PITTSBURGH, PA – AIM, the association representing the automatic identification and data collection industry, has named Dan Mullen president of AIM Global. Mullen previously had served as interim president of the worldwide automatic identification industry group.
Mullen, who helped steer the association to its new global perspective and membership structure, said he looks forward to further growth of the organization.
"We've made a good start, and there are many opportunities ahead," he said. "Because of the breadth of our industry technologies and the expertise of our members, AIM is involved in many of the world's most rapidly developing technologies, from wireless mobile computing to radio frequency identification. That provides us both an opportunity to be of service as industries decide how to implement these powerful business tools and a responsibility to provide leadership and education."
Education is to be a primary AIM initiative in the year ahead, Mullen said. In addition to its ongoing mission to accurately explain the benefits and uses of automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) technologies, AIM is taking a leading role in educating companies worldwide about the potential of RFID. Interest in this AIDC technology exploded after Wal*Mart and the U.S. Department of Defense announced plans to require suppliers to begin using RFID on cases and pallets of goods by 2005.
"Suppliers are concerned about compliance, whether now or in the future," Mullen said. "We need to reach these people with good information on the technology and let them know how they can benefit from RFID beyond mere compliance. As with any newly evolving technology, there currently is much misinformation about RFID, what it can and can't do. Because AIM represents our industry, not any particular vendor, we are able to provide clear-eyed information companies then can use to make appropriate business decisions."
Of equal concern to AIM are privacy issues surrounding RFID raised by a number of consumer advocacy groups. AIM already has taken steps to address these concerns. It established an RFID Privacy Work Group and has released "RFID FAQs, not Fiction" to help explain the current capabilities of the technology and to outline steps being taken to ensure consumers' privacy.
"AIM has the opportunity to be proactive on many fronts. RFID is just one of them," said newly appointed AIM Chairman Tom Miller, of Intermec Technologies Corp. "AIM, through its worldwide arm AIM Global, plays a critical role as advisor and educator and it requires a steady hand on the till. Dan Mullen is the person for this important mission."
Mullen has been with AIM over 10 years previously serving as vice president of AIM operations, managing all marketing, finance, and membership development aspects of the association. He earlier served as vice president of technology. In this role he managed the development of industry and national standards efforts. He was the industry's primary liaison with national standards setting organizations such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Dan served as Chairman of AIM ADC1, the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/IEC SC31, the international standards committee for Automatic Identification and Data Capture. Under his guidance, AIM symbology standards have moved from industry documents to internationally accepted specifications.
Mullen holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Business from Duquesne University.
