MIT’s “tag of everything” could protect the
supply chain
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developeda millimeter-sized cryptographic identification (ID) tag that they say represents agiant leap forward in the fight to curb counterfeiting and create a more securesupply chain. Announced at a recent industry conference, the battery-free IDchip is small enough to fit on virtually any product and smart enough to verifyits authenticity across complex supply chains, the researchers said.
“We call it the ‘tag of everything.’ And everything should mean everything,”
said MIT’s Ruonan Han, co-author of a paper on the project presented at the
IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference Feb. 19 in San Francisco.
“If I want to track the logistics of, say, a single bolt or tooth implant or silicon
chip, current RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags don’t enable that. We
built a low-cost, tiny chip without packaging, batteries, or other external com-
ponents that stores and transmits sensitive data.”
The 1.6-square-millimeter–sized solution runs on relatively low levels of
power supplied by photovoltaic diodes. It also transmits data at far ranges,
using a power-free “backscatter” technique that operates at much higher fre-
quencies than traditional tags used to track and authenticate products.
The hope is that the chip, which the researchers say is inexpensive to man-
ufacture and implement, will help combat the roughly $2 trillion worth of
counterfeit goods expected to be sold worldwide this year. n
Ifco Systems, a supplier ofreusable plastic containers(RPCs) for fresh food, wasawarded the Innovation prizeat the second annual GrandsPrix BFM Business award ceremony. Presented by the FrenchTV station BFM, the awardrecognizes Ifco for its technological innovation capabilitiesand contributions to the circular economy. … UniCarriersAmericas Corp. (UCA) hasnamed Sunbelt MaterialHandling as the winner of its2018 President’s Eagle Award.For each of the past 29 years,UCA has presented the awardto its top-performing dealer. … Logistyx Technologies,a provider of transportationmanagement software forparcel shipping, has earnedboth the FedEx CompatibleDiamond and Platinum Tierawards for 2020. Selection criteria for the awards includecustomer compliance; year-over-year growth in volume,revenues, and customer installations; and maintenance ofannual software certifications.… CFI, an operating companyof North American transportation and logistics conglomerate TFI International, wasrecognized for superior safetyperformance by the TruckloadCarriers Association at its 44thannual Fleet Safety Awardscompetition. … Forklift makerThe Raymond Corp. and theSidney Central School Districtwere honored by the NewYork State School BoardsAssociation for their collaboration on the Raymond WeldingProduction Center. The facility,which opened last year, helpsstudents prepare for careers inwelding.
ACCOLADES
Supply chain software vendor HighJump
changes name to Körber
Supply chain technology vendor HighJump Software Inc. is rebranding under
the name of its parent company, the German logistics technology provider
Körber AG, as part of an effort to create a unified technology platform that
helps clients meet spiraling e-commerce demands and consumer expectations.
Minneapolis-based HighJump will become part of a new corporate divisionknown as Körber Supply Chain Software, in a move that will go beyond therebranding and extend to a business reorganization that includes the firm’s 11sibling companies, Körber Supply Chain Software’s chief technology officer(CTO), Sean Elliott, said at HighJump’s annual user conference in Orlando,Florida.
Körber will also create a division known as Körber Supply Chain Automation,
and together the two groups will include 12 sibling units: Aberle, Aberle
Software, Cirrus Logistics, The Cohesio Group, Consoveyo, DMLogic,
HighJump, inconso, Otimis, Langhammer, Riantics, and Voiteq.
The move follows Körber’s 2017 acquisition of HighJump for an undisclosed
sum in a deal that allowed Körber to expand its capabilities as an enterprise
software vendor and compete for customers in a sector being squeezed by retail
giants like Amazon.com Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
This latest development brings that concept into sharper focus, Elliott said ashe announced the change by literally rebranding himself at the show, swappinga “HighJump” T-shirt for a “Körber” T-shirt. “This transformation for ourbusiness is not just in name, but is an opportunity to evolve our strategy, tounify our technology stack, and to bring new members into the family throughany future acquisitions we may make,” Elliott said. n
