News | June 22, 2009

Omni-ID RFID Tags Pass Most Stringent Requirement For ATEX Compliance

  • Omni-ID, the leading supplier of low-profile, passive UHF RFID tags, recently announces that its RFID tags have been assessed and achieved the highest level of ATEX compliance. Under the ATEX regulations, Omni-ID RFID tags have been declared as safe to operate in the most hazardous environments by the nature of their design.
  • The tags comply with the EN60079-0 (General Requirements) and EN60079-11 (Intrinsic Safety) standards for the use of electrical equipment operating in potentially explosive environments and demands that no possible sources of ignition are present.
  • ATEX compliance of Omni-ID RFID tags gives the Company access to a range of new RFID applications such as the oil and gas industry where explosive atmospheres are prevalent and ATEX compliance is mandatory.
  • Omni-ID tags were subject to stringent testing and verification and were determined to be able to operate safely in the presence of such hazardous applications as they conform to the definition of "Simple Apparatus" as per clause 5.7 of EN60079-11:2007 standard for intrinsically safe electrical equipment.
  • Omni-ID is resolutely committed to bringing innovative tags to the RFID market that function in harsh environments. The ATEX compliance deepens that commitment and ensures that Omni-ID customers have a reliable RFID tag at their disposal, no matter what the environment or application may be.
  • The testing and assessment of Omni-ID tags for ATEX compliance was conducted by Extronics Limited.

Quotes:

  • "In order to operate safely where explosive materials are present, it is critically important and mandatory in Europe to be compliant with the ATEX directive," said John Hartley, managing director, Extronics Limited. "Oil and gas companies simply will not consider a product that is not ATEX compliant. Omni-ID RFID tags stood up to the most rigorous testing and proved that they are a reliable and safe choice for any oil and gas company exploring an RFID deployment."
  • "Harsh environments have always posed a significant barrier to RFID adoption and it is one we have set out to overcome at Omni-ID," said Tom Pavela, president and CEO of Omni-ID. "The ATEX compliance is just one more proof point that Omni-ID RFID tags work reliably in the harshest environments. With this compliance, we look forward to unlocking new applications in the oil and gas industries for our customers."

About Omni-ID
Omni-ID is the leading supplier of passive, low-profile UHF RFID solutions. Through its patent-pending technology Omni-ID "cracked the code" to overcome the problems traditionally associated with RFID, enabling a broad range of new applications that improve accuracy and efficiency in asset tracking, supply chain management and work-in-process. The company's family of versatile RFID tags works reliably in the harshest environments¾including on, off, and near metal and liquids¾and excels in solving tracking and identification challenges with unprecedented accuracy. With major offices in Foster City, Calif. and in the UK, Omni-ID's mission is to drive the widespread adoption of RFID technology as the optimal tracking and identification solution. For more information, visit www.Omni-ID.com.

About Extronics
Extronics supplies and manufactures a wide range of intrinsically safe and explosion proof products to companies that work in potentially explosive environments. Its unrivalled understanding and experience of equipping potentially explosive environments, and its focus on wireless networks and devices, enables companies to receive a solution comprising of intrinsically safe and explosion proof equipment integrated together to undertake your diverse applications. For more information about Extronics, please visit: http://www.extronics.com

SOURCE: Omni-ID