VingCard logo

(RFID World Canada) Interview with George Winker, VP Sales North America for VingCard Elsafe.

1. Brief Company Profile

The world leader in hotel security technology, VingCard Elsafe has products installed in more than 39,000 properties worldwide, securing in excess of 6.5 million hotel rooms. Their extensive product line comprises the most advanced electronic locking solutions, in-room safes and energy management systems on the market today, providing unprecedented facility system integration and innovation that is shaping the future of the industry.The company is part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, a publicly listed company on the Swedish stock exchange, and the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of locking solutions

2 When was your company founded and what is the approximate employee size?

Since its inception in 1979, ASSA ABLOY has grown from a regional company to an international group with 32,000 employees and sales nearing $5 billion.

3. What are some major challenges that RFID technology will be able to address in the near future?

RFID is already improving guest satisfaction for hundreds of hotels by completely eliminating issues with demagnetization of key cards. In the future, RFID will provide a platform for guests using Near Field Communication (NFC) cell phones to personalize their check-in and go directly to their rooms.

4. Where are we in the life-cycle of RFID investing and development?

RFID is currently a mature product, constituting almost 60% of new locks in 2011. However, there will definitely be ongoing investment to support emerging technologies like NFC, hotel app integration and communication with in-room systems like energy management.

5. Do you see any specific industries or geographic markets that will propel demand in RFID technology over the next 3 years?

The lesson of 2011 is that RFID is for everyone regardless of location, market segment or hotel type. The true driver or RFID technology is now the hotel guest who wants to have a seamless, hassle-free check-in at every hotel, every time.

6. How do you see the entire RFID market shaping out over the next few years? How big is this market opportunity?

Although RFID has gained a large share of our business in the past 24 months, we have every expectation that number will continue to grow and within 5 years will become the majority of the marketplace. In 10-15 years, magnetic-stripe locks will likely be as common in the industry as a hard key is today.

Kerala, India

(RFIDWorld.ca) The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in Kerala, India has recently gotten sponsored from the government to fund an RFID initiative connecting the company to all nearby households in the city. To connect the corporation with each household in the area, an RFID tag will be attached near the front door of each household so that visitors from the corporation to each site can record down data retrieve via an RFID reader.

The tag allowing for tracking and identification will help to keep data such as how much garbage has been disposed of by each household, it will help new buyers to gain access to their house at a faster rate because the data needed will be easily accessible and thus certificates of occupancy will be generated at a faster rate. Additionally, if a resident of the city is unhappy with anything government run, they will be able to have their issues resolved faster. The information needed by government will be easily retrievable through the RFID tag equipped on any household. Citizen suggestions and surveys will also be readily completed as a result of the RFID technology.

The RFID technology—readers and tags—will be similar to those used on clothing garments in stores that help to prevent theft and aid to monitor inventory. The tag known as the “MAXenna” (which will be attached near the doorstep or front door of each house) will be swiped by a representative from a registered corporation allowing for the information to be automatically transferred to the company server database.

The city Mayor has asked for the citizen’s cooperation with the matter of installing RFID tags on each household. She has assured them that their individual privacy will not be at any potential risk and that the information collected will be completely confidential

Wii U Controller Photograph

(RFIDWorld.ca) Similar to the Oyster cards used on the London transport network, the Nintendo Wii U tablet controller will soon be featuring close proximity radio communication technology known as Near Field Communication (NFC).

Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, stated that the NFC technology that will be used for the Nintendo Wii U controller is the same non-contact NFC standard that is compatible with FeliCa and MIFARE. He expects the NFC technology to become world renowned in the near future, expecting it to be used frequently with other systems.

Iwata further stated that the adoption of NFC will allow for figurines and cards to be created so that they can electronically read and write data. This will be possible through the non-contact NFC creating a new type of gaming in the video game world. The addition of this new functionality will open up possibilities such as using it to make micro-payments

Portable RFID Stick Reader – AWR100200

(RFIDWorld.ca) RFID Canada, technology provider and Canadian distributor for Agrident GmbH is introducing a new RFID Stick Reader Module – the AWR100/200.

The new RFID Stick Reader is a lightweight, high performance, rugged handheld reader that works under extreme conditions and includes the following features:

• A rugged IP67 protected casing with high temperature stability and impact resistance
• Reads Passive, HDX and FDX-B, Low Frequency (LF) tags
• Fully compliant with ISO 11784/5 standards
• Non-volatile memory allows storage of 5000 tags plus time-stamp
• LCD display
• Consumes less power resulting in longer operating hours before charging is required
• Class 1 Bluetooth (BT) (up to 100m) works in Master and Slave mode
• The new RFID Stick Reader high power mode offers the best read range in its class. The bi directional BT communication enables online communication via BT, with PDA, Smart phones or PC.

RFID Canada, with its network of partners, has successfully implemented applications such as Animal Identification, Document Tracking, Traceability, Asset Tracking, Work-in-Process, Stock Replenishment, Personal Identification and Sporting Events in a wide range of industries including Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transportation, Supply Chain and Distribution, Retail, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, Libraries, Government and many others.

About RFID Canada

RFID Canada is a technology provider. Products include all Passive frequencies – Low (LF), High (HF) and Ultra High (UHF) as well as Active frequency. RFID Canada is the Canadian distributor for Texas Instruments, Feig Electronic and Agrident.

RFID Canada provides the vital foundation to any RFID-based system and has been involved in successfully implementing over 200 systems globally.

About Agrident GmbH

Agrident is a German manufacturer and world leading producer of RFID readers for the Agriculture industry. Agrident has more than 20 years of experience in agricultural technology. www.agrident.com

Xtreme RFID metal tag

(RFIDWorld.ca) Avery Dennison and Xtreme RFID have collaborated to create the durable RFID-based Xtreme Metal Tag. Avery Dennison’s AD-843 is encased in plastic using a custom injection molding process developed by Xtreme RFID. The finished tag is 5.75L x 2.4W x 0.31H inches.

Mike Lewis, Business Unit Manager of Xtreme RFID said he was very pleased when it was decided to use the AD-843 for the tag because it met the 6 foot minimum reading range requirement. The chip to antenna connection is very accurate due to surface space that the AD-843 provides which is another reason for why it was used to create the metal tag, according to Lewis.

Avery Dennison RFID’s Product Manager, George Dyche was pleased that their AD-843 met the expectations of Xtreme RFID to create the most suitable metal tag. He stated that intense testing was done numerous times in both a laboratory setting as well as in real-life settings and the AD-843 pleased all.

The Xtreme Metal Tag can be used for material handling, asset tracking, as well as for solid waste and recycling tracking to name a few uses. The RFID tag can be placed onboard a dumpster truck, by which the reader notes the date and time of pick-up. The weight of garbage picked up would also be recorded and sent to the company’s back-end databases for analysis. This in turn would help with charging the public for over dumping of trash.

The WaterWheel Foundation

(RFID World Canada) As the charitable arm of rock band Phish, The WaterWheel Foundation spends nearly 100 days on the road each year, packing, transporting, unpacking and then repacking thousands of The WaterWheel Foundation logoed items that are awarded to fans who support the foundation’s non-profit work.

WaterWheel is staffed largely by volunteers on the road and net donations flow directly to pre-selected non-profit organizations in the communities where Phish performs. This makes time and efficiencies critical factors in managing inventories, as any loss in time or inventory could directly impact the local non-profit community.

Now, a new RFID software application, TC Mobile Merch™ donated by Truecount, is keeping The WaterWheel Foundation’s inventory tightly controlled. Volunteers and fans are happier too, with every item of logoed gear in the right place at the right time.

With more than 2,500 shirts, hats, sweatshirts and other items now tagged with TC Mobile Merch, WaterWheel has successfully reduced receive and pack-out times and achieved near perfect accuracy rates for cycle counts. “Truecount RFID technology has cut inventory time significantly,” says WaterWheel’s tour director, Mathew Beck. “Hand counts that previously took up to two hours to execute, are now completed in about ten minutes using Truecount. With huge blocks of valuable time saved, our volunteer staff can focus on what we do best: interacting with Phish fans. This in turn, results in more donations for our designated charities.”

The WaterWheel Foundation, known for its ecologically friendly approach, maintains a large inventory of items, ranging from organic cotton beanies to hoodies and other outer wear fashioned from all-natural or recycled fabrics. The foundation’s challenge is to maintain accurate stock levels for thousands of WaterWheel logoed items throughout the duration of each tour as well as online. “With so many moving parts, we are always working to make sure we don’t run out of items, and that boxes are not lost or misplaced along the way,” says Beck. “Phish fans are extremely loyal and it’s important to us that we keep them happy.”

The WaterWheel Foundation turned to Truecount Corporation for inventory management assistance during the kick-off of the Phish summer tour. Partnering with WaterWheel leadership, Truecount implemented a lightweight, easily portable solution, donating the software and Truecount staff time for deploying and implementing. Truecount used Champion tags, donated by Checkpoint, for tagging.

Truecount’s solution for event merchandisers comes packaged in a Pelican Case making it easy to ship ahead or to be hand-carried by the event team in their truck or van as they follow the tour.

According to Truecount CEO Zander Livingston, event merchandisers face significant challenges that are unique to their industry. “The variables are constantly changing,” says Livingston. “Event merchandise is in perpetual motion, which must be continuously counted and tracked as it transits from venue to venue, warehouses and distribution centers. There’s an ongoing process of receive and pack-out, set-up and pack-in. Trucks are loaded and unloaded. Items can get left in the truck, or at the venue. Turnovers of inventory are fast, with fans constantly handling the merchandise and disturbing the displays. The rapid-paced, unstructured environment is perfect for the functionality and enabling features item-level RFID brings to merchandise counting and tracking processes.”

With Truecount in place, WaterWheel is able to rapidly and accurately count and track goods in a simple, effective manner. “This represents significant savings in time while ensuring that our display tables and kiosks are properly stocked at all times, even under the most hectic conditions.”, says Beck.

Since its creation by Phish in 1997, The WaterWheel Foundation has donated more than $2,500,000 to non-profit organizations. ‘The merchandise we manage and give away helps to make a difference in the communities we visit,” says Beck. “It’s important that it be counted and controlled using the best, more accurate technology available. Truecount has significantly streamlined merchandise counts on the road, eliminating hassles, saving time and avoiding the human errors that are inevitable with manual counts.”

University of Arkansas

(RFID World Canada) American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and GS1, sponsors of a study being done at the University of Arkansan on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), announced today the benefits or RFID technology to apparel suppliers and retailers.

The project which will continue for a total of 1 year, has shown benefits to apparel retailers in terms of a lowered number of inventory counts, less theft opportunities, and higher inventory accuracy. The results of the study were presented at a VICS Item Level RFID Initiative at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York.

The study titled “Supplier Return on Investment Use Case Data Collection and Analysis,” is the 2nd phase of a 3-phase study known as the “Many-to-Many study.”

The effects of EPC-based tracking were studied to understand the benefits to inventory accuracy, productivity, revenue and costs. The study’s findings also illustrated that apparel companies were losing potential revenue do to the high number of chargebacks caused by error shipments. RFID adoption proved to improve efficiency and lower chargebacks as a result of inventory accuracy and less human errors.

Finally, a key finding of the study was that retailers and suppliers of apparel would benefit drastically if a greater number of them adopted RFID so that a consistency in accuracy would remain at all stages of shipment or movement of stock.

A feature of the Max 50 is that it can manage up to 9,000 users in stand-alone operation if there is no communication with the host. The Max 50 is a compact RFID smart card reader which can be mounted on a wall to suit room architecture.

The Max 50 supports Ethernet with AES encryption security.

Max-50

About RFID Canada - RFID Canada is a technology provider. Products include all Passive frequencies – Low (LF), High (HF) and Ultra High (UHF) as well as Active frequency. RFID Canada is the Canadian distributor for Texas Instruments, Feig Electronic and Agrident. RFID Canada provides the vital foundation to any RFID-based system and has been involved in successfully implementing over 200 systems globally.

About FEIG ELECTRONIC GmbH - FEIG ELECTRONIC is a German manufacturer and world leading producer of RFID readers.OBID ® readers are in use worldwide – they are developed and marketed worldwide by FEIG ELECTRONIC.

VILRI

(RFIDWorld.ca) According to a new study from the VICS Item-Level RFID Initiative (VILRI), a group of advocates for the use of EPC-enabled RFID in the retail supply line, 2012 is predicted to be a “tipping point” year for RFID technology. The study is titled, “RFID Nears a Tipping Point,” and reveals that 80 percent of retailers surveyed are piloting RFID to track item sales in their stores.

The report has been created from information obtained from 56 retailers and 58 suppliers in North America. Accenture has also given its input on the report. Overall, the results show the potential growth of RFID technology for 2012. Some highlights that were found from the study are that Item-Level RFID could be creating a competitive advantage for newer retailers who start their businesses using RFID, allowing them to have better tracking and counts of items so that sales can be increased rapidly. Errors for the most part have been eliminated due to RFID technology use in retail stores, which allows for more realistic revenue reports. In addition, it has been revealed that the cost of RFID will drop as the implementation increases. Finally, the study predicts that within the next 3-5 years most major apparel and footwear retailers will adopt RFID technology.

According to the study, major businesses that have made a small investment to adopt RFID technology have seen rapid growth. They have been able to restock replenished items at a faster pace allowing for better customer service. Increased sales have increased product distribution allowing for much more variety at all locations making the items easily accessible to all customers. This in turn increases customer trust resulting in a better brand reputation. Rates of theft have also been lowered as a result of RFID tags.

Shielded HF RFID Antenna – the SPAD

(RFIDWorld.ca) RFID Canada, technology provider and Canadian distributor for FEIG ELECTRONIC is introducing a new shielded HF RFID antenna – the SPAD.

The new shielded HF RFID antenna is a screened antenna which greatly reduces radiation area. Therefore unintended capture of transponders or RFID tags is reduced significantly.

This new RF shielded antenna by Feig Electronic is designed to accurately address the problem of reading unwanted tags. This elegant antenna is strongly shielded downward and toward the sides, so that the unwanted detection areas can considerably be reduced.

Greater system stability in any environment

This antenna is ideal for document and file tracking and also for libraries and any application which uses an antenna on a counter or table. This antenna can also increase the stability of the system as such and makes the antenna suitable for use in any application, such as production control or work-in-process.  It can be easily mounted on conveyor belts.

RF Shielded Antenna Pad is available with or without an integrated RFID reader and with RS-232, USB, or PoE (Power over Ethernet) interface.

Photo of the SPAD by FEIG Electronic

About RFID Canada

RFID Canada is a technology provider. Products include all Passive frequencies – Low (LF), High (HF) and Ultra High (UHF) as well as Active frequency. RFID Canada is the Canadian distributor for Texas Instruments, Feig Electronic and Agrident.

RFID Canada provides the vital foundation to any RFID-based system and has been involved in successfully implementing over 200 systems globally.

RFID Canada, with its network of partners, has successfully implemented applications such as Animal Identification, Document Tracking, Traceability, Asset Tracking, Work-in-Process, Stock Replenishment, Personal Identification and Sporting Events in a wide range of industries including Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transportation, Supply Chain and Distribution, Retail, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, Libraries, Government and many others.

About FEIG ELECTRONIC GmbH

FEIG ELECTRONIC is a German manufacturer and world leading producer of RFID readers.
OBID ® readers are in use worldwide – they are developed and marketed worldwide by FEIG ELECTRONIC.
OBID ® readers are developed according to international standards in close cooperation with all leading manufacturers of transponder chips, and support all major types of transponder.
OBID ® readers are available for all common frequencies as LF, HF and UHF.