Posts Tagged ‘rfid’
Lavazza Uses RFID to Track Packaging Materials, Boosting Efficiency
Italian coffee producer Lavazza and its packaging supplier, Goglio Cofibox, have implemented a radio frequency identification system that automates the replenishment of reels of packaging materials used to create Lavazza’s products, and to improve those materials’ traceability.
According to the two companies, the system—which employs EPC Gen 2 passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags—enables just-in-time delivery of reels of printed packaging materials manufactured by Goglio Cofibox in Cadorago (near Como, Italy), and an automated process for receiving the reels at Lavazza’s facility near Turin. The technology has reduced Lavazza’s inventory of packaging, as well as the space required to store it, and provides the coffee company with real-time visibility of stock levels, says Fabio Marzorati, an industrial engineer at Goglio Cofibox who works in product development. Marzorati and Antonio Rizzi, the director of the University of Parma’s RFID Lab, presented the Lavazza project results at October’s RFID Journal LIVE! Europe 2009 conference, held near Frankfurt, Germany. The RFID Lab, Rizzi says, engineered the solution and carried out tests to assess the technology’s benefits.
Smart blood bags
Using the wrong type of blood in a transfusion could be fatal for the patient, but a new radio node attached to blood bags could prevent these mistakes occurring.
Organic RFID could reduce waste in food transport
Research at the University of Manchester is developing organic RFID tags to monitor food in the retail supply chain and better manage fresh produce.
The project will deliver a printable, organic proof-of-concept when it concludes at the end of 2011, says Bruce Grieve, director of the Syngenta Sensors University Innovation Centre at Manchester.
Syngenta then hopes to collaborate with an industrial partner to produce the proven device on a commercial scale.
2.45GHz Active Temp Sensing RFID Tag
GAO RFID Asset Tracking has launched its active temperature sensing RFID tag operating at the frequency of 2.45GHz.
It is intended for identification and location of items in applications such as cold logistics such as in the transportation of food or medicine.
This tag has the ability to collect temperature data in real time and transmit the data to a reader for recording.
Case Study: RFID Solution From Motorola And Epsilia Delivers Precise Traceability And Increased Revenue For Agribusiness Leaderlevinoff-Colbex S.E.C.
Food safety is paramount at Levinoff-Colbex S.E.C and the company aims to be at the forefront of technological innovation in agribusiness to maintain its levels of excellence. As cases of animal disease and potential contamination became news across the food industry in recent years, Levinoff-Colbex S.E.C planned to upgrade and transform its processing facility in order to help ensure food safety and efficiency.
Traceability was a critical goal. In the event of any problem, Levinoff-Colbex S.E.C wanted a reliable system that would enable the company to quickly identify all affected products no matter where they were—whether still in the processing plant, in transit, or at a customer distribution center or food store. Some international markets require certifications that Levinoff-Colbex could not meet without updating its tracking system.
Trailer security – rfid
Securing loads from theft is a big concern these days. Stemming cargotheft can help fleets avoid costly financial loss. According to theInternational Cargo
Security Council, U.S. businesses lose $10 billion per year inmerchandise theft, and the average value of a cargo theft is $500,000,a number that has grown fivefold in the past 25 years. Other estimatesrange even higher, placing losses to cargo theft as high as $25 billionannually. These risks are moving fleets to purchase better locking andcargo security systems.
Coscon’s Customers Use Tags to Monitor Cargo
Coscon Logistics, a subsidiary of the Cosco Container Lines Co. (Coscon), is employing new active tags and the SaviTrak software platform, provided by Savi Networks, to allow the logistics company’s customers to track the location and status of product-filled containers as they pass from China to destinations throughout the world.
Each tag contains a GPS receiver to track its location, as well as sensors that can monitor a container’s internal temperature and humidity, and detect when its door has been opened. When the tag is within range of a GPRS/GSM cellular base station, it transmits its location and sensor data to a back-end system, to be accessed by Coscon’s customers (the shippers of goods contained in those tagged containers). Each tag has a GPRS transmitter with a SIM card for global roaming, as well as four RF options (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz) for worldwide operation. Savi Networks, which was established in 2005 as a joint venture between RFID systems provider Savi Technology and cargo terminal operator Hutchison Port Holdings. also provides another tag that includes a 2100 MHz option in addition to the quad GSM bands, for operation in Korea and Japan.
via rfidjournal.com
IBM launches sensor data analysis software
IBM on Tuesday launched software that navigates data from sensors and triggers automated business responses.
The software, dubbed WebSphere Sensor Events, aggregates data from sensors that monitor air quality, traffic, water flow, energy usage and other items via RFID tags. IBM reckons that there will be six billion RFID tags in circulation by 2010.
These sensors throw off a lot of data—too much in fact. IBM’s software aims to capture the data and run it through an enterprise’s business process and analytics systems. Once the data was analyzed an enterprise could react to incoming data and adjust accordingly.
via zdnet.com
RFID tags get an intelligence upgrade
You might think being able to pay in shops with a wave of your bank card or open doors with your security pass is smart. But the RFID tags that make that possible are due for an intelligence upgrade.
Today’s RFID tags can only broadcast fixed data back to a reader device, whether that’s details of your passport or of an endangered bird. Researchers are now working to add brains to the tags in the form of microcomputers, opening the way for much smarter applications.
via newscientist.com
Australian tomato growers use RFID to boost productivity
d’Vineripe, an Australian tomato growing company, has enlisted FieldAtWork to provide an RFID solution for monitoring employee task completion times in order to improve productivity.
Under FieldAtWork’s system employees are given HF RFID tags with their own unique ID number, allowing d’Vineripe to identify each individual employee. Next to each row of tomatoes FieldAtWork has set up a board containing RFID tags prescribed for each of the 8 tasks employees are expected to perform, as well as a tag identifying the row of tomatoes.
via freshplaza.com
Lexmark Accessory Turns Laser Printer Into RFID Tag Printer
The Lexmark RFID UHF Option was released this week as a $2,500 accessory to the company’s T654 monochrome laser printer. When equipped with this option, the printer can produce individual Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that can be attached to individual files, hardware, or other items for easy tracking and access.
New Avery Dennison Video Demonstrates How Item-Level RFID at American Apparel(R) Helped Achieve 99% Inventory Accuracy and a 14% Sales Increase
A new video that guides viewers through the innermost operations of American Apparel’s item-level RFID inventory management system can now be accessed by apparel, retail and RFID professionals at http://www.ibmd.averydennison.com/american-apparel
RFID has role protecting human health – traceability
Coupled with collaborative technology, RFID can help manage efficient responses such as the recall of suspected food products and notifying affected parties. For example, a calf can now be tracked from birth to the slaughterhouse as it is in Australia, where the National Livestock Identification System legislation mandated, in 2005, RFID tagging for cattle stock.
There are even pilots where, combined with global positioning system (GPS) and “shock” technology, farmers can manage RFID-tagged cattle within certain geographical boundaries.
How RFID Can Help Manufacturers Thrive in Recessionary Times
The global economic downturn has manufacturers and distributors facing unprecedented pressure to lower costs, increase asset utilization and reduce inventories, while simultaneously responding to new customer demands. According to IT research and advisory firm Gartner, “supply chain management (SCM) professionals feel more pressure to focus efforts and investments on initiatives aimed at reducing costs and improving customer service. With the global economic problems, SCM applications will remain a source of needed investment.”