September 2002

Just what opportunities are there for applying radio-frequency identification systems, or "smart tags"? For a useful insight, have a look at the rebuilt Web site of Finnish RFID specialist Rafsec, where you can download technical specifications and see suggestions about putting RFID to practical use.

Rafsec, whose parent is the paper giant UPM-Kymmene Corporation, is committed to investing in technologies that will help lower the price of smart labels. It has already formed a strategic alliance with the California-based Alien Technology Corp, which has technology that reduces the size of microchips and a cost-effective method of attaching them to transponder antennas. In the UK it has acquired a majority stake in TDAO, which has developed an environmentally-friendly way of producing transponder antennas.