RFID Applications Are Entering Another Growth Phase
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the demand of RFID technologies and solutions across industries. Now, with travel restrictions easing, Italian RFID hardware manufacturer CAEN RFID plans to expand its market penetration in the US. In an interview with RFID & Wireless IoT Global, Stefano Coluccini, General Manager at CAEN RFID provides insights into the growth of the RFID market and the outlook for 2022.
How has CAEN RFID coped with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns?
We at CAEN RFID took the lockdown period as an opportunity to push forward with product development. Our engineers have put all their efforts into the development of new RFID hardware products and devices, many of which were successfully launched in 2021. We adopted smart and efficient ways of working from home to make full use of the lockdown period.
With the ease in COVID-19 travel restrictions, we hope to continue expanding our reach into the US market in 2022. We are also working on creating new synergies with new partners and to increase the market visibility of our brand. It is our goal to make our brand known in the US markets this year.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for RFID technologies?
As someone who has been involved in the RAIN RFID market since the very beginning in 2003, I have seen how RFID has made leaps in development. When RFID was first introduced in the market, many companies were hesitant to implement the technology. However, this has drastically changed over the years and the demand for RFID has now been accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Companies worldwide have suffered restrictions due to the lockdowns, and they are now seeing the benefits of an automated production line. Retailers are seeing the potential of RFID for quick, real-time inventories, the localization of assets and automatic stock replenishment. In fact, there are many signals that point to the further growth of RFID in the next few years. One such signal, for example, is the grocery giant Walmart’s mandate that all of its suppliers provide RFID-tagged goods by September 2022.
In this regard, I remain positive and optimistic about the future of RFID.