Drug Company Installs i OS-Based RFID System from CYBRA

September 30, 2008 Alex Woodie

CYBRA last week announced that an unnamed pharmaceutical company has deployed its i-based EdgeMagic system to provide radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking for its manufacturing and distribution operations. The company selected EdgeMagic primarily for its support for the IBM i operating system (OS).

As one of the only companies developing native i OS RFID solutions, CYBRA and its OEM partner for the EdgeMagic product, Solzon, have a decided advantage when it comes to servicing i OS shops. Such was the case when a “leading specialty pharmaceutical company” came calling, according to Chuck Roskow, CYBRA’s vice president of operations.

CYBRA did not further identify the customer, save for the fact that they are “strictly an IBM Power Systems shop,” Roskow says. “Their program design required an RFID solution that supported both their IBM Power System server and the Motorola MC9090-G RFID handheld reader. The customer was thrilled when they learned of CYBRA’s EdgeMagic IBM Power System solution, because it includes support for IBM data queues.”

The implementation commenced, and the customer is reportedly happy with the outcome. The solution is able to scan 1D and 2D bar codes and RFID tags on products sent to Wal-Mart and other customers with RFID mandates. When an operator scans an RFID tag with the Motorola handheld device, the data is passed directly to the i OS data queue for further processing. “The customer is very impressed with EdgeMagic performance,” Roskow says. “The scanned data appears on their server instantaneously.”

The company’s RFID implementation satisfies Wal-Mart’s requirement, and also prepares it for upcoming the “e-pedigree” laws in the states of Florida and California, says CYBRA CEO Harold Brand.

“The ability to track lot, potency, expiration, National Drug Code (NPC), Electronic Product Code (EPC), manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, pharmacy, and the serial number of each dosage unit requires the integration of RFID technology at the point of manufacture,” Brand says. “This customer is a best-in-class pharmaceutical company that has thrived by developing exclusive technologies. Given their proven record of innovative technology, it is natural that they selected EdgeMagic for their IBM Power System server which will give them a head start on meeting the California Board of Pharmacy’s e-pedigree requirements, which are scheduled to go into effect in January, 2011.”