ATLANTA -- Ending the wait for more robust, powerful ultra high frequency radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, a wide array of Class 1, Generation 2 Electronic Product Code hardware, software and services were introduced at this week's EPCglobal conference, here, that should help manufacturers begin to assemble the infrastructure needed to build and deploy next generation auto-ID networks.
Gen 2 is said to carry more data and operate better in dense reader environments in addition to offering memory locking and kill capabilities (see related story on Gen 2 certification for more details).
"Gen 2 will help with some read issues that have been experienced with RFID to date," noted Kathy Smith, a special assistant with the U.S. Department of Defense, which has mandated use of RFID tech for suppliers.
Reflective of the big Gen 2 push was Alien Technology's introduction of two Gen 2 tags. One is a drop-in replacement for the company's Gen 1 "squiggle" antenna tags, largely eliminating the need to retest the tag when converting to Gen 2. The second, the Omni-Squiggle, is designed to serve as a pallet tag and can be read from virtually any direction.
The company is currently sampling the Gen 2 tags and expects to begin regular production during the fourth quarter of 2005. Initially, the Gen 2 tags will cost about twice as much as Gen 1 96-bit Class 1 tags, which the company reduced 44% to 12.9 cents for quantities of 1 million or more.
"Increases in volume will drive pricing," said Keith McDonald, Alien's senior vice president, sales and marketing, in an interview
Alien's Gen 2 tags are based on Monza Gen 2 chip from Impinj, Inc. Introduced earlier this year and now in full production, Impinj can fill orders for Monza chips exceeding 50 million units.
The Monza chip also is used by RSI ID Technologies, an RFID system integrator and vertically integrated supplier of RFID labels. Since the Gen 2 label relies on the same antenna design as its Gen 1 label, manufacturers can apply it in the same location, simplifying the transition to the new technology. RSI's Gen 2 labels in a 4 X 6-inch format sell for 20 cents each.
"Our road map calls for a 10-cent unit price by the end of 2006," said Wolf Bielas, RSI's chief executive officer.
On the software side, IBM unveiled RFID packages based on its WebSphere RFID middleware and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). The architecture offers a J2EE- and J2ME-based application environment to integrate data with custom third-party business process applications, which frees customers from relying on any single vendor, the company said in a prepared statement.
IBM also said it is working with OATSystems to market an integrated offering comprised of OATSystems RFID applications and its RFID Solution for the Consumer Driven Supply Chain. Moreover, IBM also revealed plans to introduce an RFID for Work in Process application and an RFID "Express" service for small and medium businesses.
Also on the partnership front, Hewlett Packard Co. and Royal Philips Electronics, disclosed a a plan to provide customers with interoperable technology, solutions and services for Gen 2 migration. The partners see Gen 2 as solving a severe limitation of the previous standard: global supply chain tracking. Gen 2, for instance, makes it possible to track a tag sent from the U.S. through Europe.
The HP/Philips partnership leverages the companies' complementary strengths in RFID chip development, business process design and systems integration and will be primarily focused on applications in consumer products/retail, high-tech and pharmaceutical industries, the companies said in a joint statement.
AT&T also used EPCglobal to announce plans to trial a managed, end-to-end, hosted RFID service to help manufacturers design, deploy and scale RFID solutions. It will extend AT&T's IP network and Internet Data Centers to the customer distribution center or factory floor. The 90-day trials, which are expected to start early next year, include network integration and consulting, IP transport, hosting, storage, managed applications and security services.
"Today, most RFID applications are designed for inventory and asset tracking. The goal is to eventually have RFID on every item in the supply chain, which will usher in a new wave of object-to-object collaboration," said Hossein Eslambolchi, AT&T's chief technology officer and president of AT&T Labs.
Another hosted solution, IDnet from Seeburger Inc. which includes technology from partners such as Printronix Inc., NCR Corp's Systemedia Division and Venture Research Inc., simplifies the process of complying with RFID mandates by providing specially configured printers and labels as well as optional tag placement services. IDnet uses Seeburger's software engine to match bar codes to RFID/EPC codes, print bar codes and encode RFID labels.
The system also automatically generates advance shipping notices and can verify labels and issue electronic invoices. Prices range from $350 to $500 per month versus the typical $40,000 cost to purchase and install the requisite hardware and software in-house, the company said.