Concern over RFID skills shortage

Dozens of would-be RFID professionals are learning the basics of RFID at a growing number of specialised training facilities, but few will be equipped to handle the deployments that an increasing number of companies are demanding, says RFID Update.

The article says most companies believe there will be an insufficient supply of RFID skills to meet future demand. The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has been issuing RFID-specific skills tests since April.

However, these written certification exams are based on concepts such as RFID installation, configuration, maintenance, site surveys, site analysis, air protocols, and tag placement. The problem is there are few individuals with high-level, real-world RFID deployment experience.

HP researchers have created an RFID real-time asset tracking system aimed at data centres (DCs) to assist in audits of servers, networking equipment and other portable assets, reports IDM.net.

The system provides a high-resolution view of devices throughout the data centre and can provide historical data related to additions, changes and moves of servers and server-related equipment. This enables greater accuracy of inventory, increased security and reduced operational and auditing costs.

HP regards RFID as a key technology for retailers, manufacturers and other users to reduce supply chain costs in addition to inventory auditing and asset tracking.

The European Commission (EC) says many individuals and organisations are concerned about the privacy implications of RFID, so it will consider legislation concerning RFID and privacy to provide assurances that RFID will not be used for large-scale surveillance, reports Silicon.com.

A six-month study into RFID found that Europeans are concerned that their privacy may be infringed through loss of control of the data collected using RFID tags. Of the 2 200 people who took part in the study, 70% thought it was important to label tags and give consumers the opportunity to disable or destroy them.

Wal-Mart and other major companies say more industries are embracing inventory-tracking technology, despite continuing criticism about high costs and privacy concerns, says Reuters.

Wal-Mart has led the move to RFID by requiring its main suppliers to integrate the technology by placing tags on cases of goods so they can be scanned and located more easily. Proponents say the tags will allow managers to locate problems within the global supply chain. By January, 600 of Wal-Mart`s suppliers will use RFID.

At the EPCglobal convention in Los Angeles, panellists from Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Dow Chemical and pharmaceutical company Wyeth said it is no longer just the consumer goods industry embracing the tags, most companies are still unsure how to justify the high infrastructure costs and when to make the switch to RFID.