Sun's European RFID centre refocused before launch
that will allow European companies interested in exploring the use
of radiofrequency identification technology a base for pilot
projects.
But the delay means that the sector will be more targeted towards the needs of European companies and will cater for a broader range of projects than originally envisaged.
In the pharmaceuticals sector, RFID is attracting considerable attention as a means of tracking inventory and guarding against diversion and counterfeiting, as well as tracking the integrity of the cold chain and potentially even ensuring that patients receive the correct medication.
Sun had planned that the Scottish centre, based in Linlithgow, would be a carbon copy of a centre it set up in May in Dallas, US. The latter is aimed firmly at the retail supply sector, but the new format for the Linlithgow facility will also take in asset management and the tracking of goods, according to UK-based packaging consultancy Pira.
Notably, the Dallas unit supports all the RFID technologies - tags and readers - that are being deployed by US retailing giant Wal-Mart, currently leading the charge to embrace RFID by demanding that its suppliers implement the technology.
The pharmaceutical industry is the first to have been affected by the Wal-Mart initiative, as the retailer has insisted that suppliers of schedule II pharmaceuticals - those open to abuse - use RFID to track supplies and prevent diversion.
Drugmakers affected by the mandate were unable to comply with an original deadline of March for implementing the proposals, and came up against a second deadline at the beginning of this month. Wal-Mart has been unable to confirm to In-Pharmatechnologist.com whether this latest deadline has in fact been met.
At Sun's Dallas facility, companies submit the tags, readers and other RFID hardware and software they are planning to use, and Sun testers evaluate how well they would function in Wal-Mart facilities. The company is also planning a similar centre in the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition to the test centres, Sun sells a range of hardware and software for RFID applications.
IBM already up and running
Meanwhile, IBM launched its own test centre venture in Europe with the opening of a facility in La Gaude in France earlier this month.
The new centre complements existing IBM development centres in Gaithersburg in the US and Tokyo, Japan, and will allow European based companies to test RFID solutions in real customer environments, according to the company.
Services offered at the centre include the identification, evaluation and integration of end-to-end industry solution prototypes; supporting information technology and business processes; middleware and applications; and antenna and tag properties.
IBM says it has also built prototype RFID systems for a number of industries, including pharmaceuticals, retail, logistics, manufacturing, electronics, government and transportation facilities.
