A joint venture between an entrepreneur from Brooklyn, N.Y., and daytaOhio may soon solve the problem of poor accuracy rates for reading RFID tags, the next generation of identification technology for tracking the flow of products from manufacture to consumers.
The joint venture, Radio Frequency in Dayton, LLC (RFiD) brings the brainchild of entrepreneur Benson Chanowitz of Brooklyn, N.Y., to Dayton. The final product will be a system for validating the performance of the antennas and readers for RFID environments in manufacturing, distribution, retail and defense industries. The Dayton Development Coalition (DDC) is supporting the development of this company and recently announced initial financing through the Dayton Region Entrepreneurial Signature Program (ESP) which the Coalition leads. This program is a State of Ohio Third Frontier project to assist companies commercializing new products in emerging industries, according to Jim Leftwich, president and CEO of the DDC.
The calibration device is very much needed in all areas of the growing radio frequency identification market, estimated to be $50 billion annually. Currently, calibration of radio frequency fields is a time-consuming, highly inaccurate process, according to Chanowitz.
"No known solution offers the early results of this patent-pending technology," Chanowitz said. "The device is able to provide a configuring solution to get 100 percent readability of RFID tags passing through a 'read' zone."
daytaOhio began working with Chanowitz in late 2007, seeing the opportunity to enhance the calibration system with innovative ways of visualizing the data to improve the productivity of companies installing, servicing and using RFID systems in the region. As Leftwich points out, the Miami Valley is a hotbed of RFID development and use with manufacturers like NCR and hundreds of distribution centers clustered around the I-75/I-70 interchange. The work with Chanowitz led to the creation of RFiD, a joint venture with daytaOhio, to bring this innovation and up to 35 new jobs to Ohio by the end of the initial development phase, according to Terry Rapoch, president and CEO of daytaOhio.
"The DDC's support of the RFID startup through the ESP program is another indication of the benefits to a focused regional strategy that builds on Dayton's strengths," said Leftwich.
"The region's history in developing barcode technology and point-of-purchase systems makes Dayton the location of choice for companies who are implementing next-generation RFID products," added Rapoch.
RFID is a method of identifying items using tags on packages and pallets that are activated by radio waves. The information on the tags is then read by a scanning device and transmitted to a computer for entry into inventory management or other systems.
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