Savi Launches New Sensors, Readers and Portable Deployment Kits

Savi introduced nine new active RFID (aRFID) products including sensors, readers and portable deployment kits that deliver immediate and dramatic advances in storage capacity, performance and usability. The new hardware makes it possible for organizations to rapidly establish a complete aRFID system in any environment, increase the speed of data capture and ultimately collect more sensor data to improve efficiency, reduce risk and more confidently manage operations.

The hardware also meets the requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense RFID-IV contract, awarded today to Savi.

“When customers talk about collecting and managing information from sensors, it is not as simple as just plugging another data type into existing enterprise systems. Sensor data is unique – it’s often erratic, unstructured and inconsistent – requiring purpose-built solutions to collect and manage it,” said Bill Clark, Savi’s president and CEO. “By combining the upgraded performance of Savi’s new sensors and hardware with our analytic applications, organizations can capture and convert their sensor data into operational intelligence to improve efficiency, reduce risk and more confidently manage their organization.”

Four of the new aRFID sensors contain increased memory, enabling users to capture 256 kilobytes (kb) of operational data, double that of previous versions. The larger storage capacity enables organizations to write more data to the sensors, so they can more closely model actual operations and derive additional business insights via Savi’s sensor analytics solutions. Sensors with the 256kb of memory in his announcement include:
• Savi ST-654 and Savi ST-656 Data Rich Sensors store detailed asset information such as cargo manifests and are ideal for tracking shipping containers, vehicles and other large assets.
• Savi ST-674 Environmental Sensor protects sensitive, perishable items such as medical supplies, foodstuffs and ammunition by monitoring environmental conditions. In addition to capturing temperature and humidity information, the ST-674 now also monitors shock which is often an early indicator of damage during transit.
• Savi ST-675 Container Security Sensor helps detect theft or tampering by monitoring the open/closed state of a shipping container door and the amount of light entering the container. In addition to tracking environmental conditions, the ST-675 also now includes GPS for precise location of assets on a map such as a street address, established site or existing route. This specific location identifier is critical when reacting to events such as theft, mechanical breakdown or emergency response.

In addition to the four memory-rich sensors, Savi also introduced two task-specific sensors:
• Savi ST-626 Container Door Sensor enables shippers, carriers and logistics service providers to monitor shipments in real-time as they move through the global supply chain. A new edition to the Savi product line, ST-626 is designed for challenging environments and only its low profile, external antenna can be seen outside of the container.
• Savi ST-616 Asset Sensor easily mounts on various asset types such as pallets, containers and rolling stock and is ideal for managing assets in both defense and commercial applications.

New versions of Savi’s widely deployed aRFID readers deliver 100% faster performance than previous generation readers, improving the reliability of tracked asset information and increasing the speed at which shipments can move through facilities and routes. Savi aRFID readers include:
• Savi SR-650 Fixed Reader tracks items moving through gates and chokepoints to provide end-to-end visibility of goods and critical assets. Savi SR-650 also now includes GPS, which automatically locates readers on a live map or within an established route area, reducing set-up time and improving accuracy.
• Savi SMR-650 Mobile Reader is an integrated mobile, low profile, lightweight reader used to commission, identify and configure Savi sensors. With the SMR-650 users can quickly and easily locate specific assets in areas with minimal or no infrastructure.

Savi also announced a new smaller and lighter version of the Savi Portable Deployment Kit (PDK). The Savi PDK allows teams to quickly set up a complete real-time aRFID system out-of-the-box and establish mobile operations at any location and in any environment. The new Savi solution, PDK II, weighs approximately 20 pounds, which is 70% lighter than the standard Savi PDK. Self-contained in a durable transit case roughly the size of a small suitcase, the PDK II includes a fully ruggedized tablet preloaded with read/write software applications, an RFID pod interrogator, NAL satellite modem with GPS, USB cable and power adapters.