Global RFID market continues to grow

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By Dr. Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx.

Theglobal RFID business has grown about five fold in the last ten yearsand analyst IDTechEx has detailed reasons for seeing the market grow4.2 times in value over the next ten years. However, many of thegovernment initiatives that powered past growth are largely completed,such as e-passports and the Chinese National ID card, so where doesthat future growth come from?

Theannual IDTechEx event RFID Europe in Cambridge UK 28-29 September givesthe answers, with conference, exhibition, masterclasses and visits. Forexample, RFID adoption on apparel is growing at twice the rate of theRFID market as a whole, with nearly 100 organisations now fitting thesetags. This is detailed in the new IDTechEx report, "Apparel RFID2011-2021" and, in the conference, Gerry Weber of Germany, NPCollection of Finland, NXP of Austria and Avery Dennison give thelatest.

Although apparel tagging is not an example of thegovernment driven programmes that powered RFID in the past, animaltagging is such an example and this is moving into high gear in Europewith mandatory tagging of sheep and goats this year and cattle thisyear and other four legged livestock in two years from now. IDTechExgives the detail on this at the event and the breadth of application onanimals is illustrated by Michigan State University explaining itstracking of insects and Pharmaseq its tagging of laboratory animals.

Logisticsis an application gaining market share and the event has user NYKLogistics and others explaining why. Cubic Corporation gives the lateston RFID in passenger transportation and Helsinki Metropolia Universityhas a new view on people management. Another booming sector isHealthcare, so Savi, Guide Dogs for the Blind, SQS service, Max Pharmaand CETEMMSA give the update here.

Of course many technologiesapply over many sectors and Queralt therefore talks on Real TimeLocating Systems, Sunchon National University in Korea on printed RFID,Optaglio of the Czech Republic on HoloRFID plus Telelegesis and UCC onWireless Sensor Networks (third generation active RFID) . Users AirFrance and Copenhagen Airports report on RFID in aviation and Omni,Arnlea and INSIS of Argentina cover oil and gas and other applications.From Cypak of Sweden to EXAX of Korea, IDTechEx has foundbest-in-class-speakers with something to say that is both new andrelevant to Europe. Once again, plenty of end users will be thereincluding speakers BMW, Goodyear and Centre Pompidou in France, toground the discussion in reality and make contact with suppliers.