In late August, Flint Ink announced it had formed Precisia LLC, a new business unit that is dedicated to the development of radio frequency identification (RFID) inks. The new division will also be involved in the development of inks related to other printed electronics applications, including smart packaging, lighting and displays. To learn more about Flint’s new business venture, we asked Dan Lawrence, Director of Technology and Commercialization at Precisia to answer a few questions.

Dan Lawrence joined Flint Ink in 1994. His research background includes electron and photon microscopy, polymer crystallization, surface science, image analysis, and electronics. He is Precisia’s representative to the global Auto-ID Center initiative, and has conducted research related to RF propagation at the Center’s labs at MIT.

Corporate interest in RFID is so high that RFID tags will soon become the most popular way for businesses to track just about anything tangible, including inventory items, goods under construction and spare parts. Allied Business Intelligence, a technology research firm recently released estimates that the global RFID market will grow to more than $3.1 billion by 2008, with much of that spending being done by the retail and automotive industries ( On the web).