Chris Schaefer, Director, Global RFID Market Development - Motorola

How is your organisation involved with RFID technology?Motorola is the industry leader in UHF RFID reader hardware, designing and marketing a portfolio of handheld, fixed and mobile RFID readers that integrate seamlessly with Motorola’s other key technology and product offerings, including data capture devices such as bar code scanners and imagers, mobile computers and wireless infrastructure.  We work closely with our channel partners around the globe to deliver RFID-based business solutions that automate processes, reduce costs, improve service, and increase sales.

We believe that virtually every market we serve – including retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, wholesale distribution and healthcare – can benefit from RFID solutions. Our commitment to RFID products and solutions has been and continues to be a top corporate priority.

With Motorola's years of experience in RFID solutions, you've surely witnessed some changes?
Absolutely, in fact, the whole industry has seen changes. For example, in the early days of UHF RFID, it was primarily about supply chains and transport and logistics. RFID was being used in distribution warehouses and on loading docks. The hardware brought to market during those years was built with these markets in mind – products were industrial in nature, and devices tended to be big, rugged, with little thought to aesthetics.

But in the last two or three years, we have seen a shift. RFID is now gravitating toward business users in office spaces or retail stores – indoor environments. The RFID equipment used in these locations needs to be designed differently. It needs to be much smaller, lighter, easier to use and needs to fit in more appropriately to these professional or customer facing environments. That was the whole idea behind our new handheld reader.

Tell us about this new handheld RFID reader.
We recently announced a new product we call the MC3190-Z. It will be available in Europe in Q1 2011 and in the rest of the world in Q2. The 3190-Z is a handheld RFID reading device for business environments. Its aesthetics are completely different than RFID readers used for industrial environments. It's smaller and much more compact. Its antenna is flush against the unit, instead of sticking out – that might sound like it's nothing, but it was actually a lot of work, and in fact it's a patented Motorola design that provides premium performance for a business setting. Instead of maximizing read distance as you would in a huge warehouse, it provides a comfortable read distance married to a wider read zone – perfect for asset management in an office setting or cycle counting in a retail store.

Can you give us an example of how this device might be used?
Imagine a retail store that sells jeans. Typically in stores like that, you have a wall of shelves with piles and piles of folded jeans on them. At a quick glance, they all look alike, but in reality, there are different sizes, different styles, different colours. A shop clerk could use the MC3190-Z to find the exact size and cut that a client in the dressing room wanted to try. As she walks in front of the wall of jeans, the screen of the MC3190-Z gives her audio and visual cues – there are beeps and a screen icon showing you when you are getting closer to the item you are looking for. I think you can see how helpful this would be! It could also be used in shoe stores, or by companies who need to track laptops or servers, or hundreds of other places.

What is your vision of RFID in the coming years?
RFID used to be just a technology looking for a business case. Now it is definitely a part of bigger business solutions. It won't just be for large companies or for industrial logistics anymore. It's going to be an invaluable part of inventory or asset management systems for companies of all sizes, because it allows you to count items more accurately and find things more quickly. I think we'll see more consolidation of RFID technology and solution vendors. Many large companies on the periphery of this space are now looking at how RFID could complement their overall solution portfolio. We're seeing a lot of interest in how RFID fits in with other data capture or data management technologies. I think there will be a convergence of capabilities, an integration of multiple technologies.

Motorola's portfolio of technologies, solutions and services includes wireless handsets, wireless accessories, digital entertainment devices, wireless access systems, voice and data communications systems, and enterprise mobility products. The company operates in numerous countries around the globe, and has been at the forefront of communication inventions and innovations for more than 80 years. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com