Hisao Sakuta

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Omron Corporation, a $5.5 billion Japanese manufacturer of automation and sensing products, will invest $20 million worldwide over 2005 and 2006 as a first step in seizing a larger share of the U.S. and global radio frequency identification (RFID) market. The company's aggressive entry into the U.S. marketplace focuses on its RFID label inlay and reader products. It aims to take advantage of Wal-Mart Stores' RFID shipping tag mandate to its top 100 suppliers while leveraging Omron's (www.omronrfid.com) 20 years of global RFID product development and application experience. Wal-Mart's RFID mandate now requires its largest 100 suppliers to put RFID tags