UPM continues to invest in smart label business
Rafsec Ltd., a part of UPM-Kymmene Corporation, of Finland, is increasing its investment in the development of smart label technologies. Rafsec, headquartered in Tampere, Finland, has offices also in Maidenhead, England, and in Westmont, IL.
The company has formed a strategic alliance with Alien Technology Corp., of Morgan Hill, CA, which has developed technology that paves the way for a reduction in the size of smart label microchips as well as a cost-effective method of attaching them to the antenna.
At the same time, UPM-Kymmene has made an investment in Alien Technology.
The Finnish firm has also acquired a majority in TDAO Ltd., an English company which has been developing a new additive technology to produce smart label antennas at a lower cost. Based on existing partnership and joint efforts between Rafsec and TDAO, Rafsec will be the first company to utilize TDAO’s new technology in high volume smart label production.
Rafsec has been developing smart labels that enable the wireless identification of products since 1998, and the first commercial deliveries took place in 1999. Smart labels are based on RFID technology. Rafsec aims to bring the first smart labels based on these new technologies onto the market during 2002.