TONNJES starts 2022 with a new structure

From now on, TÖNNJES E.A.S.T. Infrastruktur Invest GmbH will become TÖNNJES INTERNATIONAL GROUP GmbH, which bundles all export companies as a group holding: J.H. TÖNNJES E.A.S.T. GmbH & Co. KG, TÖNNJES C.A.R.D. INTERNATIONAL GmbH and TÖNNJES M.O.V.E.R.S. INTERNATIONAL GmbH with the subsidiary TÖNNJES Middle East GmbH will belong in full to the new holding in the future. Dietmar Mönning, Olaf Renz, Jörn Bertram and Jochen Betz form the management board at group level, in addition to the management board of the export companies consisting of Holger Lang, Markus Müller and Stephan Wüstefeld. The company is thus sharpening its uniform appearance and is increasingly pursuing the common vision of improving safety on the roads and in terms of mobility through intelligent vehicle recognition. With its RFID-based licence plate systems, TÖNNJES makes an important contribution to digitisation and relies on a decentralised and local organisation for this through the establishment of joint ventures and subsidiaries around the world. With success: the demand for RFID solutions is greater than ever.

The RFID Market Report from 2021 predicts a strongly growing market volume for the next five years. TÖNNJES has been using the advantages of RFID-based communication for several years for its self-developed IDePLATE licence plate and IDeSTIX vignette, which enable secure electronic vehicle identification (EVI). EVI is the digital form of vehicle detection that is suitable for various application areas such as toll collection, access controls and speed measurements in stationary and flowing traffic. EVI is becoming increasingly important, especially in the Smart City sector.

RFID technology market grows to $10.7bn

According to the RFID Market Report, the global market size in the field of RFID applications as well as the associated readers and software increased to $10.7bn last year. By 2026, this figure is expected to increase to 17.4 bn. The report identifies UHF tags as the fastest growing segment within this market. A high reading speed, ranges of up to 20 metres and comparatively low production costs are decisive for this trend. 

"Of course, we are following this development closely," says Jörn Bertram, Managing Director at TÖNNJES, who continues: "We have been using UHF chips in our RAIN RFID IDePLATE and IDeSTIX licence plates for years. The trends confirm the path we have taken and show how important electronic identification of vehicles will be in the future." This type of detection is much more efficient and safer and enables further digital applications. If a car is marked with an IDePLATE, contactless payment processes are possible, for example, when refuelling or in a multi-storey car park.

TÖNNJES products are used worldwide - almost exclusively on behalf of the respective government. "We are represented at over 50 locations with joint ventures," explains Jörn Bertram. In Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, controls access to its premises via IDeSTIX. The Philippines also uses the technology for vehicle registration and identification. "In a country where one in three households owns a motorbike, the IDeSTIX Headlamp Tag for motorbikes and scooters makes registration and identification easier for the authorities. The transparent label is simply stuck onto the headlamp," the managing director says.

Long-term strategies instead of short-term gains

With the invention of the IDeSTIX Headlamp Tag, TÖNNJES has responded to the individual needs of the Philippines. "Every country is at a different stage in terms of development and has different laws and structures. To offer our customers tailor-made solutions, our portfolio is a modular system,” explains Dietmar Mönning, Managing Director. TÖNNJES provides supports, among other things, with the necessary production technology, software and hardware, security components, but also with the entire implementation of registration systems. The group has maintained trusting business relationships with many partners and customers for several years. "Long-term strategies are more important to us than short-term profits," explains Dietmar Mönning and adds: "We are pursuing sustainable growth that provides a basis for innovative developments for our company, our partners and our mission. Also, for future generations.”