NXP and Siemens co’op on Pharmaceutical RFID

NXP is collaborating with Siemens on an RFID-based supply chain pharmaceutical project designed to improve efficiency from manufacture to retail.

ComponentsUsing NXP’s Application and System Center (ASC, formerly known as RFID Reference Design Center), a facility that provides real-life conditions for evaluating and optimizing RFID applications, the Siemens IT Solutions & Services team created a customized RFID system to ensure a high read accuracy throughout the supply chain.

The project focuses on creating a system based on NXP’s ICODE high frequency (HF) RFID technology incorporated into the labels of pharmaceutical products. The whole system is configured to already comply with the latest edition of the HF Gen2 standard, which is currently under final review by EPCglobal. The aim of the installation is to accurately bulk read several hundreds of labeled packages quickly, allowing the manufacturer to keep a thorough stock inventory at all points along the supply chain. The ASC enabled the Siemens IT Solutions and Services team to achieve industry benchmark HF read accuracy results. This was accomplished through the use of an advanced high speed anti-collision concept and the optimization of the entire system.