Last week Orlando became home for nearly 2,500 representatives from RFID suppliers, integrators and deploying enterprises. What sets this show apart from other industry events is not only the diversity of technologies, served markets and applications showcased, but the collaborative emphasis placed on using RFID to solve business problems.
RFID has evolved, and the main event reflects this evolution. The tone and tenor of conversations taking place in conference rooms and on the exhibit floor continues to migrate from the core technologies and their inherent capabilities (these go to 11) to the real world problems deploying enterprises are solving with the technology, increasingly enabled by open standards and supported by a growing list of complementary technologies.
Support for these trends were found throughout the RFID value chain, from new chip designs that provide increased functionality and flexibility, to new devices designed to address widening data capture requirements, to new software and service offerings designed to harness, aggregate and analyze more data than ever before:
Nowhere in these companies’ presentations were there extended discussions about feeds, speeds, bits or bites. Instead, an emphasis was placed on where to look for data to develop information, how to aggregate this information, and how to use the intelligence derived from this information to more effectively manage risk, reduce operating expenses, retain customers and grow revenues. These conversations suggest that RFID is turning a corner, becoming a viable platform technology that will prove indispensable for the data, insight and perspective it can provide.