Tacit Solutions News and Events

Although HF RFID air-interface protocols operate at a single global frequency, a number of factors hinder the ability of HF tags and readers to achieve interoperability.
By John Schroeter

Feb. 12, 2007—While the many high-frequency (HF) RFID air-interface protocols enjoy global operation at a single frequency (13.56 MHz), the problem is that none of them are compatible, let alone interoperable. These protocols include ISO 14443A, ISO 14443B, ISO 15693, ISO 18000-3 Mode 2 and EPCglobal HF Class 1. And, as one might expect, each has its own data structures, requires infrastructures that are incompatible, and often operates on readers with nonstandard features and functionality. This results in a proprietary platform rather than a standards-based model.
Continue reading HF Protocols’ Distant Dream

During a recent webinar, the retailer’s RFID solutions architect explained his company’s criteria for successful item-level tagging.
By Mary Catherine O’Connor

Mar. 30, 2006—Speaking yesterday to an audience attending RFID Journal’s webinar entitled “Item-Level Tagging Using UHF Gen 2, Richard Ulrich, solutions architect on Wal-Mart Stores’s RFID strategy team, laid out a number of requirements his company has identified as being crucial to the success of item-level tagging. There is a need for low-cost tags and infrastructure that benefit from economies of scale, he said, and a tag used to identify goods at the item level must have a narrow read range to ensure that interrogators built into point-of-sale terminals read only those tags on items being purchased. At the same time, tags on stacked items must be readable so goods sitting on shelves can be read simultaneously.
Continue reading Wal-Mart Seeks UHF for Item-Level

Andrew Nathanson, of the market research firm Venture Development Corp., says the pharmaceutical industry will increasingly adopt hybrid HF-UHF RFID solutions over the next five years, followed by near-field UHF technology.
By Claire Swedberg
Oct. 3, 2006

The pharmaceutical industry will migrate toward hybrid HF-UHF RFID solutions for the medication supply chain in the next five years, then shift to near-field UHF technology, according to Andrew Nathanson, practice director for AIDC and RFID technologies at market research firm Venture Development Corp. Nathanson addressed RFID’s future for the pharmaceutical industry at the RFID Journal Industry Summits conference on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Continue reading A Shift to UHF Near-Field Predicted for Pharma

End users need a standard for high-frequency EPC tags, and EPCglobal is close to delivering it.
Jan. 22, 2007

Toward the end of this month, EPCglobal’s Hardware Action Group (HAG), which helps develop Electronic Product Code (EPC) standards, will meet in Sydney to discuss, among other things, a consensus proposal for a high-frequency air-interface protocol. The goal is to have a ratified HF EPC standard by the middle of the year. I hope EPCglobal will move forward and meet this timeline, and that the vendor community will support the standard by creating tags and interrogators based on the protocol.
Continue reading Moving Forward on an HF EPC Standard

The RFID Alliance Lab tested four commercially available EPC Gen 1 UHF tags and found that each had limitations.
By Daniel Deavours

Many companies are anticipating the time when they will tag unique items, but they are not sure about the performance of UHF tags that conform to Electronic Product Code specifications. One such company in the Kansas City area asked the RFID Alliance Lab, a not-for-profit facility, to test the tagging of cell phones. Our tests revealed some startlingly large differences in performance among the tags, with no clear winners or losers. The tag’s size, read distance and orientation with the interrogator all affect performance. (For a discussion on whether HF is a better technology for item-level tagging, see sidebar at end of article.)
Continue reading Are Item-Level Tags Up to the Job?

Visit us at booth #1731 during the fifth annual RFID World at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, TX.
DATES: March 26 - March 28, 2007, Dallas TX

An RFID system set up correctly can result in a “seamless” tracking of goods from one area to another. The technology can also cut down on human errors that result when workers forget to sign out tools or scan a bundle of goods — such as utility poles — as they leave a warehouse.
Continue reading Bye-Bye Bar Codes, Hello RFID

A growing number of companies are jumping into the market with solutions that filter RFID data and pass it to back-end systems. Here’s a sampling of the major players in the different market segments.
By Bob Violino

ERP Vendors
Oracle: Early this year, Oracle announced a new version of its Oracle Warehouse Management software, which is designed to help companies comply with the tagging mandates from Wal-Mart and the U.S. Department of Defense. This new version will include built-in integration with the middleware component in the Oracle Application Server. The company will release the software by midyear; pricing has not been set.

SAP:In January, the German software giant introduced an RFID package that includes middleware that integrates RFID-generated data with SAP’s enterprise resource planning applications. Software “connectors” will be offered for SAP R/3 (version 4.6c or higher) and mySAP ERP. The company declined to disclose pricing, other than to say the package is priced per site (warehouse, distribution center, retail store and so on).

Third-Party Vendors
GlobeRanger: Launched in July 2002, GlobeRanger’s iMotion Edgeware Platform was designed to link mobile devices and RFID readers to back-end systems. iMotion aims to make it easier to develop and deploy applications by enabling companies to design their own workflow rules. Pricing is set by the company’s distributors.

OATSystems: This startup offers Senseware, an RFID software suite that includes the Senseware Platform, which collects data from RFID readers, converts it into intelligent business objects and integrates it into warehouse management, transportation management and other applications. The software suite is being used by Gillette in its Fort Devens trial (see “Gillette Sharpens Its Edge,” page 12). Pricing is based on the functionality required.

Application Vendors
Manhattan Associates: Manhattan unveiled middleware to link RFID readers to its PkMS warehouse management system in January 2003. The software has been improved to work with third-party supply chain applications. The company declines to disclose pricing but says it has several models.

RedPrairie: In December, supply chain applications vendor RedPrairie debuted RFID Accelerator, which uses software agents to integrate RFID data with ERP, legacy-host and supply chain execution systems from different vendors. A typical implementation costs $250,000 to $500,000, depending on the size of the project.

Large Integrators
Accenture: The consulting and systems integration firm provides RFID-to-ERP integration as part of a suite of services involving RFID. It has developed a Silent Commerce platform for linking readers to the back end and enabling disparate systems to share data. Pricing is based on the complexity of the project.

IBM: As part of its integrated technical services offering, IBM provides RFID-to-ERP integration. Most solutions are based on the company’s robust WebSphere middleware. Costs vary depending on the scope and complexity of the project.

Boutique Integrators
Mobilexe: This is one of a growing number of smaller supply chain systems integrators that have added RFID integration services. The cost of a typical RFID project ranges from $30,000 to $100,000 per site, plus an initial evalution fee of $7,000 to $10,000.

Tacit Solutions: Tacit has been integrating wireless technologies and auto-ID systems for 15 years. It provides legacy-host interfacing, RFID middleware, software, hardware and installation services for manufacturing and supply chain applications. Pricing depends on the scope of the project.