The deployment integrates Sharry’s smart access and workplace experience platform with HID’s trusted identity solutions. At the credential layer, HID provides secure digital ID issuance and management, while Sharry serves as middleware connecting H-FARM’s identity management system with HID’s infrastructure and the campus Genetec access control system.

Students and staff can add their credentials to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet with a single tap inside the H-FARM app. From there, NFC-enabled access works across the entire campus, from student rooms to common areas and printer stations, with no need to open additional apps.

The uptake at H-FARM was immediate. Alberto Aldrigo, CTO at H-FARM, said that within just three minutes of receiving the activation notification, 70% of users had already enabled their virtual badge. “From the very beginning, we envisioned a campus where credentials would always be within reach, directly on a smartphone. With HID and Sharry, this vision has become a reality through a solution that is simple, secure and reliable,” Aldrigo said.

H-FARM College sits on the edge of the Venice lagoon and operates as an innovation ecosystem where education, startups and technology coexist on a single integrated campus. The institution already offered a campus app for maps, food ordering, payments and event updates. Adding wallet-based student IDs was a natural extension of that digital-first approach.

Matej Pokorn, Head of Customer Success at Sharry, highlighted the speed of the rollout. “What might have taken months was accomplished in just a few weeks, a testament to the shared vision and agility of everyone involved,” he said. “H-FARM sets a new benchmark for how campuses can modernize access and identity without compromising security.”

Dominic Bruning, Director of Strategic Alliances for Mobile, EMEA, at HID, described the deployment as “a strong example of what a truly digital campus can be: secure, mobile and frictionless by design.”

The project builds on an existing partnership between HID and Sharry, which has previously delivered wallet-based office access projects in the United States, the European Union and Latin America. The H-FARM deployment represents a significant step toward fully digital campuses in Europe, where identity, access and services converge in a single mobile-first experience.

For European universities exploring contactless campus access, the H-FARM implementation offers a practical reference point, demonstrating that NFC wallet-based credentials can be deployed quickly and at scale within a higher education environment.

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What Is a Digital Product Passport?

A Digital Product Passport is a structured digital record that travels with a product throughout its lifecycle. It contains information about a product’s origin, materials, manufacturing processes, repairability, and end-of-life recycling instructions. The EU introduced the DPP framework under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), adopted in 2024, with the goal of driving circular economy practices and giving consumers transparent access to sustainability data.

The regulation targets specific product categories in phases. Batteries were first, with requirements already taking shape. Textiles and electronics follow closely, with broader rollouts expected through 2027 and beyond. By the end of the decade, most products sold within the EU market will need a DPP.

Why RFID Is the Natural Fit

While QR codes and other optical identifiers have their place, RFID offers distinct advantages that make it the preferred carrier technology for DPP data links.

UHF RFID, particularly RAIN RFID based on the ISO 18000-63 standard, enables bulk reading of tagged items without line-of-sight. A warehouse receiving hundreds of palletised goods can verify DPP compliance in seconds rather than scanning individual codes one at a time. For manufacturers dealing with high-volume production lines, this speed is not optional. It is essential.

NFC, operating at 13.56 MHz under ISO 14443 and ISO 15693, adds a consumer-facing layer. Shoppers can tap an NFC-enabled product with their smartphone to instantly access the DPP record, viewing details about where a garment was made, what chemicals were used, or how to recycle the packaging. This tap-to-read simplicity closes the gap between regulation and real-world usability.

Dual-frequency inlays combining UHF and NFC on a single tag are gaining traction for exactly this reason. They serve the supply chain’s need for speed and the consumer’s need for convenience in one integrated solution.

What Manufacturers Need to Prepare

Compliance with the DPP regulation is not a switch that flips overnight. Manufacturers should begin preparing now across several fronts.

First, data infrastructure needs attention. A DPP requires accurate, structured data about every product. Companies that lack robust product lifecycle management (PLM) systems will need to invest in capturing and organising this information.

Second, tagging strategy matters. Selecting the right RFID inlay, whether UHF, NFC, or dual-frequency, depends on the product type, packaging constraints, and where in the supply chain the tag will be read. Embedding RFID into garment labels differs significantly from tagging battery modules or electronic components.

Third, serialisation is critical. Each product needs a unique identifier linked to its DPP record. GS1 standards, including the SGTIN and GIAI schemes, provide the framework for this, and many RAIN RFID deployments already support GS1 EPC encoding natively.

A Practical Compliance Roadmap

For companies looking to get ahead of the curve, a phased approach makes sense.

In 2025 and 2026, focus on auditing existing product data and identifying gaps. Engage with your RFID tag suppliers and solution providers to evaluate tagging options. Run pilot programmes on a single product line to test data capture, tag performance, and system integration.

Through 2027, scale tagging across priority product categories. Integrate DPP data flows with existing ERP and supply chain management platforms. Ensure your serialisation processes align with GS1 standards.

From 2028 onward, expand to full product coverage as regulatory deadlines arrive for additional categories. Monitor evolving EU guidance and adjust your approach as standards mature.

The DPP regulation is not just a compliance burden. It is an opportunity to build trust with consumers, improve supply chain visibility, and future-proof operations. RFID technology, proven across billions of tagged items worldwide, provides the foundation to make it work at scale.

The post Digital Product Passports and RFID: What the EU Regulations Mean for You first appeared on RFID News.

The province indicator on Sri Lankan number plates was originally introduced during the country’s civil war as a tool for law enforcement to trace the origin of vehicles. The system was designed to work in conjunction with RFID technology, allowing police to scan plates and quickly verify vehicle data. On paper, it was a sensible approach to improving road safety and security during a turbulent period.

However, the reality told a very different story. During a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance, DMT officials admitted that the Police Department never possessed the necessary hardware to read the RFID chips embedded in the plates. Without functioning readers at checkpoints or in patrol vehicles, the entire system was rendered useless from the outset. It was a technology rollout with no practical implementation on the ground.

The failure highlights a recurring problem with government RFID deployments worldwide: investing in one half of the equation while neglecting the other. Embedding RFID tags into millions of number plates is pointless if the agencies expected to use the data lack the scanners, training, and infrastructure to do so. The Sri Lankan case is a textbook example of poor coordination between departments and a lack of end-to-end project planning.

DMT officials pointed to a secondary reason for discontinuing the system, noting that the public had been paying inflated sums for specified number plates. But the core issue remains the gap between the technology deployed and the resources allocated to make it functional.

When pressed on how vehicles are currently identified without the province indicator or RFID capability, DMT officials conceded that “vehicles cannot be identified in such a manner” any longer. The Police Department, for its part, argued the system is no longer necessary given the absence of armed conflict in the country. That justification does little to address the wasted expenditure.

Harsha de Silva, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance, did not mince words, calling the initiative “a total waste of public finance.” His criticism centred on the fact that the DMT had rolled out technology that the Police Department could never operationalize, a failure of inter-agency coordination that left taxpayers footing the bill for a system that never worked.

For the broader RFID industry, Sri Lanka’s experience serves as a cautionary tale. Successful vehicle tracking and identification projects require not just the tags and the plates, but a complete ecosystem of readers, software, trained personnel, and ongoing maintenance. Without that full commitment, even well-intentioned deployments are destined to fail.

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What Does RFID Middleware Actually Do?

At its core, RFID middleware sits between your reader infrastructure and your enterprise applications. It handles four key functions that would otherwise turn your RFID project into an unmanageable mess.

Device Management

A typical warehouse or retail environment might have dozens, sometimes hundreds, of RFID readers and antennas spread across multiple locations. Middleware provides a single control plane for all of them. It handles reader configuration, monitors device health, manages firmware updates, and ensures each reader is operating with the correct power levels and read intervals. Without it, your IT team would need to configure and monitor every reader individually, which simply does not scale.

Data Filtering

Here is the problem nobody warns you about: RFID readers are noisy. A single UHF reader can generate thousands of tag reads per second, and most of those reads are duplicates. The same pallet tag might be read 300 times in a minute as it sits on a dock door. Middleware filters out that noise. It deduplicates reads, smooths out data, and ensures that only meaningful, unique events pass through to your business systems. Without filtering, your ERP would choke on a firehose of redundant data.

Event Processing

Raw tag reads on their own are just EPC numbers with timestamps. They carry no business meaning. Middleware transforms those reads into actionable events. A sequence of reads at a dock door antenna becomes a “shipment received” event. A tag disappearing from a shelf reader triggers a “stock movement” alert. This event processing layer is what turns radio signals into business intelligence.

Business Rules

This is where middleware really earns its keep. It applies logic to the events it processes. If a tagged item moves from the warehouse zone to the shipping zone without a corresponding dispatch order, the middleware can flag an exception. If a temperature sensor tag on a pharmaceutical shipment reports an out-of-range value, the middleware can trigger an alert before the product reaches the shelf. These rules run in the middleware layer so that your ERP only receives clean, validated, business-relevant data.

Why Middleware Gets Overlooked

The answer is straightforward. Middleware is invisible. It does not have a physical presence on the warehouse floor. It does not have a flashy user interface for executives to demo. Vendors selling readers and tags rarely emphasise the middleware requirement because it adds cost and complexity to their sales pitch.

The result? Organisations invest heavily in readers and tags, then try to pipe raw data directly into SAP, Oracle, or whatever system they are running. They quickly discover that their ERP was never designed to handle millions of unfiltered RFID reads, and the project stalls.

Getting It Right

If you are planning an RFID deployment, budget for middleware from day one. Evaluate solutions from vendors like Impinj ItemSense, Zebra FX Connect, or open-source platforms like Fosstrak. Look for support across your reader hardware, robust filtering capabilities, and clean APIs for integration with your existing systems.

The readers and tags get all the attention, but middleware is the layer that makes RFID actually work in production. Skip it, and you will spend more time fighting data problems than solving business ones.

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RAIN Alliance, the non-profit industry body supporting the adoption of standards-based UHF RFID (also known as RAIN RFID), says the masterclass will tackle the technical challenges of embedding RAIN tags into tyres before moving into wider discussions around optimised lifecycle management in both manufacturing and active operations.

“We are excited to bring together participants from across the tyres value chain to explore real-world use cases and implementation strategies for RAIN tags in tyres,” said Aileen Ryan, President and CEO of RAIN Alliance. “Professionals across the entire tyre industry are welcome, as we explore how RAIN technology can create significant value and drive improved innovation, compliance and sustainability outcomes.”

The global tyre sector is under growing pressure to strengthen traceability in order to meet evolving regulatory demands and support the shift towards circular economy models. RAIN RFID is positioned as a foundational technology for enabling traceability throughout the full lifecycle of a tyre, from initial manufacturing and distribution through to use, retreading and end-of-life recycling.

Attendees at the masterclass will learn how RAIN RFID can be used to identify, locate, authenticate and engage with individual tyres while accessing core composition and origin data. The event will also look at how digital twin data is delivering real-time insights that power advanced business analytics, unlock new service-based revenue streams and create value across the tyre ecosystem.

Day two of the programme shifts focus to the practical benefits of tyre traceability for ecosystem partners, with dedicated sessions covering fleet management, safety and compliance, tyre service accuracy and efficiency, retreading and optimisation, end-of-life traceability and recycling, data access and interoperability, and hands-on guidance for embedding RAIN tags at industrial scale.

“As the tyres ecosystem continues to develop, RAIN Alliance will continue to provide both its members and the wider community with vendor-neutral expert insight to help develop the next generation of tyre technology,” Ryan added.

The masterclass is collocated with the GDSO Founding Workshop on 21 May, which will explore commercial use cases and active pilots for tyre electronic identification in North America. A further Tyres Masterclass is planned for later in the year in Korea.

Read more at https://therainalliance.org/tyres-mc-in-person/

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At the foundation of every RFID system sits the silicon. Chip makers such as NXP Semiconductors, Impinj, and EM Microelectronic design and fabricate the integrated circuits that power RFID tags and reader modules. These companies invest heavily in R&D and set the performance ceiling for the entire industry. They sell to other manufacturers rather than to end users, so you are unlikely to buy directly from them unless you are producing millions of units a year.

Tag manufacturers, sometimes called converters or inlay producers, take those ICs and turn them into usable products. Companies like Avery Dennison, Smartrac (now part of Avery Dennison), and HID Global bond chips to antennas and encapsulate them as labels, hard tags, wristbands, or cards. The tag manufacturer is where decisions about form factor, adhesive, operating frequency, and environmental durability get made. If your project has unusual physical requirements, this is the vendor category you need to engage with.

Reader OEMs build the hardware that interrogates those tags. Zebra Technologies, Impinj (which also operates at the chip level), CAEN RFID, and Feig Electronic all produce fixed, handheld, or embedded readers along with the antennas that go with them. Choosing the right reader depends on read range, environment, throughput, and which air-interface protocol your tags use. Many reader OEMs also provide SDKs and middleware, bridging the gap between raw RF data and your business applications.

System integrators are the companies that pull everything together. They assess your workflow, select compatible tags and readers, develop or configure the software layer, install the infrastructure, and train your team. Firms like SML Group, Convergence Systems Limited, and numerous regional specialists operate in this space. A good integrator understands not just RFID but also your existing IT environment, including ERP, WMS, and POS systems that need to receive tag data. For most organisations deploying RFID for the first time, the system integrator is the single most important vendor relationship.

Value-added resellers sit between manufacturers and end users. They hold stock of readers, tags, and accessories, bundle them with support or basic configuration, and sell to businesses that know roughly what they need but want a convenient one-stop shop. VARs are particularly useful for repeat orders, consumable restocking, or smaller deployments that do not justify a full integration project.

So who should you talk to first? If you have a well-defined requirement and in-house technical capability, going directly to a tag manufacturer or reader OEM can get you better pricing. If your project is complex, involves multiple read points, or needs custom software, start with a system integrator. And if you simply need to reorder supplies for an existing deployment, a VAR will be your fastest route. Understanding these vendor types is the first step toward building an RFID solution that actually works for your operation.

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The PSS division sits within Honeywell’s Industrial Automation business and reported revenues of approximately $1.1 billion for 2025. It serves warehouse, logistics and manufacturing customers, markets where RFID reader technology plays a central role in inventory management, asset tracking and supply chain visibility. The inclusion of RFID readers in the sale means that Brady Corporation will inherit a well-established hardware offering in the automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) space.

Brady Corporation, listed on the NYSE under the ticker BRC, is an international manufacturer of high-performance labels, signs, safety devices and printing systems. The company already has a strong presence in industrial identification, so the addition of Honeywell’s data capture and RFID reader portfolio is a logical extension of its existing capabilities. Brady has described the acquisition as an opportunity to build a more integrated, end-to-end productivity and safety platform for industrial and logistics customers.

For the RFID sector, the deal raises questions about continuity of product development and support for existing Honeywell RFID reader customers. Brady’s leadership in identification solutions could, however, provide a strategic home that values and invests in the technology. The combination of Brady’s labelling and identification expertise with Honeywell’s RFID reader hardware may ultimately create a more cohesive offering for end users who need both the tag and the reader infrastructure in a single supply relationship.

Honeywell framed the divestiture as part of a broader multi-year portfolio transformation. The company is also preparing to spin off its Aerospace business, expected to complete in the third quarter of 2026, and continues to assess strategic alternatives for its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions business, which operates under the Intelligrated and Transnorm brand names. The sale of PSS follows earlier divestitures including the offload of Honeywell’s Personal Protective Equipment business in 2024 and the spin-off of its Advanced Materials division as Solstice Advanced Materials in October 2025.

Vimal Kapur, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell, said the PSS divestiture brings the company close to completing its portfolio transformation as it prepares to separate its Aerospace and Automation businesses into two independent publicly listed companies. He added that PSS would benefit from Brady’s complementary expertise in industrial identification and safety, creating a broader offering for warehouse, logistics and manufacturing customers.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions. Centerview Partners is acting as financial advisor to Honeywell, with Kirkland and Ellis LLP, Baker McKenzie and Womble Bond Dickinson providing legal counsel.

Read more at https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/press/2026/04/honeywell-to-sell-productivity-solutions-and-services-business-to-brady-corporation

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The announcement reflects a broader shift in how organizations approach identity governance. Traditionally, physical access control systems and IT authentication have operated as separate silos, with employees using one credential to badge through a secured door and a different method, often a password or separate token, to access workstations and cloud applications. HID Converged Credentials collapses these layers into a single, standards-based credential that works across every access point.

The platform supports FIDO2 and PKI standards, delivering phishing-resistant authentication to both physical and logical environments. This approach aligns with current regulatory and security frameworks that require strong, auditable authentication across all enterprise access points. By unifying credential management, security administrators gain consolidated visibility, streamlined provisioning and revocation, and simplified compliance reporting.

HID’s 2026 State of Security and Identity Report, which surveyed more than 1,500 end users and industry partners, found that 75% of organizations have already deployed or are actively evaluating converged identity solutions. Identity management ranked as the top strategic priority across all surveyed categories, with 73% of physical security professionals identifying it as a leading trend and 60% planning to increase investment in the area. Despite this momentum, 52% of respondents still cite the complexity of fragmented identity systems as their primary barrier to progress.

“Our customers have trusted HID to secure their facilities for decades,” said Daniel Gundlach, Vice President and Head of Business Unit, NAM – PACS, HID. “HID Converged Credentials is a direct response to what they’re telling us: they want fewer vendors, less complexity and a credential that works everywhere, from the front door to the desktop and the cloud.”

HID Converged Credentials is available across multiple form factors to fit different deployment scenarios. Crescendo Smart Cards provide a single card for both physical door access and phishing-resistant digital login, supporting FIDO2, PKI and OATH protocols without requiring a separate token. Security Keys offer portable FIDO2 and PKI authentication for high-assurance access to workstations and cloud applications. Micro Readers are compact NFC-enabled readers designed to extend converged access to workstations and environments where mobile device use is not practical.

“HID Converged Credentials delivers on both fronts, giving employees one credential to access the building, their workstation and applications, while making credential management simpler and more efficient for organizations,” said Sean Dyon, VP and Head of Authentication, HID.

The solution is designed to integrate with existing infrastructure, reducing disruption during deployment while modernizing an organization’s identity architecture. By standardizing on a single credential lifecycle management layer across physical and logical access, enterprises can reduce vendor sprawl, improve audit trails, and align their security posture with evolving threat landscapes, including AI-enabled credential attacks.

HID is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand headquartered in Austin, Texas, with more than 4,500 employees worldwide.

Read more at https://newsroom.hidglobal.com/hid-announces-converged-credentials-solution-bridging-physical-and-logical-identity-across

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The updated ID-Safe lineup features several distinct tag types designed to address different layers of product security. Tamper-evident NFC labels can detect and record package opening events, providing a clear digital trail of when and whether a product has been accessed. Tamper-proof tags go a step further with destructible antennas that prevent physical removal and reuse, making it virtually impossible to transfer a tag from one product to another.

For applications requiring the highest level of protection, Identiv has included high-security NFC chips with encrypted authentication capabilities. These chips are designed to guard against cloning attempts, ensuring that each tag remains uniquely tied to its original product. Combined with unique identity encoding linked to cloud-based systems, the technology effectively creates digital product twins that can be tracked and verified at every stage of the supply chain.

The practical benefits of the expanded portfolio are wide-ranging. Stakeholders across manufacturing, logistics, and distribution can verify product authenticity with a simple NFC scan. When a package is opened or compromised, the tags register irreversible state changes, such as broken antennas or altered electrical signals, that serve as permanent indicators of tampering. This makes it significantly harder for bad actors to engage in counterfeiting, gray market diversion, warranty abuse, or product refilling fraud.

Andreas Walsner, Global Vice President of Sales at Identiv, highlighted the growing need for verifiable trust in physical products. “Trust in physical products can’t be assumed anymore – it has to be verified,” Walsner said, stressing the importance of confirming authenticity from manufacturing all the way through to the point of use.

The technology is already proving its value in real-world deployments. Identiv’s NFC-based solution is currently being used in an award-winning anti-counterfeiting smart packaging system developed for luxury wine producers, built in collaboration with ZATAP and Genuine-Analytics. The project demonstrates how NFC-enabled packaging can protect high-value products while also delivering a richer consumer experience through digital interaction.

As counterfeiting threats continue to grow across global supply chains, solutions like the ID-Safe portfolio represent a critical tool for brands looking to protect both their products and their customers. With the combination of tamper evidence, encrypted authentication, and cloud-connected digital identities, Identiv is positioning its NFC technology at the centre of next-generation product security.

Read more at https://ir.identiv.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/453/identiv-expands-id-safe-nfc-tag-portfolio-to-enable-secure-product-authentication-tamper-detection-and-traceability

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The collaboration will see VF roll out the Nedap Inventory Engine across its entire brand portfolio, building a unified foundation for real-time stock accuracy and omnichannel retail performance. Deployment begins in Q2 2026 with The North Face, before expanding to additional VF brands over the coming months.

At the heart of the initiative is VF’s ambition to create a single, trusted view of inventory across all its operations. By leveraging Nedap’s RFID-powered platform, the company aims to improve product availability on the shop floor, strengthen omnichannel fulfilment capabilities and deliver a more consistent consumer experience across every touchpoint.

The scope of the programme extends well beyond the store estate. VF has also expanded its RFID initiative into distribution centres and vendor partners at source, giving the company greater transparency across the full supply chain. This broader visibility supports efforts to combat grey-market activity and reinforce brand protection across all regions.

“Our consumers expect the same level of product availability and service whether they shop online, in-store or through any of our brand touchpoints,” said Carsten Trenz, VP of Digital at VF Corporation. “Unified visibility across our operations allows us to deliver that consistency and build long-term customer loyalty.”

Hope Waldron, VP of Supply Chain Strategy at VF Corporation, added: “Extending our RFID programme beyond stores to include distribution centres and vendor partners at the source gives us greater transparency across our entire supply chain. That visibility improves our ability to ensure product availability, strengthen brand protection, and deliver a more consistent consumer experience.”

The decision to partner with Nedap came after VF completed a pilot using an alternative solution and subsequently reassessed its long-term requirements for scalability, architecture and global support. The company ultimately chose Nedap for its proven ability to deliver at scale across complex, multi-brand retail environments.

“In today’s retail landscape, unified commerce only works when brands can rely on one consistent source of truth for their inventory,” said Hilbert Dijkstra, Managing Director Retail at Nedap. “VF’s decision to invest in end-to-end visibility reflects a clear vision for the future: the ability to serve consumers seamlessly across any channel.”

Nedap’s Inventory Engine connects item movement across stores, distribution centres and factories, creating a single reliable view of inventory for the entire retail chain. The platform turns inventory movement into real-time insight, helping retailers operate with greater confidence, agility and precision.

With more than 1,500 stores set to benefit from the rollout, the VF-Nedap partnership represents one of the largest RFID inventory visibility deployments in the fashion and outdoor retail sector this year.

Read more at https://www.nedap-retail.com/vf-corporation-enters-partnership-with-nedap-to-unlock-end-to-end-inventory-visibility-across-its-global-store-estate%ef%bf%bc/

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