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Foothill Ranch, California, USA. August 29, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Increased reading distance and a new tag design fromm Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc. now enables the reading of hundreds of flat linens quickly and accurately in harsh commercial laundry environments.

Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc. (FFNA) has announced the new Fujitsu Washable WT-A521 and WT-A522 UHF-Band RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. The new series of ultra-rugged RFID tags incorporate the newest materials and antenna design, made to withstand 60 bar of extraction pressure while improving reading range by between 30% and 70% over the previous version.

The industry’s smallest, washable, high pressure UHF RFID tags are said to be extremely flexible, soft and durable, ideal for flat linens and garments. Able to withstand more than two hundred washings, the harsh chemicals associated with dry cleaning, temperatures of 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius) for drying and 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) for ironing, they are also designed to withstand the pressure of flat linen pressing and water extraction systems. The ultra-rugged nature of the tag’s design and materials is intended for long deployment cycles, allowing the tag to be reused into another linen item within the intended lifecycle time, reducing total cost of ownership.

“The new UHF RFID tags exemplify the Fujitsu methodology of applying its cutting edge technologies to develop breakthrough solutions that address real world needs. In this case, there is increasing demand for cost effective linen inventory management and tracking systems that are technically superior to existing ones,” said Pat Cathey, senior vice president of Retail Products Group, Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc. “With our new A521/A522 tag, we can now offer a single tag solution universally for both garments and flat linens.”

Fujitsu’s UHF RFID tags permit the scanning of hundreds of articles simultaneously in seconds with a reading range of more than six feet. The company’s UHF RFID tags reportedly represent a significant cost-saving solution compared to bar codes and other RFID systems, which require single garment processing. In addition, Fujitsu UHF RFID tags are about two inches long and less than a half inch wide – about the size of a shirt stay. When sewn into linens, the small, flexible, unobtrusive tags are virtually unnoticeable.

“The introduction of the new WT-A522 high pressure tag is key to expanding our markets in Europe and the Middle East,” said Anne de Boer, president of Textilligence, Fujitsu’s master distributor in Europe and the Middle East. “Initial testing of the tag is showing a significant breakthrough in reading reliability when scanned by our new Laundry Container Scanning Portal. This allows our laundry customers significant improvement in total system accuracy, while easily managing laundry logistics in very tight spaces of most industrial laundry environments.”