First RFID World Forum starts in Frankfurt

Duesseldorf, Germany (ots) - IBC EUROFORUM GmbH is starting an international

series of events on the theme of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). The

first of the six international conferences with an accompanying exhibition will

take place on November 24 and 25, 2003 in Frankfurt. Thereafter, the RFID World

Forum will be organised this year and next in five other cities - Singapore,

London, New York, Sydney und Hong Kong.

For two days, the RFID-Forum will tell participants everything there is to

know about the use and advantages of this technology. Top-flight speakers from

the executive floors of participating companies across all sectors will present

their solutions and know-how gained from numerous RFID-projects. The organisers

attach particular importance to networking: The participants are invited to

exchange experiences and views and to gauge the potential of the new technology.

The "transponder", consisting of a semiconductor chip and an antenna allows a

product to be traced all the way from the manufacturer to the end user. The

goods are identified by means of an inbuilt chip without visual or physical

contact, while the distance between chip and scanner may be up to five metres.

Every product can be located precisely at any time, an advantage for numerous

industries and sectors.

The high cost of the tags is a drawback: active transponders are estimated to

cost 10 to 30 euro (chip and button battery), while the passive variant costs

considerably less, i.e., 30 to 50 cents per item, but has a lesser range.

Nevertheless, demand is high and the interest great: the Kaufhof in Cologne has

been testing the tags since the beginning of July, Metro has adopted the RFID-

technology and is astonishing its customers: foods in the trolley are scanned

automatically on request, and the client presents his credit card at the exit,

pays and leaves.

European Union (EU) guidelines will also help accelerate the implementation

of the RFID-technology. Thus, a new EU guideline stipulates that as of the year

2005, goods must be traceable in the delivery chain. Presently, RFID products

and services are used already in nearly all sectors, in commerce, the car

industry and logistics as well as in health care and financial services.

"The RFID-World Forum is the most important series of events for leading

managers in technical departments and strategic management. The application of

this new technology will have far-reaching positive implications for the economy

- and will also help to decide whether a business will be successful in the

marketplace or not. That is why the RFID World Forum has an essential role to

play", according to Alexander Glos, Executive Producer of the Forum.

For further information on the Internet: www.rfidwf.com