Blog Post 7-17-08

Our regular blogger is off on leave for a few weeks so I thought I would try my hand at posting.

The significance of RFID is at times underestimated. In the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first century we’ve seen our economy shift from industrial based to knowledge based. Technology has fueled that transition. It’s the reason that a company like Wal Mart that really doesn’t manufacture any of its own goods can dictate to manufacturers where, what and how much of something they will produce. Wal Mart has learned that capturing data and turning that data into knowledge about the consumer is the leverage they need with their suppliers and in the market generally. This is why they have vigorously adopted RFID.

RFID doesn’t just facilitate the movement of data like traditional IT systems. It captures data that before was unattainable. It provides knowledge that gives companies visibility into how their businesses are actually running. With RFID you don’t have to turn over the rock to see the problems underneath you just look right through it. Companies committed to accumulating, analyzing and using as much knowledge as possible will be the market leaders. RFID technologies will take them there.

IBM Tracks Chickens from Farm to Market Shelves with RFID Chips

RFID tracking of food production is on the rise, but IBM and is partners have developed technology that will take it to the next level, making item-level tagging of chickens possible from farms to retail shelves in Norway.

The RFID-tagged packaging will monitor the conditions of the poultry through the supply chain. The Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard will be used for the tracking, and the software suppliers and retailers use must also run EPCIS-compliant software to access the information.

According to an article on ComputerWeekly.com, The developers are looking into how to provide information to consumers on where animals have lived and what their diets consisted of. The information could then be accessed by mobile phone cameras, which could scan the barcode on the packaging.

Could an RFID solution improve visibility in your supply chain?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

US - Canada Border Crossings get RFID-Equipped this Summer

(AP Photo by Paul Sancya)

The US-Canada border crossings at Detroit, Port Huron and Sault Ste. Marie are undergoing upgrades over the next few months that will enable RFID security measures. Starting Monday (July 14), with the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit, MI USA and Windsor, ON Canada, construction on 39 of the busiest US borders with Canada and Mexico will have RFID readers installed.

The readers will also work to decrease travel times for people who use RFID-embedded identification. A new passport card, enhanced driver’s license and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) traveler cards for pre-screened travelers (Nexus, FAST and Sentri) are all part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), passed by congress in 2004.

The WHTI-compliant documents use RFID technology to process travelers with a single document, which provides both proof of citizenship and proof of identity quickly and accurately.

The cards have included security features to thwart counterfeiting and hacking. The passport card and enhanced licenses transmit a reference number that must match a CBP database in order to obtain the personal information included.

WHTI will be fully effective as of June 1, 2009. Until then, installation of the necessary components of the RFID system will be phased in at border crossings, including buried wires and readers.

The Department of State and Homeland Security (DHS) released the final rule on the WHTI earlier this year, “to give the public ample notice and time to obtain the WHTI-compliant documents they will need to enter or re-enter the United States on or after June 1, 2009.”

As of January 31 of this year, DHS stopped accepting oral declarations of citizenship without documentation proving both their identity and citizenship. DHS described this as “the beginning of a transition period intended to prepare the public for WHTI implementation… and obtain the appropriate documents.”

For more information on obtaining the new RFID-embedded identification documents, visit the Customs and Border Patrol Web site.

Could your company benefit from the enhanced security and time savings offered by RFID?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

China scales back RFID plan for '08 Olympics

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has recently released news that they are scaling back the original plan to implement RFID at all Olympic events, in order to increase security and decrease counterfeiting.

RFID tickets will now only be used for the opening and closing ceremonies, and include personal information, passport information, email addresses and home contact information. Photos, which were originally planned to be incorporated, are not on the tickets that were released to the press, according to the article published today on Danwei.org.

Concerns of data hacking and delays upon entering events with the use of embedded RFID tags in all 6.8 million event tickets apparently weighed on the decision to revise the scope of the original plan.

China is no stranger to RFID technology, having surpassed the $500 million in 2007 – a 50 percent increase from the previous year (Networkworld.com). IDTechEx predicts that this trend with continue for the next few years, making China the largest market for RFID by value.

IDTechEx’s report breaks down the figures: “In 2008 the spend on RFID in East Asia will be $2.8 billion of $5.29 billion spent globally. The majority of this - $1.96 billion - is just in China.”

It reports the cost of China’s 220 million national identification cards and systems at around $1.65 billion just in 2008 -- of a $6 billion total commitment, “the largest of any RFID project in the world.”

Would an RFID Solution increase security in your industry?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Orthopedics Industry Researches RFID-Enabled Devices

The orthopedics industry is exploring RFID technology to use in implants and instruments that would provide surgeons with information about how the devices perform inside patients.

According to an article in the Fort Wayne Daily News, one of the companies working on the project is a Fort Wayne, Ind.-based RFID start-up, which is planning to apply for a state grant to continue to research RFID tags for orthopedic devices.

The company president and CEO acknowledges that there are still some problems to address in order for the technology to be practical in the commercial market, including how to collect the information being transmitted. The RFID start-up is working collaboratively to develop prototypes with wireless transmitters, but has not released the names of its partners at this time.

FDA approval is expected to be years away, but as the benefits of using RFID technology in orthopedic devices become more apparent, more companies in the industry will look to RFID to provide valuable information about orthopedic implants and instruments to health care providers.

See the original article in the Fort Wayne Daily News for more information.

Would an RFID Solution provide valuable information to your organization?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Business Value of RFID Explored in Study

A recent RFID study found that the major pressures driving RFID integration and IT infrastructure management are “the desire to ease integration of RFID-generated data with key applications, and to maximize the business value of that data.”

The study, by Aberdeen Group and Using RFID called RFID and IT Infrastructures: Maximizing Business Value, reports several key findings regarding best-in-class companies, including:

• 75.4% avg. year-over-year increase in applications meeting or exceeding external service level agreements

• 16.7% avg. year-over-year increase in operational efficiency and business responsiveness

• 1.92% avg. year over year reduction of unplanned downtime

• 6.9% avg. reduction in time to information for business intelligence, and

• 9.5% avg. reduction in time to information for business processes

The figures illustrate “the ability of RFID-IT infrastructure management integration to deliver meaningful business benefits,” according to Michael Dortch, an Aberdeen Group analyst quoted in UsingRFID.com’s report on the study.

The report explains that the concerns and direction of RFID implementation has changed from cost of tags and readers, to integrating the technology with core operational applications and data.

Of the more than 200 survey respondents, 43% are tagging or planning to tag IT assets. Compared to the percentages that were tagging or planning to tag manufacturing work process (35%) or inventory (30%), the trend becomes clearer. The latter two have previously been more popular uses of RFID solutions.

The risk of not adopting RFID and IT infrastructure management by this year are also discussed in the report. Can companies afford to NOT reap the business benefits of the available technology, especially when their competitors are?

For more information, please see the original report (limited time download) on Aberdeen.com.

Are you interested in the benefits an RFID solution can offer YOUR company?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Report : Europe will gain 40% of Global RFID Market by 2016

A new report predicts that the European RFID industry will have 40 percent of the world’s RFID market by 2016.

The market for RFID tags in Europe’s retail industry alone is expected to exceed 3.4 million by 2010, as many large retailers are already starting broad RFID implementation.

The report, entitled European RFID Industry Outlook (2007-2010), bases this forecast on factors including:

• The popularity of the technology in Europe
• The length of time it’s been in use
• RFID's newer capabilities
• The benefits of the technology itself
• The rapid adoption in retail supply chains

According to PRMinds.com, the report explains the projection further with the support of statistical data and in-depth analysis of various segments of the industry, its driving factors and the characteristics of the competitive market.

For more information, visit the report or blog from the RNCOS, the research firm that developed the report.

Could your company’s supply chain benefit from the visibility offered by RFID technology?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Dynamic Builds Scalable RFID Solutions

Dynamic Computer Corporation provides foundational RFID solutions. Our RFID experts can make your concept a reality, or work with you to design the most practical solution for your company’s unique needs.

Once the initial building blocks are in place in the form of a tested, scalable RFID solution, we can help you integrate a more expansive solution across your processes, departments and even throughout your enterprise.

Dynamic’s team is knowledgeable and practical, and our process-oriented system allows complete transparency to the client through each phase.

We pride ourselves on providing RFID education with no sales pressure or strings attached. You will find that we are efficient and reliable and understand your business problem from an RFID solutions standpoint. We respond to your needs quickly and thoroughly.

Some advantages of utilizing RFID technology:

• cuts costs
• increases productivity
• eliminates errors
• reduces human involvement
• automates processes
• provides visibility
• improves customer service
• shortens sales cycle
• reduces shrinkage

Allow us the opportunity to discuss a practical RFID solution that would offer these advantages to your organization.

Call 248-473-2200 for a free, no-hassle consultation, or to set up a tour of our RFID Demo Room.

eGo Plus RFID Sticker Modernizes Florida Turnpike

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) is upgrading its current hard case SunPass system with the TransCore eGo Plus RFID flexible sticker tag.

“After a decade of providing SunPass RFID technology, TransCore recognized the need to provide FTE with next-generation technology to support evolving transportation needs,” said John Simler, president of TransCore Intelligent Transportation Systems Group (as quoted in the news release on Businesswire.com).

The new 915 MHz RFID tag, called the SunPass Mini, is a batteryless sticker that can be affixed onto the car windshields of commuters who drive on the 460 miles of Florida’s toll highway routes.

The read range of the US-manufactured tag is over 30 ft, and it provides read, write, re-write and permanently lock capabilities.

The smaller tag boasts many benefits to the FTE, drivers and the environments. The release explains these advantages:

• more versatile
• more affordable
• will increase wireless toll users
• reduction in traffic backups as a result of increased usage
• less traffic congestion leads to reduced vehicle emissions
• reduced vehicle emissions improves air quality
• consumes less petroleum-based raw material
• reduces transportation and shipping needs
• eliminates the need and cost for batteries

1.5 million of the mini tags have been ordered, and will work along with the three million plus hard case tags already in use.

See the release for more information.

Would an RFID solution help your company cut costs and improve efficiency?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

RFID Drives Water Delivery Service

Spring Water on Tap, together with AT&T, has developed an RFID solution to monitor water levels for Spring Water’s drinking water delivery customers.

Instead of wasting time and resources driving a regular route to check on the tanks’ water levels, this RFID application issues an alert for delivery (through AT&T’s wireless network) when the sensor reports that a refill is needed.

GPS and GPRS devices are integrated with separate water-level sensors to gather and report the data.

As RFIDupdate.com reports in their recent article, brand new company Spring Water on Tap is using the RFID technology for a competitive edge. Through unobtrusively monitoring customers’ water tanks and facilitating efficient delivery scheduling – both the customer and the company benefit from the application.

One thousand of the sensor-enhanced tanks are scheduled to be installed by the end of the year in the Atlanta area, and the company predicts another 6,000 will be needed for other cities it intends to service, including Houston, Miami and New Orleans.


Would an RFID solution provide your company with a competitive advantage?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.