Frost & Sullivan Cites FRICK for Success in RFID Solutions

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag market, Frost & Sullivan presents William Frick & Company (FRICK) with the 2009 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Enhancement. FRICK has established itself as one of the most reliable vendors of RFID solutions in North America and is currently one of the leaders in the RFID tag market. This has been driven by the success of the SmartMark line of products. SmartMark is a suite of durable RFID tags and labels, with most of them currently built on the Gen 2 Passive UHF protocol. SmartMark products are most widely used for asset tracking and logistical management in harsh external environments or where requirements for specialized tags or labels exist.

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In the current economic scenario, value for investment and high customization is critical to stay afloat. Successful vendors are focusing on offering customized products rather than compelling customers to adapt to their offerings. Subsequently, it is vital to have an extensive product line that caters to a wide range of requirements and offers superior return on investment.

"Marketing itself on the basis of performance and positive word of mouth, FRICK has significantly increased its customer base," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Santosh Antony. "Its customers fondly refer to its staff as 'Graphics Engineers' because most of its products are not catalog-based, but derived from a one-to-one interaction with customers."

One of the primary reasons for FRICK's success is its positioning as a vendor offering the widest variety of tags for every kind of environment. The company's product portfolio ranges from the simplest of compliance tags to the complex tagging systems used even on ocean floors. These tags score on optimality, effectiveness, and do not fail in even in harsh environments of 600 F.

The company has also gained a reputation for offering very high levels of customization. "There are so many unique applications for RFID tags it is impossible to produce and maintain a catalog of SmartMark products", says Jeff Brandt, FRICK's president. "We offer website content and printed material to frame the client conversations as we point them toward the best solution for their application." Such dedication to customization underlines the company's policy to cater to customer requirements, rather than catalog products that are closest to customer requirements. FRICK also facilitates prototyping, which enables design and testing before implementation.

"External features and designs are adapted to fit the customer's applications and environment, irrespective of complexity," notes Santosh. "In addition, FRICK guides the customer through various levels of implementation to ensure optimum results."

Although FRICK has been a self-funded organization, with no interference from external investors, it has inked strategic and highly profitable partnerships with multiple RFID systems integrators to provide turnkey hardware and software solutions. It is also the exclusive North American distributor of Technologies ROI, Inc.'s high-performance RFID tags. These were astute moves, as end users are increasingly looking for a one-stop shop for all their RFID requirements.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. This award recognizes the company's inordinate focus on enhancing the value its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and ultimately customer base expansion.

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About William Frick & Company

William Frick & Company is a leading custom label, marking, graphics, and RFID tag supplier. Producing durable labeling products and custom RFID solutions for a wide range of industrial, commercial and logistical applications, the company is ISO 9001:2000 certified and has been in business since 1975.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.awards.frost.com.

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan