NewsClick here to go back to the News list SATO Develops Passive UHF RFID On-Steel Logistics Solution More than 250,000 slabs will be transported every year, and around 100,000 of them to Germany. ThyssenKrupp Steel needs to keep track of every slab in a complex logistics chain that spans continents. While the slabs have to be identified several times en-route, ThyssenKrupp Steel has only a short time window to identify each slab during the receiving (unloading, allocation and reloading) process. SATO “FlagTagSolution™” for slab logistics SATO “FlagTagSolution™” is a field-proven technology embedded with the UPM Raflatac short dipole Gen 2 inlay, forming a RFID tag in the shape of a “flag” during the encoding, printing and application process thus lifting the RFID inlay (in the “flag”) away from the surface of the product. For this particular application, the “FlagTag™” was customized to meet the requirements of tagging and adhering onto steel slabs. With the “FlagTag™” and its extended read-range, the RFID reader can now uniquely and accurately identify the slabs while they are suspended at times up to three meters from the gantry cranes. “For passive UHF RFID technology to be considered in an application such as the ThyssenKrupp Steel project which inherently poses many and various challenges, it has to undergo rigorous pilot testing. In the end, the SATO “FlagTagSolution™” had come out on top after undergoing some of the harshest environmental conditions such as seawater, extreme temperature changes, snow and ice as well as bumps and knocks during transit,” said Toshihiro Waki, Managing Director of SATO International. “Working hand in hand with our partners, Accenture and Sybase, SATO has scored yet another RFID deployment success as we continue to do our part in the wider adoption of RFID technology”.
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About SATOSATO is a pioneer in the Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) industry, and the inventor of the world’s first electronic thermal transfer barcode printer. It revolutionised the barcoding industry by introducing the Data Collection System (DCS) & Labelling concept – a total barcode and labelling solution providing high quality barcode printers, scanners/hand held terminals, label design software and consumables. SATO is one of the first in the industry to introduce a complete, multi-protocol EPC compliant, UHF RFID solution. In the continuous pursuit of bringing the benefits of Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) to all sectors, SATO printers have been successfully installed in hospitals, laboratories and pharmacies worldwide, helping users to increase their efficiency and decrease expenditures. SATO is publicly listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan. It has worldwide offices in the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, it reported revenues of US$705 million. More information can be found at www.satoworldwide.com. Contact:Yasmina Dumont
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The advantage of RFID, and specifically of UHF RFID, is its capability to read data from a greater distance than barcode without the need for line-of-sight. However, while UHF delivers long read ranges and high data throughput rates, its readability and performance become limited when in close proximity of metal which distort or deflect the radio waves.