SML Group, a global RFID label manufacturer based in Hong Kong, has announced that it has joined the RAIN RFID Alliance, an organization whose mission is to promote the adoption of EPC ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology (see Technology Companies Create RAIN to Promote EPC UHF RFID Adoption). To date, 70 companies have become members of the RAIN RFID Alliance since its founding in April 2014.

SML Group is one of the largest providers of RFID labels to the retail market for item-level RFID tracking, with more than 5,000 employees and operations in more than 30 countries. Its woven and printed labels, both RFID and non-RFID, are used on garments, footwear and other retail products worldwide, while the majority of its customers apply those labels in Asia, where the company is based. SML Group offers a portfolio of item-visibility solutions that cover a full range of paper, plastic and fabric RFID labels, as well as tickets and stickers that can be attached to hanging and stacked apparel items.

The solutions are designed to provide retailers with real-time item visibility via item-level EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) tracking. SML's global footprint, combined with its deep experience in RFID-based item-level solutions, should provide a valuable and unique synergy with the RAIN Alliance, according to SML Group, thereby contributing to the mass adoption of RFID technology in retail supply chains.

According to Jim Donaldson, SML Group's spokesperson, the timing was right for the company to join the organization. "The RAIN RFID Alliance has grown its membership significantly in the last year," he says, "and that membership is a global community, representing every element of the RFID ecosystem." The company is looking forward to the member collaboration in the development of solutions to better serve key markets. "In addition," he says, "the RAIN RFID Alliance can play an important role in helping to educate SML partners and customers by providing awareness and initiatives to accelerate the understanding and adoption of the technology in business and consumer applications worldwide."