Top 10 events in the global RFID industry in 2007

It is difficult for the RFID industry in 2007 to summarize some of its general characteristics with some words. Some of the hottest applications in the industry have cooled down, and investors have rekindled their interest in other mature applications and technologies. There are also several technical milestones and new standards in the industry, some of which are likely to have a significant impact on the industry in the next few years. This year, RFID technology may have received unprecedented attention from mainstream media, but most articles have been misdirected or not at all.
Below are the top 10 events and related articles we think of the global RFID industry in 2007.
10. The rise of real-time location systems In the entire year of 2007, the application of real-time location systems maintained a strong growth momentum, and the enthusiasm for the application of the RTLS system has never been higher. Numerous new application cases (not the test) have emerged this year, and the development of technology and industry is a good indication of the future of the application. Among them, hospital patients, asset tracking and industrial asset tracking are the most places to apply the system, and the RTLS technology used is also diverse. Understanding and accepting are the most important application barriers faced by RFID vendors, and for RTLS, this problem does not exist. Although the overall market penetration is still relatively low, many potential RTLS application customers recognize the technology and have a good impression of its benefits, so RTLS will continue to maintain its growth momentum.
RTLS vendors also received funding injections during the year; RTLS and active RFID have attracted more venture capital than other RFID technologies in the past 18 months. At the same time, one of the largest and best-known RTLS providers, WhereNet, was acquired by Zebra for $126 million, and is the history of creating RTLS.
Numerous analyses have long predicted that the RTLS system will grow strongly in 2007, and this momentum will continue. In 2008, the market expectation will reach a higher level. From now on, RTLS has completed one of the most difficult things to overcome with RFID technology: to achieve development expectations.
9. EPCglobal Approved Data Sharing Standard The EPCglobal Gen2 UHF standard is believed to trigger a wave of supply chain RFID applications. But when users are preparing for large-scale adoption, they have a ridiculous thing: they have difficulty communicating RFID data with trading partners, and it is difficult to reflect the true value of RFID applications without data integration. Electronic Product Code Information Service (EPCIS) is an open specification for accelerating the secure exchange of RFID data between trading partners.
From the outset, EPC technology architects see EPCIS as an important complement to Gen2 and an integral part of multi-company RFID applications. EPCglobal approved the EPCIS standard in April, and EPCglobal Chairman Chris Adcock said at the time, "In terms of industry development, I believe the EPCIS standard will have a more revolutionary impact on the industry than the UHF Gen2 passive RFID standard released in 2004. Now, we can't know how much impact EPCIS actually has, but its standardization is a major milestone for EPC promotion.
8. Negative industry public image In February 2007, Wall Street and popular personal finance and investment website The Motley Fool published three articles, seriously questioning the effectiveness of RFID technology and the survival of RFID vendors. Although, a few weeks later, Wall Street published a more neutral article, this positive opinion article did not receive the same public attention as the criticized article. The changes in the Wal-Mart RFID application strategy during the year are generally considered to be a waiver of RFID technology, and the disappointing RFID sales performance of listed companies is considered to be a strong evidence of the crisis in this industry.
Many people think that RFID is only a small market technology, and the commercial value is limited. For the RFID manufacturers trying to overcome this misunderstanding, these negative reports are undoubtedly worse, especially considering that many potential customers have already RFID costs and capabilities have created a false perception.
In fact, although the growth of RFID in 2007 did not meet the expectations of many vendors and analysts, especially the supply chain; however, the entire industry is indeed in development, supply chain projects are increasing, and asset management applications are growing rapidly. These are all strong evidence.
Another sign of industry maturity is the industry's thoughtful response to negative news: Xterprise publishes a well-refuted article on the Wall Street article, industry association AIM North America launches an RFID public education campaign, EPCglobal announces the completion of Discover RFID, a RFID education website for consumers.
The RFID industry is too diverse and complex. We can't simply summarize the characteristics of the entire industry with events in a certain area or with some companies' financial reports. However, mainstream media often ignore this.
7. Microsoft released BizTalk Server 2006 R2
Microsoft has released its first generation of important IT architecture products that support RFID technology, which is an important hint for both RFID users and vendors. BizTalk Server 2006 R2, released in September this year, is the first Microsoft product to support RFID. The software integrates software and data structures from multiple enterprises and is the latest major upgrade to the BizTalk software system, which will have more than 7,000 users worldwide, including 90% of Fortune 100 and 12 of the world's largest retailers.
BizTalk Server 2006 R2 includes APIs and other features for managing RFID data and devices. Microsoft has positioned this product as a "plug and play" solution that helps users integrate RFID tracking capabilities into their supply chain applications. The RFID support capabilities of enterprise TI systems can reduce or eliminate the need for middleware, custom programming and integration, making RFID easier to apply, thus changing the role of RFID integrators in developing and implementing solutions.
Some industry observers are very optimistic about the impact of BizTalk on RFID applications, including AMR Research's John Fontanella, which he believes is no less than the "Watergate moment."
6. Intel Announces RFID Reader Chip R1000, Promoting Commercialization of RFID Readers Intel unveiled its first RFID reader chip, the R1000, which combines several RFID reading and data processing functions that traditionally need to be connected to the board. Multiple processors are implemented. Intel's release of this chip is of great significance for the following reasons:
First, it reduces the components and components required to produce Gen2 UHF RFID readers, reducing complexity and cost. Intel estimates that the chip can cut reader costs by half. This prediction is quite bold, but considering Intel's role in PC development, we seem to understand their confidence.
The second reason is that Intel's investment in the development and production of this RFID chip shows that the company has great confidence in the development of RFID technology. Similar to the release of Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2; IBM, SAP and other large technology providers continue to develop RFID.
Intel R1000 provides readers with a chip option that allows them to directly use the important components provided by well-known vendors and focus on the value-added development of other hardware components of the reader, which will lead to cheaper and more advanced features in the market. Gen2 reader.
In addition, EPCglobal's approval of the Low-Level Reader Protocol (LLRP) standard provides a common interface for reader integration, and on the other hand facilitates the development of reader manufacturers and software developers.
5. Wal-Mart and Metro, who is the leader in retail RFID applications?
Wal-Mart has always sought to be the price leader in the retail industry. Wal-Mart has also been seen as the leader in RFID applications in the retail industry, but in 2007 this location may have been replaced by the European Metro Group. This year, Wal-Mart announced plans to change its RFID application plan from the original extensive use requirements to more targeted application testing; in contrast, Metro expanded its store-level RFID applications this year and launched a major, ongoing On-going item-level labeling project.
In 2007, Metro said the company will install a store-grade RFID system in 200 stores in Germany. It will use a variety of item-level labeling based on EPCglobal standards for apparel products and approve third-party RFID devices used by its partners. To meet the requirements of RFID labeling and reporting.
As always, every RFID-related decision at Wal-Mart will cause a lot of reporting and analysis, and it will also cause concern for suppliers and technology providers. In May, the company said its RFID applications will be carried out at a slower pace than previously planned. In October, Wal-Mart clearly announced three company application strategies in attending events in Chicago and Taiwan:
The first measure is to require suppliers to label the pallets at the distribution center that is shipped to the Texas Sam Club. With the application of RFID infrastructure in forklifts and shelves in distribution centers, retailers will be able to track the warehousing process of pallets. The second measure is the promotion tracking, the marketing and marketing of Wal-Mart suppliers will put RFID tags on the pallets or boxes of all promotional items. The third measure is to label all products in a specific product category, such as air fresheners.
These projects specify specific applications, products, and locations and do not represent an extension of the scale of RFID applications.
Wal-Mart also began to discourage suppliers and technology providers from adopting “mandatory requirements” to describe RFID projects, although the term itself is unlikely to affect the company's perception of labeling requirements.
At the same time, many RFID manufacturers have also seen new market information and developed new solutions. RFID vendors are beginning to shift their focus from the potential business opportunities of mandatory retail applications to other breakthroughs, such as closed-loop applications, including asset management and process tracking; these applications have proven to generate lucrative return on investment while implementing applications No guidance or participation from other parties is required in the process.
4. The transfer of vendor aggregation points from wide to deep With the labeling requirements of Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Metro and the Ministry of Defense, the EPCglobal Gen2 standard was introduced soon. This series of events triggered a gold rush in the RFID industry. heat. As long as companies related to RFID, bar code, packaging or data integration seem to reposition themselves as compliance/Gen2 market solution providers. But in reality the market is not big enough to feed so many people, so some companies quit, but the vast majority are repositioned, focusing on the recent opportunities in the Gen2 supply chain or beyond.
This focus became very apparent in 2007, resulting in many subtle markets. A typical example is Alien Technology, which expands its agency channels and has won several projects outside the supply chain. Several manufacturers have introduced packaging solutions that bundle RFID software with specific application software to meet the business opportunities they capture in the target vertical market. Overall, in 2007, there was less talk about tag prices, technical power, and certain features (such as anti-collision calculations), and more emphasis was placed on how RFID could be used to solve real business problems in specific vertical markets and applications. Especially in the field of pharmaceutical distribution, it is considered to be an emerging market with great potential.
3. Advancing Metro's RFID industry in 2007 is undoubtedly one thing: in the next few years, RFID technology will settle in the Metro store and its supply chain. Metro retail stores have 2,400 department stores, electronics stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in 31 countries around the world. Metro has always been the leader in RFID applications, but in 2007 the company increased its investment in RFID and adopted more RFID technology to expand the scale of RFID applications.
"From an industry perspective, Metro's advancement of RFID applications is considered a promising sign, and despite the disappointing results of countless mandatory RFID applications in the past few years, the overall progress is still in progress." Financial Analysis Corporation Raymond James said in a report.
In 2007, Metro's investment in RFID was highly regarded in terms of its innovative form and application scale. The company uses RFID systems to label clothing items for tracking purposes, providing full visibility of products from the distribution center to the checkout counter, using warehouse readers, smart wardrobes and smart mirrors to provide clothing information and security protection. .
Metro not only innovates in the purchase of RFID, it also expands the supply chain RFID applications, including installing reader systems in another 200 stores, increasing the number of labeling suppliers (up to 600).
It is worth noting that Metro's RFID system uses a variety of RFID data management and integrated EPCglobal standards, including EPCIS, ALE and LLRP. Although the EPCglobal Gen2 standard has been widely adopted and other EPCglobal standards have not yet been used, the Metro RFID application will undoubtedly provide a valuable reference for the practical application of other companies in the future.
As the world's third-largest retailer, Metro has not tested or applied technology to most retailers; RFID has a positive impact on Metro's operations, which in turn will affect retail systems in Europe and elsewhere.
2. The European RFID market is developing rapidly, and there are numerous innovative applications. In 2007, Europe was a hotbed of innovative RFID applications. There are many RFID application cases in the retail and other fields. In addition to Metro, European retailers and apparel companies Karstadt, Lemmi Fashions, Marks & Spencer and NP Collection all use item-level labeling. European RFID innovation applications are not only reflected in the retail industry, the Netherlands uses RFID tags to monitor the cultivation process of flowers; Spain uses RFID to simplify the pharmaceutical supply chain; Airbus further implements RFID application plans; Sony integrates RFID tags into closed-circuit TV cameras to monitor Inventory, improve safety.
1. The RFID industry is cautious and optimistic. The international economy fluctuated in 2007. People's worries about the economic depression and the huge collapse of the arbitrage fund market became the theme of major business news. In the vast majority of 2007, the RFID industry was moving in a positive direction. Although the industry has not released a new RFID market forecast report recently to strengthen this optimism, many signals indicate that the number of RFID applications and people's confidence in RFID are increasing.
In the past six months, RFID has received a total of $219 million in private equity, and in December alone, it received $59 million in investment. In October, authoritative industry analysis company Baird released an industry assessment report, optimistic about the development of the RFID industry. According to the report, the industry will eventually end its sluggish development and there will be meaningful business opportunities.
Market research firm VDC predicts that from now until 2011, the printing encoder product category will grow at an annual compound growth rate of 60%. Print encoders are one of the most important leaders in RFID applications because they are used in multiple industries and applications.
The retailer's mandatory RFID applications and supply chain projects were slow and disappointing in 2007, but sales of Gen2 hardware products doubled compared to 2006 and are expected to continue to grow by 75% in 2008 -100 %, according to Baird.
According to a report published by IDTechEx, China is the world's largest RFID market; the report said that China's RFID sales increased by 23% quarterly. Other optimistic RFID applications include the aviation sector, asset management, document tracking, work-in-progress tracking and near-field communication technologies.
These positive developments do not mean that the RFID industry will begin to explode in 2008. Looking at the history of RFID development, actual development is always lower than expected. In 2008, although people still have high expectations for RFID, I believe that the industry is also developing at a rapid rate.

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