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For Immediate Release
Texas Instruments and RFID4U Propose Smart Processes for RFID Supply Chain Label Usage
White Paper Details Tag Testing for 'Five-Nines' Read Performance
DALLAS, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The expectation that 100 percent of
RFID- labeled products can be read 100 percent of the time at all points in
the supply chain is unrealistic; but with proper tag testing and
verification, companies can increase their odds of achieving "five-nines"
performance (five read points at a 99.999 percent read rate), according to
a new white paper from Texas Instruments Incorporated (NYSE: TXN) (TI) and
RFID4U.
The paper outlines a systematic approach that end users and systems
integrators can take to increase the performance of their Ultra-High
Frequency (UHF)-based RFID systems. This approach includes establishing a
baseline of initial performance, conducting a performance analysis of tags,
and factoring in variables in product and packaging materials as well as
pallet size and case quantity. The paper also answers the questions, "How
do I measure tag performance" and "What parameters are most important?" by
providing an overview of the testing types, metrics and pros/cons of static
and dynamic methods.
"RFID has been getting a bit of a bad rap due to the expectations that
tags can be read 100 percent of the time at every point for every product,"
said Mark Brown, vice president of professional services, RFID4U. "With
proper empirical testing, companies can find the best tags and labels for
their application, and gain the data they need for improved supply chain
tracking."
An "RF-challenged" product, such as those containing liquid or metal,
may only achieve a 50 percent read rate at an individual read point. The
paper proposes practical suggestions to increase read performance including
the use of more sensitive tags, upgrading the reader interrogation zones
with more sensitive antennas or adding additional read zones at new
locations in the supply chain.
"It's important to test a statistically significant sample of both
tags/labels and products, and perform the test in a real-world
environment," said Chris Cook, field application specialist, TI-RFid(TM)
Systems. "Starting with well-tagged assets puts you way ahead in achieving
the kind of visibility and performance from your RFID system that can drive
true business process improvements."
To download the white paper authored by Chris Cook and Mark Brown
titled, "Practical Performance Expectations for Smart Packaging," click on:
http://www.ti.com/rfid/docs/manuals/whtPapers/wp-Performance_expectations_for_smart_packaging.pdf.
In addition, a new case study available from TI details how, Ryerson, a
metal services processor and distributor, worked with solution providers
Ship2Save, Metalcraft and TI to improve RFID tag performance. To reduce RF
interference, foam separation was used to increase the distance of the tag
from the metal products being tagged which amplified the RF signal. As a
result, the company achieved tag reads above 200 per second, and increased
the read range up to 15 percent. "Bad reads" were reduced to one percent,
bringing "five-nines" read performance closer to reality for this
distributor of "RF-challenged" materials. To view the Ryerson case study,
click on http://www.ti.com/rfid/shtml/news-casestudies-11-13-06.shtml.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments is the world's largest integrated manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders and reader systems. Capitalizing on its competencies in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics packaging, TI is a visionary leader and at the forefront of establishing new markets and international standards for RFID applications. For more information, contact TI-RFid(TM) Systems at 1-800-962-RFID (7343) (North America) or +1 214-567-7343 (International), or visit the Web site at http://www.ti-rfid.com.
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog
technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing
requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the
Educational & Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in
Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more
than 25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at
http://www.ti.com.
About RFID4U
RFID4U is a worldwide leader in vendor neutral RFID learning solutions.
We have assembled a full complement of products and services to help you
align technology with business objectives. A pioneer in RFID learning,
RFID4U has maintained a steadfast focus on developing a robust and highly
acclaimed catalog of RFID courses. We also offer a training implementation
program customized to fit your organization's needs. Please visit
http://www.rfid4u.com for more information.
Trademarks
TI-RFid is a trademark of Texas Instruments. All other trademarks and
registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
