 "RFID Gaining Acceptance In India")
Orizin Technologies is an RFID solutions provider based in India. The company designs and manufactures all RFID devices like readers, antennas, security gates and portable RFID equipment at Mysore and provides integrated RFID solutions like retail management, assets tracking, supply chain management, jewellery tracking, vehicle tracking and other turnkey solutions to customers in the retail, healthcare, manufacturing and IT domain.
Sunil Kumar, VP- Business Development and Sales, Orizin Technologies gives a better insight on this technology and explains how it is slowly but surely gaining momentum in India.
Could you explain RFID technology and how it benefits enterprises?
The term RFID is used to describe various technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects. Unlike Barcode, RFID technology doesn’t need line-of-sight reading and the data can be captured from distance.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a wireless technology that is being used for tracking and identification. RFID overcomes several limitations as inherited by traditional barcode system like tracking stationery items one at a time, inability to detect hidden items and limited read-range. A RFID system comprises of a RF Reader, RF Tag and Middleware.
Some of the benefits RFID Systems offer care improved process optimisation, streamlining the supply chain, increased collaboration, cost reduction while bettering inventory, inventory management and thus increased revenues, prevention of counterfeit products, shrinkage, theft and diversion prevention, and competitive advantage in the respective businesses.
What are the products offered by Orizin?
Any RFID System consists of tags, readers and middleware. We design, develop and manufacture RFID hardware products for the entire spectrum of frequencies (HF, UHF and Active) and various read range like Network Reader, Multi-port Hand Held Readers, Gate Sensors, Staff Stations, Smart Kiosks, Wrist Band Active Tags and Asset Active Tags, etc.
Orizin’s unique proposition is that we design and manufacture all our RFID products in-house as per the Indian conditions unlike other companies who import products from abroad. This gives them an advantage over others in terms of better customer service and flexibility to customise hardware as required by the client.
Who are your target customers?
We offer our products and solutions for customers in various verticals like Healthcare – for patients and assets tracking and management; Retail – for the inventory and supply chain management; Manufacturing – for warehouse, inventory and work-in-process management; Library/Document Tracking – for automating libraries and document management; Jewellery Retail – security, inventory and PoS management and also Enterprise Assets – for laptop and other valued assets tracking and management.
How does your new Laptop Tracker solution help enterprises?
Our recently launched RFID-based solution for Laptop Tracking allows an organisation to send an alert (either visual, noise/sound or both) when a tagged laptop has been moved outside a prescribed perimeter.
Tags can be mapped with particular employee badge, so that an alert is triggered at the reader location when a tagged object is detected without the accompaniment of approved personnel. The reader after scanning the tag would query the employee/company asset database to match both the laptop and the individual carrying it. It would issue an alarm if it finds a mismatch. Otherwise it registers the movement of the laptop.
How has the technology been received by the Indian market?
Unlike western countries, we are yet to reap the benefits this technology offers. Companies/Vendors need to paint the real picture and educate the market on business values this technology offers compared to the deployment cost. Limited knowledge and few unsuccessful projects owing to ongoing EPC standard developments are causing apprehensions in market on this technology’s potential. At the same time people are worried about the total project cost compared to Barcode alternative.
EPC standards are being developed. Few companies are developing products to meet available EPC standards whereas some are developing their proprietary products. Gradually we are experiencing the technology is gaining good acceptance as they can see ROI is much better and faster.
What are the major challenges to penetrate the market here and how do you address them?
Limited knowledge and the apprehension on total cost of ownership in the target market are posing major challenge for us on penetrating the markets. To address this challenge, we have chosen a business model where we work local business houses for building long term healthy business relationship and enjoy win-win-win situation. We have identified and build partnerships with companies to sell our products and services in potential cities across the nation. We also built relationships with large companies who are focused on providing software solutions and system integration services to our target market. We also tied up with value added co-passenger companies to offer complete one-stop solutions.