Below are three of the top stories in automated data collection, RFID and the Internet of Things in recent weeks.
Ralph Lauren Going with QR Codes instead of RFID to Track Its Garments
Iconic apparel company Ralph Laurent recently announced a new program that would give each of its garments a unique "digital identity" that it says will help both customers and its supply chain.
The initiative involves sewing a new fabric label next to the brand label on the inside of shirts and pants that includes a two-dimensional QR code.
Supply Chain Digest Says... |
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| The FeaturePrint is essentially an "immutable digital link between the physical object and the digital world." |
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By scanning what the company calls a Digital Product ID on the product label with a smartphone, consumers can confirm whether their purchase is authentically a Ralph Lauren product and see details about the product's materials, history, etc.
That is a common use of QR codes on consumer products generally.
But Ralph Lauren says it will also use the QR code internally in its supplier chain, with a unique identifier also embedded in the code. That means the potential to track inventory down to the item-specific level.
"The launch of Digital Product IDs demonstrates how we continue to use technology to deliver more for our consumers and ensure the integrity of our products throughout their lifecycle," says David Lauren, Chief Innovation Officer at Ralph Lauren. "The application of this technology means every Polo product will be "born-digital" which represents a new milestone in data intelligence innovation in our sector."
This company says it is the first global retail brand to apply this technology at this scale and in unprecedented ways.
It is an interesting move, as the company could of course used RFID for the inventory tracking – which has the advantage of not requiring hand scanning as the QR codes will in the supply chain.
 On the other hand, the consumer needs to QR code for that side of the application, so perhaps it was simply decided to keep it simple and go with only one approach, not using both RFID and QR code technology.
Avery Dennison Acquires Competitor, Enhances RFID Market Share
Avery Dennison has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Smartrac's Transponder (RFID Inlay) division for the purchase price of $250 million,
The division will have an estimated global revenue of $140 million in 2019 and approximately 900 employees. Smartrac is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The transaction will benefit Avery Dennison's Intelligent Labels (RFID) business. The combined entity will have more than $450 million in revenue and enhanced manufacturing capacity, product lines, and R&D capabilities, Avery says.
Avery has primarily focused its existing business on UHF-based RFID tags for the retail and apparel markets.
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Smartrac, by comparison, has a wider variety of products, including HF and Near Field Communication (NFC) based inlays. It has also recently started offering Internet of Things products, ultimately expanding significantly expanding Avery's market reach into other sectors and applications, such as manufacturing.
"This acquisition reflects a continuation of our strategy to invest, both organically and through M&A, to shift our portfolio towards faster growing, higher value categories," said Mitch Butier, Avery Dennison CEO. "Smartrac's Transponder Division represents an excellent strategic fit for us, accelerating our strategy to expand our Intelligent Labels platform across a variety of end markets and customers within the industrial and retail segments, and extending our reach to new channels."
Alitheon Raises $11.6 Million for Unique Tracking Technology
Bellevue, Wash.-based startup Alitheon recently raised $11.6 million in seed financing to develop technology says could make bar codes and RFID obsolete.
The technology is somehow able to identify unique physical markers on the surface of virtually any object – say a shipping carton – and create what it calls a "FeaturePrint," which just like a fingerprint is unique to each item, even on what look like identical objects (e.g., dollar bills).
 The FeaturePrint is essentially an "immutable digital link between the physical object and the digital world," said Alitheon CEO Scot Land. As with biometrics, this physical identity can't be stolen or shared.
"Barcodes were great in 1984," Land says, noting that the problem is that modern supply chains have set the world awash in counterfeits, fakes which could be easily identified using Alitheon technology.
From SCDigest's understanding, a captured FeaturePrint would simply be compared to a database of known product profiles (FeaturePrints) to see if there is a match, at least for the authentication use case.
The technology can use images captures from almost any camera or smart phone, the company says.
"Our patented technology uses advanced machine vision, neural networks, and deep learning to identify each object from its unique properties without dependence on RFID, bar codes or other proxies," the company says in its website, adding that "The identification of the object is inherent in the object itself."
More on this interesting technology soon from SCDigest.
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