SAVI TECHNOLOGY AND MATRICS COLLABORATE TO DELIVER BREAKTHROUGH RFID SYSTEM THAT INTEGRATES PASSIVE AND ACTIVE RFID
Integrating EPC-Based Passive RFID Tags With Global Active RFID Network
Enables Real-Time Visibility And Security Of Items, Containers, And Transportation
Vehicles
SUNNYVALE, CA and COLUMBIA, MD - July 21, 2003 - Savi Technology, a leading
provider of real-time solutions for global supply chain security and asset
management, and Matrics Inc., a pioneer in the advanced development and
standardization of low-cost, high-performance, EPC-compliant smart label technology,
announced today that they have been collaborating on the integration of passive
and active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies to achieve
"nested visibility" throughout the supply chain.
The goal of this collaboration is to help bridge the gaps in supply chain
visibility, from the item level to the conveyance transporting them as well as
end-to-end from the factory to final destination. For example, if the security
of a container is breached, the integrated solution could tell authorities in
real-time what specific items are missing from a container as well as that the
container had been tampered with or violated. The integrated solution of
this partnership will enable users to have complete, real-time visibility of
item-level products as well as the pallets, containers and other conveyances that
transport them.
The initial product to be delivered through the collaboration of Matrics and
Savi will be a handheld device that reads and writes to EPC-compliant passive
RFID tags. It will also be designed to read and write to 433 MHz active RFID
tags and seals. With this integrated handheld, shippers, manufacturers,
logistics service providers, and carriers will be able to fully automate the
creation of an electronic manifest for each shipping container and be able to
identify and track the status of both the container and its contents.
Kevin Ashton, Executive Director of the Auto-ID Center at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, which is a catalyst for passive RFID and EPC adoption
in the supply chain, said, "The Auto-ID Center has always encouraged
partnerships and collaboration between companies at the forefront of RFID. This kind
of relationship (between Savi Technology and Matrics) is essential for the
development of a common, ubiquitous system, and we are delighted to see two
forward thinking technology companies working together in this way."
Separately today, Savi Technology also announced that it will collaborate
with the Massachusett`s Institute of Technology`s Auto-ID Center to include
support of the Electronic Product Code (EPC) within Savi`s SmartChain and
SmartChain suite of software applications - including the Savi Transportation Security
System and Savi Asset Management System.. Matrics is one of the key
developers of EPC-compliant smart labels to be used to automate and improve real-time
visibility of individual products moving through the retail supply chain, and
both Savi and Matrics are active sponsor-participants of the Auto ID Center.
"The Savi-Matrics partnership demonstrates that leaders in the industry
advancing automatic identification technologies realize the time has arrived for
greater collaboration to fully capitilize on the promise of this technology,"
said Steve Banker, Service Director for Supply Chain Management at the ARC
Advisory Group, a leading consultancy on manufacturing and supply chain solutions.
"Because there are a variety of operational and logistics processes to be
supported, as well as numerous hand-off points for products moving through a
global supply chain, collaboration is critical among the leading suppliers to
achieve end-to-end and top-to-bottom visibility."
Savi Technology and Matrics will work together to demonstrate the integration
and interoperability of their complementary technologies. The focus will be
on passive RFID/EPC-compliant passive labels produced by Matrics and Savi`s
SmartChain software platform and applications that are linked with Savi`s active
EchoPoint RFID tags. The partners will target applications for item-level
product tracking and multi-level visibility management for aggregating, securing
and monitoring supply chain assets that range from pallets and intermodal
containers to trucks and railcars.
The ability of both technologies to communicate with each other and across
Savi`s Asset Management and Security software platforms, will enable
manufacturers, retailers and logistics service providers to have complete multi-level, or
"nested," visibility of products and their conveyances in real-time as they
move or remain at rest in the supply chain. This will connect directly to
their existing planning, operating and financial systems, thereby creating
real-time feeds to allow them to make more secure and effective business decisions
that are based on more accurate and timely information.
The Savi-Matrics partnership also will coordinate closely with EPC-related
developments at the Auto-ID Center. The partnership will focus on determining
the appropriate applications of Savi Asset Management and Transportation
Security System software and their integration with automatic identification
technology for each level of supply chain visibility. This will include the
specification of bar codes or EPC-compliant labels for particular items or passive or
active RFID tags for pallets, containers or modes, such as truck trailers,
rail cars or aircraft cargo containers called Unit Load Devices (ULDs). The
real-time solutions also will incorporate applications for stationary and handheld
mobile readers to perform scanning, data capture and read-write capabilities
for various products, assets and conveyances.
The collaborative solutions are expected to cover a broad range of
operational applications, including the aggregation, security and monitoring of pieces,
cartons, cases, pallets and containers within facilities, such as warehouses
and distribution centers, as well as between them, via all transportation modes
and checkpoints, such as border crossings, airports, sea ports, truck
terminals and railheads.
"Savi Technology has been providing software linked with active RFID
solutions for more than a dozen years, and this is one of the most exciting times yet
for the general industry to work more closely together to provide the right
solution for the right application," said Blair LaCorte, Executive
Vice-President at Savi Technology. "Our collaboration with Matrics - one of the real
pioneers in advancing EPC-compliant labels for item-level tracking - will help lead
to more widespread understanding and adoption of real-time solutions for
multiple participants and multiple uses in the global supply chain."
"Although we are at the other end of the spectrum of automatic identification
technologies," said John Shoemaker, Vice-President of Business Development at
Matrics, "Matrics has always admired Savi`s leadership in advancing real-time
solutions on a global scale. Matrics is looking forward to collaborating and
contributing to our mutual objectives of providing complementary, multi-level
visibility for leading-edge users of this technology."
About Matrics
Matrics Inc., based in Columbia, Maryland, is a provider of RFID technology
and visibility solutions for supply chain, asset management and security and a
corporate sponsor of the Auto-ID Center. Patented wireless tracking
technologies provide users with the most reliable and cost effective solutions to
provide the comprehensive visibility of assets throughout the enterprise. Matrics is
presently engaged in rollout applications and pilot tests with several
Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit Matrics on the web at
www.matrics.com.
About Savi Technology
With over 12 years of global logistics infrastructure experience, Savi is the
proven leader in real-time supply chain asset management and security
solutions. In addition to government organizations worldwide, the company`s broad
customer base includes Target Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Woolworths UK,
Singapore Airlines, Hutchison Port Holdings, P&O Ports, PSA Corporation, and other
international shippers, carriers, asset owners and third-party logistics
providers. Founded in 1989, Savi Technology is privately held, with headquarters in
Sunnyvale, Calif., and offices in Washington D.C., London, Munich, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Singapore, and South Africa. For additional information, visit
www.savi.com
TM -- Savi, the Savi logo, and SmartChain are trademarks of Savi Technology,
Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACTS:
For Savi Technology
Mark Nelson
408.743.8866
mnelson@savi.com
For Matrics
Liz Churchill
410-872-0300
lchurchill@matrics.com
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