Plastic electronic labels innovator Thinfilm has announced a partnership deal with PakSense to sell the first generation of its printed electronic temperature sensing labels into the Americas.
Under the deal, PakSense has gained the exclusive right to sell the technology developed by the Norwegian company to its customers within the ambient, chilled and frozen food supply chain in North, Central and South America. The new labels will be integrated with PakSense's existing temperature monitoring labels used to assure the quality of shipments of packaged meat, produce and seafood.
Pre-order for 2015
The relative cheapness with which the plastic electronics temperature-monitoring labels can be produced means PakSense will be able to use several within each shipment pallet giving a more detailed picture of whether part or all of a container has exceeded a safe level.
The relative cheapness with which the plastic electronics temperature-monitoring labels can be produced means PakSense will be able to use several within each shipment pallet giving a more detailed picture of whether part or all of a container has exceeded a safe level.
PakSense has already submitted pre-orders for the labels which have been developed from a prototype demonstrated in 2013. They will be made available to its client base of major food retailers and suppliers from early in 2015.
Partnerships to market
The agreement with PakSense follows ThinFilm's established business tactic of evolving technology and then licensing a firm with an existing market presence, especially in the US, to allow a rapid penetration of a relevant market sector.
The agreement with PakSense follows ThinFilm's established business tactic of evolving technology and then licensing a firm with an existing market presence, especially in the US, to allow a rapid penetration of a relevant market sector.
In January 2014, ThinFilm signed an accord with Brady to supply time sensitive labels for security applications.
Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm, explains: 'PakSense is a market leader in the development of intelligent sensing products specifically designed to monitor perishable goods - in addition to being a noted expert in cold chain transport and distribution. They maintain an extensive network of resellers and distributors, which makes them an ideal Thinfilm partner.'
A deal to rollout a label employing the same technology for the same function in healthcare and pharmaceuticals was announced on 31 March. The partner in this instance is Temptime based in New Jersey.
David Oster, CEO of PakSense, says: 'By introducing Thinfilm's printed electronics technology to the perishable foods space, PakSense will provide another tool to help ensure overall product integrity. We are delighted to pass this value along to our customers and look forward to working with Thinfilm on additional technology developments in the future.'
On-pack marking
It has been conjectured that in future smart labels with a temperature-monitoring function could become a standard feature on food packs and Thinfilm has an established development partnership with packaging manufacture Bemis to produce these.
It has been conjectured that in future smart labels with a temperature-monitoring function could become a standard feature on food packs and Thinfilm has an established development partnership with packaging manufacture Bemis to produce these.
Thinfilm and its partners are aiming to disrupt the global market for temperature monitoring sensors is estimated to be worth €2.54 billion. Around 200 million chemical sensing labels are currently sold each year at an average price of €0.22 each.
RF-future
While products developed from Thinfilm's first smart label platform are now clearly gaining market traction through their partners, the company has bolder plans for the future. In February it bought out the US smart label company, Kovio, thereby gaining access to its Near-Field-Communications (NFC) expertise and patents. NFC is a simple communications protocol compatible with modern Android system smartphones.
While products developed from Thinfilm's first smart label platform are now clearly gaining market traction through their partners, the company has bolder plans for the future. In February it bought out the US smart label company, Kovio, thereby gaining access to its Near-Field-Communications (NFC) expertise and patents. NFC is a simple communications protocol compatible with modern Android system smartphones.
It is planned to design and build a smart label incorporating Thinfilm's sensors, printed logic and an NFC capability before the close of 2014 - doing this will potentially open up many more opportunities, especially in applications where direct contact with the consumer is desired. Ultimately, because a flexible printed electronics label is so cheap to produce the company hope they will become ubiquitous with many everyday items, forming a key building block of the Internet of Things.
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