North American providers of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology played starring roles in three major international projects announced last month.

Alien Technology announced the rollout of a multimillion-tag RFID application for Vicaima, a manufacturer of wooden doors that is based in Portugal. Vicaima is looking to the RFID solution to help it reduce production time by introducing a fully automated validation system. The system applies Alien's "Squiggle" electronic product code (EPC) tag to each door to reduce the amount of human intervention required for process controls and to virtually eliminate tracking errors.

Toronto-based Sirit Inc. has been chosen as a supplier of embedded near-field communication (NFC) software and technology-engineering services for new NFC mobile "smart" phones and handsets to be produced by BenQ Corp. Taiwan-based BenQ is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of mass-market consumer electronics.

Meanwhile, Savi Networks, the Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), and the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) have launched the "Shanghai-Savannah Express Trade Lane Project," an RFID-based network that automatically tracks the location and security of containerized cargo shipped between the Port of Shanghai and the Port of Savannah in Georgia.

SIPG and Savi jointly developed a localized RFID system that includes an electronic seal and a GPS-integrated handheld device. The system, based on an earlier project between Shanghai and China's Port of Yantai, will be built on an open, international standards-based network platform.

SIPG hopes the new pilot will provide its customers as well as China Customs with state-ofthe-art information services that will help them optimize the efficiency and security of shipments, both domestically and globally, said Bao Qifan, executive vice president of SIPG, in a statement.

After the project's completion, SIPG and Savi Networks will extend the RFID-based solution and SaviTrak information service to terminal facilities operated by SIPG at the Port of Shanghai. SaviTrak is already in place at the Port of Savannah.