Over the past decade, billions of smart labels embedded with RFID overlays have proven to be a major benefit to apparel retailers, but RFID has begun to gain traction in many other sectors, including cosmetics, beauty, food, automotive, manufacturing, logistics, aviation, and more. Market analysts predict rapid growth in these markets and the adoption of smart labels and tags for new applications – creating significant business opportunities for convertors and service offices embedding RFID into their products. Regardless of which opportunity you pursue as a convertor or service office, Avery Dennison is the RFID partner of your choice.
Seize market opportunities:
The first step in developing your business by offering smart labels is to become more knowledgeable about the basics of RFID and the value it can provide. Label converters and service departments don't need to be experts in the technology or its applications, but sales staff need to be able to intelligently discuss with customers the differences between Near Field Communication (NFC) and passive RFID (UHF), how overlays will work on different products and environments, and the range of label options for each individual use case. Production teams need to develop the skills to convert conventional labels into smart labels. They need to understand the different substrates available for overlays, how different antenna shapes work in different applications, and other factors related to how customers use smart labels in their operations. Resources available for training sales and production staff are listed at the end of the Avery Dennison white paper being offered for download.
Investing in scalable production technology:
High-end RFID inlay insertion equipment can be expensive, but label switchers and service offices can enter the RFID market without investing hundreds of thousands of dollars. For small to medium volumes, they can use Avery Dennison's "wet" RFID inlay distribution format (single-sided adhesive) in a traditional label application process to produce smart labels. This low-cost method is ideal for jobs that don't require a high degree of label customization. For medium to large volume orders, switchers and service offices can purchase dry overlays from Avery Dennison and use an on-pitch inlay and multi-layer/laminated switching process. This allows for custom face creation but requires a servo press.
Choose a coating supplier
The key to developing a successful smart label business is choosing the right inlay supplier. Inlays are RFID transponders embedded or inserted into the label structure, thus making it a smart label. There are several key factors you should consider when choosing a supplier:
PRODUCT CATEGORIES
Customers will need to choose a tag supplier with a wide product catalog to be able to provide tags that work on a variety of products and items. Nam Viet Barcode not only offers LF, HF, NFC, and passive RAIN RFID (UHF) overlays and tags, but also provides a range of sizes, shapes, and other features to meet even the most challenging and unique project needs.
QUALITY:
Quality is just as important as having the best product portfolio on the market. Sometimes a small fraction of RFID overlays in production may have a shorter reading range or be completely non-functional due to faulty chips or other issues. It's crucial that these aren't converted into labels or tags and shipped to brands and business customers. We have extensive quality control processes at every stage of production to ensure high-quality products. Nam Viet Barcode not only marks faulty overlays, as most other overlay suppliers do, but we can disable the chip so the overlay will be inactive and unusable unintentionally. To reinforce our commitment to superior quality, we work closely with the Auburn University RFID Lab and are the only company globally to be awarded ARC Quality Certification.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Choosing the right RFID product for a particular item to be tagged is important and sometimes more complicated than expected. It is important to work with a supplier who can provide comprehensive advice on the options for use and the appropriate placement of finished product labels or hard tags on the item.
If requested, Nam Viet Barocode will bring samples of the items to the lab, simulate the planned deployment environment, conduct analysis and recommend product options and positioning for RFID labels or hard tags. Additionally, Nam Viet Barcode can develop custom tags or labels for each customer's individual requirements.
EXPERIMENT:
It's important to be able to quickly obtain sample tags so you can provide samples to your customers as they begin to explore whether RFID works for their needs. We can provide samples of many products within 24 hours.
AVAILABILITY:
It's also important to choose a card supplier with the production capacity to provide the cards you need in a timely and reliable manner. Nam Viet Barcode is supported by distribution centers around the world to be able to supply overlays when needed.
Additionally, Nam Viet Barcode has an extensive network of label converters and service bureaus that can turn Nam Viet Barcode's high-quality overlays into tags and labels for projects.
SUSTAINABILITY:
Governments, businesses and consumers increasingly prefer suppliers who reduce their carbon footprint and the amount of waste going to landfill, especially plastics and waste that can leach toxic substances into soil and groundwater. With our Sustainable Tags, we replace polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with a paper substrate, reducing the contamination of recycled paper with plastic. For RFID tags supplied by Nam Viet Barcode, we use a precision laser cutting method, effectively eliminating corrosive chemicals, further reducing our carbon footprint and allowing for complete recycling of cut residues.
