Spring is in the air, and it’s time for a trip to the Javits Center for the annual INTERPHEX conference and exhibition. The editors of Pharmaceutical Technology and BioPharm International have arranged a series of interviews during the conference. We’ll be talking to pharmaceutical professionals, information-technology experts, and regulators about current challenges in manufacturing and about what the future might bring. Read more »

The winners of this year’s RFID Journal Awards were announced at the annual RFID Journal LIVE! conference and exhibition earlier this week. The winner for Best in Show was ODIN Technologies for its self-inventorying SMART Container, a system that monitors items within a shipping container and then transmits that information to any ERP system via satellite, cellular and active RFID. Read more »

As the annual RFID Journal Live! event approaches, companies are eager to share the news that they have been nominated for one of the show’s awards. The award for the Most Innovative Use of RFID could go to WaveTrend Technologies, not for its solution for the aerospace, consumer goods, or pharmaceutical industry, but for its work with RFID in reality TV. Read more »

In response to the changing economy, some companies are taking a different approach to supply-chain execution systems. This trend has businesses basing their strategies on reducing costs and streamlining operations rather than focusing on compliance with government or retailer guidelines. Read more »

Gov. Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill that extends California’s serialization and ePedigree implementation deadline to 2015 for manufacturers, 2016 for wholesalers, and 2017 for pharmacies. The postponement gives industry more time to prepare, but meanwhile, the supply chain continues to be vulnerable without the ability to track and trace prescription drugs. Read more »

I recently attended the sold-out RFID Journal LIVE! conference and exhibition in Las Vegas. This was my first time at the show and I picked a good year to jump in. Enthusiastic people excited to talk about the technology filled the convention center. One recurring message in the presentations and the booths was that RFID is an industry that is hitting its stride—that it’s evolving and will be used extensively in years to come.

As Alien Technology CEO George Everhart said in his presentation, “RFID has come of age.” Read more »

Next week I will be attending the RFID Journal LIVE! 2008 conference in Las Vegas, where I’ll be immersed in the world of radio frequency identification technology. The show will cover applications of RFID across the aerospace, manufacturing, supply chain/logistics, pharmaceutical, and retail industries. Read more »

INTERPHEX 2008 kicked off today, and I spent the morning attending two sessions from the conference’s Technology Enablers track.

The first, “The Role of Industrial Automation in Qualified & Non-Qualified Building Automation Solutions,” discussed the importance of a validated environment. Joe Evans of Rockwell Automation said in his presentation that ”QBAS” is the big buzzword right now. Treating this the same way you treat your process can be beneficial when it comes to validation–you only have to vaildate one system if you use a common platform. Read more »