RFID Asia :: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Community in Asia

Jakarta Streets to Pave Way for Smart Card Déjà Vu

2008-05-05T13:14:00.006+09:00

by Adi Tedjasaputra

Self-serve Parking Payment is the latest buzz on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia. Promoted by the Jakarta City Administration and the Jakarta City Parking Agency, a new electronic payment system is still currently under review. The new system is expected to enable motorists pay for parking fees with the use of Smart Cards.

"The new system will require Smart Cards. People will just swipe their card through a machine on the street to pay parking fees," said the agency's Deputy Head, Udar Pristono as quoted by The Jakarta Post last week.

Smart Card was first introduced as a technology that requires a contact area to transfer electrical power and communicate with Smart Card Reader. In the evolution of Smart Card, Contactless Smart Card was introduced. Using inductive coupling technology, Contactless Smart Card can transfer energy from a Smart Card Reader and activate the chip in a Smart Card without the need of physical contact.

déjà vu
/day&ulzh;aa voo/
· noun a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.
— ORIGIN French, ‘already seen’.
Compact Oxford English Dictionary

For the patrons of some streets in Jakarta, Smart Cards are not new. In 2003, the Jakarta City Administration appointed PT Adiwira Sembada as the sole contractor to run a parking pilot programme in several streets in Jakarta, while a Singapore-based company, Epecom Technology & Distribution Pte Ltd, formerly known as Gimexore Private Limited, provided full system integration for the pilot programme. In addition, INSIDE Contactless, which is headquartered in France, supplied Smart Card chip PicoTag and contactless springboard modules Hand'IT for handheld readers.

Swamped by operational problems, the pilot programme using Smart Cards known as "Kartu Kontan" was eventually declared as a total failure. The Jakarta City Administration officially terminated the operational collaboration between the Jakarta City Parking Agency and PT Adiwira Sembada in November 2003 after about six months of pilot programme launching. The equipments that cost about $2,000 per unit were rendered useless.

This year, with a new concept of "two parking operators, one parking system", the Jakarta City Administration will likely to appoint two private parking operators. The two operators, one of them is PT Adiwira Sembada, were recommended by the Jakarta City Council to manage parking in Jakarta streets, as reported by The Jakarta Post in January.

The new self-serve parking payment system operated by the two parking operators is expected to increase revenue of the Jakarta City Administration from parking fees. For the operation of the new parking management units, the Jakarta City Administration has initially allocated Rp 40 billion ($4.3 million) budget.

The writer is the Founder of RFID Asia - The Prominent RFID Community in Asia.

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Indonesia Ponders over RFID, Contactless Smart Card, NFC and Mobile Technology

2008-03-31T22:05:00.009+09:00

by Eunice Sari

The RFID Asia Summit 2008 (http://summit.rfid-Asia.info) held on 12-13 March 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia, organized by RFID Asia (www.rfidAsia.org), the Prominent RFID Community in Asia, is the prestigious international event to address the potentials and challenges of RFID technology and harness the economic opportunities in various vertical industries in Indonesia and Asia Pacific region.

As the only event in Asia Pacific dedicated for RFID experts and leaders in charge for the development of businesses in the emerging markets, RFID Asia Summit 2008 has presented a line-up of international renowned speakers from Asia Pacific and USA. The event has successfully impressed the international delegates from Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East with intellectually thought-provoking and inspiring conference tracks, exhibitions, demonstrations, business networking and meeting sessions.

The RFID Asia Summit 2008 was officially inaugurated by the Founder of RFID Asia, Adi Tedjasaputra. In his opening remarks, he pointed out how the tremendous advancement in RFID technology and market growth in Asia Pacific has started to add values in different emerging markets. Furthermore, he also detailed the unique role of RFID Asia in contributing to the advancement of RFID technology and market growth in Asia Pacific, while producing a shared practice and collective intelligence as RFID Asia community members engage in a collective process of learning and sharing. Regarding the event itself, he explained how RFID Asia Summit 2008 was crafted to provide delegates with a unique experience and results.

After the opening remarks, Stephen Dolan, the Director of Sybase Australia & New Zealand unveiled how to integrate business logic and processes with RFID and sensor technologies, including mobile devices. One of the most interesting parts in his presentation is his view on the death of RFID Middleware – the software connecting RFID readers with enterprise applications. Enriched with real-life examples and industrial case studies, he concluded his presentation with several key recommendations to integrate sensor data into Enterprise Applications.

The next speaker, Dr. Toni Anwar, the Coordinator Software Systems Engineering of TGGS Thailand introduced the basics of RFID technology and applications with examples in building automation system and smart parking. He closed his presentation with some future RFID trends and the requirements for further development in RFID.

Opening the theme of Near Field Communication (NFC) in RFID Asia Summit 2008, Goh Say Yeow, EVP Sales and Managing Director Asia Pacific of INSIDE presented the market trends and development of contactless payment. From the current contactless payment, he explained the role of NFC technology as an enabler for contactless card and card reader emulation using NFC-enabled mobile phones. Furthermore, he also detailed three NFC use cases that will have impact for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), i.e. pairing/connectivity, proximity service and transactions. Most importantly, he also highlighted that convenience will be the real value proposition of NFC that will drive consumer adoption.

Going further with NFC technology, Jonathon Gould, VP Asia Pacific of ViVOtech reviewed different generations of electronic payment system with contactless payment becoming the latest trend. He further mentioned several cases and trials involving NFC technology for mobile payment and marketing.

After a sumptuous and active networking luncheon, Chua Thian Yee, CEO of CASSIS, focused on the NFC technology used for mobile payment, reviewing the consumer landscape, the fundamentals of NFC technology and several mobile payment cases.

Heru Wahyudi, Sales and Marketing Manager, representing PT. Solusi Periferal and Intermec presented different kind of industrial RFID applications, with some remarks that are open for further discussions, such as: the possibility of having real benefits from RFID implementation without complete process re-engineering, internal benefit with self-implemented RFID and collaboration with suppliers and customers to produce more value.

In late afternoon, Dr. Urachada Ketprom of NECTEC Thailand has captured the attention of RFID Asia Summit 2008 delegates with her well-prepared presentation on animal and food traceability. Her presentation was further enriched with the latest updates on RFID projects, such as chicken farm management, animal transport checkpoint, swine farm management, microchip-implanted pets and shrimp traceability.

Exhibition is one of the highlights in the RFID Asia Summit 2008. International delegates have visited and engaged actively with the exhibitors to explore business opportunities and get the latest information on RFID products and services available in the market . The expressions of contentment were received from both the exhibitors and delegates.

Opening the RFID Demonstration Rally (tm), the RFID Group Research at School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) shared the latest information on RFID technology research and development, as well as the university-industry collaboration that has taken place. The presentation was immediately followed by product demonstration from Intermec/PT Solusi Periferal and Sicurezza, including a short video clip presentation by ViVOtech.

Closing the International Conference on Auto-ID, RFID, Smart Card and Mobile Technology, Adi Tedjasaputra summarized the full day activities and announced the networking events and One-to-One Business Meeting in the next morning following the conference.

The writer is an ICT Consultant and Researcher with various affiliations to academic and industry organizations. Her current research interest includes ICT4D, m-Learning, e-Learning, Web 2.0, healthcare, wireless and mobile technology.

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Revealing RFID Beyond Tracking at RFID Asia Summit 2008 in Indonesia

2008-02-11T01:53:00.007+09:00

A few years ago, Wal-Mart issued a mandate for suppliers to attach products with RFID tags. Today, only a few suppliers have complied, or in other words, the mandate does not work effectively in retail supply chain. Learning from the failures of early adopters and revealing successful RFID technology and applications beyond tracking, the prestigious RFID Asia Summit 2008 on March 12, 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia hosted by RFID Asia, recognized as the first and largest global RFID Community in Asia Pacific region, will address the potentials and challenges of RFID technology and harness the economic opportunities in various vertical industries.

5-cent RFID tag is the most demanded RFID product in the world. Unfortunately, the product does not exist. The underlying assumption of large volume purchase to reach the price level of 5-cent has never become reality.

"We quickly determined that if RFID tags were ever going to have a shot at being widely used, a 5-cent price target was important for both psychological and commercial reasons. In return, though, the volumes would have to be very high—for example, more than 5 billion bar codes are scanned daily today. The problem with RFID tags at the time was that the industry was "stuck" in a higher-margin, lower-volume mind-set." wrote Sanjay Sarma, the co-founder of MIT's Auto-ID Center (now Auto-ID Lab), and also the CTO and Director of Oat Systems, in his article “Integrating RFID” several years ago.

Eventhough Wal-Mart has recently started to issue an ultimatum to its suppliers shipping to its Sam's Club warehouse outlet distribution center in Texas, USA with a premium price of $2 per pallet, it is estimated that over 15,000 Wal-Mart suppliers have yet to comply with Wal-Mart's RFID mandate, according to a recent article at Computer Business Review.

While the retail supply chain industry is still waiting for the coming of 5-cent RFID tag, various RFID applications that do not rely on 5-cent price level have mushroomed for the past few years in diverse vertical industries.

RFID and Sensor Technologies
The use of RFID and sensor technologies have become more common nowadays. Active RFID tags with built-in sensors are readily available in the market. Applications such as electronic container seals, intelligent buildings, vital sign measurement of monitored hospital patients are only a few of applications that require cost-effective infrastructure. With the increasing number of nodes and types of sensors in wireless sensor network (WSN), the role of infrastructure has become more critical to manage sensors and intelligent networks.

Stephen Dolan, the Director of Sybase Australia and New Zealand, one of the international speakers in RFID Asia Summit 2008, will unveil how to integrate business logic and processes with RFID and sensor technologies, including mobile devices.

"My expectation is that this summit could create people's awareness of what RFID technology can support to the existing environment, from biology to medical, from telecommunication to material engineering," said Dr. Toni Anwar of TGGS Thailand who will present how to design and implement integrated and intelligent building automation and security with RFID technology. "This event could also be a real summit of people, who then will continue in a good RFID project with another."

Animal and Food Traceability
Predicted as the largest RFID market of all, the use of RFID technology for animals, food and farming will benefit the food supply chain in a huge number of ways, including livestock disease control and merchandising prepared food, according to the latest report "RFID for Animals, Food and Farming 2007-2011" published by IDTechEx.

During the RFID Asia Summit 2008, Dr. Urachada Ketprom of NECTEC, Thailand's National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, will present how Thailand, the world's largest producer of farm-raised shrimp and the fourth biggest poultry exporter, uses RFID technology for animal and food traceability.

"RFID Asia Summit 2008 presents an opportunity to update current RFID trends and connects people in RFID business or academic together to exchange information and new conceptual idea for new application development," said Dr. Urachada Ketprom.

Contactless Smart Card and Near Field Communication (NFC)
From mass transportation to ID cards, contactless smart card has been the choice for micropayment in cashless society. Now that NFC is ready to turn mobile phones into credit cards and personal payment terminals, mobile commerce has also been redefined. Jupiter Research estimates the total of US$22 billion mobile phone payment transaction by 2011.

Jonathon Gould, Vice President of ViVOtech will share his experience and knowledge about the ecosystem for NFC-enabled mobile payment and mobile commerce, including mobile wallet and digital money. Moreover, the transition from EMV to NFC payment, the latest contactless payment technology, applications, projects and market trends presented by international renowned speakers such as Goh Say Yeow, VP & Director Asia of INSIDE Contactless and Chua Thian Yee, CEO of CASSIS International will also become the inspiring and thought-provoking discussion during the RFID Asia Summit 2008.

"I hope this summit will share with the participants the implementation experience and to do the project right the first time," said Chua Thian Yee of CASSIS International, a leading end-to-end security solution and service provider of smart card innovation, technology and services headquartered in Singapore.

Different from other RFID events, the RFID Asia Summit 2008 to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, will integrate conference presentations by a line up of international renowned speakers, RFID Demonstration Rally™, exhibition and networking sessions, making the RFID Asia Summit 2008 a unique one-stop event to learn from RFID experts and business leaders, experience the latest RFID products and meet prospective partners and clients.

ABOUT RFID ASIA SUMMIT 2008
RFID Asia Summit 2008 aims to address the potentials and challenges of RFID technology and harness the economic opportunities in various vertical industries in Indonesia and Asia Pacific region. As the only event in Asia Pacific dedicated for leaders and RFID experts in charge for the development of businesses in the emerging markets, RFID Asia Summit 2008 is also endeavored to boost business interests in RFID technology within the region.

Catering the demand for invaluable insights on the latest Auto-ID, RFID, Smart Card and Mobile technology, trends and markets, RFID Asia Summit 2008 will present a line-up of international renowned speakers who will lead intellectually thought-provoking and inspiring conference tracks, RFID demonstrations and business networking sessions.

For more information about the RFID Asia Summit 2008, please visit The Official Website of RFID Asia Summit 2008.

ABOUT INDONESIA
Indonesia accounts as one of the fastest and vibrantly growing economy in the South East Asia with more than 6% annual economic growth. As one of the next major emerging economies with strong economic growth and commodity trade, Indonesia - the world´s largest archipelagos boasts a growing demand for RFID technology solutions in telecommunication, banking & finance, transportation, logistics, healthcare, oil & gas, mining, building automation, manufacturing, agriculture and security industries. In conjunction with the official Indonesian Government's programme of Visit Indonesia 2008, RFID Asia Summit 2008 will attract both international and local business leaders and RFID experts in the Asia Pacific region.

As the first country in Southeast Asia that has implemented National Single Window (NSW), which provides one-stop electronic services for customs and excise, shipping, bank transfers, insurance and licensing, including electronic processing of trade documents, Indonesia is expected to modernize its national infrastructure in the upcoming years. Various sectors in Indonesia are expected to grow faster than its annual economic growth. Such sectors include transport and communications sector that is expected to achieve annual growth of 6.8% with total value of US$33.23bn by 2011, according to the latest research on Indonesia's Freight Transport report published by Business Monitor International.

ABOUT RFID ASIA
RFID Asia is the Independent Knowledge Centre that helps RFID vendors and end-users making the best investment, leverage competitiveness and market share through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. As the prominent RFID community in Asia, RFID Asia is the bridge connecting different stakeholders with interest in RFID technology. As an independent venture, RFID Asia helps RFID vendors and end-users alike to achieve their goals. For more information about RFID Asia, please visit www.rfidAsia.org.

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RFID Asia to Host Prestigious RFID Asia Summit 2008 in Indonesia

2008-01-14T00:22:00.000+09:00

RFID Asia, recognized as the first and largest global RFID Community in Asia Pacific region, will host the prestigious RFID Asia Summit 2008 on March 12, 2008 at InterContinental Midplaza Jakarta, Indonesia. RFID Asia Summit 2008 aims to address the potentials and challenges of RFID technology and harness the economic opportunities in various vertical industries in Indonesia and Asia Pacific region. As the only event in Asia Pacific dedicated for leaders and RFID experts in charge for the development of businesses in the emerging markets, RFID Asia Summit 2008 is also endeavored to boost business interests in RFID technology within the region.

The latest research from International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group shows that more than 80 million of 230 million Indonesians have mobile phone subscriptions. With the estimated spending of more than US$ 2.9 billion in 2007 for telecommunication networks and more for the next few years, Indonesia is expected to become the third largest mobile market in Asia by 2010.

Accompanying the growth of mobile market in Indonesia, services such as Mobile Wallet and Digital Money have demanded the RFID industry in Indonesia to grow beyond the traditional markets of access control and security. In addition, the spending priority of the Indonesian Government on infrastructure projects in telecommunication, power, utilities and transportation sectors during 2008 and the next few years has also driven the increasing demand of RFID technology in diverse vertical industries.

For catering the demand for invaluable insights on the latest Auto-ID, RFID, Smart Card and Mobile technology, trends and markets in Indonesia and other emerging Asia Pacific markets, RFID Asia Summit 2008 will present a line-up of international renowned speakers who will lead intellectually thought-provoking and inspiring conference tracks, RFID demonstrations and business networking sessions.

“I hope this summit will share with the participants the implementation experience and to do the project right the first time,” said one of the international conference speakers, Chua Thian Yee – CEO of CASSIS International, a leading end-to-end security solution and service provider of smart card innovation, technology and services headquartered in Singapore.

The line-up of esteemed speakers include Goh Say Yeow – the Executive Vice President Sales and Managing Director Asia of INSIDE Contactless, Chua Thian Yee - the CEO of CASSIS International, Dr. Toni Anwar – the Coordinator for Software Systems Engineering Programme of Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering and other international renowned speakers, leaders and RFID experts from Asia Pacific region.

Adi Tedjasaputra - the Founder of RFID Asia said, “RFID Asia Summit 2008 is a must-attend event for leaders and RFID experts in Asia Pacific region.”

For more information about the RFID Asia Summit 2008, please visit The Official Website of RFID Asia Summit 2008.

About Indonesia

Indonesia accounts as one of the fastest and vibrantly growing economy in the South East Asia with more than 6% annual economic growth. As one of the next major emerging economies with strong economic growth and commodity trade, Indonesia - the world´s largest archipelagos boasts a growing demand for RFID technology solutions in telecommunication, banking & finance, transportation, logistics, healthcare, oil & gas, mining, building automation, manufacturing, agriculture and security industries. In conjunction with the official Indonesian Government's programme of Visit Indonesia 2008, RFID Asia Summit 2008 will attract both international and local business leaders and RFID experts in the Asia Pacific region.

About RFID Asia

RFID Asia is the Independent Knowledge Centre that helps RFID vendors and end-users making the best investment, leverage competitiveness and market share through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. As the prominent RFID community in Asia, RFID Asia is the bridge connecting different stakeholders with interest in RFID technology. As an independent venture, RFID Asia helps RFID vendors and end-users alike to achieve their goals. For more information about RFID Asia, please visit www.rfidAsia.org

Send your comments.

Press Release: World's First 64KByte High-Capacity FRAM RFID Tag

2008-01-09T18:56:00.000+09:00

Tokyo, Japan, Jan 9, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited today announced the development of the world's first 64 kilobyte (KB) ultra-high frequency (UHF)-band radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with high-capacity FRAM[1], featuring memory capacity sufficient to store large volumes of aircraft part and maintenance history data, while supporting a number of different radio frequencies to enable traceability worldwide. Fujitsu anticipates that this 64KB UHF-RFID tag will transform global aircraft maintenance operations.

Equipped with 64KB FRAM memory, the world's highest capacity to date, Fujitsu's new RFID tag will enable highly efficient global aircraft maintenance operations by ensuring precise and rapid management of each aircraft part. The tag complies with the EPCglobal[2] Class 1 Generation 2 standard supporting a variety of radio frequencies, which vary by region, and thus provides for global traceability.

Fujitsu's new UHF-RFID tags will deliver high-speed data writing capability and high durability, while also offering state-of-the-art security functions, such as password management for each part of the memory area.

In recent years, the aviation industry has striven to raise the quality and efficiency of aircraft maintenance by improving traceability of parts. In line with this trend, a need has arisen for high-capacity RFID tags which can store not only part identification codes but also product and part maintenance history data.

To satisfy these needs, Fujitsu developed a 64 KB high-capacity RFID tag memory for the aviation industry. Fujitsu's new RFID tag will increase the quality and the efficiency of aircraft maintenance operations by enabling the traceability of various products and maintenance information for parts exchanged between companies and across nations around the world. Overall, customers will realize improved supply chain management through shorter cycle times and lower costs.

Sales of the RFID tag are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008 (April - June 2008).

Key Features

1. World's highest-capacity RFID tags
- Featuring 64KB high-capacity FRAM, Fujitsu's RFID tags deliver high-speed data writing capability and high durability. The tags also offer state-of-the-art security functions, such as password management for each part of the memory area.
Compatible with different frequencies used around the world

2. The new RFID tag can be implemented globally as a result of compliance with the -- EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 standard, supporting a variety of frequencies used in different countries. Furthermore, the tag can be mounted on metal surfaces and meets fire retardancy standards by satisfying the testing requirements for SAE AS5678[3] specifications, which are required to be met for high-quality aviation parts.

3. Highly efficient aircraft maintenance
- The high memory and overall capability of Fujitsu's 64KB RFID tag will enable numerous automated data exchange and data management processes by providing a robust, point-of-use information source, resulting in significant cycle-time and cost reduction opportunities for airline maintenance operations and supply chain management.

Key Specifications:

1. Standards:
EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2* / ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C*
*Class 1 Generation 2:
A transmission standard instituted by EPCglobal, for data transmission between readers/writers and UHF-RFID tags. This is a second-generation standard specification that improves performance of the EPC Class 1 specification.
*ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C:
An international standard for UHF-RFID tags, defined by ISO and based on EPCglobal's "EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2" standard.

2. Memory size:
65,536Byte (System Memory: 1,280Byte, User Memory*: 64,256Byte)
*User Memory:
Refers to the memory area of the RFID tag in which the user can freely read/write, which some low-cost RFID tags do not feature. The user memory size of conventional RFID tags is usually a few hundred bits.

3. Tag dimensions*:
2 x 1 inch (Width: 50.8mm, Depth: 25.4mm, Height: 6.22mm)
*Fujitsu plans to develop smaller and lighter RFID tags.

4. Weight:
13.6 g

5. Frequency:
860-960 MHz

Notes:
[1] FRAM: Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (also referred to as FeRAM). Memory that uses ferroelectric film as a capacitor for storing data. Featuring advantages of both ROM and RAM devices, FRAM features high-speed access, low power consumption, and high endurance for numerous rewrites.
[2] EPCglobal: EPCglobal is a non-profit organization established by GS1 (formerly known as EAN International), which promotes the international standardization of barcodes, and GS1 US(TM) (formerly the Uniform Code Council, Inc.).
[3] SAE AS5678: Issued by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in December 2006, SAE AS5678 is a standard defining environmental specifications and test methods for passive RFID tags used in aviation applications. SAE has categorized and defined environmental specifications for RFID tag use, for the three environmental categories of "Standard," "Robust" and "Harsh."

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Mobile Wallet and Digital Money Introduced in Indonesia

2007-12-21T20:26:00.000+09:00

by Eunice Sari and Adi Tedjasaputra

Since the introduction of T-Cash or Telkomsel Cash last month, RFID technology has received a high-profile acceptance in Indonesia. With the use of RFID technology in T-Cash, the demand of RFID Cards and Smart Labels in Indonesia is expected to increase sharply in the upcoming years. The RFID adoption path in Indonesia has become clearer in recent years, but the question of how the RFID adoption will influence the way Indonesians live and affect the other industries in Indonesia still remains unanswered.

T-Cash or Telkomsel Cash is a mobile commerce service provided by Telkomsel, one of the mobile telecommunication service operators in Indonesia. The mobile commerce service enables a user to conduct commercial transactions using either mobile phone or RFID card.

During the launch of T-Cash, which was attended by the Minister of State Owned Enterprises - Sofyan A. Djalil, the President Director of Telkomsel – Kiskenda Suriahardja said "The service is launched as an effort to support the mission of Bank Indonesia and provide a non-cash means of payment which is efficient, fast, effective and secure."

Transaction with T-Cash system relies on Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number (MSISDN) – a unique number identifying mobile subscriber, which still requires subscriber to verbally tell merchant at the point of sale (POS) to process any transaction. The use of Smart Labels and RFID cards in any transaction is expected to provide automatic identification of MSISDN by merchant terminals in the near future.

At this stage, the established mobile commerce ecosystem includes Telkomsel as Integrator and also Service Provider; Bank Indonesia as regulator; Indomaret and Modern Foto as Merchants; Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Mandiri as the Financial Service Providers; Department of National Education as academic content provider; and Finnet as switching provider.

Eunice Sari is an ICT Consultant and Researcher with various affiliations to academic and industry organizations. Her current research interest includes ICT4D, m-Learning, e-Learning, Web 2.0, healthcare, wireless and mobile technology. Adi Tedjasaputra is the Founder of RFID Asia - The Prominent RFID Community in Asia.

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Closed-loop RFID Applications (Part 1)

2007-12-10T23:54:00.000+09:00

by Adi Tedjasaputra

Open-loop RFID applications are still the most challenging RFID applications in different areas of retail supply chain. With the ultimate goal of achieving complete supply chain visibility, open-loop RFID applications are still facing the challenge of 100 percent read rate requirement beyond pilot projects and trials. In addition, the time to achieve full Return on Investment (ROI) in open-loop RFID applications is typically longer than closed-loop applications. The understanding of closed-loop RFID applications can better prepare end-users and vendors to plan RFID adoption strategy while preparing for successful open-loop RFID applications.

Several months ago, a consortium of GS1 Australia and RMIT claimed the achievement of 100 percent read rate during a two-month RFID pilot in Australia. During the pilot of National EPC Network Demonstrator Project (NDP) Extension, the team tagged each pallet to produce electronic proof of deliveries (ePODs).

Last month, the world's fourth largest retailer - Metro Group announced the completion of operational rollout of RFID technology in its 180 stores and warehouses in Germany. The rollout is the largest RFID project in the European retail sector after claiming 98.5 percent read rate in trials across its distribution centers early this year.

While we hear more good news about the successful pilots and rollouts of open-loop RFID applications, some RFID vendors have already shifted their efforts to cater the demand for RFID technology in closed-loop applications, rather than open-loop RFID applications in retail supply chain sector. The change very much reflects the fact that the current demand for RFID technology in supply chain sector is still very much less than expected. On the other hand, the demand for RFID technology in diverse close-loop applications has grown significantly during the past few years.

What is Closed-loop RFID Applications?

Closed-loop RFID applications is the use of RFID technology by an organisation to achieve specific goals or solve specific problems, usually through process re-engineering. Different from open-loop RFID applications that require tight and also often complex cooperation with different stakeholders in different organisations, closed-loop RFID applications benefit from the possibility to execute RFID technology adoption plans according to a time frame decided solely by an organisation - usually the end-user itself.

On the RFID system level, the infrastructure required by closed-loop RFID applications is often simpler than open-loop RFID applications. There is no issue or less issue of data sharing and ownership among different organisations compared to open-loop RFID applications. The RFID system security requirement is usually less complex than open-loop RFID applications.

The second part will provide some examples of closed-loop RFID applications that can deliver values for different end-users.

The writer is the Founder of RFID Asia - The Prominent RFID Community in Asia.

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RFID in Supply Chain Environment (Part 2)

2007-11-28T20:54:00.000+09:00

by Jack Tay

There is little question that RFID is fast becoming a critical component in the new world of supply chain management, especially in fast growing Asian economies. This is especially so for Asian companies that do import and export business with large Western nations such as the United States and greater Europe. However, even as RFID is necessary, it is important to determine carefully just what needs to be done, and who can help make RFID a success within the company.

When the crucial steps of an RFID implementation project have been carefully integrated, the reliability of system performance can be guaranteed. A dynamic "feedback loop" approach is essential to any ability to provide such guarantees. RFID-services vendors with the requisite experience and expertise to take this approach will have no difficulty offering a performance guarantee with the systems they implement.

Automotive manufacturing and RFID

Increasingly, Asia Pacific is fast becoming the new automotive region, given that manufacturing and labor costs are far lower than the United States and Europe. For example, region-specific models of Chevrolet are manufactured in South Korea (such as the Optra), while Volkswagen and Skoda now has shared manufacturing in China, catering specifically to the mainland Chinese market with the popular VW Passat and Skoda Octavia (and now Superb) models. Even mainstream Japanese car manufacturers are relocating some of their manufacturing of region-specific models (such as Altis and Corolla) to lower-cost locations such as Thailand.

Some manufacturers have used RFID to keep track of the most critical (and sometimes most expensive) item of a car, the engine block. RFID tagging can help reduce misplaced engines (which must be scrapped due to the sensitivity of such products). It is possible that RFID tagging can become important in keeping track of major parts within a car, including the drivetrain assembly, in the near future.

Recommended approach to implementing RFID

Before implementing RFID, it is important to conduct a feasibility analysis of the supply chain environment. Setting out to do a conceptual model, with the right definitions, you should then analyze the process within your entire supply chain (all the way to your ultimate customer and include all stakeholders).

After creating a budget with an invitation to your vendor for demonstrations and any small scale tests, you need to conduct an analysis of your sites, and then have some of your personnels to gauge the usability of the RFID system.

You should attempt to launch your RFID installation in phases, with a test or pilot site, running for perhaps a reasonable length of time, to iron out any kinks in the system. Once you are assured that it will work enterprise-wide, then roll out the system to the entire site. It is also important to re-visit every step of this process of implementation, to ensure that you can improve or tweak the system as necessary.

Outsourcing to a partner

In an ideal scenario, or at least a very small implementation, it may be possible to roll out your RFID system entirely by your in-house team. However, there may be a wisdom to outsource the implementation to a professional services partner, to reduce possible problems during implementation, and also to create accountability and reduce your own exposure to risk. Why is it so?

Researchers have advised that unless you happen to be a data integration specialist, it is entirely possible that your information architecture will break, or affect the corporate ROI.

RF is also an esoteric science whereby specialized skills may be needed to diagnose the RF environment for a site, and to install readers and testing tag performance.

And since RFID expertise is usually not in-house, it may require an outside professional to ensure a solid hardware configuration that will provide better reliability and performance. Nothing beats real world deployment experience, and so for good professional services partners, they would bring to the table real experience that can solve deployment problems, even for pilot runs. Of course, it is important to ensure that your potential partner does indeed have such real world experience, and not simply a portfolio of clients who were "sold" the RFID hardware and other third-party software.

The writer is the Regional Marketing Manager of Intermec Asia Pacific.

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RFID in Supply Chain Environment (Part 1)

2007-11-11T22:38:00.000+09:00

by Jack Tay

While RFID (radio frequency identification) technology is no longer a new or emerging technology, its adoption in Asia Pacific is sporadic, with pockets of accelerated adoption in certain economies, and certain industries. Against the backdrop of regulatory requirements and internal audit controls which put more stringent demands on operating enterprises, whereby more accountability and traceability must be accomplished, the RFID technology adoption situation would theoretically imply that RFID systems would become commonplace everywhere in Asia.

Some countries, such as China, South Korea and Japan, have successful and more widespread adoption of RFID than other countries in Asia Pacific. Many RFID adoptions come from established sites which have other forms of supply chain implementations, and therefore, are considered retrofitted RFID adoptions. While RFID implementations from scratch would be considered the easiest from a technological point of view, we must not discount that many sites would require a phased-in approach of RFID, starting perhaps with test sites to ensure compatibility with enterprise and back-end software.

What makes RFID great for the modern supply chain environment?

Unlike traditional barcode systems, RFID readers do not require a visual line of sight. This can be useful for proximity scanning of RFID tags on tagged items, rather than demanding personnel to be positioned visually within the logistics items to check their availability. Therefore, RFID systems can be extremely useful for supply chain environments that use optimized storage planning, where items can be stacked back to back. And because of proximity scanning rather than line of sight requirements, more data collection along the entire supply chain can be set up easily, without dramatic process changes.

With RFID tags, whether passive or especially active tags, more information can be stored on the tags, compared to traditional barcodes. For active RFID tags, data can be updated enroute (read/write capability), which provide even more flexibility for supply chain backend systems and their interaction.

Increasing adoption of RFID

RFID is also more practical than ever before, with clear business cases being demonstrated for asset management and supply chain operations alike. For example, TNT Logistics reduced its truck load verification time 24 percent by using RFID to automatically record goods loaded onto its trailers. Hundreds of other companies around the world are also implementing RFID-based shipping, receiving and inventory visibility applications.

A sub-trend behind RFID adoption for inventory, warehouse and distribution operations is the use of vehicle-mounted and other mobile RFID readers to enhance or replace stationary models. With a mobile infrastructure, companies don’t need to purchase, install and maintain a separate RFID reader for each dock door. Forklift-mounted and handheld readers can cover multiple docks, and be used in warehouse aisles and elsewhere throughout the facility, further reducing the required RFID investment. Plus, they put information directly in the user’s hands, so they can prevent errors, rather than just record them after they occur.

Container tracking and RFID

With the global struggle against terror or theft, it is imperative that any component of the entire supply chain must be secured, and authenticated, so that there is no breakdown in the process.

With RFID tagging, containers, and pallets, can all be adequately tracked and authenticated, along every step of the process from manufacturing to the ultimate client’s location, however remote the location may be. This is not merely a customer requirement (often to comply with internal controls and procedures), but also increasingly a governmental requirement in many locations (especially in the United States and Europe). With adequate tracking through RFID tags, shippers and manufacturers can account to governments and customers, but also build in a "shield" to protect their brands, given that brands these days can break easily due to some lapses in accountability.

The second part of this article will discuss the RFID adoption in automotive manufacturing and a recommended approach to implement RFID.

The writer is the Regional Marketing Manager of Intermec Asia Pacific.

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HDB Introduces RFID Season Parking Ticket

2007-11-01T11:50:00.000+09:00

by Lay Peng TAY

Housing & Development Board (HDB) Singapore is continually finding ways to leverage on technology to improve its services for customers. Recently, we have introduced Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to replace the current paper Season Parking Ticket (SPT).

Following a successful pilot, HDB called 2 tenders in 2006 to implement RFID to replace the paper SPT at all our car parks. The successful tenderers have distributed RFID tags to SPT holders since March 2007. They will complete the distribution by February 2008.

The HDB RFID tag has a Unique Identification (UID) number tied to the vehicle’s registration number. Like the existing paper SPT, the tag is displayed on the windscreen for cars or near the road tax disc for motor-cycles.

Once the season parking charges are paid by the motorists, the updated information is downloaded to our Electronic Handheld Terminal (EHT). This information will be encrypted in the EHT and not stored in the RFID tag. Our parking enforcement staff will then use the EHT to scan the tag and retrieve the UID which is matched against the information of the vehicle such as its registration number and validity of season parking.

There is no middleware used for this system. The RFID tag brings more convenience for SPT holders as they would no longer need to replace the paper SPT each time they renew their season parking. For those who renew electronically such as GIRO, internet and AXS or SAM self-service kiosks, they do not need to wait for the SPT to be sent to them. The feedback from the motorists on RFID is positive.

Our parking enforcement staffs are also happy with the system as it increases their productivity when carrying out enforcement action especially at night. There is no change to the mode of renewal with the implementation of the RFID, i.e. motorists can continue to renew their season parking through Giro, internet, self service kiosks or at our Branch Offices.

The writer is the Estates Officer of Housing Administration Department, Housing & Development Board (HDB) Singapore.

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Recalling RFID

2007-10-27T23:08:00.000+09:00

by Adi Tedjasaputra

Recalling RFID is a two-day public program on RFID and things to come. The seminar, workshops and smart opera were held in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 19-20 October 2007. As the fruit of collaboration between De Balie, the Institute for Network Cultures, Rob van Kranenburg and support from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Mondriaan Foundation, this event brought together distinctive conceptions of RFID and its uses, reconfiguring discourses as dialogue.

Reading the programme of the event, I could imagine how the organizer of the event creatively combined a balanced socio-technical event with an art show. Seminar, workshops and opera were put together as a package beyond any traditional event I have ever known.

After reading two reports on the event: Recalling RFID: Full Report and Reporting from Recalling RFID, I am quite sure that I have just missed a milestone in the RFID history.

The followings are several interesting highlights from the reports.

A research conducted by Rathenau Institute on the public perception of RFID revealed that many in the focus groups studied in the research said that it was only natural for personal information to be collected in a central database used by the government.

When asked if travel data should be linked to a specific person, 72% said this was okay for finding suspects of a crime, 61% went a step further and agreed that witnesses of a crime should be found, and a startling 60% said that public transport should be fully personalized - meaning that the transport companies and the government would always know who was where doing what.

When asked about using biometric data from passports, 55% said the photos could be used for investigations, 65% said the fingerprints could be used for investigation, 52% said it could be used for international data exchange, and 62% said it could be used to identify a person via security camera.

In another session, Timo Arnall further explained that the current discourse about RFID is clouded by metaphors because it does not have a single shape. Every medium has its own voice, and with the right design, different RFID hardware would become different expressions, and such visual language is formed culturally.

The writer is the Founder of RFID Asia - The Prominent RFID Community in Asia.

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Frontline-Ngee Ann Enterprise Visibility Centre

2007-10-22T22:02:00.000+09:00

by Eunice Sari

About a month ago, a new RFID Enterprise Visibility Centre was opened in Singapore. This joint initiative between Frontline Technologies Corporation Ltd and Ngee Ann Polytechnic aims to introduce active RFID technology in Singapore.

Different from other RFID centres in Singapore, this privately-funded centre only focuses on research and development projects that can add values and leverage the active RFID solutions provided by Frontline using Real-Time Location System (RTLS) platform from Aeroscout, an American-based company providing enterprise visibility solutions.

Ng Chee Keong, the Sales Manager of Frontline, further said that this initiative intends to provide a mini environment for industries to try out and prove their RFID vision and concept before spending million of dollars on RFID deployment in a real environment. He also mentioned that with a significantly lower cost compared to a normal R&D organisation, an enterprise can build a prototype or demo, try it out in its actual environment and see whether the solution is suitable and workable for their organisation.

Built with an investment of more than US$200,000, the centre was still largely a work-in-progress when RFID Asia recently visited the centre. Two workstations, a couple of active RFID tags, an access point, a location receiver and an exciter were the equipments available in the centre. In addition, there were several posters of RFID projects that were previously carried out by the students of Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

The collaboration between Frontline and Ngee Ann Polytechnic has actually started a year back, including several Singapore Government projects in human tagging using active RFID technology. Within a framework of three to six month RFID projects, Ngee Ann Polytechnic's students and lecturers can gain some experience in several realistic industrial projects, while Frontline can readily tap the expertise of the academics.

The writer is an ICT Consultant and Researcher with various affiliations to academic and industry organizations. Her current research interest includes ICT4D, m-Learning, e-Learning, Web 2.0, healthcare, wireless and mobile technology.

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Singapore's First NFC Public Trial Launched

2007-10-17T19:28:00.000+09:00

by Eunice Sari

After six weeks of internal Near Field Communication (NFC) service trial involving 30 participants, EZ-Link and StarHub today launched a new phase of trial involving pre-selected customers at the Partners Event held at The Arts House in Singapore.

In the next three days, both EZ-Link and Starhub will distribute 1000 NFC-enabled handsets to their pre-selected customers. The trial participants, in the next 6 months, will have an opportunity to use their new iWOW SZ1.0 handsets for contactless payment services as well as to download information from NFC tags and smart posters available at 32 bus stops along Orchard Road, Wisma Atria Shopping Mall, Orchard MRT station's concourse level, 500 ClearChannel bus shelters, 9 Golden Village Cineplexes and Sony Gallery Stores in Singapore.

Using NFC tags and smart posters conforming to the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) X 6319-4 or FeliCa standard protocol, the trial participants in Singapore can expect a similar user experience with i-mode FeliCa services that have been used in Japan since 2003.

Singapore Telecommunication (Singtel) and Network for Electronic Transfers Singapore (NETS) have also announced a plan to embark on similar public NFC service trial early next year in cooperation with Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.

The writer is an ICT Consultant and Researcher with various affiliations to academic and industry organizations. Her current research interest includes ICT4D, m-Learning, e-Learning, Web 2.0, healthcare, wireless and mobile technology.

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Top 10 Supply Chain Technology Trends (Part 2)

2007-10-15T11:21:00.000+09:00

by Jack Tay

In Part 1, Jack Tay discussed some of the top 10 trends and technologies impacting supply chain operations. In the second part, he will further explain the rest of the trends spanning production, distribution, retail and remote service, such as 2D Bar Code, RFID, Remote Management and Security.

2D Bar Code

There are now auto-focus scan engines that can read linear and 2D bar codes alike from 50 feet away and as close as six inches. Complementary developments in illumination technology enable bar codes to be successfully read in dark environments where they couldn’t be read before. With a scanning infrastructure in place to process all types of codes at multiple distances, companies can start building advanced visibility and traceability features into their legacy production, inventory and distribution operations.

RFID

Hundreds of companies around the world are implementing RFID-based shipping, receiving and inventory visibility applications. A sub-trend behind RFID adoption for inventory, warehouse and distribution operations is the use of vehicle-mounted and other mobile RFID readers to enhance or replace stationary models. Forklift-mounted and handheld readers can cover multiple docks, and be used in warehouse aisles and elsewhere throughout the facility, further reducing the required RFID investment. Plus, they put information directly in the user’s hands, so they can prevent errors, rather than just record them after they occur.

RTLS

Real time location systems (RTLS) allow you to expand your wireless local area network into an asset tracking system. Any device connected to the wireless LAN can be tracked and located. One application is to track forklifts via their vehicle-mounted computer’s radio. The Wireless Location Appliance and supporting software can track the radio’s location in real time to support efficient dynamic storage, routing, monitor dwell time, and gather data for productivity and asset utilization analysis. Many other expensive products and assets can be equipped with an RTLS device for real-time monitoring.

Remote Management

Using wireless LANs to track warehouse and factory assets is an example of how a mainstream IT resource has been adapted to benefit industrial environments. Another example, powerful remote management systems have been developed specifically to configure, monitor and troubleshoot bar code readers and printers, RFID equipment, ruggedized computers and other industrial data collection and communications equipment. Such software is also extremely valuable during rollouts and upgrades, because system administrators can use it to set configurations and install software remotely and across groups of devices, instead of having to handle each device individually.

Security

Stronger security is another mainstream business trend and requirement that is supported in supply chain technology. Mobile computers can be locked down so customer information and other data can’t be accessed if the device is lost or stolen. Rugged wireless computers and data collection equipment also support many of the leading securities used to protect enterprise wireless networks, including 802.11i, 802.1x, WPA, WPA2, LEAP, FIPS-140, RADIUS servers, VPNs and more.

Conclusion

Business needs for security, real-time visibility, and up-to-date information don’t stop at the office door. These needs extend throughout supply chain operations, so reliable information systems must extend just as far. Developments in mobile computing, wireless communication, RFID, bar code and other data collection and communications technologies are helping businesses extend visibility and control over more areas of their operations.

The writer is the Regional Marketing Manager of Intermec Asia Pacific.

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Case Study: RFID Applications for Digital Campus (Part 2)

2007-10-10T21:08:00.000+09:00

by Toni Anwar and Chua Teong Kiat

The digital campus project focuses on the design and implementation of RFID system, which will serve as a guideline for upgrading the Universiti of Sains Malaysia network systems in the future. There are five locations taken into consideration in the RFID design and implementation, which are the library, the health unit (clinic), the entrance/guard house, the hostel, the school and lecture halls.

1. Library

The RFID applications for the library include:
a. Entrance access control - The door will only unlock if it detects correct IDs.
b. Visitors Counter - Automatic counter system to count the number of daily library visitors
c. Anti-theft - Alert system to alarm the librarians if there is any book taken from the library without registration and daily books check-in/out system.
d. Book Location Checking System - Using portable reader, we can set the book's ID we are looking for and set the read coverage to find out the books' location.

Currently USM Engineering Campus library has already had a contactless smart card reader at its counter. When a student library card is pointed near the reader, the reader will get the library ID and transfer it to a host PC to access the database and check loaned book status. At the same time, the profile of the student is also updated.

The benefits from RFID implementation are the followings:
1.Enhance library security
2.Replace the guard's work for checking out book status and counting daily visitors
3.Prevent missing books
4.Find lost books inside library

2. Health Unit (Clinic)

The RFID application for health unit at USM is for medicine monitoring and management. The Auto-ID system will update medicine’s data at an interval of time, to make sure their availability, expiry date and location. It can alert the nurse to process an application form and order a new medicine if there is any shortage of medicine or if the medicine is expired. This system will update the medicine data into database automatically and improve the management system of medicine at health unit. We eliminate the patient tracking application because it is an unnecessary application for health unit in our campus.

Currently, USM Engineering Campus Health Unit has already had a contactless smart card reader at its counter. When a student card is pointed near the reader, the reader will get the student's IC number, transfer the information to host PC, access to student database, then check or update student's clinic record.

The benefit from RFID implementation is improved operations and saving time. Accurate and automatic data capture coupled with intelligent control leads to better security of medicine control.

3. Guard House

The RFID applications for the entrance gate at USM include:
a. Entrance access control - The gate will only unlock if it detects a correct tag ID.
b. Asset/Item tracking and tracing – Anti-theft detects whether an asset or item has an authorization to be brought out of campus. If it is not, several actions, such as guard alert, alarm activation and gate/barrier closing can be performed.
c. Vehicle verification – Unique ID for all students', staff' and visitors' vehicle. If there is any unknown vehicle, the guard can do necessary actions. If any vehicle parks at a forbidden area, the guard can record time, date and location of violation and the owner will get a fine.

Currently, USM Engineering Campus has two formal gates, one main gate and one side gate opened for entrance. There are 2 barriers with contactless smart card readers at the main gate, which function from 10:30 pm until 6:30am. Anyone crossing the barriers needs to confirm ID with a reader. The system replaces manual registration for student or staff at USM with auto-ID data recording to the database.

The benefits from RFID implementation are the followings:
1. Enhance campus security
2. Improve operation and management system for guard
3. Anti-theft, reduce criminal
4. Trace unknown vehicle
5. Fine the vehicle rules breaker effectively

4. School, DU (Main Hall) and DK (Lecture Hall)

At school or lab, we can also implement RFID technology to track and trace assets or equipment for a room or lab, to prevent theft or missing equipment, and improve the registration process.

5. Others
For USM hostel, six engineering schools, DU (Main Hall), and DK (Lecture Hall), RFID application like door lock system and auto attendance record system can be implemented using a contactless smart card system. But it is not a cost-effective application that can benefit much from RFID technology. As a result, we eliminate the RFID application on these locations.

In spite of the current excitement, RFID may not be suitable for everyone. There are some hurdles we need to consider seriously before embarking on a real implementation of RFID network system for digital campus, including:

* Price
* Complexity
* Existing solutions
* Advantages
* Applicability

The current state of RFID technology based on a collection of comments and observations is:
* Confusing
* Lacking of expertise
* Still in learning state

Toni Anwar is the Coordinator for Software Systems Engineering Programme at the Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering (TGGS), King Mongkut Institute Technology North Bangkok (KMITNB), Bangkok, Thailand.

Teong-Keat Chua is a Design Verification Engineer at Spansion Penang Design Center, Malaysia.

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Radar Response Tag Technology

2007-10-04T09:54:00.000+09:00

by John Peeters

Radar Response Tag technology is a unique active tag technology that has a long read range, very low power requirements and ability to allow precise geolocation, even inside buildings. There appears to be a significant interest in the technology within the North American and European markets for locating people and cars.

Radar Response Tag technology was developed for the US Military at Sandia National Laboratories by Dr. Mike Lovejoy and his team. The work started in 1990 and Sandia was specifically asked to come up with a technology to complement GPS for those times when soldiers went under the cover of thick foliage, etc. Therefore the original mandate was wide area non-GPS and the technology had to work in buildings.

Dr. Mike Lovejoy showed in the mid 1990s that the original technology could potentially achieve up to 3 ft. accuracy over a distance of 12 miles and also could geolocate inside buildings. The technology has now evolved into allowing "friendly fire" avoidance by the US Military using powerful readers.

What has been released to Gentag, Inc. by the US Government is the non-military or civilian version of the technology. This version allows sensor input, is non-covert and has the 12 mile range and indoor capabilities.

The technology operates at 430 MHz and is an active technology with a small battery. It wakes up upon interrogation and sends out a signal that is then geolocated. The range and precision is due to unique and proprietary hardware and software.

A unique aspect of the technology is to piggyback on GPS for the reader components (external). Using the technology, a single reader, for example, can be placed inside an aircraft and create triangulation coordinates using a stationary GPS satellite as a reference point. This reference point could then be used to track missing children, hikers, stolen cars or boats. Otherwise the technology can be fixed, stationary or hybrid.

Gentag Inc. anticipates that the non-military version of the technology will be developed in three phases:

* Small board level
* ASIC (single chip)
* Integration into cell phones

The wide use of the technology for consumers will occur in phase II (ASIC). At that stage the technology will be credit card size and low cost. It will probably take about 18 months to reach that stage, depending on the funding. Gentag Inc. is currently looking for partners to manufacture and/or license the technology.

The writer is the President and CEO of Gentag Inc.

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Top 10 Supply Chain Technology Trends (Part 1)

2007-10-01T17:02:00.001+09:00

by Jack Tay

It’s easy to name "mobility" and "wireless" as trends, but it's less clear exactly what direction these developments are taking and how they can be used to improve business. However, what do the trends mean in terms of transforming business and maximizing profitability and productivity?

Here are the top 10 trends and technologies impacting supply chain operations spanning production, distribution, retail and remote service.

1. Comprehensive connectivity – from 802.11 wireless LAN technologies, cellular networks, Bluetooth
2. Voice and GPS communication integrated into rugged computers
3. Speech recognition
4. Digital imaging
5. Portable printing
6. 2D & other bar coding advances
7. RFID
8. RTLS
9. Remote management
10. Wireless and device security

You're probably familiar with the technologies listed above, but perhaps not with the latest developments and trends. For example, did you know that practically any application can be easily modified to accept speech input because of the recent development of terminal emulation-based speech recognition technology? Did you know that Bluetooth, 802.11b/g, cellular and GPS communication are all available in a single handheld device? Did you know improved optics allow 2D bar codes on paper to be read at greater distances (over 50 feet) than 1D bar codes on retro-reflective labels?

Connectivity

The various forms of wireless connectivity – Bluetooth for personal area networking, 802.11 wireless local area networking, and cellular wide area wireless networks for voice and data communication – are all highly visible and provide compelling business cases for many specific operations.

Smart phones have strong appeal because they provide convenient voice and data access. However they are extremely limited for delivery, field service and other mobile supply chain operations because the computer screens and interfaces aren’t optimized for enterprise applications, and the devices themselves aren’t rugged enough for everyday use in these environments. For operations with intensive data collection or transaction volume, companies have traditionally used ruggedized handheld computers to gain the reliability and performance they need, but these devices lacked cell phone capability.

Advanced Wireless: Voice & GPS

Now leading cellular carriers have certified rugged handheld computers for voice communication, enabling data collection, data communication and cell phone functionality to be converged into one device. Converging data and voice onto an integrated piece of equipment can cut the number of devices system administrators need to support in half, which provides sustainable operating cost savings. Connectivity convergence continues with the integration of GPS communication into mobile computers. Together with the falling costs of wide area wireless coverage (including GPRS, GSM, CDMA and other technologies) and more generous data plans, computing innovations like these make it affordable and practical for many companies to implement real-time data access systems for their delivery drivers, sales and service staff, inspectors and other personnel.

Speech Recognition

Speech recognition helps productivity by reducing the need for users to look at a computer display. Speech synthesis/recognition capability can now be easily embedded into numerous legacy software packages, including warehouse management, picking and putaway, inventory, inspection, quality control and other applications. This simplified integration has been made possible by the recent development of terminal emulation (TE)-based speech recognition technology, which eliminates the need for a separate speech server and a proprietary interface between the speech system and the application software.

Digital Imaging

Like cellular voice, digital imaging is another technology consumers are familiar with that has now found a place in enterprise mobile computing equipment and applications. Transportation and distribution companies are using digital cameras integrated into the mobile computers so their drivers can capture proof of delivery, store stamped invoices, and detail conditions that prevent delivery. Technicians use the technology for proof of service. Other applications include capturing shelf displays and monitoring trade promotion compliance, collecting competitive information, documentation by inspectors, collecting evidence for accident reports, and recording damage and usage conditions for warranty claims.

Portable Printing

Rugged portable printers are routinely used for output when documentation is required. Common applications include providing signed delivery receipts, purchase orders, work orders and inspection reports. Using mobile printers and computers together lets sales, service and delivery personnel give customers the documentation they desire, while creating an electronic record that frees the enterprise from having to process paperwork. Mobile printers remain one of the fastest-growing segments of the entire printing industry. Traditional applications are in field service and distribution, but adoption is growing quickly in warehouses and factories for forklift-based printing for picking, putaway, shipment labeling and other activities. Mobile printing provides proven labor savings in industrial environments by saving workers from having to make an unproductive trip to a central location to pick up labels, pick tickets, manifests and other output.

The Part 2 of this article will detail 2D Bar Code, RFID, RTLS, Remote Management and Security Technology.

The writer is the Regional Marketing Manager of Intermec Asia Pacific.

Send your comments and discuss.