Close WindowRFID Update for Thursday, September 13th
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Issue 683
Will Smith, Editor

Today's RFID Update
1. Featured Sponsor: ODIN technologies
2. Editor's Note
3. Classified Listings
4. Top Story: McDonald's Pilots RFID Self-Ordering System in Korea
5. Vertical News, Sponsors: RF Code

First Benchmark of Medical RFID Cabinets

Editor's Note: Today's top story is the new RFID self-ordering system being piloted by McDonald's and SK Telecom.

Battery-assisted passive RFID solutions provider Intelleflex yesterday announced its Strategic Partner Program that will offer participants dedicated partner resources, tools, early involvement in product development and release cycles, partner training and support, and joint marketing and sales programs. The program already claims 45 participants.

Lastly, note the new classified listing below for a webinar from Intermec and ABI Research entitled RFID Business Value: Making the Case for RFID. Taking place on October 4th at 12:00 pm EST, the webinar will include a discussion on how to find the benefits, profitability, payback, and ROI of RFID.
 Webinars
  - Webinar: Making the Case for RFID (site) 
 RTLS & Active RFID
Sponsored by Ekahau
  - Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how! (site)
 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)
  - LogiPharma 07, Sept. 17-19, Loews Philadelphia Hotel, PA (site)
  - IDTechEx's RFID Europe; 18-19 September, Cambridge, UK (site)
 Employment
  - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site)
 Research & Whitepapers
  - How RFID Can Decrease Manufacturing Errors (site)
  - RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update (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)

McDonald's Pilots RFID Self-Ordering System in Korea

The Korea Times reports that McDonald's, the world's largest fast food chain, and telecommunications technology manufacturer SK Telecom of South Korea have teamed on a pilot that uses RFID to allow consumers to order food directly from their tables. The system debuted today at a McDonald's in western Seoul.

Called "Touch Order", it is the first self-ordering system in the world to use RFID, according to SK Telecom. It works as follows. Both an RFID reader and tagged menu are stationed at each table. The customer plugs the reader into her mobile phone, then points it at the items on the menu she wishes to order. The complete order is transmitted to the kitchen, and a charge is made through the phone. When the order is ready, a text message notifies the customer to come pick up her tray at the counter.

One requirement of the system is that a customer download a special interfacing program to her phone. Reportedly most phones manufactured within the last two years can handle the program.

SK Telecom aims for Touch Order to open up other markets to its RFID products and services. "We hope this partnership with McDonald's ... will lay the groundwork for our RFID business on foreign markets," commented senior vice president of business development Lee Joo-sik. The company expects to have expanded to other McDonald's in Korea by year-end and to other chains by next year.

McDonald's appears a little more conservative. John Kim, senior director of marketing for McDonald's Korea, said, "We are closely monitoring it, but it is too early to discuss expanding it to other stores, let alone other countries."

One question is how valuable such a service could be. McDonald's rose to prominence on its quick service, a feature that characterizes it still. Will a table-based self-ordering system really add that much convenience versus ordering at the counter? Could it even turn out to be less convenient, given the need to download a program? Time will tell.

Read the article from The Korea Times


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 Asset Tracking
Sponsored by RF Code
Apparel Tags Provide Unlikely Solution for Pipe RFID
Refueling Firm Sees 6-Month Payback from RFID
Hospital Manages Thousands of Patient Files with RFID
 Supply Chain & Logistics
Med Distributor Converts to Gen2 RFID for Item Tracking
METRO to Penalize RFID Non-compliance
Kids Clothes Firm Outgrows HF, Puts on Gen2 RFID
 Retail & CPG
TAGSYS Announces Two Apparel RFID Deployments
RFID Enables Innovation in Water Jug Distribution
Investor Analysis of Intermec RFID Deal with METRO
 RTLS & Active RFID
Semiconductor Maker Cuts Production Time with RTLS
New RTLS Tag Combines RFID and Infrared
Analyst on the Growing Market for WiFi-based RTLS
 Pharmaceutical & Healthcare
RFID Medical Cabinets Evaluated in New Benchmark
Animal RFID Chip Implants Linked to Cancer
Blu Pharmaceuticals Deploys SupplyScape E-Pedigree
 Middleware & Software Systems
Microsoft Announces Availability of its RFID Software
RFID Reader Interoperability Takes a Step Forward
METRO Moves RFID Pilot to Production, Taps Reva
 Defense & Government
IDTechEx: China is Largest RFID Market in 2007
Alien Earns Protection Under SAFETY Act
How the SAFETY Act Could Protect RFID Vendors
Webinars
Webinar: Making the Case for RFID
Join ABI's Mike Liard and Intermec for a discussion on how to find the benefits, profitability, payback and ROI of RFID. We'll cover key considerations and compelling applications, and offer insight into best practices and lessons learned. Finally, we'll discuss how to make the case for RFID in your business. Register today.
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 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
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.
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
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
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.
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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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