Item level RFID tagging today - the biggest implementations so far (RFID Smart Labels USA 2007)

Alastair McArthur is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at TAGSYS, a company dedicated solely to RFID.

 

TAGSYS is one of the largest 13.56 MHz system suppliers in the world, with leading applications in library and industrial laundry automation. The company also has numerous applications developed or under development in the supply chain market. TAGSYS designs and sells RFID systems, including tags and readers and antennas to customers in more than 30 countries and has sales staff in Europe, North America, and Asia.

 

Alastair has been working in the business of RFID for more than 7 years. In early 1996, Alastair began this involvement in the role of Managing Director and part owner of an Australian entrepreneurial RFID design company called Integrated Silicon Design (ISD). Formed in 1984, ISD was one of the earliest companies to design and manufacture passive RFID solutions at both the 13.56MHz and UHF frequencies, and created the first RFID enabled library automation solution. In 1999, ISD was acquired by Gemplus, a leading smart card manufacturer, and consolidated with Gemplus's own RFID division. In August 2001, Alastair and four other Gemplus managers led a management buy-out to create TAGSYS, which today is a privately owned company.

 

Alastair has an Honors Degree in Engineering, a Masters Degree in Business Administration, and a Diploma in Company Directorship.

Penetration into libraries, healthcare, laundry and manufacturing

Choosing the right technology

TAGSYS has been designing and manufacturing RFID systems for over fifteen years and has, today, the longest experience in building complete full-feature RFID systems at 13.56MHz: from the beginning of the value chain all the way to the development and implementation of end-user RFID systems, including custom silicon design, RFID tag design, RFID reader design and the mass production of RFID tags. This scope also enables TAGSYS to engineer complete solutions and uniquely guarantee the complete RFID system's efficiency in the long run.

 

In 1988, TAGSYS developed its first UHF passive RFID system used in applications such as pallet tracking and vehicle identification.

 

In 2000, TAGSYS contributed intellectual property to the ISO initiative to standardize the communication protocols between tags and readers operating at 13.56 MHz and UHF. TAGSYS has always been an active promoter of open systems and interoperability between competitive technologies, and its multi-protocol RFID readers are compliant to ISO 15693 and future ISO 18000 standard. TAGSYS RFID chips can be read by numerous readers on the market as well.

 

In 2002, TAGSYS demonstrated the first RFID "smart shelf" able to read and inventory EPC (electronic Product Code) RFID chips at speeds in excess of 200 items per second. And in 2003, TAGSYS launched the smallest EPC RFID tag in the world, with a diameter of 9 mm (0.35 inches).

 

For more information on TAGSYS, visit www.tagsys-rfid.com