Barcodes and RFID tags may not be sexy innovations, but they are game changers for companies around the globe seeking automated solutions for tracking products as they travel through the supply chain. Those companies owe a debt to Harold Brand, who co-founded Yonkers-based Cybra, a leading auto-ID software developer, in 1985, back when barcode technology was in its infancy. Brand, who can code in 10 different languages, single-handedly architected, designed, and programmed Cybra’s first proprietary product, a barcode labeling solution called MarkMagic.
Next, he spurred the company to innovations in 2D barcoding and QR codes before “betting the ranch” on radiofrequency identification (RFID) in 2007, with a multimillion-dollar effort to develop a full RFID platform. Today, Brand says, “Cybra’s proprietary RFID technology is capable of reading the contents of cartons zipping along conveyor belts in distribution centers at speeds of up to 300 feet per minute and determining the contents of each box with an accuracy of better than 99 percent.”
And you can bet he will continue innovating. “I constantly strive to predict where the technology waves are headed and how we as a company can best take advantage of the trends,” Brand says.
