OPINION
Auto ID –
downturn or
recession?
Graham Fenton, managing
director of UK AIDC and mobile
computing distributor, Synergix,
explores whether the use of Auto
ID is in decline and what the
future holds for those investing in
this mature technology.
In decline?
and our ability to offer our own
enhanced guaranteed response
Are barcodes in Decline? Not in my time warranties. This means that
opinion. New barcode applications we purchase relatively little in
remember the last major predicted by many, some of the are continually emerging, and as a Euros and have managed to
I
recession in the early 1990s. technical issues that led to result we have signed up 186 new avoid the price hits currently
We saw it earlier than many but disappointment amongst early customers this year. Many of being experienced by Pan
managed to recover quickly, as adopters are being cleared. It is these are emerging companies European distributors that ship
companies sought to invest in interesting to note that Zebra specialising in complementary from distribution centres in
Auto ID products that would help Technologies has bought four technologies such as mobile mainland Europe. Being local,
them achieve greater efficiencies. companies in the past year in computing and telecoms, keen to our transportation routes to the
This time around, we started to order to enhance its ‘identify, take advantage of new barcode customer are also shorter,
experience a slowdown in May locate and track’ product portfolio: peripheral products designed to mitigating the effects of an
2007, long before the press Proveo, Wherenet, Navis and deliver the benefits of Auto ID via escalating oil price.
started to talk things down. As in Multispectral Solutions. RFID is PDAs and smart phones, opening
the early ’90s, the smarter and central to the solutions these up a range of new end users to
more forward-thinking companies offer, and Multispectral’s this technology.
Growth areas
organisations are investing in Auto use of 6-7 GHz Ultra wide band
ID products in an effort to achieve radio (UWB) technology in its It is my belief that growth areas
greater efficiency. Recession? I Sapphire range of tags points to
Impact of the Euro & rising
are anywhere where a company
don’t think so. More a period of exciting new opportunities.
oil prices
can identify clear efficiency
reflection and re-alignment of IT improvements through the use
spending on projects offering a Synergix is also ready to meet the As a UK-centric distributor, our of this technology. Mobile printing
clear pay back and a healthy growing demand for RFID, having sales proposition is based on our of labels and receipts is now
return on investment to the recently invested in the QP1000 knowledge of the products we sell being readily adopted by large
business. With sales 25 per cent range of wearable scanners. organisations. Our sales
ahead of plan in 2008 we are The QP1000 offers Bluetooth of portable printers have
already returning to good growth. communication to the host device increased tenfold in the
and supports both barcode and past two years. Mobile
RFID scanning. It is already in use printing has undoubtedly
RFID looks set to take off
within a London hospital to read come of age and will
1D and 2D barcodes printed on represent a real growth
Although we’re still some way off RFID tag wristbands, helping to opportunity over the
the explosive growth that was improve patient safety. next few years. >>
Graham Fenton:
The Auto ID
industry can look
forward to a bright
future ahead.
38 IT RESELLER – JUNE 2008
www.itrportal.com
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