RAIN Alliance is celebrating its 10 years in 2024. Our history is closely intertwined with the development of RFID technology. Here are key milestones in each:
RFID Technology Development
1940
1940-1950
Radar refined and used, major World War II development effort. RFID invented in 1948.
1950
1950-1960
Early explorations of RFID technology, laboratory experiments.
1960
1960-1970
Development of the theory of RFID. Start of applications field trials.
1970
1970-1980
Explosion of RFID development. Tests of RFID accelerate. Very early adopter implementations of RFID.
1980
1980-1990
Commercial applications of RFID enter mainstream.
1990
1990-Present
Emergence of standards. RFID widely deployed. RFID becomes a part of everyday life.
RAIN Alliance Evolution
2014
2015
- RAIN Alliance experiences significant membership growth across various sectors.
- Member meetings held in Graz, Austria, and Seoul, Korea.
2016
- ISO/IEC 18000-6:2004/Amd.1:2006 was the first ISO standard that specified RAIN RFID, although not by that name. Prior protocol versions (known as ISO/IEC1800 6b) became obsolete.
- Member meetings held in Graz, Austria in February, Napa, CA in July and Tokyo, Japan in September.
- Over 10 billion RAIN RFID Tag ICs shipped.
2017
- RAIN RFID Technology expands into retail, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing.
- Member meetings held in Seattle, WA in June and Shenzen, China in October.
2018
- RAIN Alliance collaborates with partners on interoperability standards and global adaption of RAIN RFID technology.
- Holds first Connections Summit event with NFC Forum and AIM at Google Java Corners in Sunnyvale, CA, in March.
- Member meeting held in Vienna, Austria in June.
2019
- Publishes What is RAIN RFID?, an ebook about the technology, markets, using RAIN RFID, and introducing the alliance and its members.
- Members meetings held in Memphis, TN in March, and Florence, Italy in June.
2020
- Produces the first of its annual Market Research Reports, providing valuable insights into the current state and prospects of RAIN RFID technology.
- Hosts join virtual conference with AIM in December, focusing on automatic data collection.
- Over 20 billion RAIN RFID Tag ICs shipped.
2021
2022
- Expands its presence globally, with initiatives to support RAIN RFID adoption in emerging markets and regions.
- Online member event held in March; in-person Connections Summit events held in Helsinki, Finland in June and in Greenville, SC in October.
- Over 34.5 billion RAIN RFID TAG ICs shipped in 2022 – and increase of 20% from the previous year.
2023
- RAIN RFID technology gains traction in smart city initiatives, enabling applications such as asset tracking, waste management, and tolling systems for vehicle identification.
- Establishes a Plastics Packaging Tiger Team with the goal of ensuring RIAN RFID deployments on plastic are recognized as not interfering in recycling processes.
- Member meetings held in Seattle, WA in June, and Wiesbaden, Germany in October, co-located with a WIOT (Wireless Internet of Things) event.
- Introduces Individual member recognition awards during member meetings
- Creates and presents new Tyres Masterclass to help companies understand the physical, environmental, and technical challenges of embedding RAIN RFID technology into tyres.
- Launches new public Knowledge Series webinars to showcase RAIN Alliance member activities and the latest RAIN RFID developments, innovations, and best practices.
- RAIN Alliance President Aileen Ryan visits members in Japan and China.
- Participates in Fall IOTE event in Shenzen, China.
- More than 44.8 billion RAIN RFID TAG ICs shipped – an increase of 32% from the previous year and doubling about every 3 t0 4 years.
2024
- Continues to grow its membership base and standardize RAIN RFID technology across industries, driving further adoption and innovation.
- Publishes Gen2 V3, a collaboration between the RAIN RFID eco-system and Gs1.
- Creates and presents new training courses such as the Encoding Masterclass & Certification Exam, to make the adoption of RAIN RFID technology easier and more accessible for both technical and executive professionals in the industry.
- Launches new RAIN Alliance Anniversary Challenge to produce solutions to our end users’ most pressing unresolved business challenges.
- Member events scheduled for Taiwan in May and Florence, Italy in September.