METRO GROUP ANNOUNCES NXP RFID COLLABORATION

Logistics Asia, 1/3/2008

Citing strong UHF performance, the METRO Group has chosen smart tags containing NXP Semiconductors’ UCODE G2XL RFID chips without user memory for its supply chain management. The retailer will use UPM Raflatac RFID tags powered by UCODE G2XL chips on pallet level in its operational RFID rollout of METRO Cash & Carry wholesale stores in Germany. The chips will also be used in METRO Group’s case-leveltrial in Germany.

“Together with the European EPC Competence Center (EECC), we thoroughly tested the NXP UCODE G2XL chips in supply chain management scenarios, and we welcome the lean version of the chips,” says Dr Gerd Wolfram, Managing Director, MGI METRO Group Information Technology. “This product without user memory absolutely fits our strategy of using EDI and EPC standards. Moreover we found that transponders using the NXP chips delivered best-inclass performance, providing the best sensitivity on a very broad variety of materials.”

Dr Wolfram adds that item-level tags using the NXP UCODE G2XL chips also demonstrated the best performance when used in close proximity to each other – a key requirement for several applications. He was particularly pleased with the support and insight the company gained through the NXP Reference Design Center in Austria. “This is an outstanding facility that has enabled us to evaluate and optimize our RFID solutions, by recreating real-world scenarios.”

The NXP UCODE G2XM and G2XL are specifically designed for easy inlay assembly and high volume/yield assembly lines. The sensitivity of the ICs allows for broadband antenna designs allowing inlets to cover the complete UHF band from 840 to 960 MHz. Both the UCODE G2XM and the UCODE G2XL are certified according to EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 Version 1.0.9 and conform to EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 Version 1.1.0.