UPM to start RFID tag production in China

HELSINKI, Feb. 25, 2008 (Press Release) - UPM will begin RFID tag and inlay production in Guangzhou, capital of the Guangdong province in southern China, in the third quarter of 2008. The new manufacturing site will serve the fast-growing Asian market in all RFID end-use areas, including ticketing and the apparel industry.

In Guangzhou, UPM Raflatac will manufacture both high-frequency (HF) and ultra-high frequency (UHF) passive RFID tags and inlays. The initial RFID tag production capacity of the Guangzhou facility will be 100 million pieces per year and it can easily be scaled up to hundreds of millions of pieces according to market growth.

"The new manufacturing site in China will further strengthen our position as the leading RFID tag supplier globally. With production capacity in Europe, North America and Asia, we're able to serve customers rapidly and secure future growth for UPM Raflatac's RFID business," says Mr Christer Härkönen, Senior Vice President of UPM Raflatac's RFID business area. UPM Raflatac currently manufactures RFID tags and inlays in Jyväskylä, Finland and in Fletcher, North Carolina in the USA.