MIKOH Corporation announced Smart&Secure for smart retail applications, a new solution that provides certainty for item-level mobile phone tracking and inventory management using RFID at point-of-sale sites in retail store and kiosk locations.
Mobile phones are subject to high levels of theft at point-of-sale sites where phones can be stolen from their packaging. Without physical security, phone theft is typically not discovered until the packaging is opened during or after a sale. Leading analyst firm Gartner reported that 175 million mobile phones were sold in North America in 2007 and global sales totaled 1.15 billion, indicating high demand for mobile devices across the globe and increasing the need for device security.
MIKOH's Smart&Secure tags for smart retail applications incorporate MIKOH's proprietary tamper-indicating RFID technology and will be used in conjunction with handheld devices and RFID-equipped smart shelves to provide real-time inventory and theft detection. The tags will be attached to each individual mobile device at point-of-sale to ensure product authenticity.
"The use of tamper-indicating technology, as seen in Smart&Secure for smart retail applications, is a template for inventory and anti-theft applications of MIKOH's technology on small, high-value consumer electronic products where retailers must maintain close control over inventory that is exposed to theft by both employees and the public," said Andrew Strauch, vice president of marketing and product management for MIKOH Corporation. "With Smart&Secure, manufacturers and store owners can be certain that the integrity of their products remain intact despite looming threats that exist."
MIKOH's solution for smart retail applications leverages its Inform line of Smart&Secure tags. Smart&Secure Inform is a pressure-sensitive RFID label incorporating a chip and antenna manufactured from destructible conductive ink that disables the RFID functionality of tags, labels and seals if tampering occurs. Smart&Secure creates a unique, one-to-one relationship between the tag and the asset to which it is attached. This approach prevents unauthorized tag removal and transfers. The result mitigates risk surrounding asset tampering, theft and counterfeiting as a functional tag indicates a genuine product.
Smart&Secure Inform has a tamper layer, which causes antenna damage when the tag is compromised or removed. A proprietary multi-layer manufacturing process results in reliable tamper indication even when sophisticated tamper methods such as temperature extremes, chemical or mechanical attacks are used.
"For mobile phone manufacturers and store owners, MIKOH presents a new and timely opportunity to improve inventory and asset management in all store locations," continued Strauch. "Using Smart&Secure for mobile phone applications leads the charge for other new retail applications to follow."
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