ICMA member Philips Semiconductors and Omron Corporation are cooperating in the emerging field of smart label technology. Philips is supplying Omron with I·CODE ICs for smart labels, and Omron is developing a comprehensive range of 13.56 MHz readers and transponders. The technology will be suitable for use in all the emerging smart label sectors, such as airline passenger baggage handling, parcel services, libraries and retail logistics.

Omron now offers the airline industry RFID Sortation Tunnel Readers, suitable for installation into existing tilt tray and conveyor-based airport baggage handling systems. As members of the IATA Registered Suppliers Program, both Omron and Philips have recently conducted equipment testing for smart label baggage tagging, showing the suitability of I·CODE in this application.

The testing of Omron's latest I·CODE 13.56 MHz Sortation Tunnel Reader and its new disposable transponder was conducted by British Airways at a test facility belonging to Crisplant a/s of Aarhus, Denmark. Furthermore, Omron is currently putting on trial equipment based on Philip's I·CODE technology in retail supply chain management and express parcel service applications.

Smart labels are radio frequency transponders which are thin enough to be laminated between layers of paper or plastic to produce low cost, consumable labels. This new technology contains read/write memory to store information related to the product, manufacturer or logistics process. Smart labels can be simultaneously operated by read/write devices at a rate of more then 30 labels per second, and, unlike barcodes, do not require a direct line-of-sight between the reader and label.

According to Steve Coffey, manager of Omron's New Business Development Group in Europe, "Philips' I·CODE chip technology fits perfectly with our open systems strategy. Its overall competencies in identification components and its track record in creating open system platforms make it an outstanding chip supplier and a good partner to develop a comprehensive range of 13.56 MHz readers and transponders."

"We are extremely pleased by Omron's commitment to I·CODE," notes Christoph Kauer, product line manager at Philips Semiconductors."

Omron Corporation is a Kyoto, Japan based US$5.5 billion global leader in the field of automation. Philips Semiconductors of Eindhoven, The Netherlands is the eighth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. For more information, visit the website www.semiconductors.philips.com.