betting on the chips

Shippers may be watching warily from the sidelines, but suppliers, consultants and service providers aren't hesitating to jump into the RFID game. With the prospect of widespread RFID adoption on the horizon, they're anxious to get in on the action. Announcements of new training programs, new products or services, or new alliances appear almost daily. A few recent examples:

• Last month, Texas Instruments conducted what it called "EPC Boot Camp" for consumer goods manufacturers, distributors, retailers, software solution providers and others interested in learning more about the Electronic Product Code—the underlying language of RFID. The EPC Boot Camp featured a full day of sessions with presentations on the basics of RFID technology, its applications, what's behind the new EPC standards, and options for integrating EPC into existing infrastructure.
• Checkpoint Systems Inc. has expanded its RF Source Tagging Design Center and will now offer EPC/RFID compliance and business design services to consumer products manufacturers, logistics providers and retailers. In the center, according to Checkpoint, engineers work with clients to come up with plans for practical RF technology and EPC network design, implementation and integration.
• Radio Beacon Inc, a developer of warehouse management software, and System Concepts Inc., a software developer in the RFID industry, announced an agreement to integrate the Radio Beacon WMS and System Concepts' RFID software products.
• Intermec Technologies Corp. announced that it has joined EPCglobal, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and overseeing standards for the newly emerging Electronic Product Code. EPCglobal is a joint venture of the standards bodies EAN International and the Uniform Code Council. Intermec develops, manufactures and implements both wired and wireless automated data-collection technology.

In the meantime, RFID is also receiving top billing at industry events—at least one upcoming conference will focus on nothing else. On April 21-22, the second RFID World Conference and Expo takes place at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Denver. The educational tracks include sessions on EPC implementation, RFID in the retail and pharmaceutical supply chains, and deployment of RFID in warehouses and DCs. The sponsors expect to attract 50 or more exhibitors as well.

Looking further out, the Material Handling Industry of America says that it will devote approximately 25,000 square feet of show floor space to a special RFID presentation area at ProMat 2005 next January. The exhibit in the South Hall of Chicago's McCormick Place will include a theater pavilion where attendees can view multi-media presentations and display space immediately adjacent to the theater for the program's sponsors. ProMat 2005 takes place Jan. 10 to 13.