NEWS

US Air Force selects ODIN to Monitor and Maintain RFID Network

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 08:18

US Air Force selects ODIN to Monitor and Maintain RFID Network

Air Force AIT and Air Mobility Command RFID Sustainment Initiative Covers Eight Bases

January 27, 2010. Dayton, OH – The US Air Force Global Logistics Support Center selected ODIN, the global leader in RFID software and solutions, to monitor and maintain its entire network of passive RFID readers deployed in the continental United States (CONUS), Alaska and Hawaii. The contract scope covers seven Air Force bases, one Navy base and nearly 150 passive RFID readers. ODIN will be responsible for updating firmware, determining proper configuration, and keeping performance optimized. The contract, including two option years, extends until January 2013.

Passive RFID is growing significantly within the United States Department of Defense (DoD) as well as in commercial industry. The reason for the growth is a decline in price and an increase in performance, especially around tough-to-tag items like metal and liquids. The Air Force is using RFID to improve business process ranging from tracking hazardous material to receiving goods from suppliers.

“As one of the largest passive RFID networks in the government, the Air Force needs to be up and running gaining value from their RFID network 24/7. Our experience from nearly 300 RFID projects, including the largest Department of Defense passive RFID deployment, and all the research we put into EasyMonitor™ and support best practices will really pay dividends for the warfighter,” commented Patrick J. Sweeney II, founder of ODIN. He continued, “Now that the Department of Defense is getting savvier around RFID, they realize that the old way of monitoring and maintaining the network would not scale. Consolidating the sustainment takes them to the next generation and opens a door to a higher level of performance.”

The seven Air Force bases and one Navy base covered under the contract with RFID networks installed include:

Charleston AFB, SC
Dover AFB, DE
McChord AFB, WA
McGuire AFB, NJ
Norfolk NAT, VA
Travis AFB, CA
Elmendorf AFB, AK
Hickam AFB, HI

About ODIN

ODIN is the leader in packaged RFID solutions for healthcare, aerospace, financial services, and government agencies. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN’s expert engineers and patented RFID software and monitoring tools to achieve accuracy, speed, and visibility for their RFID deployments. In addition to packaged solutions, implementations, and engineering, ODIN publishes the RFID Benchmark Series™, the industry's first and most referenced head-to-head performance analysis of RFID equipment. ODIN’s RFID optimization software EasyRFID™ has been successfully used at dozens of companies across more than 265 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Ashburn, Virginia; Dublin, Ireland; and Budapest, Hungary. For more information, visit www.odintechnologies.com

About EasyMonitor™

EasyMonitor™ is ODIN’s patented RFID network monitoring tool built on a peer-to-peer architecture. The system allows remote management of RFID devices from anywhere in the world. EasyMonitor’s™ software agent sits on the devices and integrates seamlessly into Tivoli, OpenView, Unnicenter, and other network management systems. ODIN offers EasyMonitor™ as a software or together with monitoring and management service.

Contact

Bret Kinsella

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703.968.0000

ODIN technologies, Trusted RFID Experts

The “Internet of things” is baaack

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 14:43

As I sit here thinking about all the great ideas born out of the 1999 era Auto-ID center at MIT, I can’t help relying on the old adage “timing is everything”. I took MIT’s summer course on RFID just a couple of years after the Auto-ID center was founded, and met Kevin MacDonald – one of ODIN’s pillars, a five-year employee with a great reputation among dozens of clients. I met and subsequently hired Dr. Daniel Engels before most people could spell RFID. And I sat with Dr. Sanjay Sarma hearing him talk about an “Internet of Things”. It was his vision for where the world would co if everything was connected.

Many people in RFID have scoffed at the IBM advertisement of a woman sitting behind a desk on a desolate road telling a truck to turn around because the RFID tags talked to her, but we aren’t far from getting there.

Last week I had the good fortune to speak at a symposium in Washington, DC about the Internet of Things. IT was largely focused on policy and regulation and Gerald Santucci the head of the European Commission unit for ICT and RFID in DG Information Society and Media discussed the EU RFID recommendations and the EU Communication on the Internet of Things. Also present were several representatives from the Obama administration as well as their EU counterparts.

The big takeaway from the event was that the Internet of Things is being planned for and is expected on both sides of the pond. There are many smart people planning to make it as effective and safe as possible. Many early pioneers from the registrar and domain name service (DNS) companies were there to lend their lessons learned creating the first scalable Internet (capital “I”). They reported we are only months away from not having fixed IP addresses from the governing bodies, because we are running out of numbers. Clearly the only solution is IPv6 – the latest version of the Internet Protocol. That will become very important for the Internet of Things.

The other curious bit of misinformation was that they thought RFID just worked no matter what, and that the object name service was what people were using to route data. Fortunately there were several experts on the docket to dispel both those rumors. I did my best to educate on the physics of RFID and the limitations of passive read ranges and active battery size for instance. I spent a lot of time on the benefits to everyday consumers, while others talked about how there are various “catalogs” to look up things like ONS.

It was great to see policy makers get an education and take steps forward to help Dr. Sarma’s vision step one foot closer to reality.

RFID Tests Prove Tangible ROI for Airline Baggage Tracking

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 07:20

ODIN’s Testing shows RFID accuracy at 99.9% vs. less than 90% for Barcode

December 8, 2009, Ashburn, VA, USA – The airline industry now has another well documented use for radio frequency identification (RFID) – baggage tracking. For the first time, several RFID tags designed specifically for airline baggage tracking provided nearly 100% read accuracy across global RFID frequency testing. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) each piece of lost luggage costs between $90 and $100 in direct costs. In an effort to help airlines and airports choose the optimal tags and eliminate this unnecessary expense, ODIN created the first scientific RFID study for airline baggage tracking, the RFID Baggage Tag Benchmark™.

The Benchmark is designed to help airports and airlines understand the key performance characteristics behind successful RFID baggage tagging solutions and how current tag offerings stack up to scientific scrutiny. Designed for end users, the data is presented for scientific RF tag performance as well as high speed conveyor testing. The RFID Baggage Tag Benchmark™ can save Airport authorities and airlines tens of thousands of dollars in testing and narrow in on successful products available today.

“We’ve had airports contact us about using stimulus money to modernize baggage systems in an effort to make their airports more attractive to international carriers and cut costs at the same time. Airlines and airports must replace 35 year-old barcodes, but don’t know what RFID systems are best. ODIN’s RFID Baggage Tag Benchmark provides answers,” commented Patrick J. Sweeney II, ODIN’s founder.

He added, “Already a dozen airports globally have adopted RFID for baggage tracking. We expect half the airports worldwide to be using RFID in the next five years. It is a very fast return on investment, especially since more than 10% of all baggage errors are caused by unreadable barcodes whereas over 98% of all RFID tagged baggage today is read properly the first time. For Class B airports or major carriers, RFID can provide a pay back in less than 12 months. In the past the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has made funding for these projects available for Airport authorities because of the faster access to tagged bags and enhanced security. Now that airports have more variety in quality tag choices and solid ROI case studies, there has never been a better time to invest in RFID.”

In the Benchmark ODIN tested 13 tags using first scientific, laboratory based tests, and secondarily on a high speed baggage sortation system. The goal was to primarily test tag sensitivity of converted labels (baggage tags) across the global UHF frequency band (ETSI/Europe, FCC/United States, and TELEC/Japan). Europe and Japan represent the low and high end of the UHF frequency spectrum allocated for use globally and the United States covers a wide spectrum in the middle. Other geographies typically allocate spectrum within these ranges. It is important to test across the UHF spectrum because tag performance often varies in different frequencies.

The test results include:

Tag Sensitivity Consistency or Manufacturing Consistency
Power Effectiveness (PE)
Orientation Sensitivity (OS)
Distance testing
High speed baggage conveyor testing

The RFID Baggage Tag Benchmark™ is sponsored by Siemens, a leading supplier of complete solutions for all airport processes between landing and take-off. As one of the major suppliers of RFID systems Siemens is using RFID as one of the key technologies to make airport operations more efficient.

To download the Benchmark, please visit: http://www.odintechnologies.com/odinstore.html

Or if you would like to order an RFID case study specific to your industry please visit http://bit.ly/8KPVkJ

About ODIN
ODIN technologies is the leader in accurate and easy to use RFID solutions for aerospace and defense, government, healthcare, and IT asset tracking. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN's expert engineers and patented RFID solutions to achieve accuracy, speed and visibility. In addition to turn-key solutions, implementations and engineering, ODIN publishes the RFID Benchmark Series™ and the RFID Pricing Guide™, the industry's first and most referenced head to head performance and cost analyses of RFID components. ODIN's RFID automation and optimization software EasyRFID™ has been successfully used at dozens of companies across more than 200 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Ashburn, Virginia, Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary. www.ODINtechnologies.com

Contact:
Bret Kinsella
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ODIN technologies, Trusted RFID Experts
703.968.0000

US State Department selects ODIN’s RFID Asset Tracking

Wednesday, 14 October 2009 13:45

10,000 IT Assets tagged to increase security and reduce costs

14 October 2009, Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of State is tagging 10,000 mission critical IT assets with passive radio frequency identification (RFID) to save money, increase security, and reduce administrative burden.

The State Department chose the leading RFID solutions company ODIN, headquartered in Ashburn, VA to provide a turn-key IT Asset tracking solution. ODIN’s packaged solution is more secure, faster to deploy, and drives a quicker ROI than integrating separate RFID products or using 35 year-old bar code technology.

The State Department’s IT Asset system, based on RFID, is part of a growing trend within the US Federal Government to leverage RFID 2.0™, the latest in transformational technology. RFID 2.0™ is passive RFID technology that is gaining widespread adoption mainly because costs have declined significantly, performance has improved dramatically in the past 12 months, and a global ISO standard has stabilized.

“The State Department is using RFID technology to save taxpayers money by dramatically reducing administrative burden,” commented ODIN’s founder Patrick J. Sweeney II. “The added security of having RFID-tagged assets will keep sensitive information where it belongs. After all, no Federal Agency wants to find itself on the front page of the Washington Post.”

Initially the State Department started with a trial of the technology to ensure that the business process within their agency would benefit from RFID. Once the technology was proven, they decided to start an agency-wide program by tagging 10,000 critical assets with UHF Gen 2.0 passive RFID tags. The tags are based on the same standard in use by the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies.

“There were many choices of RFID components, but only one or two solutions providers with deep expertise and a complete physics-to-software solution. We chose ODIN because they’ve completed hundreds of successful RFID projects and have a heritage in RFID physics going back to MIT,” commented Kirk Ingvoldstad at the US Department of State. “After using barcode and thousands of labor hours to track assets for the past 20 years, it is well past time for a new technology. Passive RFID from ODIN was the right choice for a higher level of security and cost savings.”

About ODIN:
ODIN is the leader in packaged RFID solutions for healthcare, aerospace, financial services, and government agencies. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN’s expert engineers and patented RFID software and monitoring tools to achieve accuracy, speed, and visibility for their RFID deployments. In addition to packaged solutions, implementations, and engineering, ODIN publishes the RFID Benchmark Series™, the industry's first and most referenced head-to-head performance analysis of RFID equipment. ODIN’s RFID optimization software EasyRFID™ has been successfully used at dozens of companies across more than 265 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Ashburn, Virginia, Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary. www.ODINtechnologies.com

Contact:
Bret Kinsella
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
703.968.0000

Patriotism and sacrafice hiting home

Sunday, 11 October 2009 22:40

As my neighbor was doing his weekly grocery shopping he was stopped in his tracks by a beautiful young girl collapsing onto an outdoor bench and sobbing uncontrollably in front of the store. He instinctively asked if she was alright and needed help. The woman’s response was that she just learned her finance was killed in Afghanistan. They were together just a month ago when he was on leave.

This morning I was honored to ride my motorcycle in escort of that fallen soldier: SPC Stephen Mace of the 61st Armored Cavalry. Mace was a man that each and every American owes an eternal debt of gratitude. This man, who was just old enough to have his first legal beer this year, was caught in a vicious firefight in Afghanistan when the Taliban attacked a remote outpost – killing eight US soldiers. What moved me so much during the 15 mile, almost hour-long, motorcade was the outpouring of respect and appreciation that this Northern Virginia community showed.

As the motorcade crawled the along the route the entire fabric of our country was woven on the side of the road. We passed uniformed Korean and Vietnam veterans standing at attention. There were women who didn’t know Mace weeping a mother’s tears alongside stoic looking men staring out at the motorcade; jaws locked in profound gratitude and the fire of anger for an enemy that would slaughter everyone of us just for being American. There was hope in our future – cub scouts were out saluting with a first and second finger raised to their brow, little girls came out from church wondering why there was a parade on a chilly Sunday morning, their parents trying to explain the turn of events that broke the silence of our rural community. I witnessed the quilt of patriotism and love that sets our country apart from our enemy’s.

America is a different place after 9/11. The most patriotic days in our country in a long time were 9/12 and 9/13. In the years since, many of us have let the memory of our enemy’s desperate mission of hatred slip our mind. Fundamental Islamic terrorist won’t rest until they kill as many infidels as possible. No matter what politicians may say in rhetoric the infidels are us. We are the dominating western force built as “One nation under God”. We’re a Christian nation that is grounded in an acute sense of propriety, and they detest that about America. A moment like today hits home that those beasts are still there, still trying their best to spill the blood of every American, just because we are American. Every man woman and child is fair game to these cowards.

There’s nothing anyone can say to that fiancé, to Mace’s mother, to the brothers and friends except Thank you. As Americans with the freedoms to say, do, be whatever we love to do we are eternally in Stephen, and every other soldiers’ debt.

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived”.

– Gen George S. Patton

Gartner Hype Cycle 2009 – RFID is “Transformational”

Saturday, 26 September 2009 10:41

Last month Gartner came out with their 2009 hype cycle. Two very good bits of news for folks in the RFID industry came from the release.

Gartner classifies RFID as “Transformational” meaning it will have a major impact on the way companies do business
RFID is emerging out of the trough of disillusionment and Gartner predicts mainstream adoption

The drawback to the Gartner report is they wrongly focus on the retail case and pallet industry. They are missing the broader application of RFID in industries that are more aggressive adopting.

As many of you who follow my blog now know more than 60% of the top medical device manufacturers have adopted RFID with a return on investment (ROI) of less than 12 moths thanks to RFID. The healthcare industry has identified several ‘killer apps” that only RFID can execute. This includes everything from real time location systems (RTLS) which find critical assets through out a hospital, to RFID enabled cabinets using ISO-18000-6 UHF which monitor vendor managed inventory (VMI) for everything from heart catheters to sutures.

Aerospace, Governments, heavy manufacturing, postal systems, and IT Asset management systems are all evidence of areas where RFID is leading a transformational change in the way participants conduct business. As with all technologies RFID is only transformation if it changes business processes.

What we have today is large and growing market that is gaining value from RFID. Gartner has traditionally been very bearish on RFID, so this latest report that RFID is on its way up the slope of enlightenment to driving real productivity is great news. All of us who have been working hard to build winning projects for the past decade should be excited the pay-off is just around the corner!

Inc. Magazine recognizes ODIN as top growing RFID Company

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 08:48

ODIN places in Top 20% of 2009 Inc. 5000

Ashburn, VA – ODIN, the global leader in packaged RFID solutions, was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. ODIN was not only the top ranked RFID Company on the prestigious list but also one of the top technology companies. ODIN was ranked 74th in the Washington, DC area, 888 in the USA, out of 5,000 selected. Other notable RFID companies who also made the list include Xterprise, Barcoding Inc, and CSI. ODIN only reported domestic USA financial results and not results from European affiliates.

“One of ODIN’s core ideologies is to create Supremely Satisfied Clients™. This is at the nucleus of everything we do. Because of the focus on the client we have grown faster than any other RFID company,” commented Patrick J. Sweeney II founder of ODIN. He added, “I personally want to thank all of our great clients for helping us expand with such velocity.”

“Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models…” said Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan. “That’s why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year.”

ODIN is headquartered in Ashburn, VA and focuses on the key verticals Government, Healthcare, Aerospace, and the ITAsset tracking. The company has offices in Dublin, Ireland, Budapest, HU and full time employees in Toulouse, France to serve a growing European client base.

The Hottest Regions for Fast-Growing Companies
Once again, California tops the Inc. 5000 with the most companies of any state with 612. The Golden State is followed by Texas (393), New York (316), Florida (263), and Virginia (261). All 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, are represented on this year’s list.

New York boasts 371 Inc. 5000 companies, making it the top metropolitan area, followed by Washington, D.C. (317), Los Angeles (253), Atlanta (209), and Chicago (203).

The Inc. 5000 at a Glance
Bolstered by this year's No. 1 company, Northern Capital Insurance, Insurance emerged as the top industry, with an average growth rate of 667 percent. Other strong performers include Energy (523 percent) and Government Services (491 percent).

In total, the companies on the Inc. 5000 have created more than 1 million jobs. Health is the top employer with 156,223 jobs, followed by Business Products & Services (122,911), IT Services (89,632), Food & Beverage (86,572), and Construction (65,494).

IT Services had the most companies on this year’s list with 658, followed by Business Products & Services (502), Advertising & Marketing (398), Construction (354), and Manufacturing (342).

Topping this year’s list is Northern Capital Insurance, a Miami-based firm that is helping to revolutionize Florida’s ailing insurance industry. The company generated $95 million in revenue in 2008 and an impressive three-year growth rate of 19,812 percent.

The top woman-owned company is P3S (No. 17 overall), a San Antonio–based firm that provides IT network security and physical security services, mostly to the Defense Department. P3S, owned by Mary Ellen Trevino, recorded revenue of $13.5 million in 2008 and a three-year growth rate of 5,898 percent. The top minority-owned company is Harley Stanfield (No. 3 overall), a Washington, D.C.–based real estate investment firm that buys existing properties, makes them energy efficient, and then resells them as investment properties. Harley Stanfield, founded by Cedric Franklin, posted revenue of $38.4 million in 2008 and a three-year growth rate of 13,350 percent.

The Inc. 5000 posted an aggregate revenue of $214 billion in 2008, up nearly 16 percent from the previous year. The top five industries by total revenue include Health ($22.7 billion), Business Products & Services ($19.6 billion), Construction ($18.8 billion), Energy ($14.7 billion), and IT Services ($13.2 billion).

Methodology
The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent -- not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies -- as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million. The top 10 percent of companies on the list comprise the Inc. 500, now in its 28th year.

About ODIN
ODIN technologies is the leader in accurate and easy to use RFID solutions for government, healthcare, aerospace and defense, and IT asset tracking. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN's expert engineers and patented RFID solutions to achieve accuracy, speed and visibility. In addition to turn-key solutions, implementations and engineering, ODIN publishes the RFID Benchmark Series™ and the RFID Pricing Guide™, the industry's first and most referenced head to head performance and cost analyses of RFID components. ODIN's RFID automation and optimization software EasyRFID™ has been successfully used at dozens of companies across more than 200 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Ashburn Virginia, Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary. www.ODINtechnologies.com.

Inc. Magazine
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,961, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at Inc.com.

About the Inc. 500|5000 Conference
Each year, Inc. and Inc.com celebrate the remarkable achievements of today’s entrepreneurial superstars—the privately held small businesses that drive our economy. The Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony brings together members of the Inc. 5000 community, both a new class of Inc. 5000 honorees and the list’s alumni, for three days of powerful networking, inspired learning, and momentous celebration. Please join us September 23–25, 2009, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. For more information about the 2009 Inc. 500|5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony, and to register, visit www.Inc5000event.com. Stay connected with Inc. Events by following @IncEvents on Twitter.

For more information please contact:
Bret Kinsella
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703-968-0000

The DOD ends the RFID vs. Barcode debate

Friday, 14 August 2009 15:47

Last week I was invited to a closed working group session of a U.S. Department of Defense AIT working group at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (for those who don’t know the “Patterson,” he was Frank Stuart Patterson, son and nephew of the co-founders of National Cash Register, who was killed on June 19, 1918, in the crash of his Airco DH.4 at Wilbur Wright Field.) The projects that they have underway are truly impressive for those who follow RFID. But the most important thing I found at the meeting was that they have officially ended the barcode – RFID debate.

Thirty five years ago the latest technology to automate collecting data was the bar code. At the time it was revolutionary. Instead of a “stubby pencil” and clipboard to write down everything, barcode allowed the DOD to enter data once and every time they needed to record it for ever more it was find the bar code and perform a simple scan. For the next three decades it would rule supreme as an automatic identification technology (AIT). The technology had limitations for sure, but it was a quantum leap forward from the pencil. At the time it was the best technology available but that has finally changed.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was first started in the defence world (note the British spelling) when the UK air force used it to identify friend vs. foe aircraft in the sky. Since then it has evolved to be the latest and greatest AIT. Rather than have to see something to scan it, and use a gun and a human to point at it; RFID allows things to be recorded and collected automatically with no humans and no line of site required. The use case, or applications, and the technology took a little while to emerge but now they have matured to be the next quantum leap forward.

As you might imagine many of the things the Air Force is doing around RFID are classified, but there is one project that I can talk about that proves the dramatic improvement this technology can make. This project clearly shows that RFID has much greater value as an AIT than barcodes ever could.

The team at Wright-Pat led by one of the pioneers in the DOD’s RFID world, Mark Reboulet, has RFID enabled refueling tankers or air-to-air refueling planes. The planes they often use are KC-135 tankers that extend a boom out the back in mid-air and let other planes like F-18s hook up and refuel without having to land. In the past the guys who steer the boom out the back of the tanker (know as Boomers) would have to write down the plane being refueled, the amount of fuel it took, the time, location, etc. What the Air Force team decided was that this was a perfect opportunity for RFID. The Air Force has fitted out the end of the booms with RFID readers, the planes being refueled are affixed with unique RFID tags. The process is phenomenal - the plane begins its flight up to the boom and the RFID reader is turned on. When the plane gets about 100 feet away the reader can read the passive tag and record all the unique data from that aircraft. The amount of fuel added to the plane and all other information is recorded automatically allowing the Boomer to focus on his job of safely refueling the fighter.

Reboulet referred to this as one of RFID’s “killer apps”. His team has shown successful read rates at up to 130 feet away from the boom. Even in the worst of rainy and foggy conditions they are successfully reading at 80’ minimum. This type of efficiency and safety improvement would have never been possible without RFID.

Clearly there are other killer apps for RFID that have emerged; from asset tracking, to part marking, to medical device management. Now that the technology has greatly improved and cost decrease over the past year or two the DOD is ready to declare that RFID is truly a superior technology and can have a very disruptive change on old business processes. What killer apps can you think of in your own world?

Free RFID Tag Pricing Guide™ Assists End-Users

Tuesday, 26 May 2009 21:32

Industry’s First Tag Pricing Guide Providing Insight on RFID Costs

Ashburn, VA – May 27, 2009 – The industry’s first RFID Tag Pricing Guide™ is being offered for free to end-users by ODIN’s RFID Lab (www.ODINtechnologies.com). ODIN, the leader in RFID benchmarking and packaged RFID solutions for government, healthcare, aerospace and defense, responded to demand from end users to provide trusted RFID cost data. The RFID Tag Pricing Guide™ is the first independent source for standard tag pricing and highlights key variables that drive tag cost. It is designed to educate buyers and facilitate better purchase decisions. The Guide complements ODIN’s RFID Benchmark Series™ which presents the industry standard for head-to-head, scientific RFID equipment and component performance. Today’s release is the first in a series of tag pricing guides that will track pricing trends for end users over time.

“There is a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding passive RFID tag prices,” commented Chetan Karani, a lead RF engineer at ODIN. “Tags come in many forms and with a broad variety of capabilities. For instance, with a seven cent tag, you can be sure it doesn’t have a large memory bank and can’t withstand an hour in an autoclave. End users need to make sure they align use case, application, and performance requirements with expectations around tag costs. The RFID Tag Pricing Guide™ is a first step in understanding the basics of RFID tag cost and it’s free from the engineers at ODIN.”

“We’ve seen end-user put an entire project in jeopardy because they don’t do a little bit of tag research. It is essential that you establish an apples-to-apples comparison when considering the price of tags,’ commented Harold Goldzung who leads sourcing at ODIN technologies. He added, “Most end users haven’t considered the variables that make up a converted tag cost. Many vendors will just present their lowest price and generic data sheets that do not educate users about how to best meet specific requirements. The RFID Tag Pricing Guide™ provides insight into current tag pricing and the key tag features that drive cost. End users will benefit from ODIN’s seven years of experience solving these issues for customers.”

The tag pricing guide includes sections on the following topics:

Setting the Record Straight – What do tags cost? Myths about passive RFID Tag Pricing The Impact of Tag Silicon The Impact of Tag Dimensions The Role of Frequency Key Tag Features Pricing Guide May 2009 Recent Industry Updates

To download your free copy go to:
http://www.odintechnologies.com/rfid-tag-pricing-guide

About ODIN technologies
ODIN technologies is the leader in accurate and easy to use RFID solutions for government, healthcare, aerospace and defense, and IT asset tracking. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN's expert engineers and patented RFID solutions to achieve accuracy, speed and visibility. In addition to turn-key solutions, implementations and engineering, ODIN publishes the RFID Benchmark Series™ and the RFID Pricing Guide™, the industry's first and most referenced head to head performance and cost analyses of RFID components. ODIN's RFID automation and optimization software EasyRFID™ has been successfully used at dozens of companies across more than 200 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Ashburn Virginia, Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary. www.ODINtechnologies.com

Contact:
Bret Kinsella
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703-968-0000

GSA Awards ODIN Comprehensive RFID Contract

Wednesday, 13 May 2009 00:20

Award-winning ODIN granted GSA Schedule open to all Government Buyers making RFID services and solutions easier to access

Ashburn, VA – May 13, 2009 – The United States Federal Government’s General Services Administration (GSA) awarded ODIN (www.ODINtechnologies.com), the leader in accurate RFID solutions for government, healthcare, aerospace and defense, and recent recipient of the industry’s highest award RFID Journal’s Best in Show, a comprehensive government wide purchasing vehicle. The GSA schedule allows users to purchase RFID services and solutions which best fit their needs. ODIN received a Multiple Award Contract Schedule on the GSA’s 81 IB, Packing & Packaging Supplies and Services.

Among other responsibilities, the GSA acts as a procurement screening organization to review applications from thousands of government suppliers annually and determine which ones provide unique value to government buyers. The GSA establishes long-term contracts with commercial vendors providing everything from computers to office supplies and security services to supply chain technology. According to the GSA website: “GSA Schedules offer customers direct delivery of millions of state-of-the-art, high quality commercial supplies and services at volume discount pricing. All customers, even those in remote locations, can order the latest technology and quality supplies and services, conveniently, and at most favored customer prices.”

“Providing easy and accurate RFID solutions for end users in the government is part of ODIN’s mission, this requires access to key contract vehicles like GSA. Combined with our pRFID contract with the PM J-AIT and numerous other vehicles through our many partners, ODIN’s new GSA schedule provides another easy way for government buyers to access proven RFID solutions,” commented Patrick J. Sweeney II founder of ODIN technologies. “ODIN has served over a dozen of the United States government’s largest organizations ranging from the Department of Defense to Customs and Border Protection. The entire ODIN team is proud to receive this mark of approval and look forward to serving additional government RFID end users through our new GSA schedule.”

To learn more about accessing ODIN’s new GSA Schedule please visit: http://www.odintechnologies.com/government-gsa
This advertisement is neither paid for nor sponsored, in whole or in part, by any element of the United States Government.

About ODIN technologies
ODIN technologies is the leader in accurate and easy to use RFID solutions for government and defense, aerospace, and healthcare. Global corporations on five continents leverage ODIN's expert engineers and patented RFID solutions to achieve accuracy, speed and visibility for their RFID deployments. In addition to turn-key solutions, implementations and engineering, ODIN publishes the RFID Benchmark Series™, the industry's first and most referenced head to head performance analysis of RFID equipment. ODIN's RFID optimization software EasyRFID™ has been successfully used at dozens of companies across more than 200 sites worldwide to ensure accurate and scalable RFID implementations. ODIN serves clients from offices in Ashburn Virginia, Dublin, Ireland and Budapest, Hungary.www.ODINtechnologies.com

Contact:
Daniel Connolly
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703.968.0000

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