RFID Review #1
RFID Review is a brief synopsis of events in the RFID industry.
China is working on a national standard for RFID technologies and will release a Policy White Book. [via RFID Blog] [China Tech News] There a number of ongoing projects in the country, and the need for an RFID standard was perceived. Hopefully, this is a precedent, as a worldwide standard for RFID is sorely needed to manage the multiple technologies that actual make up radio frequency identification.
The school board in Tucson, Arizona is supplying a special BusPass for its 60,000 students in 120 schools. The pass will be RFID-enabled and have GPS functionality, and will help parents make sure that their kids are on board the bus and get to and from school safely. [via RFID Journal] No word on whether the cards will be tied on indestructible strings to kids' clothing. This seems like a logical development, but I'm wondering how long it'll be before kids start losing their cards, as kids are wont to do.
Ford Motors Canada has installed WhereNet's RFID-based freight and inventory management system at their Oakville, Ontario plant. Ford Motors has been using RFID at 50 facilities worldwide. [sources: The Globe and Mail, RFID Blog] They join GM and Chrysler, in Canada at least, in using RFID in supply chain and inventory management. Ford apparently handles 500 trailer-loads of deliveries on a daily basis. Using RFID reduces the time needed for finding a particular shipment, in their warehouse, from a half-hour to a few minutes.
NCR Corporation has been in the payments biz for a long time and have recast themselves as an RFID solutions provider. Their latest offerings are "peel-and-apply solutions including tags, readers, servers, printers and NCR software." [Supply Chain Review] Numerous corporations are heading towards using RFID in a big way, and are also deciding that purchasing an RFID tech manufacturer is a financial feasible option. NCR is in fact a large corporation, but they might become a target for a buyout. Ideal buyout candidates would be a payments processor such as one of the larger credit card companies, all of whom are offering new RFID-based "smart" payment cards.
Tags: tech-watch, RFID, radio frequency identification, Ford, NCR
China is working on a national standard for RFID technologies and will release a Policy White Book. [via RFID Blog] [China Tech News] There a number of ongoing projects in the country, and the need for an RFID standard was perceived. Hopefully, this is a precedent, as a worldwide standard for RFID is sorely needed to manage the multiple technologies that actual make up radio frequency identification.
The school board in Tucson, Arizona is supplying a special BusPass for its 60,000 students in 120 schools. The pass will be RFID-enabled and have GPS functionality, and will help parents make sure that their kids are on board the bus and get to and from school safely. [via RFID Journal] No word on whether the cards will be tied on indestructible strings to kids' clothing. This seems like a logical development, but I'm wondering how long it'll be before kids start losing their cards, as kids are wont to do.
Ford Motors Canada has installed WhereNet's RFID-based freight and inventory management system at their Oakville, Ontario plant. Ford Motors has been using RFID at 50 facilities worldwide. [sources: The Globe and Mail, RFID Blog] They join GM and Chrysler, in Canada at least, in using RFID in supply chain and inventory management. Ford apparently handles 500 trailer-loads of deliveries on a daily basis. Using RFID reduces the time needed for finding a particular shipment, in their warehouse, from a half-hour to a few minutes.
NCR Corporation has been in the payments biz for a long time and have recast themselves as an RFID solutions provider. Their latest offerings are "peel-and-apply solutions including tags, readers, servers, printers and NCR software." [Supply Chain Review] Numerous corporations are heading towards using RFID in a big way, and are also deciding that purchasing an RFID tech manufacturer is a financial feasible option. NCR is in fact a large corporation, but they might become a target for a buyout. Ideal buyout candidates would be a payments processor such as one of the larger credit card companies, all of whom are offering new RFID-based "smart" payment cards.
Tags: tech-watch, RFID, radio frequency identification, Ford, NCR
