MARKHAM, Ont. – IBM Canada Ltd. and a group of industry partners have established the Canadian RFID (radio frequency identification) Centre located at IBM’s facilities.
"IBM has created other RFID briefing centres and labs around the globe, and this facility is truly a first for Canada," said Shai Verma, RFID practice leader, IBM Canada Ltd. "We have joined forces with key industry organizations and technology partners, and collectively, we have created a capability that will help companies better understand RFID’s business process impacts and how it will work in some very challenging physical situations, ensuring they can reap the benefits of the technology quickly and with low risk."
With an initial investment of approximately $1.7 million, the centre will enable Canadian industry to better understand, experience, experiment with and test the latest RFID technologies and demonstrate the potential business case for tracking products. According to market research firm IDC, worldwide RFID consulting, implementation, and managed services expenditures are forecasted to be approximately US$800 million in 2006.
Initially, the Markham facility will allow producers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers to experience how RFID will enable food traceability, but plans call for the inclusion of other products and processes in the near future. The centre will be the first in North America to demonstrate the use of Generation 2 technology which increases its applicability and stability to operate in many different industries and environments.
The founding partners of the RFID Centre include: EPCglobal Canada (GS1 Canada); Intermec Technologies Corp.; and Symbol Technologies Inc.
