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Masterclasses

Masterclass 1 & 2:	Monday 29, September 2008, Kaetsu Centre, New Hall College, Cambridge
Masterclass 3, 4 & 5:	Thursday 2, October 2008 Churchill College, Cambridge

IDTechEx masterclass material is the most up to date in the business. This is because IDTechEx technical experts visit many companies and conferences across the world every month and we have the inside track on what is really going on including meaningful statistics from the IDTechEx Knowledgebase of 3400 projects in 108 countries updated daily. Get the answers to your questions in our interactive optional masterclasses. The five expert-led masterclasses are intended for audience participation and discussion. They are effectively interactive consultancy sessions, delivered by IDTechEx, providing impartial analysis and comment.

At each masterclass you will have the chance to handle many samples, become part of the masterclass by commenting and questions and take away printed copies of presentations and some samples. The masterclasses will ensure you get the most from the conference by bringing you up to date with the latest issues and market developments. Experts will be on hand to discuss your questions.

 

Masterclass 1: RFID Technologies, Markets, Players & Forecasts

 

Morning Session, Monday 29 September, 2008, Kaetsu Centre, New Hall College, Cambridge

 

This masterclass is NOT deeply technical. It covers technology and markets for beginners and those seeking commercial success. Everything from printed RFID to active RFID technologies; the biggest RFID orders, hot new sectors and technologies. Vital ten year market, territorial and technology forecasts. The session covers:

• Basics of RFID, active vs passive and their hottest subsectors
• Frequencies etc. Why the migration to HF and UHF
• Standards. Why ISO 14443 outsells others by a big margin. Why EPCglobal is very important but no longer the only show in town. How UHF has cornered many applications by standard and why. Significance of NFC, notably RFID enabled phones
• RFID in use, how many tags and systems sold - where and why
• Paybacks - the huge choice - and how many applications are about security and safety not payback
• The RFID value chain, major players and opportunities and where it is easiest to make money
• Who is landing $0.5 billion orders and who is landing orders for tens of millions of dollars: why?
• New applications and advice on entry to market
• The boom in fund raising and acquisitions and technical problems still to be solved that can make you rich
• RFID forecasts and trends 2008-2018

 

Masterclass 2: How to Manufacture RFID: From Design and Materials to Finished Product

 

Afternoon Session, Monday 29 September, 2008, Kaetsu Centre, New Hall College, Cambridge

 

Aimed at converters, packagers, labelers, printers, label suppliers, specifiers, buyers and brand owners, this masterclass will explain the full value chain of manufacturing RFID smart labels from design to finished product. Topics include evaluation of manufacturing methods, chip attachment processes, antenna technologies, overprinting and insertion, specifying RFID labels, managing data and best practice. Delegates will be able to handle many different samples and take some away. The session covers:

• Understanding the tag production value chain and entry points
• Evaluation of the choices for manufacturing complete RFID labels, tickets and cards
• How things are made and what they cost
• Manufacturing RFID tag antennas: technologies, performance and cost
• Substrates, inks and adhesives: suppliers, costs and performance
• Chip attach options
• Analysis of routes to high volume manufacture
• Oversupply and undersupply
• Applying RFID to products: required throughput, testing and finish
• Major players, emerging players and unsatisfied needs i.e. opportunities
• Current industry manufacturing capacity and future needs

 

Masterclass 3: Active RFID, RTLS and Sensor Networks

 

Morning Session, Thursday 2 October, 2008, Churchill College, Cambridge

 

As part of this masterclass we will have a visit to Marshall Aerospace.
Please visit "Company Tours " page for more details.

 

Active RFID, including Real Time Locating Systems and Ubiquitous sensor networks, is rising from 12% of the RFID market to 28% in ten years despite that market quintupling. On cue, the half billion dollar orders recently placed are for active RFID and active RFID is a rapidly rising percentage of the 3400 projects updated daily in the IDTechEx RFID Knowledgebase so we know what we are talking about. This masterclass addresses the needs of both potential users and suppliers to understand Active RFID, RTLS and sensor networks from East Asia to Europe and the USA. Which technologies and markets and what comes next? What are the emerging needs and killer applications and how will the market develop over the next ten years? It is all here in interactive form. Non technical attendees will gain a lot from this Masterclass but some basic science and engineering training will help.

 

• Active RFID technology choices, challenges, opportunities. For example there are about ten incompatible RTLS technologies alone and they are all claimed to be best.
• Active RFID standards - realistic or captive to one company?
• Applications and market forecasts for active RFID 2008-2018 including the wave of RTLS and then the wave of USN adoption. Who will need this stuff?
• Near Field Communication: the active RFID reader in a phone - suddenly one billion out there?
• Energy harvesting and the battery that never has to be changed.
• Active RFID for RTLS, trends, suppliers to watch. How the market is dividing into high performance and low price but no one yet knows how to tackle the biggest potential of all - the ultimate supply chain and ultimate control of all standing assets.
• Ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USN) - trials from building sites to monuments, road surfaces, forest fires, national electricity infrastructure and the Trans Alaska pipeline. Impediments and suppliers to watch.
• Case studies and business cases.
• Activities of over 50 companies examined.

 

Masterclass 4: RFID Profit and Company Strategy

 

Morning Session, Thursday 2 October, 2008, Churchill College, Cambridge

 

This masterclass covers the realities of the RFID market. What correlates with success? What makes investors invest? League table of largest RFID companies and lessons from how they got there. Who is rapidly climbing up the league table and why?

Leading presenter is Dr Peter Harrop took startup Mars Electronics to $260 million. It was then sold for $500 million. He has done many company turnrounds and he founded IDTechEx which has made positive cash and profit every year from its start eight years ago. He has advised many RFID companies on repositioning for commercial success and helped some to raise money where needed.

• V curve of profit, Boston matrix and other tools to position you optimally in the market.
• Hot countries, technologies and positions in the value chain for profit.
• What can be defended against the impending Chinese onslaught and what can not.
• Who will be the global winners in future and why.
• Large profitable niches how to spot new ones.
• Cash traps, warning signs and lessons of failure.
• The boom in RFID acquisitions analyzed and what comes next.
• The sure touch of Assa Abloy and Zebra Technologies in their focussed acquisition programs compared with others which lack that clarity and consistency.
• The boom in RFID investments analyzed and what comes next

 

 

Masterclass 5: Printed RFID and Printed Electronics

 

Afternoon Session, Thursday 2 October, 2008, Churchill College, Cambridge

 

RFID markets trebled in the last three years and they will quintuple in the next ten. The largest opportunity is the the tagging of individual items, notably in supply chains, but, for the highest volumes, this calls for an ultra low cost tag, costing little more than a barcode does today. Printed RFID is the most promising technology to achieve this - indeed 360 organisations are developing the necessary printed transistors.

However, printing is often providing the best sensors and antennas on chip based tags as well. Then we have to realise that this is just a part of one of the biggest sea changes in our lifetime - the new electronics consisting of printing electronics and electrics on packages, posters, buildings and more. This is mind blowing because it encompasses tightly rollable, invisible, edible and other forms of electronics never possible before. Replace conventional print with something more compelling, informative and entertaining from e-books to scrolling instructions on medicine combined with prompting and recording what was taken when. This means a $300 billion market from almost nothing in 20 years, including the $40 laptop and ubiquitous power generation and storage from printed photovoltaics, batteries etc.

You do need somewhat technical to fully benefit from this session but the non technical will also leave inspired and informed. We can drill down into technology as much as you require. Many samples and animations will be shown.

• The magic that is possible now and in future.
• Key markets that need printed electronics: reasons why and their technology requirements.
• Creating new markets versus competing with conventional electronics in existing ones.
• Assessment of technologies, companies, strategies and progress so far, including thin film transistor circuits (organic, inorganic semiconductors, nanoparticle silicon) , displays (light emitting vs non emissive and the technologies), sensors, batteries, photovoltaics, actuators and conductive inks.
• Printing techniques - why ink jet and screen printing are most popular but many other technologies are also used.
• Challenges and the roadmap to the full printed electronics toolkit.
• Market forecasts.