Thinfilm and Evrythng announce collaboration

Thin Film Electronics (Thinfilm) and Evrythng, a software company that makes physical products smart by connecting them to unique digital identities on the internet, have announced a collaboration agreement to bring together printed electronics, near-field communication (NFC) and cloud-based software to make everyday objects smarter by connecting them to the web.

Thinfilm and Evrythng announce collaboration that brings together printed electronics, near-field communication and cloud software

Through the agreement, Evrythng will integrate its cloud-based, software-as-a-service platform with Thinfilm’s suite of printed electronics products, including the NFC Barcode and Smart Label product families.

Thinfilm’s NFC Smart Label platform combined with Evrythng's software will enable organizations to address markets in which globally unique identifiers are combined with real-time sensor data to add a new dimension to mobile data collection and user interactivity. Temperature sensing labels, for example, can be used to monitor shipments of vaccines, insulin and other sensitive pharmaceuticals.

On the ground, mobile devices provide a real-time window to product batch information and temperature conditions, while scanned data is simultaneously pushed to the cloud to enable analysis and reporting of actionable insights. Likewise, perishable foods can be monitored to improve overall safety, enhance supply chain diagnostics and reliability, and give retailers – and even consumers – a new window into the history and status of certain products.

Thinfilm’s NFC Barcode product – either on its own or as a component of a Thinfilm Smart Label – will connect to Evrythng’s software through NFC-enabled mobile phones and tablets to address a wide range of important markets, such as healthcare, manufacturing and consumer goods, for applications such as brand authentication, grey-market (diversion) detection, product serialization, asset management, and track-and-trace monitoring.

Together, the companies will deliver intelligent product systems that connect and manage online Active Digital Identities for a wide range of physical objects.

Thinfilm chief executive officer (CEO) Davor Sutija said: ‘Evrythng has built a powerful software engine and intuitive interface to help companies create and manage engaging digital extensions of physical products.

‘Its cloud-based software, real-time analytics tools and rich APIs, combined with Thinfilm’s printed memory, sensor-equipped Smart Labels and NFC Barcode technology, will enable digital and mobile interactivity in applications where connectivity was previously neither economical nor practical using existing technologies. Our shared vision in bringing intelligence and digital interactivity to the billions of physical objects in the world makes Evrythng an ideal partner for us.’

Evrythng founder and CEO Niall Murphy added: ‘Our partnership with Thinfilm extends Evrythng’s ability to make physical products smart, interactive, and trackable by connecting them to the web.

‘Thinfilm is leading a paradigm shift in the way digital interactivity is delivered to the market – even at the level of disposable items. The use of printed electronics specifically addresses the traditional cost and scalability barriers, while NFC connectivity significantly improves the ease of initiating interaction with a connected product. We look forward to working alongside Thinfilm in our efforts to enable a broad and inclusive Internet of Things.’

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