New rule being published by the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service will require electronic identification ear tags for dairy, and some beef, cattle in 180 days. Such EID tags come with LF or UHF RFID chips, to be read with handheld or fixed RFID readers. The United States Department of Agriculture‘s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced new regulations for cattle tagging that requires an electronic (EID) ear tag. The rule is expected to be published in the federal register in May and will be effective 180 days after publication. Currently, the o ..read more

  The funding will go to supporting ongoing product development and drive growth in the market, according to company officials. Editor’s Note: This story was first published on DigitalDealer.com Stella Automotive AI raised $19.7 million in a Series A financing round that just closed, according to a May 1 statement. The Tampa-based technology provides artificial intelligence for car dealers, in what company officials say is providing the equivalent of an “Alexa” or “Siri” so that people calling into car dealerships can get questions answered or schedule appointments. Dealers across the c ..read more

SML to Demo Clarity at Microsoft Headquarters RFID company SML RFID was selected to showcase its Clarity RFID solution at the Microsoft Industry Experience Center (IEC), in Redmond, WA. The IEC is a private space at Microsoft’s headquarters intended to feature cutting edge technologies to drive innovation. The Clarity RFID solution provides an inventory and supply chain management application for retail technology. As part of the IEC showcasing, SML demonstrated the system in the retail environment to show visitors at the center the benefits of implementing RFID solutions, including ..read more

  Kore and GoRout are partnering to transform on-field sports coaching and player performance. Real-time data transmission will allow coaches and players to interact during both practice and games through wearables In an leap forward for youth sports, IoT company Kore and GoRout, the pioneer in coach-to-player communication devices, have announced a partnership set to transform the dynamics of on-field sports coaching and player performance. This collaboration marries Kore’s, a global leader in IoT solutions, cutting-edge IoT connectivity, solutions, and analytics with GoRout’s wearable ..read more

  Tageos brought a message of sustainability, new engineering and partnerships to RFID Journal LIVE in Las Vegas last week. The company has launched offerings to help companies engineer solutions for unique use cases. Updating antenna designs and material substrates, Tageos is providing new products aimed at a more sustainable solution for companies tracking goods and assets with RFID. The company is responding to increased demand from companies and consumers for greater sustainability in the products they use. For Tageos, that means taking responsibility for making its RFID inlays and ..read more

  ProMach sees the addition of Etiflex continues the expansion of their label-converting capabilities. Etiflex staffers will become part of ProMach’s Labeling & Coding business line, ProMach is expanding its North American footprint. The Cincinnati-based company announced on April 22 it has acquired Mexican pressure-sensitive and RFID labels producer Etiflex. This move marks ProMach’s first foray into the Mexican market and bolsters its labelling and coding capabilities across North America. Headquartered in Mexico City, Etiflex is one of the largest converters for variable inf ..read more

Global service bureau FineLine has expanded its Missouri facility to meet the needs of consumer product manufacturers who are new to RFID and demand a variety of label types and support. The expanded facility opened for business in February, and offers labels and support as companies meet RFID tag requirements for the first time. A wide variety of products—from car parts to toys—are being tagged with UHF RFID labels. And FineLine’s 25,000 square foot production site expansion in Missouri is aimed at serving this growing demand. As many consumer product goods (CPG) companies confront RFID tag ..read more

Aesculap launches an RTLS solution for Sterile Processing   Sterile containers for healthcare company Aesculap, Inc. has released a new real-time location system (RTLS) known as Aesculap Aicon RTLS, which works with the company’s existing Aesculap Aicon Sterile Container System to improve the efficiency of Sterile Processing Departments (SPD). The company displayed the new technology at the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) conference April 21-23 in Las Vegas, NV. The RTLS system is designed for use in operating rooms to manage each step of the surgical instrument reprocess ..read more

  The issue is Apple’s tap-and-go NFC technology allowing for contactless payments with mobile wallets An agreement with European Commission could come as early as May Reports have Apple inching closer to allowing other smart phones to use their near-field communication (NFC) technology. A Reuters story last week stated the iPhone maker finalizing its offer to open its tap-and-go mobile payments system to rivals for the next 10 year that could be approved by European  Union (EU) antitrust regulators as soon as next month. At issue is Apple’s tap-and-go NFC technology allowing for c ..read more

  University of Georgia’s poultry science researchers find RFID can capture and categorize chicken activity with at least 87 percent accuracy. The data from the RFID technology study finds activity levels of chickens have some effect on health, while more research is pending. While RFID technology is commonly used to identify and manage cattle, as well as some sheep and pigs, tracking chickens has been more challenging. Chickens are smaller, lower value, and reared in significantly higher numbers than larger livestock. However, academic research is finding benefits for RFID in managing ..read more