Tagged Boxes Get Smart

Montreal -- Krupack Packaging developed the HIDE-Pack smart box for cartons and temporary displays with passive RFID transmitters embedded within the folds of the corrugated itself, rather than attached to its surface."The two most common methods of adding RFID capability to corrugated containers are manual application of RFID microchips and inline printing of RFID labels," says Rob Latter, vice president, Containerboard Division, Krupack Packaging. "HIDE-Pack technology offers protection against mechanical damage and moisture and reduces theft and piracy because the embedded chip is not visible from either the inside or the outside of the box or display."One major Krupack customer that has adopted HIDE-Pack technology is Normerica Inc., a Toronto, Ontario, manufacturer of branded and private label pet products such as biodegradable cat litter and all-natural dog biscuits and treats. In order to provide EPC conformity for pet products destined for Walmart Canada, which began to require RFID readability during Summer 2008, the company has implemented a mobile cart system at its manufacturing plants in Brantford, Ontario, and Lethbridge, Alberta. The mobile carts serve as encoding stations for corrugated cartons supplied by Krupack, each containing a passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tag inserted during the manufacturing process. Each mobile cart consists of a PC, an Impinj Speedway RFID reader, an adjustable antenna, a hand-held barcode scanner and an LCD screen. These components ensure proper encoding, which is validated through a combination of audible and visual alerts as each carton passes through the commissioning process."The system does not require either an RFID tag printer or a separate system for applying the tags," says Simon Than, Normerica IT director.

Tagged Boxes Get Smart

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