ORLANDO, Fla. – June 15, 2010 – Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS Company, LLC) announced today that ConAgra Foods, one of North America’s leading food makers, has begun shipping its products throughout the United States on iGPS’ all-plastic pallets with embedded RFID tags, commencing June 1. ConAgra Foods is the maker of Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, and Reddi-wip, among others. Its brands are found in 96 percent of U.S. households.

“It goes without saying that ConAgra is one of the world’s leading food producers and we are honored that the company has put its trust in us,” said Bob Moore, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iGPS. “It will be a great partnership as both companies share a commitment to quality, efficiency and environmental responsibility.”

Since its launch in 2006, iGPS has revolutionized the way goods are being shipped throughout the North American supply chain. Its 100 percent recyclable pallets are 30 percent lighter than pallets made of wood and are vastly better for the environment. iGPS plastic pallets are not susceptible to insect infestation, require no chemical treatments and eliminate the risks posed by protruding nails and splinters. They are exceptionally durable and maintain their standardized 48″ x 40″ dimensions throughout their life, making them ideal for automated environments.

About iGPS

iGPS operates the world’s first pallet rental service providing shippers and receivers with all-plastic pallets with embedded RFID tags. iGPS’ state-of-the-art pallets are 30 percent lighter than wood, which saves on transport costs and helps reduce green house gases. Its pallets are also more hygienic, easier to handle and, because they eliminate protruding nails and splinters, reduce workplace injuries and damaged equipment. Embedded RFID tags enable shippers and receivers to track and trace shipments. And iGPS pallets are 100 percent recyclable. Launched in March 2006, the company has created nearly 2,000 new green jobs in the U.S. and is led by pallet and supply chain veterans with decades of experience. iGPS (www.igps.net) is headquartered in Orlando, FL and has offices in Dallas, TX and Bentonville, AR.

About ConAgra Foods

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America’s leading food companies, with brands in 96 percent of America’s households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip and many ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

Was just reading a good article about New York State Drivers License with RFID embedded in it. Although the story is about a year old it is a good read.

RFID In Drivers License.

It just shows you that some ideas are good and some not so much. I am not sure if NY has already done this as they are way behind on everything they do.

Here is the Press release for the RFID Journal Live

The RFID industry’s largest and most important conference and exhibition, being held on April 14-16 in Orlando, Fla., will feature three co-located events designed to deliver additional value to attendees.

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 28, 2009 — RFID Journal announced today that registration is now open for RFID Journal LIVE! 2010 (www.rfidjournalevents.com/live), the world’s premier conference and exhibition focused on radio frequency identification (RFID) and its many business applications. Motorola is the Cornerstone and Registration sponsor for the event, which will include three co-located events on Apr. 14: the Auto-ID Conference, IEEE RFID 2010 and the Aerospace RFID Summit.

RFID Journal LIVE! 2010, the eighth annual event produced by RFID Journal, will be held on Apr. 14-16 at the Orange Country Convention Center, in Orlando, Fla. The event will feature eight industry-specific and level-of-expertise conference tracks, eight in-depth preconference seminars, fast-track CompTIA RFID+ training and certification, and the RFID Journal Awards, as well as numerous technology exhibits and demonstrations conducted by the leading technology firms. This year’s program will include more than 75 hours of educational programming, more than 50 end-user case studies and more than 175 technology companies, so you can learn how to solve your business problems in one convenient location.

“It’s clear that RFID technology has matured to the point where companies can now invest in solutions that provide true business visibility,” said Mark Roberti, RFID Journal’s founder and editor. “Companies can now track and manage mobile assets, inventory, tools, vehicles and individuals in a way that was never before possible. The data RFID systems provides allows them to optimize their business processes.”

The three co-located events are designed to provide added value to attendees, by enabling them to access additional education sessions.

Auto-ID Conference

This one-day conference is designed for executives looking to understand how automatic-identification technologies other than RFID can help solve their business problems. Sessions will cover the various types of bar codes, contact memory buttons, bokodes, Microsoft Tags, RF-resonant inks and more. This conference will also address how various auto-ID technologies can be integrated to provide seamless visibility for managers.

IEEE RFID 2010

The 2010 IEEE International Conference on RFID is the leading technical conference for researchers, developers, integrators and vendors to discuss and expand their knowledge of technologies, systems, networks, algorithms and applications of RF-based wireless communications and identification systems. IEEE RFID 2010 will provide critical insights into the research currently underway that will drive future advances in radio frequency identification.

Aerospace RFID Summit

This workshop will provide a unique opportunity to understand the fundamentals of RFID technology, and will explore how the technology is being applied in the aerospace sector. Participants will take away key learnings in the following subject areas: technology basics, including overviews of physics, hardware and software; business and use cases of RFID for aerospace and defense; and standards and regulations that are key to effective deployments.

“We are extremely excited about next year’s event,” Roberti said. “More companies understand the value RFID can provide, and we are pleased to be able to help them determine which system will offer the visibility they need to improve the way they do business. The three co-located events will offer attendees even more value.”

For additional information regarding RFID Journal LIVE! 2010 and the three co-located events, please visit www.rfidjournalevents.com/live.

About RFID Journal

RFID Journal is the leading source of news and information regarding radio frequency identification (RFID) and its many business applications. Business executives and implementers depend on RFID Journal for up-to-the-minute RFID news, in-depth case studies, best practices, strategic insights and information about vendor solutions. This has made RFID Journal the most relied-upon and respected RFID information resource, serving the largest audience of RFID decision makers worldwide–in print, online and at face-to-face events. For more information, visit www.rfidjournal.com.

###

Contact Information
MARK ROBERTI
RFID JOURNAL
http://www.rfidjournalevents.com/live/
631-249-4989

I get quite a few emails asking about RFID as you can imagine. More times then most it is from a new employee that is trying to save the new company money so they come out looking like a shining star to their new boss.

Most of the time the employee has just graduated college and was put into a job in the supply chain division and they have no clue as to how to proceed. I feel sorry for them, they didn’t study this in college and now they are placed in an awkward position of learning on the fly.

I usually send them to our RFID Articles page and let them read up a bit. After a few days they come back and ask much better questions about how RFID works and how they can implement it into their new company. I am always glad to help out but the questions I get from the outset are quite funny. I love answering them once they get a quick learning about RFID and how it works. It makes the lessons so much less painful for me.

If you want to talk about RFID or things like supply chain management hit me up on Twitter. My screenname there is RFID DUDE. Looking forward to chatting with you all.

After having a blog over on blogger for a few years I decided to hook it up with the website and get all the RFID content I have all in one place. Some information is old and out of date but since I have this new blog setup I will be using it alot more.

Feel free to chime in and ask questions and I will do my best to respond right away.

After the foiled plan that had been planned to blow up the fuel supply at JFK airport it got me thinking about how improvements can be made using RFID for access to off limit areas at the airport.

They could have truned off the ID card of the suspected bomber within a few minutes of the planned attack at JFK Airport.

There is no easy way to explain RFID but this is the easiest way I can think of in easy to understand for the common person that has no clue what RFID is.

RFID technology is used frequently today, but not many people know about, or even know what it is never mind understand it. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification and is used to store and retrieve information. This information is stored and retrieved using RFID tags or transponders. These tags are small and can be incorporated into many products. The tags have antennas that allow them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver.

The RFID industry is currently undergoing speedy growth and orgasmic changes. Market research firms forecast the market for products and services will intensity to the $7 billion range by 2008. With mandates from both distinguished retailers and government entities, many more companies are ready to infuse on the RFID technology journey.

How Does It Work

RFID works off of a system that relies on tags, tag readers, tag programming stations, sorting equipment, circulation readers, and tag inventory wands. RFID is generally used in security, because security gates are programmed to read the RFID tags and then either open or close accordingly. The system helps the information be easily transmitted via an RFID device. Systems have evolved over the years along with Generation 2 chips. The hope is that it will one day be available to everyone (meaning consumers) because it will be more efficient and cost effective to implement RFID processes.

There are two types of RFID tags:

*Passive tags do not have their own power supply, but rather receive their power from a tiny electrical current present in the antenna that is induced by an incoming radio frequency scan. These tags are good for a short distance tracking solution.

*Active RFID tags have a power source and therefore are much stronger and can be used over larger distances and are therefore more highly effective. Active tags also have the ability to store more information than their passive counterparts. Some active tags have a battery life of up to ten years.

Where is RFID Used?

RFID can be found almost everywhere. It can even be found in your local Wal-Mart or other big brand retailers. The little alarm that sounds if an item has not been scanned is made possible by a chip. These chips are also found on car alarms,and even animal tags. One other use of this solution is to track and detect motion. This could be very useful in the coming years in terms of prisons. This technology will be employed in many states in the coming years.

Who knew that this technology was so simple to learn.

There is so much information out there on RFID that is so wrong. This little video will answer most questions on what RFID can do.

I was just reading all about the Amber alert down in Lubbock Texas for Mychael Darthard-Dawodu and it got my mind thinking. First I am glad that the baby was found alive in New Mexico but is there any way that the abduction could have been prevented in the first place.

If you are not familiar with this particular Amber alert the baby was taken from the mother in a Texas hospital by someone posing as a nurse. The infant was kidnapped early Saturday from a woman who walked out of Covenant Lakeside Hospital with the 5 pound baby hidden in her purse.

This woman allegedy said she needed to take this days old baby to get some test done. Any mother in this situation would hand over their baby to someone that had hospital clothes on. It has been said that the woman actually came in the room a few times posing as a nurse. I am sure the mother felt comfortable hat this was a hospital employee.

Sure a hospital is busy place and this lady was seen on a security camera exiting the building but what could be done to stop this from happening in the first place is what I am thinking about. I would never want to think about the feelings that poor mother had when they told her about what happened.

I believe that we could and should use some sort of RFID tag device, maybe a label in a wrist strap on each baby that would be hard to remove. They already tag the baby with it’s name so they don’t get all the babies mixed up. It would be easy to make that wristband RFID capable. That’s another thing that could be tracked also using something like I am thinking about. Maybe a tag on the inside of the diaper where it would not be seen. I know the wetness part is a tricky issue but the label can be placed high enough on the waistband that it could avoid getting wet.

Each hospital could place a RFID reader at each elevator entrance and staircase on the maternity floor. When the tag goes through it a big read flashing light could go off and security could have stopped this from happening before the suspect was caught 100 miles away.

Once again I am sure the people that are against using RFID for anything will say that it violates the babies privacy rights but that is something that I bet every parent that reads about this story will just laugh at.

I am sure that there is already a RFID product on the market that would be able to handle this already. I just can’t focus on one as I keep thinking about what those poor parents must have been going through at the time.

With the cost of Generation 2 tags on the decline and the important issue at hand many hospitals should look into some sort of RFID enabled device or something else to keep this from happening.