Sustainable RFID Production Made-in-Europe

Exploring the Origins, Challenges, and Future Implications of RFID Technology

Revolutionizing Connectivity

RFID technology, stemming from radar system development in World War II, took shape in the late 20^th century. Innovators like Mario W. Cardullo played key roles. Initial concepts emerged in the 1940s, but significant progress in miniaturization and cost reduction occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, enabling practical applications. Commercialization happened in the 1990s, initially focusing on inventory management and access control.

Since then, RFID has become ubiquitous, used in supply chain management, asset tracking, and more. Today, it drives innovation, offering efficient solutions for asset, inventory, and information tracking.

Anja Van Bocxlaer, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Think WIOT Group, and Chuck Evanhoe, Chairman of the Board of Directors for AIM, interviewed American inventor and technology pioneer Dr. Mario Cardullo for insights into the history and beginnings of RFID technology, and its future potential.

Company story powered by: the Think WIOT Group and AIM

Made in New Zealand.

" As an inventor, you just make things and you hope that they work, and that you get some return from them. You never really think that your inventions are going to change the world."
– Dr. Mario W. Cardullo "

academic, and an entrepreneur. He is known as the American inventor who received the first patent for a passive read-write RFID transponder. The tech pioneer is now retired and will be turning 89 years old in May 2024.

Times-7 produces up to several thousand antennas per week on semi-automatic production lines. Most of these antennas are so-called patch antennas.

Times-7 is a manufacturer of RAIN RFID antennas based in New Zealand

Times-7 Research Limited manufactures niche and high-tech antenna readers in Petone in the Hutt Valley on the outskirts of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The company has an antenna portfolio of over 60 antennas.

With an international distribution network, Times-7 is active in 55 countries. While sales have increased threefold in five years, the number of readers produced has grown sixfold in the same period.

1. Mr. Kunnen, can you say something about the founding of Times-7?

Kunnen: In 2006, investors, scientists and RF Engineers came together in Wellington to develop a solution for sports timing. At the time, only the performances of top athletes at major events were recorded. We equipped each athlete with a tag so that we could reliably measure and record the times of each competitor.

UHF technology was still in its infancy at the time. Back then, the team produced all components such as tags and high-end antennas, as well as the entire infrastructure and application themselves. This also included a very thin modular ground antenna with a small production volume. That was the birth of Times-7.

2. What were the next development steps after 2006?

Over time, customers from other industry sectors approached us, prompting us to further develop the 'SlimLine' brand. We designed several specialized antennas in different sizes and beam patterns for various use cases.

Today, they are known as our Heritage Range. Then in 2016, we designed our first general purpose and high-volume production antenna: The A5010 series.

This antenna impressed the industry with its typical Times-7 aesthetic design, while still providing ruggedness and excellent tag read results. Back in those days, we didn’t have the capacity to manufacture in high volumes in New Zealand, so we worked with a contract partner in the USA. This worked out well since the USA was, and still is, our largest market.

In 2018, we designed another best-seller and absolute game changer for Times-7 and the RAIN RFID industry: the A5020 series. You won’t find a more rugged, good-looking, versatile and reliable antenna in the market. It is a well designed antenna, from its RF-qualities to its optimized and streamlined manufacturing process. On a dedicated semi-automated production line in our facility in Lower Hutt, we produce several thousand A5020s per week.

Following the huge success of the A5020, Times-7 decided to move the A5010 production back to New Zealand to become a 100 percent New Zealand company. Today the entire team of 30 people – consisting of marketing, sales, development and production – is located on the same site in Lower Hutt. Having it all under one roof drives efficiency for us, as all areas of the business are able to easily collaborate, from product design, development to production.

3. In which markets is Times-7 represented?

Times-7 is a global player, our channel partner network extends to over 55 countries. The United States is our main market, followed by Europe. Latin America and South Africa are considered growth markets. China is a challenging market for us with our high-end products as we are competing with very cheap products manufactured in country. However, building on trusting and long-term partnerships in Singapore, we are currently preparing to expand into the ASEAN market.

4. How does the partner network work?

We work closely with channel partners around the world, who stock our products in country to shorten the lead time and provide sales and technical support to our customers. Being on the other side of the world and in a different time zone, our channel partners generate crucial proximity to the markets and provide us with insights into local market trends.

To minimize the distance between us and our channel partners, our teams operate very flexibly in terms of time. We are also travel several times a year to our partners and visit sites to understand how our customers use our antennas in the field. Plus, the time zone difference can work to our advantage in that we can turn things around whilst our key markets are fast asleep!

5. You are exporting 95% of your products. What role does the domestic market play in Times-7 growth strategy?

We have an active RFID network in New Zealand and value our long-term partnerships with pioneering companies who we helped design RFID tracking solutions for their businesses. The fact is though, that we do not have a large domestic market. Agriculture is our most prominent industry. As far as industrial test scenarios are concerned, we rely on cooperation with foreign companies. The exchange with global partners is therefore extremely important and valuable for us to look beyond solutions in the agricultural space.

However, we are working closely together with local industry bodies to promote RAIN RFID in other verticals such as health care and logistics to grow our domestic market.

6. What advantages do you personally see in New Zealand as a location?

The New Zealand trade and legal system is an advantage, as it is very similar to the European system. In addition, we are a young nation. We don't rely on having all products in our own country. New Zealand is therefore a nation of inventors. This is in our DNA today. New Zealand is a creative and inventive country with a large number of research institutions. Further evidence of this are the innovative companies located in the Hutt Valley. This is also where Times-7 is headquartered.

New Products

1. "From the chip to the finished transponder" is one of your slogans. Does AEG ID produce the chips for transponders itself?

Arch: Yes, we produce the chips in a wide variety of designs, options and customer-specific printing technologies with a high level of vertical integration at our production facilities in Ulm and Vrchlabi. The only raw material we purchase is silicon.

2. What data is relevant for RFID solutions?

Knapich: The focus of the applications is on transponders that record production data, for example in industrial production. In photovoltaics, for example, the panels must always be supplied with a certain wattage. However, the cells themselves always deliver different wattages.

Although the number per batch is very homogeneous, it varies considerably across all batches. This means that the producers must have batch-controlled production. Transponders that uniquely identify the panel and thus enable the exact recording of production data are therefore essential.

3. What role does counterfeit protection play in RFID solutions?

Knapich: Whenever a manufacturer wants to ensure that the original product is used and that this product cannot be plagiarized, encryption algorithms are used. Our transponders offer this feature.

4. Are hybrid solutions also part of the portfolio?

Knapich: Yes. We also offer transponders for technologically more demanding projects. Transponders that have combinations of different frequency ranges in one product are required for secure access and time recording in particular. Some solutions also require two different transponders in the same frequency range.

5. What performance must transponders have when it comes to the cybersecurity of industrial processes?

Arch: The requirements for RFID transponders are currently increasing, as transponders in systems and machines must not be vulnerable to attack. This means that data communication must be encrypted. Our products deliver this performance.

6. How is the portfolio of transponders set up?

Arch: We manufacture transponders in a wide variety of shapes, designs and frequencies. We already have a standard product portfolio, mainly for the sectors of animal identification, industry and logistics, security, testing and maintenance technology as well as kegs and containers. Customer-specific transponders represent another large sector.

7. Which readers does AEG ID offer?

Knapich: Our reader portfolio includes mobile and stationary devices for all frequencies. We offer the ARE H9 LF handheld reader with medium range for mobile data capture in the animal sector as well as in industry and logistics. It offers excellent performance in logistics. We manufacture stationary readers for harsh industrial environments and desktop applications.

The ARE i9x LF reader, for example, combines all common LF algorithms in one device, can be installed directly on metal and has a connection for an external antenna. Our new ARE i2.0x reader series is a very powerful further development of the existing devices for industrial applications.

Arch: The ARE i2.0x product series is the successor to the ARE i2 series, which is used in large numbers worldwide. These new devices master a wide range of reading technologies and algorithms in one device. In principle, they cover everything from the past to the future.

8. New devices generations – what does this mean for customers?

Knapich: We are somewhat unique at this point. Most providers always adapt their current portfolio to new devices and no longer keep older device generations in stock. It's different with us. We can also meet the device requirements for the older RFID applications previously installed. We therefore also supply customers who are using legacy systems.

For industrial automation, we supply RFID solutions that can work with both old systems and new technologies.

The AEG ID portfolio includes transponders, handhelds and stationary readers.

Sustainability Made-in-Europe

1. Why is sustainability such an important corporate goal for AEG ID?

Arch: We have understood what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has conclusively demonstrated – avoiding emissions costs only 0.6 percent of annual value creation, whereas repairing the damage will cost many times more if we continue to act as before.

2. Is the economic argument the only one?

Knapich: No, the economic argument is of course just one of many. But for us as a private company, it is a very important one. A climate-neutral company like AEG ID has a competitive advantage in times where there is a shortage of qualified workers. According to a recent survey by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, 91 percent of respondents in Germany want an environmentally and climate-friendly economy. We offer this.

Qualified and motivated employees therefore respond positively to our certification. In addition, we actually have customers for whom a neutral carbon footprint represents a decisive criterion.

3. How do you achieve your sustainability goals?

Arch: First and foremost, we manufacture our components ourselves and produce our products entirely in Europe. 40 percent of our transponders are manufactured in the Czech Republic and 60 percent in Germany. The readers and antennas are also manufactured in Germany. This fact alone means that our resource consumption and CO₂ footprint are relatively small.

Knapich: On the other hand, we support climate protection projects in countries of the Global South, where they have the greatest impact on development. They simultaneously strengthen economic development, improve people's living conditions and protect our planet. This is linked to offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions.

By purchasing climate protection certificates in 2022 and 2023, we have completely offset our CO₂ emissions. We are using these certificates to support a forest conservation project in Brazil and a hydropower plant in Uganda.

4. What specific climate protection initiatives is AEG ID involved in?

Arch: We have been a founding member of the Berlin-based Alliance for Development and Climate Foundation since 2018. We are also a member of the Climate Initiative of the Senate of Economy, which was founded in 2011. We also work together with Fokus Zukunft to promote both regional and global climate protection projects.

AEG ID has been certified as a climate-neutral company by Fokus Zukunft since 2019. The company received the climate-neutral status because unavoidable CO₂ emissions were neutralized beyond the required level by investing in internationally recognized climate protection projects.

Once it's CO₂ footprint had been calculated, AEG ID worked with Fokus Zukunft to introduce measures to reduce CO₂ and offset unavoidable emissions with the help of high-quality climate protection certificates.

"At AEG ID, we understand that every identification requirement is unique. That's why we take the time to understand our customers' specific applications so that we can then make tailored recommendations. This customer-centric approach is reflected in our product range, which aims to make ID processes as simple as possible for our customers. Our guiding principle ‘We make ID easy’ illustrates our commitment to providing outstanding identification solutions that focus on customer satisfaction."

Simon Arch,
Chief Sales Officer (CSO) & Head of Marketing.

Application Areas

As a leading full-service provider, AEG ID develops, produces and distributes both transponders and readers that are optimally matched to the respective application.

Industry and Automation

RFID transponders and readers from AEG ID are a reliable component of Industry 4.0 solutions. Transponders and readers for delivery logistics and industrial automation solutions are constantly being further developed.

These systems are used, for example, in the automotive industry to control production logistics and generally to track merchandise carriers and containers. Other applications include immobilizers, NFC solutions and waste disposal.

Also worth mentioning are AEG ID's disc transponders, which can withstand the harshest industrial processes, humidity, chemical exposure and peak temperatures from -40 °C to +200 °C.

Security

AEG ID produces to the very highest quality standards and tests all products for 100% functionality before delivery. This standard is essential, especially in the field of access and security solutions. The portfolio includes ISO cards and key fobs, which are used for access applications in the building sector, time recording, billing, vending and in the event sector.

High-quality mediums with one or more transponders are available. Magnetic stripes, signature fields, thermal foils, contact chips, laser engraving and clip holes are available for cards.

Animal Identification

In accordance with the European Union's identification requirements, cattle, solipeds, pigs, sheep and goats are electronically identified. This enables animals to be traced from slaughter to rearing. Domestic animals in particular have been identified for many decades.

AEG ID supports research with birds and fish with specially developed transponders. With ISO glass transponders, disposable implanters, pigeon rings and ear tag inlays, AEG ID offers a broad portfolio for all livestock and pet owners.

Brewery Industry

In the brewing industry and logistics, there is an urgent need to track kegs from filling to sale. AEG ID has developed a high-quality transponder and reader solution for this purpose.

The transponder technology is optimized for direct mounting on metal and is therefore ideal for attaching to metal kegs. The drum transponder is qualified for micro-welding via a mounting ring. It is particularly suitable for tracking barrels.

Testing and Maintenance Technology

The clear identification and assignment of electrical and mechanical equipment to the respective test protocol often causes difficulties. Long serial numbers, subsequently affixed numbers or barcode labels become difficult to read, faded, worn, soiled or lost over time.

In cooperation with well-known measuring and testing companies, manufacturers and software providers, AEG ID has developed cross-divisional and easily integrated products and Animal Identification solutions for clear and permanent identification.