Alien Technology? Corporation today announced that the RFID Solutions Center Dayton, a division of Alien Technology, is now offering EPCglobal-certified Applied Tag Performance Testing to help companies ensure the readability of their EPC/RFID-tagged goods as they move through key points of the global supply chain. One of just eight EPCglobal Accredited Performance Test Centers in the world, the RFID Solution Center leverages simulated real-world supply chain conditions to comprehensively test tagged-unit readability in demanding dynamic conveyor and dock door portal environments.

     "Tag performance is an important plank in a RFID platform. The factual knowledge gained through Applied Tag Performance Testing can be used to fine-tune RFID tag configurations and placements in advance of ‘go-live,’ thus accelerating RFID implementations and avoiding surprises, delays and lost opportunities down the line,” said Damon Bramble, General Manager, of the RFID Solutions Center Dayton. “When you partner with the RFID Solutions Center, you can be assured of the most rigorous and comprehensive testing to standards set by EPCglobal, enabling you to ship with confidence that you comply with industry expectations for uniform and predictable tagged-unit readability.”

     As a not-for-profit organization dedicated to driving the adoption of the Electronic Product Code, EPCglobal promotes a standard set of test profiles to simulate real-world conditions when assessing the readability, or performance, of EPC/RFID-tagged goods. The EPCglobal Performance Test Center Accreditation Program was developed by EPCglobal to evaluate the capabilities of testing facilities to leverage these profiles. The RFID Solutions Center Dayton—with its simulated supply chain environments and test laboratory—is accredited by EPCglobal to perform Dynamic Conveyor Portal and Dynamic Dock Portal Door testing and to certify the results with the EPC global stamp.

Dynamic Conveyor and Dock Door Portal Testing and Deliverables
     The RFID Solutions Center Dayton is fully equipped to replicate key stages of global supply chain operation. For Dynamic Conveyor Portal Testing, Solutions Center engineers use a variable-speed conveyor system meeting EPCglobal testing criteria to test and document how well cases or cartons tagged on each their six sides are read for each RFID label orientation. All 12 possible label orientations are tested across a range of speeds to assess unit readability under characteristic conveyor conditions.

     For Dynamic Dock Door Portal Testing, Solutions Center engineers use a dock door portal meeting EPCglobal testing criteria to similarly test and document how well tagged pallets of tagged cases are read while moving through the portal, again at different speeds. The testing focuses on the readability of the tagged cases as well as the readability of the tagged pallet on which they reside to assess unit readability under typical shipping and receiving conditions.

     The resulting deliverable is a report detailing the test environment and procedures and presenting the complete test results, including an assessment of applied tag performance and professional engineering conclusions and recommendations.

About Alien Technology

     Alien Technology provides UHF Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products and services to customers in retail, consumer goods, manufacturing, defense, transportation and logistics, pharmaceuticals and other industries. Organizations use Alien''s RFID products and services to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and security of their supply chains, logistics and asset tracking operations. Alien''s products include RFID tags, RFID readers and related training and professional services. Alien''s patented Fluidic Self Assembly (FSATM) technology and related proprietary manufacturing processes are designed to enable the manufacture of high volume, low cost RFID tags.

     Alien was founded in l994 and employs about 235 people worldwide. The company''s facilities include: its corporate headquarters in Morgan Hill, CA; an RFID tag manufacturing facility in Fargo, ND; the Alien RFID Solutions Center, in the Dayton, Ohio area, and sales offices in the US, Europe and Asia. Alien is a member of EPCglobal.

                                                                                                                             Extract From Information Week