 | Thursday, July 24, 2008
Issue 878 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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Editor's Note: Today's top story is research firm ABI Research's first ranking of passive UHF RFID reader vendors. Motorola was the overall highest-rated manufacturer, with Impinj leading in innovation and Alien Technology taking the top spot for implementations. ABI said it was impressed with the strength, depth and innovation evident in the product category.
A number of RFID vendor companies issued statements in response to the study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which reported that electromagnetic interference from RFID devices could affect medical equipment (see Study Finds RFID Interferes With Medical Equipment). One of the best such statements came from RFID module manufacturer SkyeTek, which clearly and convincingly lays out an argument for why the alarmist response to the findings is largely unjustified. The statement does concede that the findings show that high-powered RFID can have adverse effects on medical equipment at certain proximities, and that therefore the industry should self-regulate with respect to RFID device power output in hospitals:
"Despite its flaws, we do see the study as a call to action for standardization around RFID in hospitals, particularly as it relates to power requirements. This would certainly benefit the industry in the long run providing a commonly understood framework for how best to employ RFID in healthcare."
The full statement is available here.
Lastly, the US Departments of State and Homeland Security have announced that the new RFID-enabled passport cards are now in full production. The so-called PASS card is a travel document that can be used in lieu of an actual passport by Americans reentering the country from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. For more on the PASS card, see US Gov Sets Controversial RFID Passport Card Specs. |
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Motorola Tops Newest RFID Reader Vendor Rankings
By John Burnell
Confused which passive UHF reader vendor would best meet your needs? Well, you should be. A new analysis by ABI Research that was designed to rank reader vendors found one company is the leader in innovation, another in implementations, and the overall top-ranked company led in neither.
"The results are quite interesting," research director Michael Liard of Oyster Bay, New York-based ABI Research told RFID Update. "The passive UHF product segment is more robust and exciting than at any other time. There is ample opportunity for someone else to capture the number-one position the next time we do this matrix."
ABI Research announced its inaugural Passive UHF Reader Vendor Matrix this week. ABI assigned scores to vendors for a variety of factors related to product innovation and implementations. Motorola topped the matrix, based on consistently good scores in multiple categories. Alien Technology was identified as the leader in implementations and rated second overall, while Impinj received the top rank for product innovation and was rated third. Intermec took the fourth overall ranking. Companies that only offer readers based on OEM modules manufactured by other firms were ineligible. In total fifteen vendors were evaluated for the rankings: Alien, CAEN, EB, FEIG, Kenetics Group, Impinj, Intelleflex, Intermec, Motorola, Omron, Siemens, Sirit, SkyeTek, and TAGSYS.
Innovation ratings considered each vendor's history of delivering innovative products, the breadth of its product line, and other factors. Implementation ratings are based on market share, number of markets served, distribution channels, and the activity and consistency vendors demonstrate in the industry.
"The race among the top five or six companies for the overall top position was very close, especially among the top three," Liard said.
Notably, ABI did not conduct performance testing as part of its evaluations. The idea behind the rankings was to capture market leadership, rather than do rigorous technical benchmarking.
Low ratings therefore do not necessarily mean poor-performing products. For example, a company might not score well on innovation if it only produces one product form factor, such as a fixed-position reader, even if the product works very well. The matrix favors companies with broad product lines and distribution channels. However, Liard was impressed by many of the smaller and niche-oriented UHF reader manufacturers.
"There is a lot of innovation happening, and it is global," Liard said. "We're not talking about just a handful of companies making UHF readers anymore, and the market is no longer North America-centric. There are innovative products coming from companies in Europe and Asia Pacific."
ABI plans to update the UHF reader vendor matrix at least annually. It plans to release similar rankings for RFID printer/encoder manufacturers in September, followed by matrices for makers of specialty tags and active tags. The firm previously released a vendor matrix for UHF and HF tag vendors (see ABI Research Ranks Top RFID Tag Producers).
Separately, the European EPC Competence Centre and ODIN technologies each released their own tag benchmarking studies this year based on scientific performance testing (see Report Reveals RFID Performance on Different Surfaces and 'Myth Busted' -- Tests Find RFID Works Well on Metals, respectively).
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| Webinars | SkyeTek MetaFi Webinar - Today - 1pm EST
You are invited to a live webinar on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 1 pm EST for SkyeTek's MetaFi, a turn-key, mobile solution that automates the process of managing remote inventory. MetaFi significantly increases data accuracy, and eliminates the need for manual counts thereby reducing out-of-stocks/shrinkage. Register here. | | | Upcoming Events | RFID Executive Forum - Impact RFID, October 15, 2008 at UCLA
UCLA WINMEC will host its 2008 RFID Executive Forum. This Forum will bring academics, industry practitioners to discuss industry-specific modality of use of RFID and the application of RFID in their industry. For more information, please visit: www.winmec.ucla.edu/rfid/2008 | RFID World | Sept 8-10, 2008 | MGM Grand | Las Vegas, NV
Now in its 6th year, this industry leading event is recognized as the gathering place for the builders, buyers and sellers of RFID and other Auto-ID technologies. Registration now open! Special Early Bird Savings: Save $300 off registration. Offer ends July 31st. Don't miss out! | AWA PABS08 N. America Conference, Sept 11-12, Chicago, IL
AWA is organizing the Product Authentication & Brand Security Conference 2008 on September 11-12 in Chicago, IL. The event includes presentations and panel discussions with brand owners, legal authorities, associations, converters and suppliers; also networking sessions, a supplier forum, a social program and more. Find more on the program here. | AWA PABS08 Asia Conference, Dec 4-5 - Hong Kong, China
AWA presents the Asian Product Authentication & Brand Security Conference 2008, to be held on 4 & 5 December in Hong Kong, China. PABS08 Asia focuses on the threats specific to the Asia Pacific region, various elements of IP Theft, and leading-edge solutions. Find more on the program here. | | | 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 | 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. | 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. | | | 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. | | | 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
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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