SATO FlagTagSolution™ Selected for Pallet Labelling at RFID Lab
of Germany's REWE Group

Brussels, 15 September 2005 – SATO, the world’s leading manufacturer of label and barcode printers and a specialist in data collection systems (DCS) and radio frequency identification (RFID), took part at the REWE Innovation Forum on the 14th of September 2005 in Cologne.

At this major RFID Kick-off of Germany's REWE Group, SATO showcased their UHF pallet labelling system - FlagTagSolution™, which has already been successfully tested at REWE Group's RFID Lab in Norderstedt, Germany. The goal of this comprehensive RFID project is to evaluate the potentials of the latest UHF RFID Gen2 technology together with REWE Group's suppliers, in order to optimize their joint supply chain. The REWE Group has set up an RFID Lab at their distribution centre in Norderstedt where extensive testing of RFID labelling has already been carried out. This is where SATO could manifest their expertise with their already field-proven FlagTagSolutions™ for RFID pallet labelling.

The difficulty with UHF pallet labelling is the sensitivity of radio waves to a pallet's content. Different substances, such as metal, fluids, plastics or glass, may create reflection interferences and influence the readability of the RFID tag in different ways.Therefore, applying a flat UHF tag directly on the material may result in reduced readability or in many cases, does not generate a signal at all. In order to meet their customers' needs for one universal UHF labelling solution for all types of pallets, SATO specialists developed the FlagTag™ applicator. What makes this FlagTagSolution™ so unique is that, after printing, the narrow area of the paper label containing the actual UHF-RFID tag is automatically folded along a perforation. In this way, the narrow RFID tag with the integrated antenna sticks out vertically from the surface of the pallet – as the word implies, just like a flag.

SATO's FlagTagSolutions™ provide optimum readability at all times, and hence guarantee universal and reliable pallet labelling throughout the entire supply chain, using both, RFID Gen1 and Gen2 tags.

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About SATO

SATO is a pioneer in the Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) industry, and the inventor of the world's first electronic thermal transfer barcode printer. It revolutionised the barcoding industry by introducing the Data Collection System (DCS) & Labelling concept – a total barcode and labelling solution providing high quality barcode printers, scanners/hand held terminals, label design software and consumables. SATO is one of the first in the industry to introduce a complete, multi-protocol EPC compliant, UHF RFID solution.

SATO is publicly listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange in Japan . It has worldwide offices in United States, Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, it reported revenues of US$575 million. More information can be found at www.satoworldwide.com.