DUBLIN, CA /PRNewswire/ -- Sybase iAnywhere announced that ThyssenKrupp Steel, the "first steel producer in the world to use RFID technology," has selected RFID Anywhere for slab identification. The software infrastructure will be used in ThyssenKrupp Steel's new steel mill in the Bay of Sepetiba, Brazil, as well as at the European sea harbor and local harbor in Duisburg, Germany, to identify steel slabs automatically and to speed up the unloading process.
Working with consultants from Accenture, ThyssenKrupp Steel recently completed successful pilot trials with 1000 slabs sent from Brazil and marked with RFID tags. Custom-made software applications based on RFID Anywhere were used to tag the slabs in Brazil and identify them at various points throughout their journey. At the harbor in Duisburg, slabs hanging on a crane were identified in a fully automated fashion while being unloaded.
The Brazilian steel mill is currently under construction and is scheduled to start production of 5 million metric tons of steel per year in 2009. Overall, a total of 250,000 slabs will be transported every year, 100,000 of which will be processed at ThyssenKrupp Steel's German plants—a highly complex logistics process for which ThyssenKrupp Steel will rely on Sybase iAnywhere RFID technology.
"Using RFID to tag steel slabs enables us to read data over large distances and automatically transfer the information to our IT systems for further processing, all without the need for physical contact," said Gerhard Thiel, Project Manager, ThyssenKrupp Steel. "The solution developed with the help of Accenture and Sybase iAnywhere enables us to significantly shorten unloading times and thereby achieve cost savings."
Accenture recommended RFID Anywhere for ThyssenKrupp Steel's application based on its superior ability to manage a broad range of devices—including mobile and fixed RFID readers and RFID printers deployed at different locations around the world—and integrate these into existing IT systems. "We have selected RFID Anywhere for this challenging project, as this middleware is especially powerful and complete with respect to mobile devices. The results of the pilot project confirm our choice," said Lars Schittko, Manager, Accenture.
"It's a testament to the strengths of RFID Anywhere that it has been selected by leading integrators such as Accenture for some of the world's most innovative RFID projects," said Martyn Mallick, Director of RFID Technologies, Sybase iAnywhere. "Slab logistics is a completely new application area for RFID and demonstrates how RFID technology can create process efficiencies for innovative organizations like ThyssenKrupp Steel."
To learn more about RFID Anywhere, to join the very popular RFID Anywhere developer community, and to download a free development copy of the product, visit the company's Web site.
About RFID Anywhere
RFID Anywhere simplifies the development, deployment, configuration, and management tasks for highly distributed, multi-site, intelligent sensor networks, and abstracts the interaction with the physical network of devices. With support for over forty devices, this powerful infrastructure enables the creation of intelligent sensor networks out-of-the-box. By using RFID Anywhere, sensors can work together as an intelligent network by combining, organizing, and coordinating these technologies through a common management structure, advanced feature set, and event-driven development framework.
About Sybase iAnywhere
Sybase iAnywhere enables success at the front lines of business. The company holds worldwide market leadership positions in mobile and embedded databases, mobile management and security, mobile middleware and synchronization, and Bluetooth and infrared protocol technologies. Tens of millions of mobile devices and over 20,000 customers and partners rely on the company's "Always Available" technologies, including SQL Anywhere and its Information Anywhere suite. iAnywhere is a subsidiary of Sybase Inc.
Sybase, iAnywhere, iAnywhere Solutions, SQL Anywhere, RFID Anywhere, OneBridge, and Afaria are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Sybase Inc. or its subsidiaries. The Bluetooth trademark and logos are owned by Bluetooth SIG Inc., and any use of such marks by iAnywhere is under license. All other company and product names mentioned may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.