RFID-enabled packaging offers cost savings to industry
RFID-enabled packaging offers cost savings to industry
Montreal-based HIDE-Pack and Frisco, TX-based Domino Integrated Solutions Group have teamed to develop a method of implementing radio frequency identification technology in a wide variety of packaged goods by embedding an RFID inlay within the structure of a package.
The HIDE-Pack concept -- an approach to integrated RFID-enabled packaging -- is a patent-pending technology owned by HIDE-Pack and available commercially through Domino ISG.
The embedded RFID inlay is not visible from the outside or inside the package. It becomes an integral part of the packaging and results in significant capital and labor saving.
Michael McCartney, principal of Sausalito, CA-based QLM Consulting and a consultant to Domino ISG, said that the technology results in a minimum of 35 percent savings compared with what is in use now for RFID systems. "You have to buy an inlay for 10 cents and spend at least another 10 cents into a label that needs to be UV-protective," Mr. McCartney said.
But with this new RFID inlay, companies "won't have to make a label or attach a label, nor need a $5,000 RFID printer," Mr. McCartney said.
By purchasing packaging with HIDE-Pack embedded RFID tags, a consumer- goods manufacture also can lower its investment in capital costs in equipment maintenance and repair and the direct labor cost required to implement "slap and ship" RFID programs.
The joint development of the patent-pending HIDE-Pack system has shown among other benefits that inlays can be read just as well when a layer of packaging adhesive covers them as when they are positioned on the surface of a box. And read rates obtained from HIDE-compliant inlays compare favorably with those obtained from RFID inlays positioned on a box surface.
By eliminating the need for labels, not only is HIDE-Pack more cost effective for both consumables and capital equipment, it also reduces the fiber content on the packaging.
HIDE-Pack-enabled corrugated cases were also shown to be re-pulpable and recyclable. A trial performed in a 100 percent recycled linerboard mill -- the products of which are approved by Health Canada -- showed that conventional contaminant removal equipment commonly used in paper mills is effective at isolating the stream of inlay components.
Further advantages provided by the HIDE-Pack concept include robustness to various conditions typically known to degrade the performance of identification technologies -- more specifically RFID infrastructures -- such as moisture exposure; electrostatic discharges; physical damage incurred during case filling, transit and automated equipment handling; and breaking stretch-wrapped pallets.
Results from trials held in an independent, U.S.-based RFID testing facility showed that the performance of HIDE-Pack-enabled corrugated cases did not degrade between their shipping from the box plant and their reception in a distribution center. A sample within this box shipment was deliberately subjected to extreme adverse environmental factors.
HIDE-Pack and Domino ISG offer a range of services and products to help organizations implement RFID in an affordable and sustainable way. HIDE- Pack provides its customers with advice on packaging design, adhesive selection, RFID inlay selection and inlay placement. Domino ISG provides selection, testing and integration services that cover the full range of RFID technologies.
The HIDE-Pack concept -- an approach to integrated RFID-enabled packaging -- is a patent-pending technology owned by HIDE-Pack and available commercially through Domino ISG.
The embedded RFID inlay is not visible from the outside or inside the package. It becomes an integral part of the packaging and results in significant capital and labor saving.
Michael McCartney, principal of Sausalito, CA-based QLM Consulting and a consultant to Domino ISG, said that the technology results in a minimum of 35 percent savings compared with what is in use now for RFID systems. "You have to buy an inlay for 10 cents and spend at least another 10 cents into a label that needs to be UV-protective," Mr. McCartney said.
But with this new RFID inlay, companies "won't have to make a label or attach a label, nor need a $5,000 RFID printer," Mr. McCartney said.
By purchasing packaging with HIDE-Pack embedded RFID tags, a consumer- goods manufacture also can lower its investment in capital costs in equipment maintenance and repair and the direct labor cost required to implement "slap and ship" RFID programs.
The joint development of the patent-pending HIDE-Pack system has shown among other benefits that inlays can be read just as well when a layer of packaging adhesive covers them as when they are positioned on the surface of a box. And read rates obtained from HIDE-compliant inlays compare favorably with those obtained from RFID inlays positioned on a box surface.
By eliminating the need for labels, not only is HIDE-Pack more cost effective for both consumables and capital equipment, it also reduces the fiber content on the packaging.
HIDE-Pack-enabled corrugated cases were also shown to be re-pulpable and recyclable. A trial performed in a 100 percent recycled linerboard mill -- the products of which are approved by Health Canada -- showed that conventional contaminant removal equipment commonly used in paper mills is effective at isolating the stream of inlay components.
Further advantages provided by the HIDE-Pack concept include robustness to various conditions typically known to degrade the performance of identification technologies -- more specifically RFID infrastructures -- such as moisture exposure; electrostatic discharges; physical damage incurred during case filling, transit and automated equipment handling; and breaking stretch-wrapped pallets.
Results from trials held in an independent, U.S.-based RFID testing facility showed that the performance of HIDE-Pack-enabled corrugated cases did not degrade between their shipping from the box plant and their reception in a distribution center. A sample within this box shipment was deliberately subjected to extreme adverse environmental factors.
HIDE-Pack and Domino ISG offer a range of services and products to help organizations implement RFID in an affordable and sustainable way. HIDE- Pack provides its customers with advice on packaging design, adhesive selection, RFID inlay selection and inlay placement. Domino ISG provides selection, testing and integration services that cover the full range of RFID technologies.
