 | Friday, February 15, 2008
Issue 779 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
|
|
Editor's Note: Today's top story is Emirates Airline's plan to test RFID baggage tracking systems across airports in Dubai, London, and Hong Kong. The six-month trial is expected to include 500,000 passenger bags and is viewed as a catalyst for airport adoption.
ZDNet Asia reports that Thailand has launched a five-year plan to spur adoption of RFID throughout the country. The technology is currently used most for animal tracking and access control, but the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec) would like to see applications expanded to include supply chain management, logistics, and industrial and manufacturing automation.
Ubisense has announced an agreement with Fish Software for the development and distribution of its ultra-wideband (UWB) RTLS technology in the trade show and event industry. Fish has used RTLS in the event industry to provide conference attendee tracking and associated marketing and measurement services. Recall that Ubisense's UWB-based technology offers higher levels of accuracy than traditional RTLS technology, to within 15 centimeters in certain cases (see UWB Finding a Place in the RTLS Market for more).
Lastly, due to the US holiday celebrating George Washington's birthday, RFID Update will not publish on Monday. We will be back to our regular daily schedule on Tuesday. |
|
Intercontinental RFID Baggage Tagging Trial Launches
Emirates Airline is planning to test RFID systems at three airports simultaneously in what it bills as the world's largest baggage tracking trial. The Dubai-based airline announced it will track half a million passenger bags over six months for flights between its Dubai hub to London's Heathrow Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.
"Previous RFID trials by other parties on a smaller scale have shown that the technology almost eliminates scanner misreads, significantly improving the efficiency of the baggage system and customer experience. We are now applying this on a much larger scale at three major airport hubs," Emirates' Dale Griffith said in the company's announcement. "If this trial is as successful as we expect, Emirates will be encouraging airports across its network to embrace this technology. This could become a new industry standard for baggage handling." Emirates said the introduction of 58 high-capacity Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft into its fleet prompted the airline to find more efficient ways to handle baggage. The company intends to invest roughly AED 2 million (~US$500,000) in the trial.
At Heathrow, RFID tags will be placed on all passenger bags for Emirates' five daily flights to Dubai, which total approximately 1,500 passengers, according to Panjav Shukla, who is director of RFID business development at Motorola. Motorola's RFID technology is being used in the Heathrow trial. Bags will be tagged and recorded when they are received at check-in and will also be tracked at transfer points and when they are loaded to outbound planes. Airport operator BAA is conducting the trial with Emirates. The airline is using an RFID system from a different vendor at the Dubai airport to test interoperability, according to Shukla. Gen2 RFID tags and readers will be used throughout operations.
"We are extremely excited by this project, which will track bags at every stage of their journey and could significantly improve the efficiency of Heathrow's baggage system, delivering an improved service to both passengers and airlines alike," Stephen Challis, head of product development at BAA Heathrow, said in Motorola's announcement. "Upon successful introduction, and in partnership with the airline community, the technology could be extended across the airport, transforming the way airlines handle baggage."
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has predicted the airline industry could reduce lost or delayed bags between 12 and 15 percent and save $760 million per year by fully implementing RFID baggage tracking. Many of the benefits come from improved tracking through better bag tag reading accuracy. IATA based its figures on read rates of 80 to 90 percent for legacy bar code reading systems, and 95 to 99 percent for RFID, which is consistent with results where RFID baggage tracking systems are used.
According to Shukla, airlines and airport operators generally accept the results of studies that found baggage misplacement costs the industry $3.6 billion annually, and flight delays -- whether caused by baggage problem or other factors -- cost about $7,600 per minute.
"The outlook for airport adoption of RFID baggage tracking is improving very rapidly," said Shukla. "The work by the EPCglobal and ISO organizations to harmonize RFID air interface standards, and IATA's new standard for airline bag tags, have helped tremendously."
Shukla said the international airport in Milan, Italy, will soon go live with an RFID baggage tracking system without having conducted a trial first. He said ongoing, non-pilot systems in Hong Kong and at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas have proven the effectiveness and value of RFID baggage tracking. Observers have pointed to Heathrow as a marquee airport that could spur further adoption (see RFID Baggage Tagging Taking Off in the UK). See Motorola on Aviation Adoption of RFID for more perspective on the market.
Forward this to a colleague | Request reprints: reprints at rfidupdate dot com |
|
|
|
|
| RFID Tags & Labels | Ferroxtag HF tags: Smart on Metal!
Ferroxtag is a new family of HF RFID tags suitable for operation on metallic surfaces. Ferroxtag's special ferrite antenna was developed using Ferroxcube's years of experience in ferrite technology. The high performance antenna means longer read range with a smaller tag. Visit www.ferroxtag.com | | | Products & Services | Employees steal over $1 billion per week from employers
the American Management Association reports. 95% of businesses are victimized by employee theft. Managers are reluctant to ask questions, because trusted employees may feel offended, leaving business owners in a difficult situation. What can you do? Nox: Intelligent Perimeter Defense from Simply RFID provides advanced security and protection for business assets. | Real-Time WIP Visibility Appliance from Omnitrol Networks
Meet the industry's most innovative award winning RFID solution that enables complete work-order traceability in manufacturing. Real-time web-based dashboards and multi-site monitoring for work-order pedigree and traceability, including proactive bottleneck management and real-time performance analytics optimizing shop-floor efficiency. All at the lowest TCO in the marketplace. www.omnitrol.com/WIP. | | | 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 | | | Research & Whitepapers | 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 | | | Upcoming Events | RFID World Asia 2008, 8 to 11 April, Suntec Singapore
RFID World Asia 2008 is THE event for finding out the transforming power of RFID for your business and its future. Sign up now for RFID Asia Summit 2008, targeted at senior-level executives; to understand and reap the benefits of this new business tool. For more information go to www.terrapinn.com/2008/rfid | SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008, June 19-21, Guangzhou, China
As one of the earliest, most specialized and authoritative exhibitions in China, approved and supported directly from State Ministry, the 8th SCAN & RFID CHINA 2008 will present you the impressive up-dated development and market of RFID technology in rising China. To know more, please go to www.scan-china.com. | 5th Annual DoD RFID Summit - Feb 26-27 - Arlington, VA
If you conduct business with the Department of Defense (DoD), you need to be at the DoD RFID Summit to stay abreast of the latest technology developments and take advantage of the "roll-up-your-sleeves" RFID implementation guidance that will be delivered for DoD personnel and DoD suppliers! Register now at www.DoDRFIDsummit.com. | RFID Smart Labels USA - Boston, MA - February 20-21, 2008
RFID Smart Labels USA 2008; the seventh annual analyst-driven event covers the hot RFID sectors, full technology analysis and market insight. February 20-21, 2008, in Boston, MA. Visit www.IDTechEx.com/USA to find out more and register. |
This email was intended for , who subscribed
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.
RFID Update Editor: Will Smith, editor at rfidupdate dot com
Press releases and public relations inquiries should be directed to Will.
To advertise in RFID Update, email advertising07 at rfidupdate dot com to request a media kit.
RFID Questions? Ask at RFID Talk (www.RFIDtalk.com).
Forward this issue of RFID Update to your colleagues, or tell them to subscribe free at: www.RFIDupdate.com
View all past issues of RFID Update in the archive.
Update your subscription settings: subscriptions07 at rfidupdate dot com
We take your privacy seriously. View our Privacy Policy here.
RFID Update -- The RFID Industry Daily
3213 Duke Street #266
Alexandria, VA 22314
http://www.rfidupdate.com
© 2006, ALX Technologies. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
