The brand, which operates more than 30 stores across Spain and works with manufacturers in both Asia and the Iberian Peninsula, had long struggled with the limitations of manual stock management. Receiving errors, shipping mistakes and a lack of real-time visibility into inventory levels were creating bottlenecks that held back growth.

The solution starts at the factory floor. Dipole supplies RFID web labels in roll format, organised by item, and manages the printing and encoding process. These labels are shipped directly to manufacturers, where they are applied to garment hangtags before the products ever leave the production line. This means every item enters the supply chain with a unique RFID identity from the very first stage, giving Algo Bonito full traceability from source to shelf.

At the company’s central distribution hub, Dipole’s Cubic reading system handles three key logistics tasks automatically. Goods receiving is verified without manual counting, store shipments are validated to ensure accuracy, and inventory counts are carried out quickly without disrupting day-to-day warehouse operations.

In-store, staff use PDA readers to receive incoming stock, run inventory counts and locate specific items on the sales floor in seconds. The system was integrated with Algo Bonito’s existing PowerSoft Operating System, and the company says the process was completed without any issues.

Ramiro Vega, General Manager of Algo Bonito, said the RFID rollout has been transformative. “Implementing RFID with Dipole has been a major improvement in our inventory management. Today we have much better stock visibility across our entire store network and we have drastically reduced the time dedicated to inventory counts.”

The headline results speak for themselves: inventory accuracy now exceeds 99%, time spent on stock counts has dropped by 80%, the business has real-time visibility into stock levels across every location, and stock shortages have been significantly reduced.

The project highlights how RFID technology is becoming essential infrastructure for mid-sized fashion retailers looking to compete on operational efficiency. With traceability built into the supply chain from the point of manufacture, brands like Algo Bonito can respond faster to demand, reduce waste and keep shelves stocked with the right products.

Read more at https://www.dipolerfid.com/en/rfid-blog/rfid-success-story-fashion-retail-algobonito-inventory-accuracy

The post Algo Bonito optimises its supply chain with RFID and gains +99% inventory accuracy and 80% less inventory time first appeared on RFID News.

This year’s theme, “From Infrastructure to Impact,” reflects a significant shift in the conversation around UHF RAIN RFID technology. Where previous years focused heavily on the nuts and bolts of deployment, the 2026 summit turns its attention to what happens after the infrastructure is in place. How are businesses translating RAIN-enabled systems into tangible results? What does real-world impact look like across different sectors?

RAIN Alliance President and CEO Aileen Ryan emphasised the growing momentum behind the technology. Adoption continues to accelerate, with RAIN RFID now touching industries well beyond its traditional retail stronghold. Ryan pointed to the approaching reality of RAIN-enabled smartphones and their potential role in the circular economy, particularly in supporting Digital Product Passport compliance across the European Union and beyond.

For businesses still weighing up their RAIN RFID strategy, the message from the Alliance is clear: the groundwork laid now will determine how smoothly organisations can participate in the connected product ecosystem that is rapidly taking shape.

Tageos, this year’s Titanium Sponsor, echoed that sentiment. CEO Matthieu Picon highlighted the importance of collaboration across the entire value chain, from chip manufacturers and tag converters through to system integrators and brand owners. With demand for innovation running high and the pace of technological development showing no signs of slowing, the summit offers a rare opportunity to strengthen partnerships and align on shared goals.

The three-day programme will feature a mix of live technology demonstrations, end-user case studies, and hands-on workshops. Sessions on the agenda cover a broad range of topics, including how RAIN technology is helping manufacturers meet Digital Product Passport requirements, the use of NFC and UHF RAIN in smartphones for enhanced consumer engagement, healthcare applications that leverage RAIN connectivity, and the development of battery-free RAIN sensors for smart home environments.

Distribution and logistics also feature prominently, with sessions exploring how RAIN RFID can close the persistent gap between system-level and physical inventory counts. This remains one of the most compelling use cases for the technology, delivering measurable ROI through improved accuracy and reduced shrinkage.

Ryan also stressed the importance of interoperability as RAIN RFID deployments expand into new sectors. With activations now spanning retail, healthcare, automotive, and manufacturing, the ability of different systems to communicate seamlessly is more critical than ever. The summit brings together solution providers, technology partners, and policymakers to collaborate on standards-based approaches that ensure long-term compatibility.

Registration details and the full speaker agenda are available through the RAIN in Action website. For anyone involved in RAIN RFID, whether as a technology provider, end user, or industry observer, the Madrid summit looks set to be a defining event for the sector in 2026.

https://www.raininaction.org/event/2026/home

The post RAIN in Action Summit Madrid 2026 first appeared on RFID News.

Demand for RFID systems has surged over the past decade. RAIN RFID adoption alone has seen billions of tags shipped annually, driven by item-level tagging mandates and supply chain digitisation. Yet the talent pool has not kept pace. Companies looking to hire RFID engineers, solutions architects and systems integrators regularly find themselves competing for a small number of experienced candidates, with many roles sitting unfilled for months.

Where the gaps are widest

The most acute shortages sit at the intersection of RF engineering and business process integration. Employers are not simply looking for people who understand antenna design or reader configuration in isolation. They need professionals who can translate business requirements into working RFID solutions, taking into account tag selection, read-zone engineering, middleware integration and data management.

Specific skills in high demand include UHF reader deployment and tuning, passive tag characterisation, RFID middleware configuration (such as EPCIS-based data pipelines), and experience with dense reader environments. On the software side, knowledge of GS1 standards, edge computing and IoT platform integration is increasingly expected. For those working in NFC and HF applications, expertise in secure element provisioning and contactless payment protocols rounds out the picture.

Training and certification pathways

For professionals looking to enter the field or upskill, several established pathways exist. The CompTIA RFID+ certification remains the most widely recognised vendor-neutral credential. Developed in collaboration with AIM (the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility), the RFID+ exam covers interrogation zone basics, tag types, regulatory requirements, site analysis, installation, configuration, and integration testing. It is designed for professionals with six to 24 months of hands-on RFID experience, though self-study candidates can also sit the exam.

Beyond CompTIA, organisations like RFID4U offer both introductory and advanced training programmes covering real-world deployment scenarios. Several universities have also incorporated RFID and Auto-ID modules into their electrical engineering and supply chain management courses, though coverage remains patchy.

AIM itself continues to play an important role in promoting standards-based education and professional development across the broader Auto-ID community, including RFID, barcode and RTLS technologies.

A career worth considering

For those weighing a move into RFID, the economics are compelling. RFID engineer salaries in the US currently range from $84,000 to $175,000 depending on experience and specialisation. Solutions architects and senior integrators can command even higher figures, particularly when they bring cross-domain expertise spanning both hardware and software.

The career path typically starts with hands-on deployment work, progresses through solutions design and project management, and can lead to consultancy or leadership roles within systems integration firms. With RFID adoption still in its early innings across many verticals, the long-term demand outlook is strong.

Closing the gap

The RFID industry needs to do more to attract new talent. That means better visibility for RFID career paths, more accessible training materials, and stronger partnerships between technology vendors and educational institutions. Until the skills pipeline catches up with deployment demand, the gap will continue to act as a brake on the industry’s growth potential.

The post RFID Skills Gap: Why the Industry Needs More Trained Professionals first appeared on RFID News.

The principle is simple and unforgiving. Poor data in means poor decisions out. Let’s look at the most common data quality problems in RFID systems and the strategies that actually work to fix them.

The Usual Suspects

Phantom reads are arguably the most frustrating issue. These occur when a reader reports a tag that is not actually in the read zone. Reflective surfaces, multipath interference, and cross-read from adjacent zones all contribute. Your system thinks an item is present when it is not, leading to inventory inaccuracies and false triggers in automated workflows.

Missed reads are the opposite problem. A tag passes through the interrogation zone but the reader fails to capture it. This happens due to tag orientation, RF absorption by materials (liquids and metals are notorious), tag-to-tag coupling in dense populations, or simply insufficient dwell time in the read field. In supply chain applications, a single missed read can mean a lost carton.

Duplicate events flood your system with redundant observations. A stationary tagged item sitting near a reader portal will generate repeated read events, sometimes hundreds per minute. Without deduplication logic, downstream systems process the same item over and over, skewing counts and wasting processing cycles.

Stale data lingers when your system fails to recognise that a tag has left the read zone. The item has physically moved on, but the database still shows it at the last known location. This is particularly damaging in real-time location systems (RTLS) and work-in-progress tracking where timing matters.

Filtering Strategies That Work

The first line of defence sits in your RFID middleware. Time-window filtering groups rapid successive reads of the same EPC into a single event. A typical approach uses a sliding window of 2 to 5 seconds, collapsing all observations of a given tag within that window into one confirmed read. This eliminates the bulk of duplicate events immediately.

For phantom reads, RSSI thresholding is essential. By setting a minimum received signal strength indicator value, you discard weak signals that are likely reflections or cross-reads rather than legitimate tag presences. Combining RSSI thresholds with read-count minimums (requiring a tag to be seen at least 3 times within a window before confirming presence) dramatically reduces false positives.

Confidence scoring takes this further. Rather than treating every read as a binary event, assign a probability score based on multiple factors: RSSI consistency, read count, antenna sector, time of day patterns, and historical behaviour for that location. A tag seen 15 times at strong signal strength across two antenna ports scores much higher than a single weak observation on one port. Only events that cross your confidence threshold get promoted to business events.

Data Cleansing at the Edge

Modern deployments increasingly push cleansing logic to edge controllers rather than relying solely on centralised middleware. This reduces the volume of raw data hitting your network and speeds up decision-making. Edge-based rules engines can apply filtering, deduplication, and basic confidence scoring before data ever leaves the reader infrastructure.

For stale data, implement explicit timeout policies. If a tag has not been observed within a defined period (tuned to your specific use case), mark it as departed. Pair this with directional antenna configurations or transition detection logic to confirm movement events rather than relying on the absence of reads alone.

The Bottom Line

RFID hardware will never deliver perfect data. The physics of radio frequency communication guarantee some level of noise and uncertainty. What separates a reliable deployment from a frustrating one is not the choice of reader or tag. It is the data quality layer you build between raw observations and business logic. Invest in robust filtering, confidence scoring, and cleansing strategies, and your RFID data becomes a trusted asset rather than an expensive liability.

The post RFID Data Quality: Garbage In, Garbage Out first appeared on RFID News.

Antenna Types: Matching the Design to the Job

Three antenna designs dominate the RFID landscape: dipole, patch, and near-field.

Dipole antennas are the simplest and most common on UHF RFID tags themselves. A basic dipole consists of two conductive elements extending from the chip, and its radiation pattern is omnidirectional in one plane. Reader-side dipole antennas are less common but appear in compact or embedded applications where a low profile matters.

Patch antennas are the workhorses of fixed UHF RFID reader installations. Built as a flat, rectangular conductor over a ground plane, they produce a directional beam that can be aimed at a specific read zone. Warehouses, dock doors, and conveyor lines almost always use patch antennas because their focused energy covers a predictable area.

Near-field antennas operate differently. Instead of radiating energy into free space, they create a tightly controlled magnetic coupling zone, typically within a few centimetres. This makes them ideal for HF and NFC applications such as item-level tagging in pharmaceuticals or jewellery, where you need to read one tag at a time without picking up neighbours.

Polarisation: Circular vs Linear

Polarisation describes the orientation of the radio wave as it travels from the antenna. A linearly polarised antenna transmits energy in a single plane, either vertical or horizontal. If the tag’s antenna is aligned with that plane, read performance is strong. Rotate the tag 90 degrees and the signal drops dramatically.

Circularly polarised antennas solve this by rotating the wave orientation continuously. This means tags can be read regardless of how they are oriented, which is a significant advantage on conveyor belts or in carton-level logistics where items tumble and shift. The trade-off is that circular polarisation splits its energy across two planes, reducing effective range by roughly 30% compared to a well-aligned linear setup.

Gain and Beamwidth: Shaping the Read Zone

Gain, measured in dBi, indicates how effectively an antenna focuses its energy. Higher gain means a longer read range but a narrower coverage area. A 6 dBi patch antenna might cover a wide dock door, while a 9 dBi antenna could reach further down a corridor but miss tags at the edges.

Beamwidth is the angle over which the antenna maintains useful power, usually defined at the -3 dB points. A narrow beamwidth of 30 degrees creates a tight, long-range spotlight, perfect for tunnel readers. A wide beamwidth of 100 degrees covers more area but with less intensity, suiting open portal applications.

Choosing the Right Antenna

The best antenna depends entirely on the application. For a retail smart shelf using HF tags, a near-field antenna prevents cross-reads between adjacent shelves. For a warehouse portal reading pallets at speed, a high-gain circularly polarised patch antenna handles the variable tag orientations. And for a controlled assembly line where tags always face the same way, a linear patch antenna maximises range and consistency.

Getting the antenna right is not glamorous, but it is the single most important hardware decision in any RFID deployment. The reader and tags get the headlines, but the antenna quietly determines whether the system actually works.

The post RFID Antennas Demystified: How They Shape Read Performance first appeared on RFID News.

Impinj: The RAIN RFID Specialist

Impinj has built its reputation almost entirely around RAIN (UHF) RFID. The company designs both reader ICs and endpoint ICs, giving it unusual control over the full signal chain. Its Speedway and R700 series readers are widely deployed in retail item-level tagging, and the Impinj Monza and M800 tag chips sit inside billions of inlays worldwide. If your project is centred on passive UHF and you need high read rates across large populations of tags, Impinj is a natural starting point. The trade-off is a narrower product range compared with the diversified giants.

Zebra Technologies: The Full-Stack Integrator

Zebra holds approximately 17% of the broader AIDC market and offers one of the widest RFID portfolios available. Fixed readers like the FX9600, handheld devices such as the MC3300 and RFD series, plus a deep bench of printers and label applicators mean you can source an entire solution from one vendor. Zebra is especially strong in retail, logistics and healthcare, where its ecosystem of software, analytics and support services reduces integration headaches. For organisations that want a single throat to choke, Zebra is hard to beat.

Honeywell: Industrial Durability

Honeywell leans into rugged, industrial-grade hardware. Its fixed and handheld UHF readers are designed for harsh environments, from cold-chain warehouses to outdoor yards. The company controls roughly 14% of the AIDC market and has deep roots in supply chain and transportation. If you need readers that will survive dust, moisture and temperature extremes while processing hundreds of thousands of tagged items daily, Honeywell belongs on your shortlist.

Alien Technology: Cost-Effective UHF

Alien Technology has long served as a value-oriented alternative in the UHF space. Its ALR-F800 reader and Higgs tag ICs offer solid performance at competitive price points, making them popular in logistics, tolling and access control applications. While Alien lacks the software ecosystem of Zebra or the IC depth of Impinj, it remains a viable choice for straightforward read-and-identify deployments where budget matters.

Other Vendors Worth Watching

Datalogic, HID Global, and CAEN RFID each carve out meaningful niches. Datalogic focuses on retail point-of-sale and automated conveyor reads; HID Global dominates in HF and NFC-based access control and identity management; CAEN RFID offers flexible desktop and industrial UHF readers popular in European markets.

Choosing the Right Fit

No single vendor wins every scenario. Impinj excels at pure-play UHF tag and reader silicon. Zebra offers breadth and integration. Honeywell delivers rugged reliability. Alien competes on price. The best approach is to define your frequency band, read environment, tag population size and integration requirements first, then match those needs against each vendor’s strengths. Request evaluation kits, run proof-of-concept trials, and let real-world performance guide your decision.

The post Comparing RFID Hardware Vendors: A Neutral Overview first appeared on RFID News.

Myth 1: RFID Is Too Expensive

This was a fair criticism fifteen years ago when passive UHF tags cost well over a dollar each. Today, the picture looks very different. The RAIN Alliance reported 52.8 billion UHF RAIN tag chips shipped in 2024, a 17% year-on-year increase. That volume has driven bulk inlay prices down near the $0.05 mark, making item-level tagging viable even in lower-margin sectors like grocery and automotive parts. Factor in the labour savings from automated scanning and the reduction in stock discrepancies, and RFID frequently pays for itself within the first year.

Myth 2: It’s Only for Big Companies

Enterprise retailers like Zara and Decathlon grabbed the headlines when they rolled out RFID, which left many smaller businesses assuming the technology was out of reach. In reality, scalable cloud-based RFID platforms and affordable handheld readers have brought the barrier to entry down significantly. A small boutique tracking a few thousand SKUs can deploy a basic UHF RFID system for a modest outlay and see immediate improvements in stock accuracy and replenishment speed.

Myth 3: RFID Is a Privacy Nightmare

This concern tends to surface whenever consumers hear that a product contains an RFID tag. The reality is far less dramatic. Passive tags, which make up the vast majority of deployments, have no battery and no GPS. They can only be read at short range by a compatible reader, and the data stored on them is typically just a serial number. Without access to the retailer’s database, that number is meaningless. Comparing a passive RFID inlay to a tracking device is like comparing a library barcode to a surveillance camera.

Myth 4: RFID Will Replace Barcodes Entirely

RFID and barcodes serve different purposes, and both have strengths. Barcodes are cheap, universally adopted, and work perfectly well for point-of-sale scanning where items are presented one at a time. RFID excels when you need to read hundreds of items simultaneously, track goods through a supply chain without line of sight, or perform rapid cycle counts. In most operations, the two technologies complement each other rather than compete. The GS1 standard even supports encoding the same product identifier on both a barcode and an RFID tag, allowing businesses to transition gradually.

Myth 5: RFID Guarantees a 100% Read Rate

No identification technology delivers perfection in every scenario, and RFID is no exception. Real-world read rates depend on tag placement, the materials involved, reader positioning, and environmental factors like metal surfaces or liquid proximity. A well-designed UHF system in a controlled environment can achieve read rates above 99%, but placing tags on metal packaging or stacking items tightly will reduce performance. The key is proper system design: choosing the right tag for the application, positioning antennas correctly, and testing under realistic conditions. Expecting a plug-and-play 100% read rate will lead to disappointment, but a thoughtfully engineered deployment will dramatically outperform manual processes.

The Bottom Line

RFID is not a magic wand, but it is also not the expensive, privacy-invading, barcode-killing technology that some still believe. Approached with realistic expectations and sensible planning, it delivers genuine operational value for businesses of all sizes.

The post RFID Myths Debunked: Separating Fact From Fiction first appeared on RFID News.

The solution is a structured evaluation framework that forces consistency across every vendor response.

Standardise What You Ask For

Before you can compare proposals fairly, you need to control what comes back. Issue a detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) that prescribes the format of responses. Specify the reader, antenna, and tag types you want quoted. Require vendors to break out hardware, software licensing, professional services, and ongoing support as separate line items. If one vendor bundles everything into a single number while another itemises each component, meaningful comparison becomes impossible.

Include a compliance matrix that vendors must complete. This simple table of requirements with “compliant,” “partial,” or “non-compliant” responses makes the first round of filtering straightforward and fast.

Build a Weighted Scoring Model

Not every criterion matters equally. A retail inventory project will weight read accuracy and speed differently from an asset tracking deployment in a hospital. Assign percentage weights to each evaluation category before you open a single proposal. A practical starting point:

• Technical fit: 35%
• Total cost of ownership: 25%
• Vendor experience and references: 20%
• Support and SLA commitments: 10%
• Integration and scalability: 10%

Score each vendor against these categories using a simple three-point scale: exceeds requirements, meets requirements, or falls below. Avoid bloated ten-point scales that introduce subjectivity and slow down consensus.

CapEx vs OpEx: Compare the Real Cost

RFID proposals increasingly arrive in two flavours. Traditional capital expenditure models put hardware and licensing costs upfront, while SaaS and managed-service models spread costs monthly. Comparing these directly is misleading.

Convert everything to a five-year total cost of ownership (TCO). Include hardware refresh cycles, software updates, support contracts, and any per-tag or per-read transaction fees. A SaaS model may look cheaper in year one but cost significantly more over time, or vice versa. The only honest comparison is a like-for-like TCO calculation.

Check References Properly

Ask every shortlisted vendor for at least three reference sites operating in a similar environment to yours. Do not just collect names. Visit or call those references with a prepared list of questions covering system uptime, post-installation support quality, and whether the project was delivered on time and on budget. A vendor that cannot provide relevant references is a risk, regardless of how polished their proposal looks.

Make the Decision Transparent

Document your scores, your rationale, and your final recommendation. Share the framework with stakeholders before evaluation begins so that the criteria are agreed upon in advance. This approach eliminates politics from the process and gives your organisation confidence that the selected RFID partner was chosen on merit.

A disciplined evaluation process will not guarantee a perfect deployment, but it will dramatically reduce the chance of picking the wrong partner.

The post How to Evaluate RFID Proposals: Comparing Apples to Apples first appeared on RFID News.

The Pathfinder Edge combines barcode scanning, label printing and application into a single ergonomic unit. Avery Dennison says it prints up to 50% faster than its predecessor, while delivering up to 25% longer battery life on a single charge. For warehouse and store associates working long shifts, that translates to significantly more labels per charge and fewer interruptions to swap batteries or wait on slow hardware.

One of the standout design goals is faster onboarding. The interface has been simplified so that seasonal hires and new staff can be trained in minutes rather than days. In an industry where labour turnover is high and peak seasons demand rapid scaling of headcount, reducing that training overhead is a meaningful operational advantage.

Connectivity is another area where the device pushes forward. Pathfinder Edge supports NFC, Wi-Fi 6e and Bluetooth, keeping it tightly integrated with existing IT and operational systems. Predictive monitoring built into the platform flags potential issues before they cause unplanned downtime, which is critical in high-volume environments where a single device failure can create bottlenecks.

The applications span several verticals. In parcel logistics, faster print-and-apply workflows mean higher throughput and fewer misrouted shipments. In apparel and general retail, accurate reticketing and markdown execution help stores respond to shifting demand in real time. In food and grocery, markdown optimisation supports waste reduction and better on-shelf availability.

Michael Goller, VP of Digital Solutions at Avery Dennison, said the device was built to address the growing tension between rising customer expectations and tightening labour and margin pressures. “Many face the challenge of juggling multiple devices on the shop floor while tackling manual, error-prone workflows,” he noted. “That’s why we built Pathfinder Edge, to remove hassle and enable greater efficiency and accuracy.”

The Pathfinder Edge is available now and launches as the first model in a new line of all-in-one mobile devices. Avery Dennison has confirmed that upcoming models in the range will include RFID capabilities, extending the platform into inventory management, freshness tracking and reticketing. The company says it remains committed to servicing the existing fleet of Pathfinder devices.

The post Avery Dennison launches Pathfinder Edge its fastest handheld printer line yet for retail and logistics first appeared on RFID News.

Meehan is widely recognized across the retail technology and asset protection industries for his leadership in RFID, operational intelligence, and emerging technology strategy. He currently serves as CEO of CONTROLTEK, where he oversees the company’s strategic direction spanning RFID, EAS, sensor fusion technologies, and connected enterprise solutions that support organizations worldwide.

“Tom’s experience leading large-scale RFID initiatives and connected retail deployments makes him an exceptional addition to our board,” said Larry Fox, CEO of ZFLO Technologies. “His expertise in deployment strategy, enterprise innovation, and intelligent tracking solutions aligns strongly with our vision for the future of connected commerce.”

ZFLO Technologies develops technology solutions focused on shipment verification, delivery intelligence, operational efficiency, and package tracking across retail, logistics, and enterprise environments. The addition of Meehan to the board is expected to accelerate the company’s efforts to bring greater visibility and accountability to the shipment journey.

As part of the broader relationship, ZFLO Technologies and CONTROLTEK plan to collaborate strategically. The goal is to help organizations gain deeper intelligence across the entire shipment lifecycle, from supply chain operations and fulfillment centers through to final delivery and customer receipt. CONTROLTEK’s expertise in RFID-enabled inventory and shipment tracking complements ZFLO Technologies’ focus on last-mile delivery intelligence and package verification technology.

“Organizations today need better data, stronger accountability, and real-time operational insight across every stage of fulfillment,” said Meehan. “By combining CONTROLTEK’s RFID expertise with ZFLO Technologies’ last-mile delivery intelligence, organizations can create a more connected and transparent view of the shipment journey from distribution to doorstep.”

The appointment reflects a growing trend across the RFID and IoT sectors where companies are bringing together complementary capabilities to address the increasingly complex challenges of modern supply chain management. With package theft continuing to rise and consumer expectations around delivery transparency growing, the collaboration between ZFLO Technologies and CONTROLTEK could position both companies to deliver more comprehensive solutions to retailers and logistics providers.

Read more at https://www.zflotechnologies.com/s/ZFLO-Technologies-Press-Release.pdf

The post Tom Meehan Joins ZFLO Technologies Board first appeared on RFID News.