Intermec makes RFID announcements

Intermec Technologies on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded a blanket purchasing agreement to provide the Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Coast Guard with passive UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) with fixed-mounted and transportable readers.

“Intermec helps enterprises identify, track and manage their supply chain assets,” Intermec President Tom Miller said in a prepared statement. “This award allows us to move one step closer to bringing the full capabilities of RFID supply chain process improvement to the Dept. of Defense. Because of Intermec’s long relationship with the U.S. government, our government partners are assured we know and understand mission-critical implementations.”

The award was the latest of several recent RFID announcements by Intermec, which won a government contract to provide EPC Class 1 RFID tags earlier this year.

Last week, Intermec teamed with European retailer METRO Group to demonstrate an interoperable Generation 2 RFID system at the ECR Europe Conference and Marketplace. In the demonstration, Intermec’s Intellitag IF5 reader was able to read Gen 2 smart labels with Gen 2 chips from Impinj and Royal Philips Electronics.

Also last week, Intermec announced a limited-time licensing program to give RFID manufacturers access to Intermec’s RFID portfolio at royalty fees of 2.5% to 7.5%, according to the company. The licensing program will begin June 1 and end on Aug. 31.

“Intermec’s Rapid Start Licensing Program offers substantial benefits and minimizes cross-licensing negotiation delays so our partners can rapidly design and bring their products to market without concerns about [intellectual-property] infringement,” Mike Willis, Intermec RFID vice president and general manager, said in a prepared statement. “It provides customers the assurance they are looking for about who is clearly licensed by Intermec as they move ahead with RFID in 2005.”