QID Solutions Ltd., a Hungarian provider of RFID hard tags and services, introduced a reusable smartPIN RFID EAS (electronic article surveillance) hard tag for fashion retailers at RFID Journal LIVE! 2011 this April in Orlando, Fla.

QID smartPIN is a revolutionary RFID add-on solution for apparel retailers. Significantly, it brings the benefits of RFID to any of the existing major EAS hard tags. The patent-pending QID smartPIN hard tag is EPC Gen 2-compliant with high RF performance. SmartPIN works with a variety of existing EAS technologies and main EAS locks via a standard pin, and also works independently as an RFID EAS tag. The tag solution utilizes the UPM Combo inlay equipped with NXP’s UCODE chip.

The systems integrator of the first sizeable implementation is Technowave Group, a supplier of autoID systems in the Middle East, pioneering in implementing UHF RFID based solutions to top brand retail companies in the Arabic Gulf Countries and India.

Retailers now have access to the combined advantages of RFID and conventional EAS tags, without having to modify their existing EAS installation. The product is ideal for multi-brand shops, in-shop inventory use or for the whole supply chain from the distribution centre to the point-of-sale. The smartPIN RFID tag can easily be added to existing EAS tag systems–as easily as an existing EAS system can be extended with smartPIN RFID.

QID smartPIN offers the following advantages over any other known solution: •Independent, high quality add-on component for existing EAS tags•EPC G2-standard compatibility•Easy and smooth transition into using RFID •Secure and safe solution for attachment to garments•Light (only 4.5 g) and durable, withstanding extreme conditions•Cost-efficient and sustainable solution •Option for combining barcodes

QID Solutions Ltd. won the Nokia Innovation Prize at the GINNT Expo in Budapest in September 2010. The company was acknowledged for its smartPIN solution together with local software development partner Smart Id Technologies, delivering the capacity to elevate the shopping experience and increase the efficiency of sales and logistics processes. Furthermore, article surveillance will be more intelligent while supporting business especially in the apparel and fashion retail industry.

“Adding a smartPIN RFID tag to an EAS installation requires no changes to the EAS system. There’s also no degradation in EAS tag performance. Several retailers have been appraising the product and we’ve started volume supplies this year to big brand names,”says Péter Perecz, sales manager, QID Solutions Ltd.

“QID’s smartPIN is truly a revolutionary product in its compliancy with the existing EAS market. Retailers can achieve the benefits of RFID simply by adding smartPINs in place of dummy pins. Shop inventory using RFID readers and smartPINs attached to apparel, for instance, is much faster than traditional barcode-based inventory. Moreover, you don’t lose the code from the item that easily,”says Mikko Nikkanen, business development director, UPM RFID.