The UK's National RFID Centre is taking on an international aspect as its activities gain momentum. The recent ASEM Conference on e-commerce in London has highlighted the global need for a coherent and constant message on RFID – exactly what the centre aims to achieve for the UK.
Many of the Eastern countries represented at the conference have indicated a wish to partner with the centre – and indeed the organisation's CEO Ian G. Smith is to meet a delegation from Thailand's National Bureau of Agricultural, Commodity and Food Standards and its National Food Institute. The visit is organised by the British Embassy in Bangkok.
Ian Smith, who headed up the European Union's FoodTrace Project, will meet these top government officials before they travel to Hull to see a working example of RFID in the Fishing Industry at the Humberside Institute of Food and Fisheries. They will also hear more about the exciting solutions coming on line for their industries from RFID.
To gauge interest from the other side of the world, Mr Smith will fly to the USA soon to meet interested organisations there.
He will speak at the UCLA Executive Forum on RFID in Los Angeles and then – in partnership with the UK regional development agencies Yorkshire Forward, One NorthEast and Northwest – will meet companies on the East and West Coasts in a series of round tables to examine inward investment opportunities.
"The companies are all involved in RFID and are seriously looking to move part of their operation to Europe. We believe they would be attracted to the North of England because the National RFID centre is located here," said Mr Smith.