Microsoft and Paxar conclude strategic agreement

BizTalk RFID now compatible to Paxar printers

BizTalk RFID, part of the Microsoft Server for Business Process Management (BPM), now comes standard with the printer language of the Paxar 9855 RFID. The seamless compatibility in RFID labelling from Microsoft and Paxar is the result of a new strategic RFID relationship between the two American corporations.

The Paxar Corporation announced the agreement of a strategic RFID relationship with Microsoft on June 6 from their headquarters in White Plains, New York. The agreement with the Microsoft Corporation is valid worldwide. Effective immediately, current BizTalk servers with RFID capability from Microsoft in Europe and all other locations will include the printer languages of the combined barcode printer and RFID encoder Paxar 9855. The software which is similar to a driver is automatically copied onto existing BizTalk servers via updates.

Microsoft Germany in an online presentation describes BizTalk as the Microsoft server “that companies can use to define, run, and analyze business processes”. The server allows employees “to live business processes more effectively and efficiently”. According to the presentation, more than 6,000 companies and public institutions currently use BizTalk server. The functionalities of BizTalk summarized: “integrates systems (EAI), automates business processes, supports business processes for “people ready business”, provides Business Intelligence for business processes, and is the backbone of service-oriented architectures.”

The Paxar 9855 RFID was the first RFID printer worldwide to go into series production in April 2004. The system reads and writes to the RFID transponder in a single operation and prints the adhesive label in which the chip and antenna are embedded. The system can also be used as a regular barcode printer without an RFID function. The latest model RFID 9855 ME (Multiprotocol Europe) also processes transponders of the generation 2 (Gen2) after the European specifications and is thus state-of-the-art with respect to the development in RFID technology.

Rick Bauer, the Paxar Corporation’s Director, RFID Global Program Development, responsible for the group’s RFID activities on the occasion of the announcement of the strategic relationship stated “Paxar shares Microsoft’s vision of delivering RFID solutions that comply with global standards, are cost effective, simple to deploy, and built on a robust, scalable technology infrastructure.” Thanks to the new cooperation with Microsoft, users, according to Bauer, can “reduce operating costs and achieve greater efficiencies.” Burley Kawasaki, Group Product Manager for BizTalk at the Microsoft Corporation, said: “We are pleased to work with Paxar to help customers obtain value from their RFID solutions..” According to Mr. Kawasaki, Microsoft BizTalk RFID can make a contribution by linking different processes and ensuring that the right people always have access to the right data. Mr. Kawasky continues: “With Paxar, we will be able to deliver more valuable and connected RFID-based solutions to customers.”

The Paxar Corporation, represented in Germany by PAXAR Central Europe GmbH in Sprockhövel, is one of the global market leaders in product labelling and distribution logistics. Paxar produced RFID printers and labels and also offers system integrations, including the installation and operation of entire RFID label systems. The group is an accredited member of “EPCglobal”, the global standardization agency for RFID technology. Paxar’s RFID customers in Germany include the METRO Group and the REWE Group, among others.