News | November 20, 2006

Passive RFID Technology: PowerID Announces The Release Of ForReel, Breakthrough Battery-Assisted, Passive RFID Technology For Tracking Industrial Paper Reels

ForReel™ is the first RFID solution combining 100% reliable, omnidirectional, high range reading with affordability for the newspaper and media publishing industry

The PowerID Division of Power Paper Ltd., the pioneer and leader in the field of battery-assisted, passive (BAP) UHF RFID, announced today the release of ForReel™ technology, the first UHF RFID solution optimized for tracking industrial paper reels that offers high reliability and affordability.

Tracking industrial paper reels through the supply chain, from the production mill to the end-user, is important both to paper manufacturers and their customers for accounting, efficiency, and operational purposes. Prevailing barcode solutions have two primary drawbacks, human intervention and the fact that once the reel wrapping is removed, reel identification information is lost.

Available RFID technologies have failed to provide a suitable solution. Since companies in the newspaper and media publishing industry require the placement of the label on the core of a paper reel, passive RFID can be read only from short distances, if at all. Active RFID – while providing excellent performance – cannot be integrated into paperboard-based cores and carries a very high price tag for recyclable cores, cutting the profit margins of industry players.

ForReel™ is the first backscattering UHF RFID tag that allows paper manufacturers and their downstream partners to track paper reels with high reliability. As demonstrated in proof of concept testing and pilots with leading paper manufacturers and newspapers, ForReel™ labels provide superior omnidirectional reading – 360 degrees around the reel – in the supply chain, from mill to end-user. In addition, the battery aboard the label enables read ranges of up to ten meters away from the reel when the label is placed between the reel core and the paper that is wound around the core.

ForReel™ operates in the ultra high frequency range, namely 850-960 MHz, and utilizes EM Microelectronic's robust iPx air protocol. It is priced competitively with higher-end passive tags, well below the costs of active tags.

"ForReel™ addresses a genuine problem in the newspaper and media publishing industry, and PowerID has amassed invaluable experience in pilots utilizing ForReel™ technology at the world's largest paper manufacturers and leading newspapers," said Erez Kahani, Executive Vice President of the PowerID Division. "After years of failing with passive technology, these companies have reacted positively and unanimously to the performance of ForReel™ and are eager to move from pilots to rollouts."

About PowerID
A division of Power Paper, Ltd., PowerID is the pioneer and leader in the field of battery-assisted, passive (BAP) UHF RFID technology. PowerID is focused on tracking high value assets in challenging environments, where passive UHF technology fails. PowerID is a division of Power Paper Ltd., a leading developer of next-generation, printable micro-powered devices and technologies. PowerID's label technology is based on Power Paper's proprietary, patented, thin and flexible, environment-friendly, printable energy cells. Power Paper's technologies, production processes and product designs are protected by over 50 patents worldwide. For more information, please visit www.power-id.com and www.powerpaper.com