Impinj has been ranked at the top of the latest Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research. Alien Technology and NXP Semiconductor claimed the second and third spots in the company’s new evaluation of worldwide Passive UHF (ISO 18000-6C/Gen 2) RFID Transponder IC vendors.
The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of “innovation" and "implementation" across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix.
According to ABI Research director Michael Liard, "Backed by its flagship Monza® 3 offering and 2010 launch of Monza® 4, continued product development, IC manufacturing capacity expansion, on-going IC cost and size reduction efforts, plus the majority share position of UHF RFID tag chips sold in 2010, Impinj secured the top spot."
Liard continues, "A solid market position, in-progress cost-reduction efforts and proven success in configurable, feature-focused passive UHF tag application markets where Higgs-3 ICs are utilized, help bolster Alien’s scores and placement. Meanwhile NXP has renewed its emphasis on the passive UHF IC market over the last few years, and also received strong scores in all Innovation and Implementation criteria."
For this particular matrix, under "innovation," ABI Research examined the vendors’ product offering mixes and uniqueness, the products’ features, the vendors’ industry leadership, influence and knowledge transfer, and their design innovation/strength of engineering. Also in the mix: application innovation/enablement, and the vendors’ approaches to IC cost reduction.
Under "implementation," ABI Research scrutinized the following criteria for each vendor: manufacturing capabilities and strategy; overall market position, leadership, and strength; volume and market share (for passive UHF RFID transponder/tag ICs only); their persistent market presence and experience; and their go-to-market strategies and approaches.
