Minister for competitiveness Stephen Timms has opened
aradio frequency identification (RFID)technology centre in Halifax to demonstrate thebenefits
of RFIDfor retailers and others.
Backed by Yorkshire Forward and a number of other organisations,
the centre is demonstrating the type of system currently being used
by
Co-op stores.
The AIDC (automatic identification and data capture) Centre is
billed as a European Centre for Excellence for RFID and associated
technologies, such as bar coding.
The Co-operative Group uses Skillweb's RFID technology to supply
and track valuable stock such as cigarettes and alcohol.
"Automatic identification and data capture technologies are
improving the quality and range of services and a key consideration
must be how they can further improve business processes," said
Timms.
The Halifax centre is a fully equipped test laboratory which has
a sixty seat multi-media theatre.