Avery Dennison RFID Offers Small-Format Content-Insensitive Gen 2 Inlay As Low As 8.9 Cents
New Antenna Design Addresses Need For RFID Tags That Perform Better In High-Volume, Mixed-SKU, Highly Automated Tagging Applications
Avery Dennison RFID, a business unit of Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY) announced today at RFID Smart Labels USA 2006, held in Boston, that it will offer its new high-performance AD-420 inlay at prices as low as 8.9 cents. The AD-420 is part of the company's Gen 2 portfolio of "real-world RFID" inlays.
"The AD-420 is a robust, content-insensitive inlay that directly addresses some of the rapidly maturing RFID industry's fundamental needs," said George Reynolds, vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, Avery Dennison RFID. "Over the past few months, we have seen the advent of EPC Gen 2 and the reduction in tag and equipment costs start to accelerate adoption of RFID in the global supply chain. As major retailers, manufacturers and the Department of Defense all ramp up their RFID programs through the balance of 2006, you will see this industry begin to move away from compliance mandates toward real data-driven implementations. This ramp-up will also drive automated tagging. And both of these trends will elevate the importance of RF performance at the tag level. As this trend unfolds, high-performance tags like the AD-420 will really come into their own."
To date, most consumer packaged goods manufacturers have only been tagging a limited number of SKUs destined for a small number of their retail customers' distribution centers. They have typically deployed a labor-intensive, "one-at-a-time," hand-applied tagging method which, given the small volume, has been perfectly adequate. In addition, users have been allowed a great deal of flexibility in tag placement on the carton, allowing them to work around "RF-unfriendly" contents (like metals and liquids) by manually placing the tag in an "air gap."
However, as the RFID industry matures, and major retailers demand more SKUs to be tagged in higher volumes bound for more distribution centers, hand-applied tagging will prove cost-prohibitive and far too slow. Therefore, users will transition to more automated tagging methods. At the same time, retailers and their suppliers will expect to reap the benefits of Gen 2 and start capturing "actionable" data from their RFID implementations. Consequently, tag reads and data integrity will become tougher requirements. Since automatic applicators are typically set up to apply tags in the same place, over and over, users will not have the luxury to manually apply tags by selecting the optimal placement on the carton. Those users will therefore require higher performing RFID tags (e.g. content-insensitive tags) that work regardless of the carton contents and the position/orientation of the tag on the carton.
"As this new ‘performance era' in RFID gains momentum in upcoming months," stated Mr. Reynolds, "Avery Dennison RFID will do everything we possibly can to enable users to manage the transition. Offering a high-performance inlay like the AD-420 at prices as low as 8.9 cents is an important component of our enabling strategy. The AD-420's superior performance on a broad range of SKUs will allow end users to take their RFID implementation to the next level with confidence."
Avery Dennison RFID's Gen 2 portfolio includes the previously launched AD-220, a small form-factor tag which gives end users a seamless transition from most Gen 1 tags (including the AD-210). The portfolio also includes three new carton/pallet tags and two new item-level tags, which were officially announced in February at RFID World. The portfolio offers high-performance on difficult carton contents like metals and liquids, three-dimensional functionality for orientation challenges; and a "wide-band" tag that functions in most areas of the world without having to re-tune the tag.
All Avery Dennison RFID inlays are "converter-friendly," designed to integrate seamlessly into existing high-speed, high-volume label converting processes. To date, more than 20 of the company's label converter partners have participated in its comprehensive Qualified Converter Program. This program, along with extensive, real-world applications testing at the division's Atlanta Technical Center, ensures the highest performance, quality, and value of finished RFID labels for end users.
About Avery Dennison RFID
Avery Dennison RFID, a business unit of Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY), manufactures and markets RFID inlays through a network of label converters to serve the consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense. With design, testing and manufacturing facilities located in the U.S. and Europe, Avery Dennison RFID is a leading provider in the global RFID marketplace. For additional information about Avery Dennison RFID and the company's complete product portfolio, visit www.rfid.averydennison.com.