Despite stops and starts in the supply chain segment, there has been virtually uninterrupted growth in RFID adoption for asset management, process control, product authentication, work-in-process tracking, autoclave and sterilization processes, inspection and maintenance, and other operations. However, there have always been items that were traditionally either difficult, if not impossible, to tag. In particular, the presence of metal often impeded the use of RFID. Depending on the item being tagged, metal can reflect, amplify or otherwise interfere with the RF signal, which greatly reduces the performance of an RFID tag or label.

Xerafy’s Metal Skin changed the landscape, providing real solutions that removed many of the remaining barriers to using RFID labels on metal. The introduction of the Mercury Metal Skin and Titanium Metal Skin created a standard, flexible tag option for curved meal surfaces and other applications requiring a very thin, low profile tag.

Here are some of the current and planned projects that we highlighted in our white paper that are using  Metal Skin smart labels:

• IT Asset Tracking
• healthcare
• Gas Cylinder and Drum Tracking
• Industrial Product Identification
• Anti-Counterfeiting
• General Asset Tracking

Xerafy’s innovative Metal Skin line of read-on-metal RFID labels makes the use cases described in this paper possible and is helping bring RFID traceability into new environments. Metal Skin smart label is a patent-pending RFID inlay for smart labeling both metallic and non-metallic assets. Its extremely low profile and flexibility make it suitable for small assets like smart phones and tablets, and for larger objects such as drums and other packaging and shipping containers.

Please download the white paper for complete descriptions of each use case.

RFID在供应链系统各个业务流程和关系的应用不断发展、创新，现在的应用需求集中在资产管理，过程追踪控制，产品认证，在制品追踪，高温高压消毒过程管理，资产查验和维护等方面。但是，这些应用一直存在着难以克服的应用障碍，比如说RFID标签对金属环境不可用，信号会受到干扰或屏蔽，这些问题使金属环境中的资产设备无法享受到RFID带来的益处。

Metal Skin的出现彻底改变了现状，它不仅实现了金属资产对RFID技术的应用，还由于标签的灵活性能和尺寸形状，扩大了安装标签的资产范围。Metal Skin系列的两款产品Mercury Metal Skin和Titanium Metal Skin，具备柔软轻薄的特性，适合对标签尺寸和性能非常挑剔的资产类型。

下面是近期有关Metal Skin系列产品的一些应用项目，详细内容您可以阅读白皮书：

• IT 资产追踪
• 医疗
• 气瓶和筒
• 工业产品标识
• 资产防伪
• 一般类型的资产追踪

白皮书中所描述的Metal Skin在金属上的应用是对资产追踪领域的一大创新。拥有几项突破性专利技术的Metal Skin系列更是一款金属和非金属同时适用的标签，它极其袖珍的尺寸可以被贴在智能手机和平板电脑上，而其他体积较大的资产也同样是Metal Skin理想的追踪对象。

请点击下载完整的白皮书了解详细内容。

未来六年内，空客和波音的飞机制造量大约为8000架，而复合材料依然是机翼结构的主要材料，而在上世纪80年代，复合材料的使用率仅占5%。

RFID Journal杂志本周报导了知名飞机零部件制造商ATK使用Xerafy和OATSystems开发的基于RFID技术的解决方案，这一解决方案正是采用Xerafy Micro XII标签来追踪管理复合材料的生产。

通过应用该解决方案，ATK的工作人员可以通过安装在原材料上的RFID标签来了解零部件生产环节的信息，且标签所实现的追踪功能完全满足波音和空客公司对飞机零部件应用RFID的特殊要求。Xerafy的标签用来追踪监控复合材料在高温高压环境中的定型过程，标签可以承受极端高温，同时通过标签中存储的信息，工作人员还可以了解工具维护校准的次数，以及是否需要维护等等。

ATK近期也在对嵌入工具和组件的RFID技术进行测试，用以代替过去传统的条形码识别方式。ATK航空结构项目管理部门的负责人Jim Mrogan在采访时表示：“RFID解决方案的最终目的是提高生产和管理的效率，它帮助我们时刻了解工具的存放和使用信息，知晓在制品的生产状态，这些都极大提高了工作效率。”

Airbus and Boeing combined are slated to produce more than 8,000 aircraft combined over the next six years, making composites the dominant material in the manufacturing of aircraft by 2015, a massive increase from 1980 when under 5 percent of an aircraft relied on composites.

RFID Journal this week featured commercial aircraft component manufacturer ATK, which is using a solution provided by Xerafy partner OATSystems and employing Xerafy’s MicroX II tags to track composite materials and associated tooling. 

The solution allows employees to view work-in-progress based on RFID tags, allowing the firm to meet tracking requirements laid down by customers like Boeing and Airbus. Xerafy’s tags are used on tools that help form and cure the composite parts within autoclave overs at high temperatures and pressure, allowing ATK to identify the number of times a tool is recalibrated once it has reached a specific number of uses.

ATK is also currently testing the feasibility of embedding tags in tools and components, in order to move past bar-code labels. The entire system is designed to increase efficiency. “If we know where tools and materials are, we enhance our efficiency,” Jim Morgan, program manager for ATK’s aerospace structure project management office, told RFID Journal.

IAHCSMM年会是关于医疗设施消毒供应及管理的专业国际会议，每年与会者大多来自医疗行业从事教育、认证及专门负责医院器械消毒的部门。医用物料的消毒管理仍然存在许多函待改进的问题，从业者提高专业技能和管理方式从而确保物料的消毒灭菌过程严格可控，这不仅是对病患安全的保证，也是当今日益发达的医学技术不断发展的必然结果。

RFID技术近几年渗透进医疗行业的各个方面，其中应用较多的就是医用物料的消毒供应和管理，早先行业内也出现了几家提供追踪管理解决方案的公司，主要采用条形码和高频的RFID标签。这次由Xerafy和SIS-USA联合开发的基于RFID技术的追踪解决方案采用超高频无源陶瓷标签，这种标签可以承受医用高温高压消毒过程，由于标签尺寸极其小巧且读写距离适中，因此可以实现器械类单品追踪。SIS-USA是美国领先的SPD服务提供商，致力于临床医疗设施和器械的维护和管理。

IAHCSMM年会是近期Xerafy参加的第二场重要展会，负责医疗领域的项目总监Bill Michalek表示：“我们已经收到许多来自最终客户，服务提供商和仪器制造商等各方面积极的反馈信息，这让我们对该解决方案充满信心，我们看到这个市场的确有RFID技术的需求。相信这一方案可以很好地解决当前医疗机构对物料设备消毒管理存在的问题，我们能够帮助他们提高管理效率和服务质量。”

您可以关注Xerafy新浪微博了解更多展会的信息，也可以登陆我们的网站查询更多医疗领域的解决方案的内容。

IAHCSMM is an annual conference dedicated to central sterile supply department (CSPD) professionals and includes education, certification programs and exhibits showcasing the latest CSPD equipment and technologies. The industry continues to undergo a rather massive transformation to ensure CSPD professionals have the proper training and tools to properly manage inventories and monitor the sterilization processes, which is no easy task, especially when important items tend to disappear or be misplaced and those errors can be costly or even life threatening.

RFID is a technology that is making its way into the CSPD and there were several companies showcasing early versions of their tracking solutions, including barcode and HF RFID. The excitement surrounding the SIS-USA and Xerafy solution comes from the ceramic designs of the Xerafy UHF passive tags, which are autoclave safe, extremely small and provide read ranges measured in meters vs. inches. SIS-USA is recognized as one of the premier SPD services companies, including on-site and mobile instrument management and repair.

This was the second show in two weeks where Xerafy had a very strong showing. “The excitement and interest is coming from users, service companies and instrument manufacturers, so that’s a very positive sign and confirmation that we’re moving in the right direction,” said Xerafy’s Healthcare Practice Director Bill Michalek. “The pain points and issues are well defined and our ceramic UHF tag designs and partnership with SIS-USA are ideally suited to help improve these critical processes.”

Visit our Facebook page too see more photos from the show. For more information on Xerafy’s healthcare solutions, please visit our dedicated application page.

2013年5月1日，香港和美国芝加哥报道－Xerafy和医疗手术器械服务提供商SIS-USA联合发布了一项手术托盘和器械设备的追踪管理解决方案。Xerafy和SIS-USA分别在各自领域拥有领先的技术和市场经验，这次强强联手为医疗行业带来的手术器械RFID解决方案具有高度的创新性，这套解决方案使资产信息具有高度可见性，并且允许医护人员实时掌握这些器械的使用信息。 SIS-USA解决方案采用Xerafy可耐受高压高温的RFID标签，将标签安装在手术托盘上从而实现了托盘从灭菌室到手术室之前的自动追踪。该无源超高频标签符合EPCglobal Gen2和ISO18000-6C标准，可以自动追踪资产，计数并存储资产从灭菌、组装、消毒、存储、运转和手术全过程的各种信息。

手术器械清点出错或存储不当不仅会造成医院成本损失，更重要的是对病患安全带来严重的威胁。一旦在手术中使用了不当的器械或者因管理问题导致手术器械消毒不彻底，这些问题将会对医疗机构的名誉和病人的安全产生极大的风险，这些问题也越来越引起医疗保健组织和监管机构的重视。美国食品和药品管理局已经建立了一项可回收医疗器械安全使用改善行动来引起全行业对这一问题的关注，该倡导行动还引用了一些成功预防医院二次感染的器械识别案例。

近些年来，使用RFID技术管理医疗资产在国外各个医院被迅速普及， 有预测机构统计今年医疗行业可被追踪的器械数量大约为过去的三倍，从2012年4.495亿元到2013年的17.3亿元，这一数字来自Transparency Market Research机构。这家研究机构还称，从2012年至2018年间，医疗行业的RFID发展将呈现19.3%的复合增长，届时的市场规模将达到340亿元。

Xerafy将比以往更加重视RFID在医疗行业的发展，也拥有几款专为医疗行业设计的标签，可以作用于金属托盘表面，或者嵌入到手术器械内部，为医护人员提供更多的器械使用信息，提高不同医护人员之间的信息对称性。存储在标签内部的信息可以通过无线网络系统与其他客户端共享，任何电脑，手机或者其他网络设备都可以接收实时器械定位信息，器械管理存储信息等。

“SIS拥有40多年的医疗机构合作经验”SIS执行总裁Keith Johnson介绍说，“客户找到我们寻求帮助，他们需要一种更合理的先进系统来管理手术设备的消毒以及在不同部门之间的流转，还要了解这些器械存放的位置和使用状态。我们与Xerafy合作开发的解决方案，从根本上改变了追踪资产的方式和深度，通过对每个手术托盘和手术器械安装标签从而实现这些资产从消毒到术前配送再到术后收集全过程的追踪。这一解决方案帮助医院从单品级的水平上来管理所有资产，在降低管理费用的同时也为医院节省了库存管理上的人工耗时。”

Xerafy公司负责医疗领域应用的Bill Michalek表示：“Xerafy产品和技术创新的闪光点在于以卓越的读写性能和标签尺寸战胜了最苛刻环境的应用，这在过去简直无法想象。经过一年的反复测试和改进，我们从外科医生和医用设备制造商的实际使用体验上获得了许多宝贵的建议，通过改进技术和工艺，我们的标签可以承受医用高温高压灭菌，符合生物相容性和临床医学使用标准。普通有源标签目前还不能承受高温灭菌，其高昂的价格医疗行业更加无法承受。”

“我们专注于开发面向特定应用领域的解决方案，与SIS-USA这样行业内领先的企业合作，将最新的技术应用推向市场是我们一贯的宗旨。”

Xerafy与SIS于本月5-8日在圣地亚哥举办的国际医疗资源管理年会(IAHCSMM)上将联合展出这一最新的医疗行业RFID解决方案。

关于 SIS
SIS是一家国际领先的医疗设施服务提供商，帮助医疗机构有效降低医疗设施的管理成本，提高医护质量，具体的服务内容包括：

• 医疗设施维修和翻新
• 定制化的医疗培训和能力测试
• 提供医疗设施的追踪管理及数据维护服务
• 医疗设施求购咨询
• 医疗设施的预防性维护

您可以点击www.sis-usa.com/来了解更多内容。

请登陆FDA官方网站查询关于改善医疗器械安全使用和维护管理的倡导意见。

HONG KONG and CHICAGO, May 1, 2013 – Xerafy and Surgical Instrument Service Company, Inc. (SIS-USA) have partnered to solve the ongoing issues related to tracking and managing surgical trays, surgical devices and biomedical equipment. Each company is a leader in its respective field and the new partnership will bring an innovative, best-of-breed solution to provide highly visible surgical asset management aimed at tracking the use history of surgical instruments and devices.

The SIS-USA solution incorporates software and Xerafy autoclavable radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to bring tray-level visibility to tray inventories between the sterilization department and operating room. It uses EPCglobal Gen 2, ISO 18000-6C standard passive UHF RFID technology to automatically track, count and record items as they move through decontamination, assembly, sterilization, storage, transport and procedural uses – from the autoclave to the operating room and back.

Inaccurate tracking of surgical tools creates inventory problems that not only cost hospitals thousands of dollars annually, but more importantly, can be the difference between life and death when a particular item fails. Errors in identifying surgical tools and following specific cleaning and sterilization processes increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), a growing problem that is attracting increased attention from healthcare organizations and regulators. The FDA has created the Reusable Medical Devices Improvement Initiative to address these problems, and cited accurate product identification as a key to preventing HAIs.

Using RFID to track and manage assets in hospitals is undergoing rapid adoption. Spending on RFID systems to track healthcare equipment is expected to more than triple this year, from $449.5 million in 2012 to $1.73 billion in 2013 according to Transparency Market Research. The research firm predicts the total RFID market for healthcare will experience 19.3 percent compound annual growth from 2012 to 2018, when spending will reach $34 billion.

Xerafy is helping expand the use of RFID tracking because its tags can be mounted on or embedded into surgical trays and baskets, devices and equipment to provide real-time visibility to the tray and device level. Data can be shared over Wi-Fi and other networks to desktop computers, tablets, smart phones and other devices to support real-time locating, materials management, track-and-trace and other systems.

“SIS has been partnering with hospitals for over 40 years,” said SIS Executive Vice President Keith Johnson. “Our customers came to us for help, they needed a better way to track and manage items while in inventory, through the sterilization process and during surgical procedures. The solution we developed by working with Xerafy, a proven RFID tag innovator, dramatically improved the facilities ability to track their trays and devices, from the sterile processing department to the operating room and back again. It drives down operating cost by giving hospitals a new level of control over their assets, while freeing employees from time-consuming tracking and inventory management processes.”

“This is where Xerafy’s ceramic tag innovation truly shines; in applications that demand uncompromised performance in the most demanding conditions. After a year in development, where we gained valuable input from surgeons, SPD directors and equipment manufacturers, our improved autoclavable designs bring standards-compliant passiveUHF RFID technology to the OR and CSPD. Battery-assisted tag technologies simply haven’t been able to withstand the rigorous sterilization processes, not to mention the significant cost differences,” said Bill Michalek, Xerafy’s healthcare practice director.

“Our focus on developing application specific solutions with best of breed industry solution partners, such as SIS-USA, shows our unified commitment to bringing innovative and cost effective UHF solutions to these emerging markets”

Xerafy and SIS are co-exhibiting at the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego from May 5 through May 8. Xerafy will also be featuring its healthcare products, partners and solutions at the RFID Journal LIVE! trade show and conference April 30 to May 2 in Orlando.

About SIS


Empowering healthcare facilities to reduce failures and inefficiencies in the clinical arena is our primary objective. Through targeted education, validation and maintenance, SIS has enabled facilities to lower medical device costs, decrease surgical delays and improve staff production. But it’s our service that our customers’ say is truly a cut above the rest. SIS is a comprehensive provider of services that maximize the useful lifespan and effectiveness of medical equipment and instrumentation. Our services include:

• High quality repair and refurbishment services
• Comprehensive, personalized staff education and competency validations
• Tracking and trending of repair history data
• Instrumentation and equipment acquisition consultation
• Preventative maintenance

Visit www.sis-usa.com/ for more information.

To learn more about the FDA’s initiatives for improving the safety and management of reusable medical devices, visit the FDA’s website.

4月26日，中国香港，在全面综合分析了RFID技术专利，并针对Xerafy自有专利进行检索，Xerafy向多个专家进行咨询后表示，Xerafy所生产的产品完全没有侵犯Omni-ID专利，并对此非常有信心。

早先Omni-ID向Xerafy提出控诉，声称Xerafy所生产的产品在设计方面存在侵权且产品性能不佳。Xerafy随即发表回应，积极捍卫自己的权利和声誉，并表示公司不会受到任何不切实际虚假毁谤的影响，且对这些控诉保留索赔的权利。

Xerafy的创始人兼CEO Dennis Khoo先生表示：“Xerafy对自己的知识产权拥有百分之百的信心，即使走法律程序我们也一定会成功胜诉！Xerafy绝不会向Omni-ID支付所谓的专利使用费或是任何罚款，若Omni-ID仍旧一意孤行的话，我们将继续积极应对。”.”

Xerafy曾在Omni-ID提交诉讼之前多次针对专利权和技术问题与之会晤，但Omni-ID始终坚称Xerafy应该加入其专利许可计划并向其支付专利权使用费。但Omni-ID缺始终无法提供任何Xerafy侵权的证明。Xerafy从未侵权，也不会向Omni-ID支付任何形势的费用和罚款。

Omni-ID宣称市面上众多RFID金属标签都存在侵犯其专利的行为，Xerafy认为这一诉讼是Omni-ID建立其专利使用许可计划的一步。

Xerafy凭借其创新的技术理念，优质的产品和多项具备行业影响力的荣誉在行业内树立了良好的企业形象，并且作为国际领先的RFID技术标签提供商，Xerafy在行业内一直拥有不错的声誉。过去一年内Xerafy的产品获得了全球范围的多个奖项，完成了ISO9001_2008质量体系认证，生产能力翻了一番，企业发展面临更多的机遇。

关于Xerafy
Xerafy以创新的技术和产品为客户提供在各种严苛生产环境下的高性价比资产追踪RFID应用。我们的抗金属RFID标签可以被嵌入到资产中，专为航空航天、工业生产、数据库管理、医疗卫生、能源开发等行业提供种类广泛的智能化资产管理方案。Xerafy的总部设在香港，并在美国的达拉斯、德州，英国和中国上海等地设有销售和技术支持办公室。

本周博客将向大家剧透Xerafy在展会上的几大亮点：

航空领域
Xerafy在航天领域RFID应用方面一直走在行业前沿，我们的产品满足航天领域的通用标准，适合整个行业供应链环节的各种应用，如工具追踪，飞机制造的原材料管理等等。我们最新升级的Sky-ID和Pico XL将在展会上展出，这两款标签会作为Xerafy和OATSystems合作开发的兼容ATA Spec2000大容量RFID解决方案的硬件产品。同时，我们还将展出Xerafy-OAT航空领域RFID入门套件，适用于航空领域所有适航零部件的RFID应用。套件包含手持式读写器，RFID标签和软件等，您将看到最新的XL系列标签在空客A350宽体飞机零部件全生命周期追踪管理的应用。

建筑领域
Xerafy近日发布了快速嵌入式的楔形金属标签Pico Wedge和Nano Wedge，专为工业类RFID用户提供方便快捷的标签安装方式。您也将会在展会上看到Wedge是如何无需灌胶和背胶而被楔入资产中的。建筑和油气开发等行业是RFID技术最有挑战的一些应用领域，因为RFID标签在这些行业将面对极端危险恶劣的应用环境，如何对资产方便高效的安装标签，又保证标签在恶劣环境发挥稳定可靠的读写性能一直是标签制造商和最终用户首要关心的问题。Xerafy面向特殊应用领域的标签Wedge，Xylinder和Bric都凭借特殊的设计和安装方式而胜任危险环境的应用而保持标签稳定可靠的读写性能。

医疗领域
病患的安全和治疗的高效来自于整个行业从医药供应到器械使用等各环节严格的监管和准确的护理，而采用RFID技术可以对治疗过程使用的器械设备进行全程追踪监控，提高医护人员对病患信息的可追溯性，确保病人得到最快速准确安全的治疗。Xerafy XS系列凭借超袖珍的尺寸和可靠的性能，轻松胜任大部分医疗器械安装标签的需求，这款标签满足美国FDA医疗器械RFID使用要求，具备生物相容性且可以承受反复高温灭菌，化学清洗等医疗灭菌过程，XS系列自问世之后很受医疗器械商和医院的青睐，我们将在展会上展示医用托盘和手术器械的RFID应用。

Metal Skin系列
自从去年Metal Skin发布后，市场反响强烈。今年问世的Titanium Metal Skin延续柔软，多环境应用的特点，以45×5.6×0.86毫米极致轻薄小巧的身形成为对标签尺寸极其挑剔资产的不二选择。Metal Skin系列均符合GS1 EPCglobal Gen2和ISO 18000-6标准，为诸如产品认证，IT资产管理，物流追踪，医疗器械管理，奢侈品防伪等众多领域提供价格低廉的RFID应用。

Xerafy期待与您相距在奥兰多！