RFID tag sales soar

The global market for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags is growing five per cent this year to US$5.56 billion, according to IDTechEx, despite ongoing weakness in the global economy. RFID tags are devices that are attached to objects and transmit data to a receiver. They have many uses but typically track items in a warehouse or store. CSC and IBM were recently granted US$570 million to upgrade the U.K.’s e-passport application and enrolment system; RFID tags are currently attached to approximately 125,000 shipments of U.S. military supplies each week; Transcore is building a US$63 million system for RFID-based non-stop tolling in Florida; and Florida’s Jackson Health System continuously tracks 12,000 key assets.