LONDON, September 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2006 Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award in the defense Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) supply chain market is conferred on Savi Technology, a provider of RFID-based solutions and services. The award recognises that Savi Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], has achieved outstanding success in implementing RFID-based networks to track, manage and secure supply chain assets and military consignment for coalition defense forces. It also commends Savi Technology's focus on innovation, which has resulted in the development of novel products and complete solutions aimed at enhancing in-transit, and in-the-box visibility of critical supplies needed by armed forces during military operations.

"As the world's premier provider of RFID-based asset tracking systems to the global defence market, Savi Technology has won highly significant contracts with a number of international defence forces, including NATO, the US Department of Defense (DoD), the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Australian Defence Force, the Spanish Armed Froces, and Denmark's Ministry of Defence," notes Frost & Sullivan Defence Analyst, Graham Cushway. "Moreover, Savi Technology's networks are interoperable, enabling NATO and its member countries to collaborate in real-time in tracking supplies for joint-force operations, such as from Europe through to Afghanistan."

Savi Technology's solutions were proven to be instrumental in increasing the efficiency and visibility of coalition forces' supply chains during Operation Iraqi Freedom / Telic in 2003. The U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense affirmed that Savi Technology's solutions helped improve warfighter confidence, reduce inventory by over 40 percent, improved fill rates of 77 percent to 89 percent and cut retail backlog requests for items by about 90 percent. A U.S. General Accounting Office report concluded that had Savi's RFID-based solutions been deployed during Desert Storm in the early 1990s the DoD could have saved more than US$2 billion in wasted inventory.

"The UK MoD has been equally vocal in praise of Savi Technology's TAV system, and has encouraged other NATO members to make use of Savi Technology's RFID-based systems," says Mr. Cushway. "In addition, Savi Technology has emerged as a leader in providing advanced cargo container security solutions for Homeland Security applications, for which it received Frost & Sullivan's Business Development Strategy Leadership Award in 2005."

In addition to these successes, Savi Technology has pioneered several new product types for solving specific supply chain problems faced by its current clients. These include RFID tags that, incorporate door-intrusion sensors that automatically transmit alerts to authorised parties whenever a container's doors have been tampered with or opened when they weren't supposed to be during their supply chain journey.

"In addition, a full line of environmental sensors embedded into these tags can monitor all kinds of conditions inside the container, such as temperature (a particular problem during Operation Iraqi Freedom, particularly in terms of medical supplies), humidity, and shock" adds Mr. Cushway. "This is critical for high-risk cargo such as hazardous materials or temperature- and shock-sensitive cargo such as food, medical supplies or high-tech equipment. Recent advances include C-shaped tags that clamp tightly onto the container door so that the environmental-sensing component resides inside the container and the RF antennae that communicates with reader networks resides in a low-profile design on the outside of the container. This provides an extra measure of protection to the tag itself."

Savi Technology also developed the Portable Deployment Kit (PDK), which is a complete solution in a suitcase-sized carrying case that enables logisticians to track, manage and order supplies in real-time in remote locations where there is no fixed reader infrastructure. This has helped the military address enduring problems of supply visibility during the so-called "last mile" of tactical operations. The PDK includes a handheld mobile reader, label printer, laptop and iridium modem link to satellite communications systems.

In addition, Savi Technology has developed a very sophisticated decision-support software platform and suite of applications linked with its RFID-based networks, which provides real-time, actionable information for consignment and asset management as well as transportation security. This software linked with a network approach to tracking and managing defense consignments also can capture real-time data feeds from all types of Automatic Identification and Data Collection technologies, such as bar code, sensors, passive and active RFID and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

The Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award is presented to a company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within its industry. The recipient company has shown innovation by launching a broad line of emerging products and technologies.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

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Contact: Kristina Menzefricke Frost & Sullivan Promotions Manager, Best Practices Europe T: +44-(0)207-343-8376 E: kristina.menzefricke@frost.com

CONTACT: Contact: Kristina Menzefricke, Frost & Sullivan, Promotions
Manager, Best Practices Europe, T: +44-(0)207-343-8376, E:
kristina.menzefricke@frost.com