 | Thursday, March 24, 2005
Issue 82 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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| RFID Products & Services | | - SimplyRFID.com: Software tools for RFID (site) | | | Employment in RFID | | - Interview top RFID Talent Before Making a Decision (site) | | - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site) | | | Upcoming RFID Events | | - RFID4U.com - RFID Training Classes (site) | | - RFID Networking Forum, 5 May 2005, London Heathrow, UK (site) | | - Chemical Week's RFID Pharmaceutical Focus, Mar 30-31, Phila, PA (site) | | - EPC Developers Conference – April 10 – Chicago, IL (site) | | - Pharma Supply Chain Summit, June 6-8, 2005, Philadelphia, PA (site) | | - RFID World Asia 2005, 27 - 29 April, Suntec Singapore (site) | | | RFID Research and Knowledge | | - RFID Knowledgebase - 10% Off for RFID Update Readers (site) | | - Have RFID questions? Ask the RFID Talk experts. (site) | |
RFID Spending Dwarfed by VoIP and Security
A new survey of 118 business executives by Siemens Financial Services reveals that as the climate of corporate IT spending improves dramatically, VoIP and network security investments are dominating those of RFID. Over the last year more than a third of surveyed businesses have invested in security and VoIP, whereas only 16% invested in RFID. The reasons are simple: guarding data and networks is a necessity, so investing in security is a no-brainer; and with VoIP, the return on investment is quantifiable and near-term. Everyone knows that the ROI with RFID is elusive at best and that the technology is still too expensive for many executives to justify (unless under mandate, of course). According to Siemens Financial CEO Bill Zadrozny, "We haven't seen any widespread acceptance of [RFID] at all. I don't think there is a compelling reason for people to use this. They got so many other things to invest in."
But these findings seem somewhat misleading, because it is unclear exactly which industries the surveyed 118 executives come from. Current RFID activity is confined to a handful of well-defined verticals and niches (supply chain, retail, defense, pharmaceuticals, airlines, you know the list). By contrast, security and VoIP affect those companies that use networks and telephones -- that is to say, all of them. When considered in this light, it is obvious that the spending on RFID should be substantially less than on security and VoIP, and that the 16% figure actually seems quite impressive. Besides, RFID as an industry is still in its infancy. According to a late-2004 study by Deloitte & Touche, RFID spending is still quite conservative and is expected to increase handsomely for at least the next half-decade.
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Sun Announces RFID Test Center in Korea
Sun announced this week the opening of an RFID test center in Korea. Situated in the major shipping port city of Busan, the center will be managed in collaboration with the local Busan National University. It will be even larger than the 17,000 square-foot mammoth RFID test center Sun opened last year in Dallas, Texas. Like in Dallas, the Busan center will offer domestic companies the ability to test RFID deployments in a real-world environment. But additionally, the center will offer a certification program and a research and development component. Also, owing to Busan's role as an important port, there will be an outdoor area where shipping containers can be tagged and tested.
Sun's choice of Korea for the RFID test center represents its identification of the country and the broader Asian region as an area of great promise for RFID. The Korean government, like its counterparts in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, sees RFID as "a game-changing technology," according Sun's Director of RFID Product Management Sam Liu. The technology's relative youth and almost guaranteed longevity make it a ripe opportunity in which to innovate early and establish leading intellectual property. Also, because so many consumer products sold in the Americas and Europe are manufactured in Asia, Asian companies are rapidly being affected by retailer mandates, as their vendors look for them to tag shipments coming from the factory.
The Busan center represents another step in Sun's strategy of capturing RFID marketshare by way of test centers. As companies begin to implement RFID, Sun hopes to make the process as simple and painless as possible by offering a multi-step plan. "We educate, test, implement, and deploy for the customer," says Liu. The RFID test center concept -- with each tailored to its local market, staffed with RFID experts, and housing state-of-the-art testing facilities -- provides the perfect vehicle.
| More about Sun's RFID products on Sun.com |
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AMEX to Roll Out RFID Payment with Ritz Camera, Sheetz
American Express has signed a deal with photo chain Ritz Camera and east coast convenience store giant Sheetz to install its RFID-based ExpressPay product at all of each company's locations. The deal adds another 1,500 locations to the ExpressPay program, whose participant list already includes pharmacy leader CVS. The system is a standard contactless payment system in which the consumer waves a key fob (read: RFID tag) in front of a reader at the cash register to make purchases. The system provides a simpler and speedier way to buy than both credit cards and cash, and, according to American Express research, results in consumers buying up to 30% more.
The big three credit card companies are each moving forward with contactless payment initiatives (all of which rely on RFID technology). Ostensibly, the idea is to offer consumers an easier way to make purchases. But what is more interesting to Amex, Visa, and MasterCard is the opportunity to get a slice of the enormous amount of small purchases that have historically been made solely with cash.
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Consumer Product: HomeSeer RFID Starter Kit
You have no doubt read that RFID will one day blanket the consumer home, making lost remote controls a thing of the past. Well apparently that day is already here. Retailing for $477.95, The "HomeSeer RFID Starter Kit" comes with software, RFID reader, cable, and power source. (Tags sold separately. Sheesh.) The idea, of course, is that you tag whatever object, pet, or - yes - person, you want to keep tabs on, and the system will allow you to monitor its location. The literature offers some ideas:- Detect if vehicle is in the garage.
- Get reminders to take out the trash if the garbage can is still detected at the house on garbage night.
- Get notified if pets wander outside of a given range.
- Track physical assets and perform notification if one is "removed" from an area.
- Arm or Disarm Security by individual tag.
- Track the location of domestic help or children by logging in to your HomeSeer system from anywhere in the world.
Given its price tag and the abundance of technical jargon used in the product description, it would seem that the HomeSeer is targeted more to the hobbyist than the average joe consumer. But its very existence does make one wonder how long it will take for such an application to go mainstream.
For those of you horrified by the prospect of a "home seer," feat not. Last week we reported on another novel consumer RFID application, the TagZapper!, targeted at HomeSeer's polar opposite demographic. A small handheld device, the TagZapper! "kills" any RFID tag found on the person, allowing the privacy-conscious to party like it's 1983.
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First Group of DOD RFID Contracts Awarded
We reported on Monday that Intermec had won a contract to provide the U.S. government with UHF passive EPC Class 1 RFID tags. Thanks to all of you who promptly wrote in to clarify that Intermec was actually one of a handful of other companies to win the "Group 1" award; Alien Technologies, Avery Dennison, CDO, and Lowry were also selected. This award group is the first of five to be doled out over the course of 2005. Group 2, for fixed and transportable RFID readers, will be awarded soon. The last three groups, for RFID printers, RFID services, and RFID handheld readers, respectively, will be awarded throughout April and May.
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| RFID Products & Services | SimplyRFID.com: Software tools for RFID
SimplyRFID.com creates software tools to accelerate RFID integration. Our software, TotalControl, sorts RFID tag reads from one or hundreds of RFID readers and stores the results in any database you wish. SimplyRFID.com: RFID that works. | | | Employment in RFID | Interview top RFID Talent Before Making a Decision
Before entrusting your RFID market entry decision to anyone, meet with the industry's most talented leaders who are discreetly reviewing career options. Confusing standards, limited time, and a competitive market mean taking action now. Get the best ROI by ensuring you choose wisely. Contact: RFID Careers - Jack Bourque 860-738-5035 ex:23 or jjb@wirelesscareers.com | 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, click here! | | | Upcoming RFID Events | RFID4U.com - RFID Training Classes
RFID4U offers training all over world - both e-Learning and instructor-led courses. The next one day course - RFID Made Easy - is May 3rd in Sunnyvale, CA and May 12th in Buffalo, NY. Over 350 individuals already trained. Open registration and 10% discount for RFID Update readers. See more, Click Here! | RFID Networking Forum, 5 May 2005, London Heathrow, UK
Europe's leading RFID event brings executives together to gain knowledge, share RFID experience, gain competitive advantage and deliver ROI. Includes interactive roundtables, superb peer-to-peer networking and hundreds of movers and shakers in RFID. RFID Update exclusive discount -- Register now! | Chemical Week's RFID Pharmaceutical Focus, Mar 30-31, Phila, PA
RFID Pharmaceutical Focus is your opportunity to learn from and network with peers. Gain knowledge on incorporating RFID into your drug distribution with minimum cost, maximum increase in efficiency, and cost savings throughout your supply chain. For more information or to register, visit www.chemconference.com or call 212-621-4978. Mention code: PME1 | EPC Developers Conference – April 10 – Chicago, IL
An Evolution in the Making. Unlocking the Next-Generation Supply Chain with EPC. A conference for leaders capitalizing on RFID and EPC technologies, featuring breakout tracks for business and technical professionals and presentations from IDEO and EPCglobal. Register Now. | Pharma Supply Chain Summit, June 6-8, 2005, Philadelphia, PA
The Only Supply Chain Event to Focus on Integrity, Efficiency & Security Progressing from Theory to Implementation. Increase the efficiency of your inventory management, avoid redundancy and maximize material velocity to increase productivity. Learn from retail pharmacy chains, RFID case studies, 65 industry experts and networking opportunities. Email register@iirusa.com, call 888.670.8200, or visit: www.traxsummit.com | RFID World Asia 2005, 27 - 29 April, Suntec Singapore
Terrapinn's 2nd annual RFID World Asia 2005, taking place 27-29 April in Singapore, is established as THE event in the region to feature case studies from leading end users who are implementing RFID. If you want to know how RFID will impact your bottom line, Register Now! | | | RFID Research and Knowledge | RFID Knowledgebase - 10% Off for RFID Update Readers
Don't do anything until you have consulted the world's largest database of RFID in action. More than 1250 case studies covering over 1400 companies. Save time and money, improve forecasts, convince doubters, help you raise investment. To receive a 10% discount off your annual subscription, sign up using the promo code: rfidupdate | Have RFID questions? Ask the RFID Talk experts.
A proud partner of RFID Update, RFID Talk is the industry's leading discussion forum. Join thousands of users at RFID Talk and stay on the forefront of technology, deployment, standards, specifications and more. Free, quick registration - Sign Up Now! |
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About RFID Update - Launched in early 2004 to provide timely analysis of RFID industry news, RFID Update publishes editorial briefings every Monday and Thursday for the growing ranks of top level executives involved in the deployment of RFID projects. Each issue distills the impact of global RFID developments by providing an analytical summary of the news and issues most pertinent to successful RFID implementations.
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