Omni-ID

Omni-ID originated from a research unit within QinetiQ, a UK-based defense technology firm, which was tasked in the 1990s with solving the challenge of reading RFID tags near metals and liquids. This research led to a patented design for an "electromagnetic radiation decoupler," which formed the basis for the company's technology. Launched as a standalone entity in March 2007, Omni-ID was founded by individuals including Charles Burton and Tony Kington to commercialize this advancement. The company secured initial funding from Cody Gate Ventures, a fund created by QinetiQ and Coller Capital.

The firm established itself as a producer of passive and active UHF RFID tags designed for harsh industrial environments where traditional identification methods fail. Its core business involves manufacturing and selling these durable tags to clients in sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, IT, energy, and transportation for asset tracking and management. The business model centers on providing both off-the-shelf tags and highly customized solutions, addressing specific client needs for tracking everything from IT assets and tools to large industrial containers. A significant milestone was the 2012 launch of ProVIEW, a visual tagging system that combines e-paper displays with RFID for dynamic instructions and real-time tracking, moving beyond simple identification.

Under the leadership of CEO George E. Daddis, Jr., an entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Cornell and experience founding and leading tech companies like InSciTek and Allworx, Omni-ID expanded its focus to encompass broader Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions. The product portfolio grew to include active tags using technologies like BLE and LoRaWAN, as well as sensors for monitoring conditions such as temperature. This strategic evolution positioned the company as a key player in the IIoT space. On August 18, 2021, HID Global, a subsidiary of ASSA ABLOY, acquired Omni-ID, integrating it as a business unit to enhance HID's own RFID and IoT offerings and expand its manufacturing footprint into Asia.

Keywords: RFID tags, asset tracking, industrial IoT, on-metal RFID, passive UHF, supply chain management, manufacturing solutions, visual tagging, harsh environments, custom RFID