News Release

Introducing Hitachi Chemical's New IC Tags with μ-Chip for DVD Management and Anti-theft Purposes
– Promoting Applications for DVD Rental Shops, Wholesale Stores, Drugstores, Libraries and the Apparel Industry –

Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo; President and CEO: Yasuji Nagase; paid-in capital: 15.4 billion yen, hereinafter referred to as the “Hitachi Chemical”) has commercialized two types of read-only IC tags with μ-Chip ¹⁾ that are the smallest class of contact-less IC chips in the world, for DVD and CD management, which can be attached to the center of DVDs and CDs, and AMID tags for individual article management and anti-theft purposes.

1. IC Tags for DVD and CD Management

Currently, DVD/CD rental shops, for the most part, manage DVDs and CDs by the bar codes attached to their cases. This is not necessarily the best way of keeping track collectively of both disks and their cases. In recent years, HF (high frequency; 13.56 MHz) band IC tags have become available for DVD and CD management, though they have yet to come into widespread use because of price. Hitachi Chemical, therefore, came up with cost-competitive, novel IC tags with μ-Chip for the integrated management of DVDs and CDs.

These IC tags, which come as thin circular seals with a diameter of 30 mm and a thickness of 0.25 mm, can be attached to the center of DVDs and CDs. And as the μ-Chip are less than 0.05 mm thick, they do not interfere with the high-speed rotation of disks. With conventional techniques, microwave (2.45 GHz) IC tags cannot be attached to the central metallized part of DVDs and CDs. This is because the metallized film and the antenna of the tag are coupled together, making it impossible to read the data. The new IC tags solve this technically difficult problem by adopting a doughnut-shaped antenna and a μ-Chip. They are much cheaper than HF band IC tags, about 60% the cost of Hitachi Chemical's conventional tags. This time, we have received the technical assistance by Hitachi Ltd. (Security & Smart ID Solutions Division) Hitachi Chemical, meanwhile, has a patent for IC tags designed for DVDs and other optical disks.
The IC tags with μ-Chip are extremely useful for inventory control at DVD/CD rental shops, retail stores, etc. as well as for data storage at financial institutions, security companies and other businesses.

2. AMID Tags

In collaboration with its partners, Hitachi Chemical has also developed AMID tags by integrating μ-Chip and an AM²⁾ tag. AM tags are widely used in wholesale stores, DVD/CD rental shops, etc. for anti-theft purposes (prevention of shoplifting and unauthorized borrowing). These AMID tags incorporate an individual article management system (with μ-Chip to read data at short range) and an anti-theft system (with AM tags to read data at medium range). They come in the form of a tiny chip (42.8 mm x 10 mm x 2.5 mm) and hence can be readily attached to a variety of articles. Also, by using the DVD management tags and AMID tags together, the user can utilize the system for both article management for DVD/CD and for the anti-theft purposes.
In addition to the applications in DVD/CD rental shops and the retail stores, the AMID tags are designed for individual article management and anti-theft systems that are expected to find their way into drugstores, libraries, do-it-yourself stores and the apparel industry.
Hitachi Chemical worked together with NEXT Co.,Ltd. (an AM tag manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo, President: Toru Tanabe) and Toska Co.,Ltd. (an AMID tag distributor headquartered in Tokyo, President: Saburo Ota) to develop AMID tags. Hitachi Chemical produces inlet seals for μ-Chip, while NEXT Co.,Ltd. produces AMID tags, which are distributed through Toska Co.,Ltd.

3. Sales Development

The immediate plan is to tie up with solution providers for inventory control to promote these IC/AMID tags with μ-Chip, targeting annual sales of about one billion yen in 2010.

These products will be on display at the Hitachi Group booth at TORONSHOW 2008, which will be held at the Tokyo International Forum on December 12, 13 and 14.

Notes:

<Reference>

IC tag with μ-Chip	AMID tag

For more details about IC tags for DVD management, contact the following:
Kaoru Takahashi, IC card & IC Tag Group, Advanced Film Sales Dept., Advaced Film Div., Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.
TEL 81-3-5446-9188

The producer and the distributor of AMID tags:
Manufacturer: NEXT CO.,LTD.
Distributors: TOSKA CO.,LTD.