TECHNOLOGY
“ THESE FLEXIBLE INTEGRATED CIRCUITS COULD REVOLUTIONISE SUPPLY CHAIN AND STOCK CONTROL , ALLOWING COMPANIES TO IDENTIFY AND TRACK PRODUCTS FROM MANUFACTURE THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE CYCLES , EVEN UNTIL A PRODUCT ENDS UP IN THE REFUSE OR RECYCLING ”
PHIL SIMMONDS , MD , EC ELECTRONICS
sectors from industrial to medical . Electronics devices and circuits have become increasingly miniscule , allowing all kinds of goods and products to become connective – powering the internet of things and offering opportunities for logistics companies to improve their services . Simmonds highlights they ’ re also set to become more flexible , literally , with the first flexible integrated circuits ( FlexICs ) being brought to market by PragmatIC with its printed , plastic equivalent of the silicon chip already being deployed by Unilever and Hasbro , amongst others .
“ PragmatIC CEO Scott White sees an application for his company ’ s FlexICs in the supply chain , to be assembled into inlays and tags , at a price point up to 80 % lower than conventional silicon-based solutions ,” explains Simmonds . “ These flexible integrated circuits could revolutionise supply chain and stock control , allowing companies
50 June 2018