RFID
Research firm Venture Development Corporation has released findings on the market for RFID transponders (tags), which include valuing last year's market at $750 million. VDC expects a compound annual growth rate of 26% through 2010, when the transponder market will top $2.3 billion.
Polarelectro
Shopping
Electrobit
Elektrobit Corporation (EB) has June 29, 2007 purchased 100 per cent of the shares in 7iD Technologies GmbH (the Transaction). 7iD, a company specialising in RFID technology, provides services and products for system integrators and RFID companies and delivers technology and turn-key solutions for supply chain and asset management in pharmaceutical, paper, aviation and automotive industries. 7iD is an active member of EPCglobal Inc., the international organisation developing standards for Electronic Product Code (EPC) to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). 7iD is headquartered in Graz (Austria) and employs 21 people in total.
Beverages
Beverage distributors across multiple segments -- beer, wine, sprits, soft drinks -- are facing multiple challenges and competitive pressures. The approach to operational strategy and suppy chain and distribution technology that were enough in the past are giving way to new models that help beverage distributors increase sales, reduce costs, and become more integrated in the total supply chain.
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Retailers
With major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Proctor and Gamble deploying RFID technology at the pallet and case level and eventually moving to tag individual items, privacy concerns continue to mount.
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Privacy
Consumer privacy advocates worry that retailers will be able to track purchasing habits and the location and movement of products and individuals in a much more pervasive manner than is possible today.
Although there is little real-world experience from the limited deployment of RFID technology, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) presented to a U.S. Congress subcommittee their arguments for legislation restricting potential privacy-invading uses of RFID.
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Fears
Similar fears were common 30 years ago when barcode tagging was introduced. Consumer groups and individuals worried about the creation of massive databases that track consumers spending and buying patterns and about the loss of price control because prices would not be posted on shelves.
By and large, these concerns have not materialized. However, with the increased popularity of credit card and online shopping, the growing number of identify theft cases, and the alleged ability to identify RFID-tagged products from afar, it is very easy to see how individuals and privacy protection activists conjure up Orwellian scenarios based on the data stored in RFID chips.
New
Like any new technology application, RFID technology holds both promise and peril for consumers. RFID promises improved efficiency, greater convenience, and higher quality and accuracy for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. But history also teaches us that ignorance, and, more importantly, fear fueled by ignorance can severely limit the adoption of a promising new technology.
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Ignorance
Ignorance regarding the actual capabilities of RFID and the potential risk to consumer privacy will lead to unfounded fears and resistance from consumers and privacy advocates, which, in turn, will slow the adoption and further development of effective and secure technology.
In a similar vein, ignorance will hinder the development of necessary, adequate technologies and policies to guide the management and protection of omnipresent RFID-generated data.
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Health Care
Health-care providers have a plethora of choices for tracking the expensive equipment they use. Some are testing tags and readers that employ ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.
Although the number of different systems available to health-care organizations may seem mind-boggling, it's a healthy development that ultimately will benefit hospitals and clinics and the patients they treat.
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