Active RFID

Malaysia to use RFID on livestock

2009-04-04T23:21:00.002+08:00

JELI, Sat:

Malaysia is the first Asian country to use the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) to keep track of livestock.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said Malaysia would implement the identification system costing RM500 million in its first phase.

"This is the first step with an allocation of RM500 million from the Veterinary Department and we will fix the RFID on 80,000 heads of cattle nationwide.

"It will be expanded to other livestock like goats if successful," he told reporters after launching the RFID system here today.
He said the system incorporated an identification code in an ear tag fixed to the animal that had information related to the animal.

Mustapa said a microchip was attached to an anntena and the microchip had data like address, location, sex, name of breeder, origin of the livestock and date of movement.

He said if there was an outbreak of disease it was important to identify the source of outbreak so as to control spread speedily and identify the disease such as hand, foot and mouth disease.

"The movement system in the tag can be used to identify the location of livestock that had been in contact with diseased livestock so they could be quarantined and disease control can be done in a short period," he said.

Mustapa said Malaysia needed the tracking system to increase competitiveness in the ''halal'' food market and to abide by the import regulations of countries like the United States, those in the European Union and Middle Eastern countries.

He said the level of self-sufficiency in livestock had not been reached but the value-added industry had potential abroad and as such the RFID system was important to meet international standards.

No more filling passport forms

2008-09-30T01:00:00.001+08:00

KUCHING: Applicants for international passports will no longer be required to fill up forms from Dec 1.

Home Affairs Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat said their thumbprints and latest passport-sized photographs would suffice.

Aseh said the paperless application was possible as the Immigration Department could verify an applicant's identity through its link-up with the National Registration Department.

“The passports will be issued to the applicants on the same day,” he told reporters after handing over Hari Raya goodies to the state Immigration Department officers and staff here.

He said the department started issuing instant passports to applicants in Sabah and Sarawak on the same day since Monday. States in the peninsula implemented the move earlier this year.

Currently, applicants must fill up Form A, while parents should fill in Form A1/B1 for their children.

Two 3.5cm x 5.0cm photographs should also be handed along with the completed forms and old passports (if any) to the Immigration Department application counters.

Department director-general Datuk Wahid Mohd Don recently said that the department would look into other forms of identification such as retina verification and installing higher-grade computer chips for the radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to eliminate passport and visa forgeries.

He said that Malaysians could also submit their passport applications on-line with their MyKad details and come to the department the next day to collect their passports as part of the department’s efforts to go paperless.

Aseh said the ministry planned to build a RM60mil complex here to house all its departments and agencies, including the Immigration Department, National Registration Department, Rela and the Registrar of Societies.

“Housing all the agencies under one roof will enhance public service delivery,” he said.

He said the ministry had identified a site in Petra Jaya for the project, and was in the process of acquiring the land from the state government. Construction work could start next year.

RFID visas soon for visitors to Malaysia

2008-09-29T01:00:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Soon millions of foreign workers, students and long staying visitors will be issued with chip-based visas that will make Malaysian Immigration clearance a breeze.

Immigration director-general Datuk Wahid Md Don said the chip-based visa using the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchips would contain the foreigner's personal details and thumbprints.

“We hope to introduce this in stages by the end of this year,” said Wahid, adding that the system was currently being tested on Bangladeshi foreign workers.

“Their thumbprints and other personal details are scanned and captured into a computer system in Dhaka and transferred to us here when they apply for work permits and upon entering Malaysia their scanned thumbprints and other details would be matched against our central database.

“If there is no match the worker would be turned away and deported back to Bangladesh,” Wahid told journalists and editors at a roundtable discussion among newspaper editors and Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam, a member of the Special Taskforce to Facilitate Business, and Westports Sdn Bhd chief executive officer.

Wahid said the chip-based visa that comes in the form of a sticker would reduce forgery and improve enforcement work as immigration officers carrying out inspections at worksites could instantaneously retrieve data using chip readers.

He said when the chip-based visa, an extension of Malaysia’s electronic passport that is being adopted by advanced countries like the United States, is fully implemented immigration workload at all 152 entry and exit points in the country would be eased.

There are over two million foreign workers and another 66,000 students in the country, while the country’s tourist arrivals last year was over 17 million people.

On another matter, Wahid said Malaysians applying or renewing passports could get it done between 10 to 40 minutes using their MyKad as the department could easily retrieve data of applicants from the National Registration Department.

“We have also come out with a guidebook for expatriates applying to work and live here. The book will be made available soon,” he said, adding that the processing of professional visa applications had also been reduced from 14 to seven days now.

Two forest reserves in pilot project to tag trees

2008-09-28T01:00:00.000+08:00

TWO forest reserves will be involved in a pilot project to tag trees with radio frequency identification devices (RFID) to curb illegal logging, Natural Resources and Environment Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said.

The Forestry Department was finalising the project draft and would earmark the forest reserves soon.

The pilot project was estimated to cost between RM4mil and RM5mil.

Sazmi said several factors had to be considered in identifying the sites, such as accessibility and ecosystem.

He said the RFID would be a chip the size of a rice grain and inserted into a capsule before being “injected” into the trees.

“The chip will contain details such as age, species and scientific name of the tree, and where it was planted,” he said at the Parliament lobby.

Currently, enforcement officers were only raiding sawmills to identify illegal logs.

Earlier, in replying to Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan (BN – Baram), Sazmi said the estimated losses to illegal logging in 2005 totalled RM644,199, which fell to RM396,860 the following year. Losses from January to March this year totalled RM193,143.

Sazmi said the ministry planned to step up security to curb illegal logging by barring the transportation of logs at night.

He said other measures included setting up enforcement units at district and state levels and flying squads at the headquarters patrolling sensitive areas using helicopters, using remote-sensing technology to monitor and identify illegal logging activities and setting up identification centres at logging areas.

Operation against illegal billboards

2008-09-27T01:00:00.000+08:00

The BMS uses a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that enables the DBKL enforcement officers to track, trace, manage and locate billboards faster and easier.

According Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan, by using the BMS, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement personnel will be able to capture data on the licensee, date of expiry, registration number, payments, approved size, and the image of a billboard and other details on the spot.

“All this is possible by merely directing the hand-held BMS reader to the tag displayed on the billboard from a distance of 30m,” Hakim said at the launch of the gadget at the DBKL headquarters yesterday.

Hi-tech system: Hakim (centre) launching the BMS as Datuk Salleh Yusop, City Hall director-general (left) and Mohd Amin Nordin, City Hall deputy director-general (right) look on.

According to Hakim, since the DBKL started using the gadget, 601 billboards have been installed with a microchip.

“There are a total of 1,487 billboards in Kuala Lumpur which generates a yearly revenue of RM12mil a year. By using this gadget, we are able to identify the legal ones, and also curb the mushrooming of the illegal billboards,” he said.

Hakim said that previously the DBKL officers had no way to determine if a billboard was legal or not.

According to Quantum Sigma Sdn Bhd, which developed the BMS, the DBKL is the first local council in the world to use such a technology to manage billboards.

Handy device: The BMS enables one to capture data on the licensee, date of expiry of licence and approved size, payments and other details on a billboard.

Quantum Sigma chief executive officer of K. Suraindran said the technology could be used not only for billboards, but also banners and buntings as well.

“The device saves a lot of time and effort as it has multiple reading ability - one device can read six billboards at a time that are located 30m from the device,” he said.

Suraindran said that previously officers had to go back to their office to check the files on the legality of the billboards. Now it can be done on the spot.

Microtag to launch RFID tracking device

2008-09-26T01:00:00.000+08:00

PENANG: Pensonic Holdings Bhd unit Microtag Engineering Sdn Bhd is ready to launch a radio frequency identification device (RFID) document tracking system this year.

Microtag managing director and Pensonic corporate advisor Datuk Dr Kang Chin Seng said the system was suitable for use in large corporations and government offices where there was a large volume of documents being moved daily.

“The system uses active RFID technology that can identify and locate documents on the move.

“The product has been developed and we are waiting for the right time to launch this year,” he said after a seminar on Enhancing Productivity through RFID organised by Microtag last Wednesday.

Pensonic holds 51% equity in Microtag, and the remaining stake is held by Champtek Inc, one of Taiwan's largest companies providing auto-identification solutions in Taiwan and China.

Datuk Dr Kang Chin Seng

Kang said Microtag designed and developed active RFID technology because it results in less congestion than passive RFID technology.

“Passive RFID technology can only identify goods and read from between a few centimetres to a few metres.

“Active RFID technology can identify and locate people and goods, and read from a distance of 350m,” he added.

On the company's latest RFID product, CAST (Comprehensive Assets and Staff/People Locating System), Kang said the company would focus on distributing the tracking system to schools and hospitals.

“Hospitals and nursing homes would find CAST handy in locating patients for their safety, and preventing the theft of hospital equipment.

“In the US, loss of hospital equipment is estimated at US$3.9bil a year,” he said.

Kang added that Microtag would be able to draw on Pensonic’s experience in brand building, marketing, planning, and its extensive networking overseas to promote the CAST RFID tracking system.

RFID and and e-security solutions

2008-09-25T01:00:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Radio frequency identification (RFID) and e-security solutions provider CBS Technology Bhd expects to secure more contracts in the Asean region in the next two to three months, chief executive officer Sun Chee Kong said.

He said the company hoped to land soon contracts “of similar size” to its recent Philippine venture.

Sun Chee Kong

“They should be of similar size,” he told StarBiz after the company EGM's yesterday.

In November last year, CBS signed a three-year service contract with Equipment Engineers Inc to manage the Philippines-based construction company's e-procurement services for an initial RM96mil a year.

More recently, it clinched a RM9.33mil project from a local bank to implement a system to manage the origination and servicing of commercial and corporate loan portfolios.

“This year, we want to focus more on overseas ventures,” Sun said, adding that domestic sales contributed about 90% to total group sales last year.

“Apart from Asean, we are also going to focus on obtaining deals in the Middle East and North Africa this year,” he said.

On the company's transfer to the main board, Sun said there was “no intention yet”.

“We think what is important now is to build our track record. Results are what matters,” he added.

According to Sun, CBS had been a consistent performer, registering 20% to 30% sales growth annually in the past four to five years.

For the year ended Dec 31, 2007, the company made a net profit of RM6.4mil on revenue of RM20.9mil compared with a net profit of RM5mil on sales of RM15.9mil a year earlier.

Sun also said CBS was studying several possible acquisitions to grow its business although nothing had been firmed up yet.

“We're working on it. We'll do it once we've found firms that offer synergistic value to us,'' he said.

Last month, OSK Research had a “buy” call on CBS Tech, amid expectations the company would meet its revenue forecast of RM33mil for the year ending Dec 31.

At the EGM, shareholders approved the company's one-for-two bonus issue of up to 52.7 million new shares.

Tagging RFID to WiFi hardware

2008-09-24T01:00:00.001+08:00

Klang Valley, Malaysia - LOCAL healthcare operators looking to deploy a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) solution to better manage their assets, staff and patients should consider those that work with the latest WiFi-based wireless technologies.

THIS IS IT: Mhanoj showing off the WiFi-based RFID tag.

Such solutions are more efficient, faster to install, and more cost effective compared to the older wired systems, announced MyRF Tag Sdn Bhd, a local RFID solutions integrator.

“What usually takes months to install (wire-based solutions) can now be done in two weeks and at a much cheaper cost — at least 45% less than a conventional system costs,” said T. Mhanoj, CEO of MyRF Tag. RFID is an automatic identification method where related information stored in RFID tags or transponders can be retrieved (read) or updated simply by touching them to a special reader.

A typical setup involves laying out cables to install and configure many readers at strategic points in a building and usually takes many months to complete due to the complexity of the tasks, said Mhanoj.

“Each tag has a very limited read-range and this is the reason why many readers are needed in fixed positions,” he said.

MyRF Tag is using Finland-based Ekahau Inc’s wireless solution, called RFID Real-Time Location System (RFID RTLS), which comprises application software, engine software and WiFi devices such as modem and battery-powered tags.

It piggybacks on the industry-standard 802.11 network to locate customers’ valuable assets and people, Mhanoj said.

Once installed, the wireless RFID tags enable every wheelchair, bed and defibrillator to be tracked by PDA (personal digital assistant), laptop or any other computer with a web browser, he said.

“The battery (in the tags) will last up to five years and can be exchanged with a fresh one,” he added.

Certain tags also have a panic button that enables a patient who wears one to alert nurses or doctors in the event of an emergency, such as when he is having a heart attack or if he falls down.

MyRF Tag is currently conducting a pilot test with six private hospitals in the Klang Valley. Mhanoj expects the first commercial launch of the solution to take place in June.

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www.myrf-tag.com

Reaching out to document storage clients

2008-09-24T00:09:00.002+08:00

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia: A courier and records management firm here is claiming a world first: That it is ahead of all other companies in its field in using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to store, manage, and retrieve documents.

Sure-Reach Records Management Sdn Bhd grew out of the company’s original business — a worldwide courier service that began in 2003.

Peter Chan, co-founder and group managing director, as well as his wife Sharon Wong, founder and group executive director, decided to get into the records management business to complement their courier business.

Document storage requires buying or renting space dedicated just for storage, which is expensive in major cities — and which is where the demand for a records management service is greatest, Chan said.

It also requires specialised equipment, and temperature- and humidity-controlled environments to protect paper documents from damage by fire, flood, fungal infestation and pests.

But merely warehousing documents is pointless if they cannot be retrieved quickly and easily when needed. Sure-Reach uses passive RFID tags, imported from the United States and South Korea, which cost 30 cents to 50 cents (roughly 95sen to RM1.60) each.

The tags are embedded into sticky labels, which are then attached to boxes containing sealed-up documents, or to individual files.

The middleware for the RM2mil project was provided by Microsoft Corp and the software, together with project consultancy services by Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn Bhd. The application is a proven one for records management, supplied by software developer ONeil of Australia.

No other company in the world has implemented such a solution, according to Chan and Wong. “We put RFID tags on everything here, be it files, boxes or media. Other companies just tag media like spools of tape and disks, or they might be considering tagging shipments of specific products like medicines or semiconductors,” Chan said.

The RFID tags are an advance over barcoding, the prevalent technology of the past 25 years. In order to read a barcode tag and identify the tagged item, a barcode scanner must be passed directly over the tag.

If, for reasons of space, the box cannot be stacked in a way that keeps its barcode label exposed, it must be unstacked to have the label scanned.

Stocktaking also becomes a tedious chore when one client’s boxes are mixed in with another’s, as usually happens in a storage facility. “It is impractical to store each client’s boxes of documents separately, especially if the boxes arrive in batches at irregular intervals,” Wong explained.

These contraints can make barcodes difficult to use in individually labelling stored items. But to read an RFID tag, it needs only to pass within several feet of a scanner, without close physical contact or even line of sight.

Boxes need not be organised in separate stacks for each client, or unstacked for scanning. When a stack of boxes is transported on a pallet, the pallet only needs to be wheeled past an RFID scanner installed in a doorway which identifies all the boxes individually, even the ones in the middle of the stack, in a single pass.

The software can even detect if a box does not belong in a stack, if a box is missing from a stack, or if an extra box has been added by mistake. “If you tell us to come pick up 10 boxes from your premises and we wind up with nine or 11, we can account for the extra or missing box,” Chan said.

“Sure-Reach is about to go live with the RFID solution in a few days at its storage facility in Shah Alam. The site can store up to 500,000 cartons and one million file folders.

“We also plan to open storage sites — in Kota Kinabalu this August, and in Kuching this coming January — that would also implement the solution,” Chan said.

“Once the implementation is successful and costs have come down, Sure-Reach will consider using it in its courier business,” Sure-Reach is able to offer its clients complete auditability of storage down to the box or document level, as well as quick retrieval for every box of documents in storage and for files which are individually tagged, said Chan.

Depending on their need and location, clients may request next-day, same-day, or one-hour delivery of items or documents retrieved from storage.

But as an alternative to retrieving hard copy, Sure-Reach offers a document imaging service that makes it possible to retrieve soft copies of documents in storage.

“Most of the time, only the information on the document is wanted. Originals are usually needed only for court submissions or applications to government agencies,” Chan said.

Sure-Reach can scan documents as they come in, before they are stored. Clients can access the scanned documents through a password-protected website.

What lies on the horizon for Sure-Reach? Aside from coverng the whole nation, Chan and Wong talked about expanding their document management business to elsewhere in the Asean region, for a start. Singapore, where buying or renting property to store documents would be particularly expensive — and would thus have more demand for records storage and management services — could be served by a facility across the causeway in Johor, according to Chan.

“As a long-term plan, we’re thinking about integrating Sure-Reach’s system with our clients’ archival systems, creating an end-to-end records management solution. But that would require a lot of work to knit the systems together,” he said.