Golden State Medical Supply Selects IBM
Technology to Comply with California
Prescription Drug Pedigree Regulations
IBM
and contract manufacturer Golden State Medical Supply (GSMS)
announce GSMS will be ready to comply with California’s landmark prescription drug pedigree regulations
this year. GSMS is using IBM technology to manage serialized drug pedigree information and offer new services
to their customers.
The California Board of Pharmacy recently gave the pharmaceutical industry a two-year extension to January 1, 2011,
to comply with its regulations, which are the first of their kind. The GSMS-IBM collaboration will be ready to begin this
summer though, well in advance of the original effective date.
The issue of the safety of the world’s
prescription drug supply is continuing to gain attention. The Center for Medicines in the Public Interest projects that
global revenues lost due to counterfeit drug sales will reach $75 billion by 2010 — a 92% increase from 2005.
“We applaud the efforts of any company that continues to work toward meeting the original 2009 deadline
for compliance with California’s electronic pedigree system,” says Virginia Herold, Executive Director
of the California State Board of Pharmacy. “We believe the California law for electronic pedigree is the most
effective means to add security to the pharmaceutical supply chain.”
In addition to enabling GSMS to act in accordance with new and emerging ePedigree regulations, IBM’s
Solution for Pharmaceutical Track & Trace will give GSMS the technology infrastructure it needs to offer new
services for the pharmaceutical industry. For example, the company could provide ePedigree compliance
services to manufacturers that have not yet determined how they will comply with the impending California regulations.
“We chose to team with IBM because GSMS is committed to protecting the pharmaceutical drug supply,”
says Jim Stroud, President and CEO, GSMS Medical Supply Inc. “The issue of counterfeit drug sales is an
important one for our industry and our work with IBM reflects our desire to be part of the solution.”
“Golden State Medical Supply’s selection of IBM for this project shows that our Pharmaceutical
Track & Trace Solution is as viable for small and mid-sized operations as it is for the titans of the
pharmaceutical industry,” says Christian Clauss, Director of Sensor Network Solutions, IBM.
The solution IBM is providing to GSMS will be comprised of software, hardware, and services. The ePedigree
capability will be provided by the IBM WebSphere RFID Information Center, a high performance data repository
that allows companies to manage and share information with trading partners to authenticate pharmaceuticals.
The product is compliant with both GS1 EPCglobal’s Electronic Product Code Information Services
(EPCIS) standard, and its Drug Pedigree Standard. In addition to using the software for ePedigrees, GSMS will be
able to use it to address business needs such as chargeback resolution and expiration management.
Serialized drug pedigree information will be provided to the WebSphere RFID Information Center by the IBM
WebSphere Premises Server. The Premises Server will enhance key business processes in GSMS' packaging
facility and distribution center using 2D barcodes, RFID and other types of sensors.
The software will be run on IBM System x servers, which will be provided by IBM Business Partner Direct
Systems Support.
Vanguard ID Systems Receives Prestigious Judges’ Choice Award from ICMA Elan Awards
Vanguard ID Systems recently took home a
prestigious ICMA Élan Award in the Judges’ Choice category for its design of an RFID key tag for
The Woods Coffee. The Judges’ Choice is unique in that allows the Élan judges to recognize
their favorite entry from among all the submissions received in every category.
In the global arena of world-class cards, the ICMA Élan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence are
the pinnacle of design innovation and technical achievement. Past recipients have included leading manufacturers
from around the globe. Winners of this prestigious competition tap the power of industry recognition and
promotional opportunity.
The award-winning Woods Coffee's SpeedBean.com KeyTag-Card is a Teslin® card with an RFID inlay. After
the RFID component of the tag has been activated at the register, the key tag is popped out of the matrix and attached
to a patron’s key ring for quick and easy usage. Woods Coffee wanted a transaction device that would
quickly identify customers, function as a customer loyalty card, and serve as a gift and prepaid card. The RFID
embedded key tag designed by Vanguard meets all of those objectives, and features a unique graphic design so that
it stands out on the retail display and on the patron’s keychain.
System Integrator, Accelitec, installed the RFID-enabled point-of-sale (POS) infrastructure that powers the
Speedbean.com system. Accelitec enlisted Vanguard to create the essential RFID key tag that would integrate
with Woods Coffee’s POS system and perform the required functions, such as providing a means to
transact contactless prepaid transactions and administer their customer loyalty program.
"We are delighted to share with Vanguard the recognition by Élan in the judge's design category.
We are continually impressed by Vanguard's strong commitment to customer satisfaction, and think this
commitment is reflected by the time and attention that went in to the award-winning design. Perhaps most
importantly, our customer shares this view," says Peter Gruman, Executive Vice President of Corporate
Development for Accelitec.
Vanguard has been a frequent winner at the annual award ceremony, previously having multiple entries
recognized in the Technical Achievement category. The 2008 ICMA Élan Awards ceremony was held at
the recent International Card Manufacturers Association's Card Manufacturing Expo in Orlando, Florida.
“We are extremely pleased to be recognized for excellence by the premier awarding body in our
industry,” says Rick Warther, President and CEO of Vanguard, “And it is a particular honor to
receive the Judges’ Choice Award. To be singled out from among the 120 entries is a tremendous
honor, and a validation of our hard work and commitment to quality.”
Omnitrol Networks and Time Domain Bring Ultra
Wideband Real-Time Operational Visibility to
Aerospace and Defense Industries
Omnitrol Networks and
Time Domain Corporation announce a partnership
that will bring real-time precision location visibility and traceability to manufacturing processes in both the
aerospace and defense industries. The joint offering, which combines Omnitrol Networks' Work-in-Process
(WIP) Visibility solution with Time Domain's ultra wideband (UWB) real-time location system (RTLS), is
designed to solve the production and operational challenges of precisely locating assets in large and
environmentally-harsh environments. With precise location accuracy, manufacturers can reduce costly
work-in-process errors due to a lack of visibility in production.
In aerospace and defense manufacturing applications, thousands of parts are continuously moving throughout
a vast assembly facility with multiple work cells. The ability to precisely locate assets is made difficult by their
size, the large distance and multiple walls separating them, and the highly metallic environment. Time
Domain's PLUS platform of UWB active RFID tags, readers, ceiling-tile antennas, synchronization distribution
panels, and software extends precision visibility in these applications. PLUS can read thousands of small active
RFID tags per second through multiple walls with a precision of 12-36 inches, and its short pulse approach
provides precision location in indoor environments where wiring and metal fixtures are often problematic for other
RTLS systems.
Omnitrol Networks' WIP Visibility Solution processes the information from Time Domain's PLUS tags and
integrates it into the context of manufacturing workflow. The off-the-shelf solution overlays the existing
manufacturing process to simply track each stage of manufacture from work-order receipt through work order
kitting, assembly, test, packaging, and shipping. Using the WIP Visibility Solution, manufacturers can customize
a modular process to meet stable process requirement or change it on the fly in a dynamic environment. All
exceptions and timings are recorded for analysis, and alerts and notifications are easily configured. For example,
the Omnitrol Networks' system would automatically generate an alert if a material, such as an avionics component,
moved to an area in the plant where it was not supposed to be, or if a work order did not reach an assembly stage in time.
"Our strategic alliance with Time Domain creates a complete packaged solution that gives our customers
real-time, precise knowledge they can use to streamline manufacturing and business processes," says Ravi
Rishy-Maharaj, Vice President of Business Development at Omnitrol Networks. "Time Domain's flexible,
high performance UWB RTLS tracking solution, coupled with their experience in the defense and aerospace
markets, makes them a natural partner for our WIP Visibility solution."
"Precision asset location is a critical requirement in the aerospace and defense industries, and other types
of RTLS technologies can't solve this need," says Greg Clawson, Vice President of Worldwide Sales and
Marketing at Time Domain. "Working with Omnitrol Networks to add UWB capability to their best-in-class
WIP visibility solution will offer customers the solution they are seeking to improve their work-in-process
operations."
New RFID Company, Wave Logic LLC, Launches
Wave Logic LLC, a new player in the industrial
automated identification solutions arena, announces the establishment of the new company and its headquarters
location in Scotts Valley.
Wave Logic officially began operations in fall 2007 and relocated to its new offices and manufacturing facility in
Scotts Valley in January. Wave Logic LLC provides innovative automated identification solutions utilizing RFID
technology for use in manufacturing and processing environments.
Wave Logic products include an extensive range of active and passive RFID-based tags, readers, and antennas
for high tech manufacturing, the pharmaceutical/bio-medical and agricultural industries, solar technology, and
libraries. Wave Logic was launched from day one into full production, with a seasoned staff and an immediate
demand for its products.
In addition to developing, designing, and manufacturing all RFID components, Wave Logic provides consulting
and integration services for its customers. Wave Logic clients include Datalogic Automation, GE Global Research,
Tech Logic, and Fujitsu.
“Unlike many RFID start-ups, our knowledge and experience in RFID development and solutions
implementation makes Wave Logic a more mature company,” says Brian Monahan, CEO, President and
Founder of Wave Logic. Monahan believes that while the RFID arena is becoming rapidly populated with new
companies, Wave Logic will be competitive because he and his team of dedicated employees are industry veterans
with more than 50 collective years experience in the automated identification field.
“Our experience gives us an edge because we offer a deep understanding of our
customer’s requirements,” he adds. “Knowledge, innovation, and quality are our strong
suits. We possess the creativity, flexibility, and hands-on field expertise required to deliver products to an
active market.”
Prior to founding Wave Logic, Monahan was the Director of Engineering for Escort Memory Systems, an RFID
solutions provider in Scotts Valley. Monahan was responsible for the design and development of many new
products in the EMS line of RFID readers and tags and is listed as inventor on five U.S. patents for RFID-based
products. RFID-based solutions engineered by Wave Logic include a wireless hand-held reader for libraries that
locates books stored on the wrong shelf, and facilitates self-checkout of library media by patrons.
Other Wave Logic research and design projects are underway with GE Global Research to develop healthcare
solutions based on RFID to ensure quality control for biomedical processes, and automated document archival
and retrieval solutions for government judicial agencies.
While running Wave Logic, Monahan continues to research and pursue new opportunities for existing products,
while formulating designs for fresh technologies to address what he sees as an underserved market.
Wave Logic will hold a festive launch party and open house at its new headquarters on Thursday, May 1, 2008
from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. The local business community, prospective clients, and media representatives are invited to
attend. For more information, please contact Wave Logic Operations Manager Penny Kleinhans at 831-515-5699
ext. 81, or penny@wave-logic.com.
