 | Friday, September 7, 2007
Issue 679 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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Editor's Note: Today's top story is the deployment of Gen2 RFID to track work in process at Tejas Tubular Products, a manufacturer of pipes and other oilfield equipment.
Citing privacy and security concerns, industry association Smart Card Alliance has issued a position statement against the use of long-range RFID in the new enhanced driver's licenses that are being considered as acceptable border-crossing travel documents in border states like Arizona, Vermont, and Washington (see Digimarc Selected to Produce RFID Driver's Licenses). The Alliance advocates using secure RF contactless smart card technology instead. "The Alliance attests to the fact that long-range RFID ... is an inappropriate technology for human identity documents."
According to research firm Frost & Sullivan, livestock tagging is poised for growth in Asia Pacific, especially in early-adopting countries Australia and New Zealand. The RFID market for livestock and animal tagging will benefit from the fact that governments are expected to subsidize investment in the technology to help farmers afford it. See more in the announcement.
Lastly, in addition to $10 million in Series C funding, covered in yesterday's Blu Pharmaceuticals Deploys SupplyScape E-Pedigree, electronic pedigree solutions provider SupplyScape has also appointed a new CEO in Mark O'Connell. O'Connell has 25 years of industry experience, including most recently as CEO of product lifecycle management company MatrixOne, which he led through a $408 million acquisition last year by Dassault Systems. |
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| Upcoming Events | | - RFID Solutions: Securing the Commerce of Tomorrow -- Oct. 10 (site) | | - RFID World Boston - September 18 - 20, 2007 (site) | | - Midwest RFID Symposium, Oct 23-24, University of Kansas (site) | | - IDGA's Military Logistics Summit, Sept 10-13, Adelphi, MD (site) | | - LogiPharma 07, Sept. 17-19, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, PA (site) | | - IDTechEx's RFID Europe; 18-19 September, Cambridge, UK (site) | | | RTLS & Active RFID | | 
Sponsored by Ekahau | |
| | - Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how! (site) | | | Products & Services | | - Free RFID Software with Alien 9800 at RFIDSupplyChain.com (site) | | - Until you manage assets with ESP, you might want to try RFID. (site) | | - Real-Time WIP Visibility Appliance from Omnitrol Networks (site) | | - Peel - Stick - Ship(TM): SimplyRFID Pre-Programmed Tags (site) | | | Research & Whitepapers | | - How RFID Can Decrease Manufacturing Errors (site) | | - RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update (site) | | | Employment | | - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site) | |
RFID Keeps WIP Well-Oiled for Oilfield Products Maker
To keep quality from going down the tubes, Tejas Tubular Products uses passive RFID tags to route its work-in-process (WIP) to the correct machining and quality control stations. The Houston-based manufacturer of drill pipes, tubing, casing, and other products used in oil and gas wells eliminated most manual data entry on paper-based job tickets by capturing product identification and configuration information with RFID.
"There are a variety of ways we hope we'll get return on investment from this project," Tejas Tubular Max Tejeda president told RFID Update. "In some areas the benefits are black and white: better inventory accuracy, and also by saving labor from not having to manually enter data into the computer system. Other ways are not so obvious. Peace of mind from knowing you have a more accurate process and are ensuring product quality is worth something too."
EPCglobal Gen2 UHF smart labels are used to identify parts during production. The UHF technology works because the tags are never applied directly to the metal, according to Konrad Konarksi of project integrator Ship2Save. Smart labels for WIP tracking are applied to job tickets that travel with materials, and finished products are identified with other smart labels that are applied to the shrink wrap that secures pallets.
Products are manufactured by computer-controlled CNC machines (industrial metal cutters) that perform specific operations according to the work order. Accurate identification at each work station is essential to ensure products are manufactured correctly. Workers previously read the job ticket prior to configuring the CNC machine, then wrote down the activity that had been performed. These processes required time-consuming manual review and recording and were prone to error if the machine was configured incorrectly.
Now job tickets include a smart label, which are produced on Avery Dennison printer/encoders. The smart labels are read at each CNC station with fixed-position or handheld readers from Motorola, which interface with Tejas Tubular's manufacturing resource planning system. Assemblies that don't belong at that CNC station are automatically rejected. The automated system also ensures machines are calibrated correctly to produce each specific part.
"Product traceability is a cornerstone of our quality system. RFID technology is a tremendous tool for us in this area," Tejeda said in ShiptoSave's announcement.
Salespeople and other workers in the office can track the progress of individual work orders on a large flat screen display, which is continually updated with data from the RFID system. RFID pallet tags are read prior to shipping to validate the correct order is being sent to the customer.
"Being able to see our work order status more quickly could help us get more business. Sometimes the difference between getting an order and not getting an order comes down to the delivery time," Tejeda said.
Russ Klein of research and consulting firm Aberdeen Group recently wrote about how closed-loop RFID applications such as Tejas Tubular's hold strong ROI potential. Aberdeen's research found that best-in-class manufacturers who use RFID for WIP tracking reduced process failures by at least 20%, improved process throughput by at least 10%, and saved at least 15% in labor costs.
The Tejas Tubular Products system is similar to an application that was profiled last week, in which Gen2 RFID labels are used to identify steel pipes (see Apparel Tags Overcome RFID Interference for Pipe ID). Both are notable for their use of UHF technology, whose performance is often degraded by proximity to metal. End users appear to be increasingly successful in devising workarounds for tracking metal with Gen2 technology.
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| Upcoming Events | RFID Solutions: Securing the Commerce of Tomorrow -- Oct. 10
Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and SAP in Washington, DC to discuss the balance between regulation and innovation and responsible approaches to issues in areas such as national defense, port security, food and drug safety, and pandemic preparedness. For more information call 202.463.5500. Register Today. | RFID World Boston - September 18 - 20, 2007
A premiere event at the new CMP TechMash Boston, RFID World Boston brings together the foremost luminaries on RFID technology and implementation to discuss the concepts and topics critical to making RFID a reality for today's businesses. Enter code RU01 to save $300! | Midwest RFID Symposium, Oct 23-24, University of Kansas
The 3rd annual symposium and exhibition focuses on closed-loop applications of RFID. Speakers and exhibitors from Motorola, Ekahau, Intelleflex, Fluensee, Intermec, Rush Tracking, SAVR Communications and more will demonstrate RFID's potential to error proof manufacturing, organize the office, and simplify asset tracking in industry and healthcare. www.continuinged.ku.edu | IDGA's Military Logistics Summit, Sept 10-13, Adelphi, MD
Join the "who's who" of logistics at the leading event for senior-level defense logistics professionals. Join thought leaders and decision-makers to discuss the latest implementation strategies and program initiatives to ensure the flexibility and preparedness of our military's future. Special keynote by: GEN John Abizaid, USA (Ret), Commander, USCENTCOM (2003-2007). www.militarylogisticssummit.com. | LogiPharma 07, Sept. 17-19, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, PA
LogiPharma presents 3 days of knowledge-sharing and idea exchange on the challenges and issues surrounding pharmaceutical supply chain management. For more information please visit www.logipharma.com. | IDTechEx's RFID Europe; 18-19 September, Cambridge, UK
IDTechEx's RFID Europe, in its eighth year, is the premium event covering RFID, technology analysis and market insight. Hear from AIR FRANCE KLM, Ahold, BP, TNT, MasterCard, Tube Lines, Sony, City Link and others. Explore technologies from printed RFID to smart tickets and cards to RTLS and sensor networks. Register with code: UPDATE97. | | | 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. | | | Products & Services | Free RFID Software with Alien 9800 at RFIDSupplyChain.com
Purchase an Alien 9800 RFID Reader and receive BlueBean RFID Simpleware free- perform rapid prototyping and development of RFID solutions without having to write any code...collect tag information from multiple readers...test reader connections...view all tag data in one batch. Looking for an RFID reader? Receive the free RFID Reader Report at RFIDSupplyChain.com. | Until you manage assets with ESP, you might want to try RFID.
Get visibility into critical assets when they're out of reach. Motorola's RFID solutions track employee-assigned IT equipment, monitor maintenance schedules, or manage assets essential to your business. It's a proven solution for watching over your assets. And it's just another way Motorola puts Enterprise Mobility in the palm of your hand. HELLOMOTO | 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. | 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 & Whitepapers | How RFID Can Decrease Manufacturing Errors
Specialized RFID tags that are optimized for use on or around metal are an effective and viable alternative to bar codes for error proofing applications in manufacturing. Learn the financial impact of errors and recalls and how RFID can be used for error proofing and other manufacturing processes. Get the full report now. | 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 | | | 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 |
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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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