AIM North America (AIM NA) announced this morning it has named Basil S. Jeffers of NASA as the recipient of the 2018 Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) in Government Award. 
The AIT Award, created in 2013, is presented annually to an individual, committee, group, or organization from the government sector that has championed the successful use of automatic identification technology within local, state, or national government.  It is sponsored by the AIM NA Public Policy Committee, dedicated to raising awareness about AIT and encouraging the adoption of AIT policies within U.S. government agencies and the U.S. government contractor community. 

Basil Jeffers currently serves as the Project Lead Parts Engineer for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).  Considered one of the most complex NASA missions in modern history, JWST will be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror.  The telescope will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in 2020 and is anticipated to be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. 

As the building of the telescope components progresses in multiple locations across the U.S., it is necessary to track every single component - not only so that when it is time for the final assembly, but so that none of these high value parts or equipment is lost or misplaced. These two factors - tracking the hardware for assembly (so that no time is lost, and parts are assembled correctly) and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, ensuring that nothing goes lost or missing are the key goals with this radio frequency identification (RFID) project being lead by Mr. Jeffers.  This application is truly unique in that it embodies the simplification and automation of a process with RFID. Because this is one of many ongoing projects at NASA it shows the benefits gained by utilizing an RFID based solution, from both a low-cost implementation to the simple overlay it provides to an existing process. 

AIM North America announced the selection of Mr. Jeffers at the annual AIM Partnership Breakfast held during RFID Journal LIVE! earlier this morning in Orlando, Florida.  The award was presented by George Daddis, CEO of Omni-ID, an AIM North America member and corporate contributor to the JWST project.

For more information, contact AIM North America Headquarters by email or phone (724.742.4473).

AIM NA has announced the first group of recipients for the 2018 AIM North America Awards, which honor excellence and outstanding achievement in the automatic identification and data capture industry. 

AIM NA's 2018 award winners are being announced at two separate industry events this year, with the first presentation during a special reception held in Sunnyvale, California as part of Connections Summit 2018, hosted by AIM, NFC Forum and RAIN RFID Alliance.  Next month at the AIM Partnership Breakfast during RFID Journal LIVE! the final award honoree will be revealed. 

Jeanne Duckett, Manager - Printing Research & Development at Avery Dennison was named 2018 AIM North America Professional of the Year.  Established in 2007, the AIM North America Professional of the Year is presented annually to an individual in recognition of innovative and exceptional contributions to the development of the AIDC industry through their work as a contributor, collaborator, or mentor.  

Ms. Duckett has been a featured presenter at numerous events produced by both AIM NA and AIM in the last decade and serves as a member of several AIM/AIM NA industry groups.  Additionally, she has held leadership positions for both the RFID Experts Group (REG) and the Internet of Things (IOT) Industry Group.  Nominated by an AIM peer, Ms. Duckett was praised for her many talents.  "Her technical expertise is especially useful as it reflects a user perspective as well as that of a producer and she has the innate talent to deal with otherwise thorny issues, going straight to the root problem," the nominator wrote.  "Jeanne is exceptionally well versed in the technical aspects of our industry and her approach to standardization remains simple and straightforward.  She is one of those people every Chair wants in their group." 

At yesterday's ceremony, AIM North America also honored Avery Dennison by presenting the company with its 2018 AIM North America Organization of the Year.  This award is presented annually to an organization in recognition of outstanding contributions and service that have furthered the growth of the AIDC industry.  

Avery Dennison has a strong global presence and a long history of innovation, making them adept at responding to the unique requirements of businesses from a variety of vertical and global markets.  The company’s approach to each customer allows them to be a partner that delivers comprehensive, scalable and reliable solutions to solve business problems and improve business processes.  With innovations rooted in efficiency, utility and sustainability, Avery Dennison solutions are agents of change working inside major worldwide brands. 

As an early innovator of Radio Frequency Identification, the organization has become a global leader in RFID-enabled technologies with more than 800 patents and applications supported by state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities.  Currently, the company operates RFID initiatives in over 80 countries, providing innovative solutions that have transformed productivity in the apparel retail space while streamlining operations, improving inventory management and facilitating distribution in other sectors, like perishable foods, cosmetics and aviation.

Avery Dennison’s commitment to leadership development has also earned the company recent accolades, having been ranked 8th in an industry survey of employers (private & public sectors) that provide a positive work environment for women.

AIM Inc also announced the winners of the Dilling, Percival, and Williams awards. Complete details can be found here. 

AIM, NFC Forum and RAIN RFID Alliance unveiled a partnership today to establish and deliver the Connections Summit this March 7th at Google Java Corners in Sunnyvale, California, USA. 

The Connections Summit is a one-day event featuring over 25 speaker-led sessions, panel discussions, case studies and networking opportunities focusing on how Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC), Near Field Communication (NFC) and Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) make the world more connected for businesses and consumers.The keynote addresses will be delivered by Antony Passemard, project management lead - Google Cloud Platform, Google and Raghu Das, CEO, IDTechEx.

The Connections Summit features multiple tracks on Internet of Things (IoT), retail and smart products, security, blockchain, healthcare and other market opportunities.Google is the Platinum Sponsor for the Connections Summit. In addition, Aware Innovations,CNRT,EM Microelectronic,SMARTRAC and Teslonix are Gold Sponsors. Silver Sponsors include muRata,VISA and Voyantic. AIM, NFC Forum and RAIN RFID Alliance are the world's leading standards and advocacy associations in their respective technologies of AIDC, NFC and passive UHF RFID. For detailed information or to register, learn more here. 

Mary Lou Bosco, AIM's Chief Operating Officer, said "What is particularly notable about Connections Summit 2018 is its emphasis on presentations based on real-world deployments and case studies using the technology. There has been a surge in the use of these technologies and industry leaders including Avery Dennison, L'Oreal and Lenovo among others will present at the Summit on the use of AIDC, NFC and RFID in both business and by consumers."

AIM 2017 | Year in Review provides a retrospective of highlights and focuses on the impact AIM and its members made in their efforts to foster adoption and enhancement of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) innovation and technologies through international industry collaboration. To view the document, visit here. 

AIM North America joined other organizations is celebrating World Standards Week in the US.  The US Celebration focused on "Smart Health: Using Intelligent Systems to Improve the Quality & Delivery of Healthcare in a More Integrated, Focused Approach." To acknowledge the tremendous role standardization has  had on global health, the 2017 US Celebration of Worlds Standards Day will take place on October 19. 

This is your opportunity to recognize an outstanding industry individuals and/or organization for their support and dedication to the industry. All members, chapter members, non-members, and industry constituents may apply.
This is a “global” solicitation for nominations. Deadline for submission is November 10. For complete details, visit:
 AIM  North America Awards:   https://aimglobal.site-ym.com/page/2018_AIMNA_Award

AIM announced the winners of its 2017 Case Study Competition. The Class of 2017 includes industry leaders Matrix IT Medical Tracking Systems, SAIT s.r.l. and Videx.  Matrix IT Medical Tracking Systems, won the AIDC category for their submission Direct-Part Marked Hospital-Sterilized Medical Implants with Tractus™, which evaluates the effectiveness of placing a high speed, high resolution camera into the sterile field of the operating room to scan & track small data matrix codes laser etched onto medical implants.   Taking the top prize in the Internet of Things (IoT) category was SAIT s.r.l. for Alessandro Gherardi "Tailor-made" NFC, a project for internationally renowned fashion designer Alessandro Gherardi to create a way in which to electronically identify all personalized details of a single customized shirt.  Videx, received honors in the RFID category for CyberBadge®, a shipment tracking process implemented by contractors with notable results.  Independent dump truck drivers and their material loads were only being tracked and paid for using a paper system.   For more information on the 2017 winners, visit AIM Case Study Competitions

AIM NA announced it has selected U.S. Representative Mike Turner (R-OH-10) as the recipient of the 2017 Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) in Government Award.

The AIT Award, created in 2013, is presented annually to an individual, committee, group, or organization from the government sector that has championed the successful use of automatic identification technology within local, state, or national government.  It is sponsored by the AIT Alliance, part of the Public Policy Committee of AIM North America, dedicated to raising awareness about AIT and encouraging the adoption of AIT policies within U.S. government agencies and the U.S. government contractor community.

Representative Turner, a lifelong resident of Southwest Ohio, has been a member of Congress since 2002, representing Ohio's 10th Congressional District.  Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and was elected President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 2014.  In 2015, Representative Turner was appointed to the House Intelligence Committee, making him one of only two members of Congress to serve on both the House Intelligence Committee and as a Subcommittee Chairman on the House Armed Services Committee.
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"Working with Representative Turner and his staff has been essential in helping to further the mission of the AIT Alliance," said Bob Fudge, Chairman of AIM NA's Public Policy Committee.  "His support and commitment to helping us educate others on the benefits of automatic identification technologies positively impacts efficiency in many government agencies and has the potential to deliver direct results to U.S. taxpayers.  That's a win-win.  We are truly grateful for his efforts."