Zebra ships UHF-enabled RFID printer/encoder

Zebra Technologies has begun shipping what the company claims is the first printer available with fully integrated support for Class 0 (read-only) and Matrics Class 0 (read/write) smart labels.

The R110Xi UHF EPC printer/encoder is built to withstand industrial environments, and offers a solution for suppliers racing to conduct RFID pilot tests and meet RFID compliance mandates issued by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Albertson's. The R110Xi is upgradeable to support future RFID protocols as new and updated standards evolve.

'Zebra is an acknowledged leader and pioneer in printing and encoding for RFID smart labels and Matrics is extremely pleased that Zebra is supporting our Class 0 and Class 0 read/write product,' says Girish Rishi, senior vice president of marketing at Matrics. 'We have been working closely with Zebra on many important projects and are thrilled that they chose our PR 100 reader module to embed in their R110Xi EPC-compatible printer/encoder.'
A member of EPCglobal, Zebra is playing a role in the development of RFID standards and applications designed to help suppliers meet the RFID EPC compliance labeling requirements set to take effect in January 2005. Zebra
is also a member of the DoD RFID Expert Group, charged with developing RFID specifications for the DoD.
'The top suppliers to Wal-Mart, Target, Albertsons, and the DoD have less than six months to comply with the new RFID initiatives these organizations have set forth for case and pallet labeling, says Bob Cornick, Zebra vice
president and general manager of RFID. 'Zebra's objective is to provide a broad array of tools to help them meet this goal. The pilot programs we are conducting with many of these suppliers validated the importance of supporting all major smart label technology standards.'