retail Innovation team and RFID tags and consultation from Avery Dennison Retail Branding and Information Solutions (RBIS). Thanks to the RFID system, the store can now identify which garments a shopper brings into a fitting room, and he or she can then request other items displayed on the room's mirror, which also acts as a touchscreen.

How Can We Implement RFID at Our Electronic and Home Appliances Retail Stores?

Start by asking what problems exist in your current operations. Do you waste time looking for specific products within the warehouse? Are shipments from the warehouses to the stores accurate? Do you have problems returning items from stores to the warehouse? If any of these are issues, then you will want to make sure you develop a solution that resolves these problems. My suggestion would be to conduct a pilot to determine the potential benefits. You will need to purchase some tags and readers. I would suggest using passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID. Have the tag placed on the carton containing the appliance.

Secure smart cards and mobile payments

Daniel Castro, of the Center for Data Innovation and the Information Technology Innovation Foundation, recently penned an opinion piece in The Hill asserting that secure smart card Chip & PIN is “old and outdated technology.” Castro could not have been more wrong. The president’s recent Executive Order on Improving the Security of Consumer Financial Transactions wisely mandated Chip & PIN because it is an established and trusted technology used worldwide to protect consumers, retailers and the banking system from identity theft and fraud. The recent increase in domestic fraud is a consequence of the United States being the last G-20 nation to adopt this technology, making Americans an easier target for financial fraud and identity theft than foreign consumers. 

GPS and RFID-enabled solutions for child safety

HandsTel, a brand new start-up dedicated to the development of technology products for civilian safety and security, has launched a wearable device that allows a child to instantly alert parents with precise location in case of an emergency and a multi-featured responder app for parents to respond instantly. The internet of things (IoT) wearable smart band/watch works as a detection device and parents will have an option to call the built-in phone on the device to confirm an ..

NFC systems hacked at Mobile Pwn2Own

Security professionals have exposed several bugs in Near Field Communication (NFC) payment systems during the Mobile Pwn2Own event in Tokyo. As part of the efforts to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of NFC, experts used eight smartphones including the Apple iPhone, Blackberry Z30, Amazon Fire phone and Google Nexus 7. Hackers were able to successfully exploited the already discovered bugs to attack five devices, with three teams successfully extracting data at will from the devices, the BBC noted.

Hospital boosts patient safety with RFID

Fletcher Allen was facing a problem. The 500-plus bed hospital in the heart of Vermont’s ski country needed to turn over as many as 20 to 30 medication trays within a limited time while maintaining patient safety, and the manual system had become unwieldy. It was almost impossible to keep up, in fact, and the pharmacy tech support staff realized that automating the system was the only alternative. When pharmacy director Karen McBride went to the Midyear Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists she witnessed a demonstration of Kit Check's automated RFID system.

Optus launches NFC payments on Android

Optus customers using certain Android devices will soon be able to make payments with their mobile phone, thanks to a new near-field communications (NFC) SIM Optus has announced in partnership with Visa and Heritage Bank. Optus customers with one of the 20 compatible Android devices from Samsung, LG, Sony and HTC will be able to order a special SIM card from Optus that contains the NFC capability to make payments in conjunction with the Cash By Optus app the company has developed with Visa and Heritage Bank.

c2c expands ITSO smart card ticketing

UK: Commuter operator c2c began offering season tickets on its c2c Smart card from November 3, including Travelcards valid for travel on the National Rail and Transport for London networks within Greater London. c2c Smart is the government’s pilot for the South East Flexible Ticketing programme to introduce smart ticketing across 12 companies operating trains into London. c2c Smart cards are compatible with other cards meeting the national ITSO specification, including the Key smart card introduced by train operator Southern. Following the ITSO on Prestige project, they are also compatible with TfL’s proprietary Oyster smart card system.

Sixt Finds RFID Is Key to Improving Customer Service

Sixt, based in Germany, is one of the world's largest car rental agencies. It operates 2,200 branches worldwide, with a total of 144,000 rental cars available, and has earned a 14 percent share of the European rental car market. One of the company's challenges has been keeping wait times down for those renting vehicles, as well as ensuring that customers can rent the cars of their choice. A source of frustration for customers and employees at some locations has been the amount of time required to locate keys for a specific vehicle.

It’s more than the wallet-killer: Everything you need to know about NFC

NFC has finally gone mainstream. The number of tablets and smartphones with NFC technology is growing fast, but so are the questions surrounding it. You’ve probably heard about Apple Pay, the digital wallet for the iPhone 6 that is making its way into hundreds of thousands of stores. But you may not know what NFC is, the uses for it, or why we should actually care. The fact is, NFC is more than a wallet-replacement. There’s nearly endless potential when NFC chips are involved. This guide to NFC chips will help answer your NFC related questions.

Beyond Replenishment: Three Tipping Points for RFID in Fashion

In recent years, a growing number of retail RFID use cases have clearly demonstrated the benefits of being able to track inventory at the item level, leading to better shelf replenishment and fewer out of stocks.  Many retailers quantify the benefits of reducing out of stocks not just at the item level (potential lost sales) but at the transaction level, since retailers closely track the number of items that comprise the average transaction (e.g. 3.6 items/sale).  Using that example, an out-of-stock item (especially in a core category such as denim) could result in lost sales of an additional 2.6 items that were to be purchased with it.

Internet of Things will transform life, but experts fear for privacy and personal data

It will help you avoid traffic jams as you travel from work to that hot new spot you've been dying to try out, tell you on the way about the bar's half-price coupons and let you check your home video monitors while knocking back a few to see if your cat is clawing the couch again. But it also might alert your insurer if your car is weaving when you head home and report your frequent drinking to your boss.

"It" is the Internet of Things, which promises to transform daily life, making it easier to work, travel, shop and stay healthy. Thanks to billions of connected devices — from smart toothbrushes and thermostats to commercial drones and robotic companions for the elderly — it also will end up gathering vast amounts of data that could provide insights about our sexual habits, religious beliefs, political leanings and other highly personal aspects of our lives.

NXP Seeks to Drive NFC Phone App Use in Cars

Automakers have begun sampling a new radio frequency identification product from NXP Semiconductors that enables "connected car" applications that could integrate a driver's cell phone with a vehicle's operation. Last week, the company announced the launch of its new automotive portfolio, beginning with its NCF3340 Near Field Communication (NFC) controller. The NCF3340, which consists of a high-frequency (HF) RFID reader chip that interfaces with a vehicle's controls and other electronic components, meets the Automotive Electronics Council's Q100 Grade 3 requirements for operation across the full temperature range experienced by an automobile.

New NXP Module Creates a Paradigm Shift for Secure NFC Mobile Transactions

NXP Semiconductors introduced the PN66T module: the most comprehensive solution for secure mobile transactions. The module combines a highly secure Smart MX2 element (P61), Near Field Communications (NFC) radio, operating system and trust provisioning. To accelerate the deployment and meet the increased demands around mobile transactions, PN66T features a loader service, which enables service providers to easily deliver new applications by significantly simplifying the value chain of deploying credentials to devices.

The PN66T module is designed for mobile devices like smartphones and wearables and enables converged deployment of a broad set of transaction related applications such as mobile payment, access control, transit, and authentication.
 
The PN66T module leverages NXP's broad leadership in security and NFC, and delivers an outstanding user experience. The NXP secure element, the only common criteria certified EAL6+ product for mobile applications, providing the highest level of data protection and encryption to end users, payment issuers, and smartphone manufacturers. The PN66T is EMVCo (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) certified, ensuring that secure payment services can be deployed on a global scale while guaranteeing interoperability with legacy and future payment infrastructures. Offered on PN66T is trust provisioning to facilitate secure injection of cryptographic keys, enabling service providers to easily deploy new secure mobile transaction applications.

WhistlerBlackcomb eases loading with RFID technology

Remember those guys who used to hang out at the bottom of lift maze and zap your passes with a bar-code scanner? Well, guess they’ll be doing other jobs at Whistler Blackcomb this year because North America’s No. 1 resort (as voted by readers of SKI Magazine) is adopting RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) technology on all of its lifts. The device is a small circuit — actually a tiny antenna — integrated into your access card, which contains information pertaining to your lift ticket, season pass, or Edge Card. When you approach the access gate, the circuit in your card will automatically register and open the gate.

U.S. Payments Industry Can Layer EMV Chip, Encryption and Tokenization Security Technologies to Help Protect Against Card Fraud

Businesses processing credit and debit payments can help protect themselves against new and evolving fraud threats by implementing EMV chip technology, tokenization and encryption security technologies in conjunction, the Smart Card Alliance Payments Council states in a white paper.

Today, payments industry stakeholders are looking at many security technologies to protect their businesses and customers. This white paper explains how layering three of these technologies – chip, tokenization and encryption – in conjunction can help to secure the payments infrastructure and prevent card fraud," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance.

"The degree of layering will differ among payments stakeholders depending on their requirements, environment and budget. Reading this white paper is a good start for any stakeholder starting to consider their best approach for implementing the three technologies."

The three technologies recommended in the white paper to be used in conjunction are: Chip technology, which improves the security of a payment transaction by providing cryptographic card authentication that helps protect against the acceptance of counterfeit cards.

The EMV specification also offers cardholder verification and several means of transaction authentication that help safely authorize transactions Encryption, including end-to-end encryption (E2EE) or point-to-point encryption (P2PE), which can immediately encrypt card data at time of entry—at card swipe, key entry, tap or insertion—so that no one else can read it and use the card data for unauthorized transactions.

Tokenization, which replaces card data with surrogate values (i.e. "tokens") that are unusable by outsiders and have no value outside of a specific merchant or acceptance channel.

RFID Sets Sail With Quantum of the Seas

When Royal Caribbean International's newest cruise ship, the Quantum of the Seas, embarks on its maiden voyage on Nov. 2, its passengers will be treated to several RFID-based features, including passive high-frequency (HF) RFID "WOWband" wristbands that they can use to unlock their staterooms' doors and make purchases onboard. The ship is also adopting RFID luggage tags, enabling guests to use their cell phones to view the locations of their bags during loading and unloading.

Recall introduces on-demand RFID reporting

Norcross, Georgia-based Recall Holdings Ltd. used the occasion of the 59th annual ARMA Live! Conference & Expo to announce that more than 50 million assets stored in its information centers are now managed using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and technology. Recall’s RFID technology, which the company has used for more than nine years, serves customers in 24 countries and enables the rapid tracking of cartons, individual files and back-up tapes stored in Recall’s information centers, the company says. Recall says it also provides its clients with printable labels for in-house asset management, allowing customers a greater choice in their information governance activities.

Tageos Signs RFID Licensing Agreement with Round Rock Research

RFID label manufacturer Tageos has entered into a patent licensing agreement with Round Rock Research LLC for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and labels to strengthen its position to support the adoption of UHF RFID at the item-level, especially for apparel retailers and brands.

This agreement allows Tageos to provide RFID labels and tags to suppliers and end-users including retailers, brand owners and partners in the U.S. and around the world. Tageos customers can confidently move forward with full RFID deployments and reap the value of RFID in their business. Item-level RFID is being adopted by the apparel industry at an accelerating rate around the world, and retailers are seeing significant improvements in their business processes, invento¬ry visibility and accuracy and shelf availability, and have seen marked improvements in their omnichannel retail business. Tageos looks forward to spurring on the adoption of RFID tagging solutions and help customers improve their business performance.

Volkswagen Group's Uruguayan Importer Improves Efficiency Through RFID

For the past four years, Julio Cesar Lestido S.A., the official Uruguayan importer of cars and trucks manufactured by the Volkswagen Group, has been employing passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags to track the metal tools it uses to maintain vehicles. The company says that it is now developing a plan to utilize the technology to record each vehicle's life history, including its date of import and sales information, as well as all maintenance provided.

Cable Company Reels in Benefits With RFID

When warehouse workers at Singapore company Keystone Cable process an order for its telecommunication and electric cables, they need to locate large reels of specific products and then return them to storage so that those reels can be accessed again for future orders. The warehouse contains thousands of reels, and a single worker can spend 30 to 45 minutes locating the correct one. The company has installed a technological solution that employs passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags on reels, as well as on racks at its storage locations. The firm reports that a forklift driver now requires only about five minutes to retrieve a cable reel. The RFID solution, provided by the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), includes Xerafy passive Data Trak II RFID tags and Phychips' Arete Mobile Pop Smart RFID dongle readers connected to Android phones.

How to Grow the RFID Market

When I look at the use of RFID worldwide, it's clear that different industries are at different stages of adoption. Health care has a problem no other technology can solve (the real-time location of medical equipment), and it has whole products that deliver what customers want. But there is no agreement on which type of active RFID should be used. Some hospitals employ Wi-Fi-based real-time location system (RTLS) technology, some use ZigBee systems, and others use proprietary active technology or even ultrasound. There is no gorilla yet, and we have not reached critical mass (the lack of consensus on the standard is inhibiting users from adopting, which is preventing the industry from reaching critical mass).

Checkpoint Systems Implements RFID at Apparel Brand Zara Distribution Centres

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. has been selected by the Inditex Group to implement Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology into its Zara distribution centers. Inditex’s RFID implementation project was recently unveiled by Chairman and CEO Pablo Isla at the company’s Annual General Meeting.

Checkpoint provides the massive item-level encoding solution of RFID labels at Inditex distribution centers for garments in boxes, pallets and hanging items at a speed in line with Inditex’s logistics needs. The high-speed bulk encoding solution, which combines hardware and software, ensures the highest levels of accuracy and encoding speed without needing to manually open boxes and handle individual garments. RFID label encoding means that Inditex products are associated with a unique code allowing the apparel retailer to manage its inventory automatically.

Checkpoint’s solution also enables Inditex to automate the sending of garments from the distribution centers to the stores, avoiding any possible packing mistakes in quantity, model, size or color. The RFID solution automatically checks the accuracy of the content of the boxes regardless of the packing format -- with a high level of precision and at a high speed -- in line with Inditex demands before they are sent to the stores.

The RFID project is already active in more than 700 Zara stores in 22 countries. According to Pablo Isla, Inditex Chairman and CEO, "Implementation of this next-generation technology is one of the most significant changes ever in how the Group’s stores operate."

B.O.S. and Live in Clean City Launched an RFID Based System for Waste Management

B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd. ("BOS") announced that its RFID & Mobile division in cooperation with Live in Clean City Ltd. ("Clean City"), has successfully completed the first implementation of an RFID based system for tracking garbage trucks ("RFID System").

Clean City is a provider of technological solutions for waste management in municipalities in Israel. By using an RFID System, waste can be identified and tracked through the entire waste chain. RFID tags are attached to waste containers and the trucks are equipped with RFID readers thereby improving  the verification of pickups and tracking the number of times a container is used for collection. The RFID System was integrated at the Modiin municipality in Israel.

Iron Mine Uses RFID to Locate and Control Equipment

Equipment used at a West Australian open-pit iron mine is being managed across a 40-square-mile area via active radio frequency identification tags to identify where certain equipment is located, as well as control its operation. The solution, provided by IT and professional services company CSC, using Precyse Technologies's Smart Agent battery-powered RFID tags, enables the mining company to control the power within more than 100 mobile light towers used to illuminate the mine during nighttime work hours. "Improving 'time-on-tools' for maintenance crews was the primary driver for the project," says Jarrod Bassan, a CSC senior consultant. The amount of time workers spend with tools is a measure of productivity, he explains, and the mining company sought to reduce time-wasting activities, such as searching for assets or discovering that critical equipment was out of fuel.

What are the Hot Applications for RFID in Supply Chain?

In terms of supply chain, the RFID industry, especially in the US, was really set back after the failure of the Walmart case-level tagging program, which ultimately died in about 2009. But RFID has been making a strong comeback of late, noticeably in item level apparel tagging for retail, but also in many areas of manufacturing and distribution.

Moving RFID Forward

With the help of RFID (radio-frequency identification) and other connected technologies, more often, tools, equipment, and materials on the jobsite are becoming connected—providing construction teams with valuable data about the asset. Software and hardware providers for the construction industry continue to come to market with new solutions designed to provide field managers with data about assets.

As one example, ToolWatch, www.toolwatch.com, Englewood, Colo., has updated its field application, with an RFID interface. The cloud-based solution gives users access to data about the status of tools and equipment. The application is compatible with iPhone, iPod, and iPad devices and is targeted to jobsite supervisors and field managers who need to access critical data in realtime.

Protect tappable cards and personal ID from wireless RFID pickpocketing

When I first got my Nexus card for fast entry to the U.S., I really didn’t understand the importance of keeping it in its protective sleeve. It turns out the card uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip technology, which over the past five years has also become embedded in passports, health cards, drivers licenses, grocery store dongles, gas station dongles, debit cards and credit cards in many countries to help us get serviced faster by tapping/waving them when we are buying a coffee, gas or crossing a border.

Chico's Partners With Tyco Retail Solutions For RFID-Enabled Inventory Accuracy

Tyco Retail Solutions, a leading global provider of retail performance and security solutions, recently announced positive results from its RFID pilot with Chico’s. With focus on innovation in the store and evolving its omni-channel retailing strategy, Chico’s partnered with Tyco to address inventory accuracy and visibility challenges in 13 Soma Intimates pilot stores. Harnessing the power of Tyco’s RFID-based Inventory Intelligence solution, Soma associates can now access accurate, real-time inventory information in one place to better manage their deep merchandise assortment and to drive increased sales and shopper satisfaction. Having this level of inventory accuracy fosters associate confidence to provide a better customer experience.

Chico’s is dedicated to enabling customers to shop anywhere, anytime, and anyhow they choose. Having visibility to accurate and timely inventory availability is a mandate across all channels and locations to support omni-channel initiatives. Use of RFID technology by Chico’s Soma stores provides visibility to items across all pilot stores and distribution centers, extending from store receipt to customer purchase, and through the exit door. Insight into all channels at all times helps ensure customer satisfaction and limits lost sales due to inventory discrepancies or lack of item visibility.
“Our core value remains consistent: provide the most amazing customer service,” said Ken Silay, Director, Technology, Research and Innovation for Chico’s. “Innovation is an integral part of our mission to create a great customer experience. With RFID-based inventory intelligence, we can enhance the opportunity to have the right product available at the right place, at the right time to satisfy our in-store and omni-channel shoppers. Increasing our inventory accuracy helps minimize lost sales and out-of-stocks, keeping our customers happy and associates more productive. On our journey we’ve discovered innovation is always in fashion.”

Soma’s store associates are passionate about the new RFID capabilities, empowering them to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently to deliver maximum customer service. The RFID initiative delivered compelling results in the pilot store group. Weekly full-store inventory counts enable Soma to maintain 90-95% accuracy every day so associates can easily fill in needed merchandise. Having his level of accuracy helps ensure customers will have what they desire when they want it and prevent shopper disappointment. Soma also gained insight into store loss prevention. Although shrink had not been a significant problem for Soma, with RFID read points at door exits, they gained insight to specific items lost, noting exactly when (and if) they left the store.