SATO claim RFID first

SATO Europe NV., has announced the introduction of the industry’s first, complete multi-protocol EPC-compliant RFID solutions service offering for customer pilots and beta tests. SATO now delivers not just RFID printing solutions, but complete EPC-compliant RFID solutions including pre-planning consultation, on-site survey, pilot planning and implementation, as well as post-pilot consultation and customer service.

The complete SATO RFID solutions include the new CL408e and CL412e UHF RFID printers, utilizing multi-protocol RFID read/write technology, which supports EPC Class 1, ISO18000, and EM Marin protocols. The CL408e and CL412e RFID printers use an open architecture, which can be easily upgraded as new standards and protocols are established for new generations of RFID tags such as EPC Class 1 Generation 2. Utilizing multi-frequency technology compliant with FCC (902-928 MHz), ETSI – Europe (868 MHz), SATO’s CL408e and CL412e RFID printers are designed to ensure compatibility today, and as new RFID tags and protocols evolve tomorrow.

SATO also fully supports the Uniform Code Council’s (UCC) Electronic Product Code (EPC) initiatives and the recent Metro and Wal-Mart mandate, requiring their Top 100 suppliers to embed RFID tags at the case and pallet level by 2005.

To support SATO’s complete solution offerings, it has established an alliance with SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SMY:TSX-VEN) (“SAMSys”), an international provider of RFID hardware solutions, to manufacture RFID readers for SATO’s RFID printers. With SAMSys, SATO will provide users with a convenient way to produce RFID labels and tags.

Patrick Frimat, Managing Director of SATO Europe states, “Solutions and Agility are the key elements of RFID business. We believe RFID requires a complete offering of media, hardware, software, and technical expertise to combine it all, as a solution. Standards and protocols are evolving on a global scale, meaning RFID solutions require a future upgrade path that is low-cost and easily integrated. Our SATO RFID Solutions are designed to develop with new technology.”
 
Using ultra-high frequency (UHF) chips embedded in the labels, the custom SAMSys module enables SATO RFID printers to print the label and program the chip inside the label simultaneously. These RFID enabled "smart labels" can be read even if the label is not in the reader’s line of sight, allowing reading operations to be done automatically, reducing labor costs and improving accuracy. Additionally, the information encoded onto many smart labels can be changed during their lifetime, eliminating the need to remove and re-label items. The SATO printers with RFID capability are designed for many applications, including anti-theft, asset tracking, supply chain logistics, baggage tags, and factory automation.