During IOTE 2026, the RFID Elite Networking Dinner brought together company representatives from across the RFID value chain, technology experts, and channel partners. In a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, industry professionals exchanged ideas, explored business opportunities, and discussed new pathways for the high-quality development of the Passive IoT industry.
The dinner opened with a welcome address by Chen Jianghan, Deputy General Manager of Ulink Media. He extended a warm welcome to guests and industry partners who had travelled from near and far to attend the event.
Chen noted that RFID, as a key technology connecting the physical and digital worlds, is reaching a pivotal stage in its expansion beyond the apparel sector into a wider range of applications, including food, healthcare, automotive, and logistics. While the industry faces both opportunities and challenges, he emphasized the importance of capitalizing on policy support and technological advances while avoiding a race to the bottom on pricing. Instead, the industry should prioritize value-driven innovation.
IOTE remains committed to serving as a platform for direct engagement across the industry. Chen expressed the hope that the dinner would strengthen collaboration throughout the value chain, build greater ecosystem synergy, expand the RFID market, and support the sustainable development of China’s Passive IoT industry, while accelerating digital transformation across traditional sectors.
The evening continued with a series of keynote presentations.
Chen Jiwei, RFID Market Development Manager at Avery Dennison, delivered a presentation titled “Infinite Possibilities in Materials, Reliable Connections in Practice.” He shared Avery Dennison’s experience and initiatives in building a trusted and reliable RFID ecosystem.
He noted that RFID adoption in the apparel industry has already approached 50%, while food, automotive, beauty and personal care, and healthcare remain significant growth markets, representing a combined opportunity of more than 300 billion units.
Drawing on its extensive expertise in materials science, Avery Dennison has introduced the AD Miniweb Global UX 42 × 16 mm dual-frequency universal RFID Inlay. The company also supports the industry through its Label Innovation Academy, offering technical training, sample testing, and application validation.
Guided by the principles of consultation, co-creation, resource sharing, and mutual success, Avery Dennison is working with distributors, printing partners, and other ecosystem stakeholders to expand RFID adoption beyond apparel. Through its partner-channel model, the company aims to unlock new growth opportunities, enable digital identities for physical products, and help customers improve operational efficiency while advancing their sustainability goals.
Lin Bingyi, Chairman of Arizon RFID Technology Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote presentation titled “The Next Generation of RFID Transformation Across All Application Scenarios.”
He explained that the growing adoption of mandatory food traceability regulations worldwide is accelerating digital transformation across industries. Requirements such as the U.S. FDA’s traceability rules for certain high-risk foods and China’s evolving digital labeling regulations are creating new momentum for the adoption of digital identification technologies.
Addressing the challenges of RFID deployment in demanding environments—including fresh food, cold-chain logistics, liquids, metal surfaces, and low-temperature and high-humidity conditions—Lin highlighted how Arizon’s proprietary antenna technologies and innovative Inlay structures help overcome the identification limitations of conventional tags, enabling end-to-end digital visibility across fresh-food supply chains.
He also discussed the complementary roles of RFID and Ambient IoT. RFID is particularly effective for high-speed, large-volume identification and inventory management, while Ambient IoT enables continuous monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Together, these technologies can provide a more comprehensive foundation for supply chain digitalization.
Lin further introduced a four-layer AI + RFID technology architecture, covering sensing, data governance, intelligent analytics, and business decision-making. By integrating these capabilities, supply chains can move beyond reactive operations toward proactive prediction and smarter decision-making.
With 25 years of experience in the RFID industry, Arizon has accumulated more than 800 patents worldwide and shipped over 33 billion RFID units. The company has established manufacturing and sales operations in locations including Yangzhou, Taipei, Vietnam, and the United States. It is also advancing its SBTi science-based emissions reduction targets, combining technological innovation with ESG commitments and sustainable development to deliver reliable RFID solutions for customers worldwide.
Following the keynote presentations, the evening moved into the toast ceremony. The three speakers took the stage together to raise a glass with the guests, expressing their appreciation for the continued support and collaboration of industry partners.
They shared their best wishes for the continued growth of the RFID industry and called for deeper cooperation across the value chain to explore emerging opportunities together. Guests joined in the toast, creating a lively and celebratory atmosphere.
The excitement continued with the lucky draw. Multiple rounds of prize giveaways brought the evening to another high point, with applause and cheers filling the room as the winners were announced and invited to the stage to receive their prizes. Beyond the excitement, the activity also provided another opportunity for industry peers to connect and strengthen relationships.
After the lucky draw, guests continued their conversations over dinner. Several companies expressed initial intentions to cooperate, reflecting the strong interest in exploring new business opportunities.
A shared consensus emerged: the RFID industry should focus on value-driven innovation rather than price competition. Stakeholders across the entire value chain—from materials and tags to hardware, system integration, and end-user brands—need to work together to expand the market and accelerate the adoption of RFID across a wider range of vertical sectors, including food and fresh produce, healthcare, automotive, and high-value logistics.
The Passive IoT industry is now entering a period of accelerated growth, driven by supportive policies, continuous technological advances, and declining deployment costs. At the same time, adapting solutions to diverse application scenarios, strengthening ecosystem collaboration, and achieving standardized implementation remain shared challenges.
The RFID Elite Networking Dinner provided an effective platform for face-to-face engagement, helping bridge communication gaps across the value chain and build stronger industry consensus.
Looking ahead, Avery Dennison and Arizon RFID Technology will continue working with partners across the industry to refine products and technologies, strengthen ecosystem collaboration, and promote deeper integration between RFID, AI, and sensing technologies.
Through closer cooperation and continued innovation, the industry can accelerate digital transformation across a wide range of sectors and build a more trusted, open, and mutually beneficial RFID ecosystem.