Millipore Corp. is the first company to integrate Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with filtration products used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drugs. The new RFID capability will be branded as SMART Technology and will be introduced at the INTERPHEX 2007 Conference in New York.

According to the company, using RFID technology in filtration products allows customers to increase speed by quickly and reliably retrieving critical information, such as when and how the product was manufactured. RFID can also deliver real-time information about product performance and identify which fluids are present during the manufacturing process. This can help customers with regulatory compliance and improve recording and conveying manufacturing data. Other benefits of the technology include: improved readability and non-linear access to information, rewritable and encryptable, greater security, mechanically and thermally stable gamma irradiatable.

The company recently entered into an exclusive license with Tack Smart Filter Technology BV to embed the RFID technology in its filters and filtration equipment for biopharmaceutical applications. Millipore has also formed relationships with Tagsys RFID for tags and reader components; the Tech Group for injection molding and fabrication and Northern Apex-RFID for RFID integration services and instrument development.

“Using RFID technology to record and convey valuable product and process information allows our customers to more efficiently develop and validate key process steps,” said Roland Heinrich, Ph.D., vice president, R&D of Millipore’s Bioprocess Division. “In an industry where time-to-market and compliance are crucial, RFID improves the speed and confidence with which critical data is exchanged for these steps.”