[11/27/06]
In the paper industry, there is a strong need for an identification system to carry the identification code of a specific paper roll throughout its life cycle. Following several years of development and a successful pilot, IPICO Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement with Mondi Technology Ventures ("Mondi"), a subsidiary of the Anglo American Group, to roll out the SmartCore tracking solution using IPICO's proprietary IP-X Dual Frequency ("DF") RFID technology at Mondi's March plant in the United Kingdom. The deployment is underway and IPICO is targeting successful completion by the end of this year.
The successful SmartCore pilot at Mondi has proven SmartCore to be the first RFID solution that provides a complete logistics solution for paper rolls, covering all sizes of rolls and the complete mission profile from paper through corrugated plant.
"Mondi is looking forward to the implementation of this technology at its March plant and sees exciting potential for the deployment of this application," remarked Mike Clarke, Business Leader, Mondi RFID Solutions, the unit responsible for managing the joint development effort. More than 40 plants in Mondi's Corrugated and Bag divisions currently use paper reels.
Pursuant to the agreement between IPICO and Mondi, Mondi has transferred all of its rights to the intellectual property and process that the parties created to IPICO. Mondi studied the business case for using RFID to track paper reels within its supply chain and expects that the full roll-out of the SmartCore solution will have a significant return on investment, in addition to improvements in quality control that it expects to receive by enabling its paper rolls with IPICO's Dual Frequency tags as part of the SmartCore solution.
The paper industry consumes hundreds of millions of paper rolls annually. Given the complexity of the global supply chain, the industry can benefit enormously from IPICO's DF IP-X technology, which provides complete visibility of paper roll stock throughout the entire logistics chain. IPICO expects fast adoption of this solution by the global paper market resulting in substantial annual recurring revenue for IPICO. IPICO is also currently developing relationships with key system integrators in the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and China. For background information on paper roll tracking, go to www.ipico.com .
About MONDI
The Mondi Group was founded in 1967 by Anglo American plc. Mondi operates in over 46 countries and is principally involved in the manufacture of business paper, packaging papers, converted packaging and newsprint. Mondi saw the benefits of IPICO's robust Dual Frequency technology after Anglo started using it in its mines in South Africa to track miners and assets underground in very harsh conditions. Mondi was an early and later stage strategic investor in IPICO. Mondi is currently the second largest shareholder in IPICO behind the Brookfield Technology Fund Inc. For further information, go to www.mondipackaging.com .
|
