 | Friday, February 2, 2007
Issue 530 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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Editor's Note: Today's top story is the WiFi Asset Tracking solution from networking equipment giant Cisco.
Research firm Aberdeen Group has announced a new study on the value proposition RFID offers manufacturers, focusing on three segments: optimizing raw material procurement, monitoring equipment in production, and providing visibility in the supply chain. Among other findings, the Aberdeen research indicates 82% of manufacturers find their RFID decision-making is partly motivated by a harsh environment or by challenging production materials. The report is available for download here.
Parking Network reports that RFID solutions provider GAO RFID is offering a new intelligent parking control management system integrating RFID, automatic control technology, and applications software. According to the article, the system automates in and out privileges, data transfer for traffic analysis, and the payment system.
Lastly, Techworld covers the Taiwanese government's $30.56 billion private sector investment this year and its particular focus on RFID. According to the article, Taiwan produced RFID products valued at NT$814 million (US$24.7 million) last year, a 15.3 percent increase over 2005. |
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| | - Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how! (site) | | | | - RFID World Conference 2007, March 26-28, Dallas (site) | | - 5th Annual RFID Journal LIVE!, Apr 30 - May 2, 2007, Orlando (site) | | - Asset Management Conference & Expo, Feb 21-22, San Diego (site) | | - The official DoD RFID Summit, April 3-4, Washington Hilton (site) | | - IDTechEx RFID Smart Labels USA 2007, Feb 20-23, Boston, USA (site) | | | | - CCL Label - Your Global Partner for Labeling & Packaging (site) | | | Employment | | - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site) | | | Products & Services | | - Peel - Stick - Ship(TM): SimplyRFID Pre-Programmed Tags (site) | | | Research & White Papers | | - RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update (site) | |
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Cisco, AeroScout Team to Market WiFi RFID
Cisco Systems and AeroScout are co-marketing a system that uses active RFID tags and 802.11-standard wireless networks to track assets. The companies have collaborated before and the technology components have been available, but the new packaged solution, combined with Cisco's reach, are sure to raise enterprise interest and awareness for real-time asset tracking.
The WiFi Asset Tracking solution was formally announced this week at the RFID-ROI Summit in London. The system uses standard 802.11b or 802.11g access points to read AeroScout's proprietary active RFID tags to track tagged items in real time. The system includes the Cisco 2700 Series Wireless Location Appliance, which calculates the tag location based on wireless signal strength, plus other Cisco wireless network infrastructure equipment and AeroScout's MobileView software.
"Unlike typical active RFID technology, our system uses a wireless LAN access point as the reader," AeroScout Marketing Director Josh Slobin told RFID Update. "The big benefit is that the customer does not have to install a separate infrastructure of RFID readers." Other wireless LAN functions continue operating while the locating system is in use.
AeroScout and Cisco are jointly marketing the system to the aerospace, automotive, mining, and semiconductor manufacturing industries.
"The common bond in these industries is to reduce all unnecessary costs, and transform operations to be as lean as possible," said Slobin. "We help companies cut costs by saving time spent looking for equipment. In some manufacturing environments where something unique or custom is being built, if you can't find something, everything stops."
Slobin confirmed that one AeroScout-Cisco joint customer reported the locating system saves it $1 million each time it prevents an incident. In mining, the system is used to identify the location of miners below ground, an invaluable safety enhancement.
AeroScout also has strong sales in healthcare and has a joint marketing agreement with Philips Medical Systems for that industry. Slobin said healthcare was an early adopter of WiFi based real-time location system (RTLS) technology, and that adoption grew quickly after large companies entered the market. He expects Cisco's presence to have a similar effect on manufacturing.
"A big company really can spur the market," said Slobin. "Manufacturing is a large untapped market with many real problems that active RFID tracking can solve. We believe 2007 will be an incredibly strong year for manufacturing."
Market researchers tend to agree, with robust growth predictions for RTLS and active RFID in manufacturing and other sectors. (See "Cover Your Assets" in Top 10 RFID Trends of 2006, Part 1 for various views and market projections.)
Meanwhile Cisco continues to position itself to benefit from growth in multiple RFID segments. Its Wireless Location Appliance is used to track location and asset utilization for a "forklift of the future" that Intermec announced last year. Cisco also released an appliance that sits on a network (wired or wireless) and performs middleware-type services for data collected by RFID (see A Primer on Types of RFID Middleware). One year ago yesterday, passive RFID reader manufacturer ThingMagic announced Cisco invested an undisclosed sum in the company (see Cisco Invests in ThingMagic).
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| RTLS & Active RFID | Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how!
Ekahau RTLS (Real-Time Location System) automatically tracks assets and people via your existing Wi-Fi network. Control costs and improve asset management with Ekahau. For more information, visit us at www.ekahau.com. | | | Upcoming Events | RFID World Conference 2007, March 26-28, Dallas
Attend RFID World, the largest event focused on RFID and Advanced End-to-End Track & Trace Solutions. RFID World is where the industry gathers to meet face-to-face, making it the most effective place to generate awareness, leads and sales. Learn more and register at www.rfid-world.com | 5th Annual RFID Journal LIVE!, Apr 30 - May 2, 2007, Orlando
Get everything you need to put RFID to work today at the world's largest RFID conference & exhibition. Access the most case studies, the most how-to sessions and the most lessons learned. The 86,000 sq.-ft. exhibit hall will feature the leading technology providers. Plus, Disney Resort packages available. Save an extra 10% - use code rfidupdate. Information: http://www.rfidjournalevents.com/live | Asset Management Conference & Expo, Feb 21-22, San Diego
The Conference will examine asset management technology within the framework of multi-industry best practices and regulatory requirements. Technology, such as Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software, bar codes, mobile computers, RFID, and real time locating systems (RTLS), is improving the ability to track, manage, maintain, finance and amortize production resources. www.AssetExpo.com | The official DoD RFID Summit, April 3-4, Washington Hilton
As the official platform for the DoD RFID Policy, the DoD RFID Summit, sponsored by the Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness), will provide direction on supplier RFID implementation requirements and timelines based on procurement methods, classes/commodities and locations. www.DoDRFIDsummit.com | IDTechEx RFID Smart Labels USA 2007, Feb 20-23, Boston, USA
RFID Smart Labels USA 2007 covers all RFID applications and technologies. Highlighting the business case, item-level tagging, RFID progress around the world and state-of-the-art technologies, RFID Smart Labels USA will be 2007's premier learning forum for RFID. Hear from 60+ industry-leaders including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Rolls-Royce, BGN, USPS, Michelin, McCarran Airport, IATA. www.smartlabelsUSA.com | | | RFID Tags & Labels | CCL Label - Your Global Partner for Labeling & Packaging
CCL Label is North America's leading full-service provider of pharmaceutical and healthcare labeling and packaging solutions. CCL incorporates the latest RFID technologies into it's labels to provide our customers with labels that are smarter with broader applications. CCL Label puts the Power Behind Your Brand. 609.433.3700 ext.127 or visit www.ccllabel.com | | | Employment | RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting
Whether your company is looking for the best RFID talent or you have the best RFID talent and are looking for the best RFID employer, RFID Recruiters offers the most focused approach to your objective. To learn how the RFID industry and the RFID job market are evolving, visit www.rfidrecruiters.com | | | Products & Services | Peel - Stick - Ship(TM): SimplyRFID Pre-Programmed Tags
Military-grade, Class 1 Generation 2 RFID Tags pre-programmed to DoD 252.211-7006 specifications shipped same day for less than $1 each. Find out why over 1,000 DoD (Department of Defense) suppliers choose SimplyRFID for their RFID needs. Visit us at www.SimplyRFID.com for no hassle RFID solutions. | | | Research & White Papers | RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update
Thirty-nine pages of original research on RFID audience perceptions, including 30+ figures of tactics, content & messaging, and recommendations to guide marketing strategy. Also, Top-10 RFID company rankings based on 550+ survey respondents. View the executive summary free, with Top-3 sample rankings. Only $495 Individual License or $795 Corporate License. Available now |
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RFID Update is the RFID industry daily. Launched in early 2004 to provide timely analysis of RFID industry news, RFID Update publishes editorial briefings every weekday for the growing ranks of top level executives involved in the deployment of RFID. Each issue delivers the breaking news and analysis most pertinent to successful RFID implementations, allowing readers to understand global RFID developments as they happen.
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