Download Annual Report 2006 - Mühlbauer Group

COMPANY PROFILE09RFID technology has become part of our daily lives, as it can easily be integrated into labelsor tickets meanwhile. In developing system solutions for smart label production, Mühlbauerapply an extremely high benchmark: the requirements of our international customers.Smart LabelThe first prototypes of the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology were generated asearly as the 1960s; however, the commercial uses of this technology were only identified oncean attractive price-performance ratio became possible, in the course of the miniaturization andmass production of high-tech components. Smart Labels consist of a chip and an antenna,which transmits the encrypted information stored in the chip to a reading device. They are soflat that they can even be integrated into conventional labels and could revolutionize logisticsprocesses.Smart Labels unite the benefits of conventional labels with the modern opportunities offered byRFID and are gaining ground worldwide. Mühlbauer is a global leader in the area of productiontechnologies for Smart Labels, not least due to the fact that it recognized RFID’s potential at atime when many considered its marketing more of a vision than a reality. And that, although thebenefits of these intelligent labels are obvious. No visual contact is required and several can beread at once. They are durable and hard to forge, although they can be supplemented, deletedor modified. All this renders RFID flexible, fast and safe – ideal for today’s dynamicglobal economy, where it is not enough that goods are unambiguously identifiedbut where it is also important that the traceability of products is guaranteed.An increasing number of chain stores and providers of logistics servicesare utilizing RFID technology for their warehouse and inventorymanagement. Experience has shown that this helps to reducethroughput times, avoid errors and minimize loss, which resultsdirectly in cost savings. However, Smart Labels arealso to provide protection against forgery. The best knownexample of this is surely the tickets for the 2006 Soccer WorldCup, which were equipped with RFID to prevent illicit trading andticket fraud. Mühlbauer has effectively supplemented its portfolio inthe Smart Label area. The new converting lines can produce complete RFID labels or tickets,thus closing the gap between inlay production and the ready-to-use final product. Mühlbauercan now offer complete production lines and its entire expertise for each step of the productionprocess.It is undisputed that the RFID market will grow in the years to come. Greater international effortsat standardization show how far this technology has spread and to what extent it is being successfullyused, even beyond corporate and national borders. Mühlbauer, however, has longexceeded the planning stage. Technologically mature high-speed systems already ensure thatall types of Smart Label currently requested by the market can be produced at a high quality.Furthermore, the constant further development of these systems ensures that Mühlbauer can reactflexibly towards future market requirements.