IBM Opens European RFID Testing & Solution Center

HostReview.com
Friday, July 2, 2004; 12:00 AM

Jul 02, 2004 - (HostReview.com) - IBM announced yesterday the opening of an European RFID Testing & Solution Center in La Gaude, France, confirming its position as a global leader for radio frequency identification (RFID) implementations.

The center combines the business and technical capability of many of the emerging business areas that IBM spearheads, as well as leveraging core technology and services across IBM. This way IBM offers customers a true end-to-end RFID solution, including the middleware needed to integrate the technology to back-end systems.

IBM offers comprehensive services for the deployment of RFID including the formulation of business plans, development of systems, implementation of trial plans, and full-scale introduction and deployment of RFID solutions. IBM's pervasive computing and wireless strategy is to extend e-business applications to the new class of client devices.

The La Gaude RFID Testing & Solution Center, which complements existing IBM development centers in Gaithersburg, US and Tokyo, Japan, will allow European based companies to test RFID solutions in real customer environments, ensuring they can reap the benefits of the technology quickly and with low risk.
Guido Bartels, Vice President Pervasive / Wireless e-business for Europe Middle-East & Africa at IBM, said: "RFID deployments can be complex if not carried out properly and IBM's end to end solution offers advice and best practice to ensure that potential pitfalls are avoided."

AMR analysts Dana Stiffler and Kara Romanov wrote: "Where IBM pulls away from the pack is in its technology expertise, complexity of delivery, and its referenceability. Its ability to link RFID projects to cutting-edge Demand Driven Supply Chain initiatives also sets it apart."

The opening of the La Gaude RFID Test & Solution Center means IBM now offers unrivalled worldwide support for RFID with real life environments, allowing customers to make the best decisions to go live with the technology efficiently.