News

Sonoco Provides Intellicore Cores to Paper Manufacturers
Using IPICO’s RFID Technology

Hartsville, S.C., U.S. and Burlington, Ontario, Canada – June 30, 2008 - Sonoco (NYSE: SON) one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, and IPICO Inc. (TSX-V: RFD) today announced the availability of the world’s first RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) enabled core solution specifically designed for the paper industry.

Using IPICO’s dual frequency technology, the new fiber cores allow customers to automatically identify, track, and locate paper rolls at any point in the supply chain.

“IPICO and Sonoco have developed a unique process by which RFID technology is embedded in fiber-based cores. Sonoco is using this process to produce its new Intellicore engineered carriers which are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of paper manufacturers,” said John Colyer, Sonoco vice president, Industrial Products – North America. “This technology can be read through any size of paper roll, which allows for easy management throughout the product’s life cycle.”

Sonoco is the world’s largest manufacturer of fiber-based tubes and cores, many of which are used by companies around the world to package various grades and types of paper.

“Until now, the paper industry has been unable to seamlessly provide real time tracking and location for the hundreds of millions of rolls it produces annually,” said Gordon Westwater, President and Chief Executive Officer of IPICO. “Working with Sonoco and using IPICO’s leading identification technology, we have created what we believe will quickly become the RFID standard for the paper industry.”

Leading paper manufacturers have long sought reliable and cost-effective tools to help their customers instantly track exact paper roll location, recognizing that paper grade identification, storage visibility and waste reduction are key opportunities for cost savings and profit enhancement. This new technology shows potential to deliver important financial and environmental benefits to customers around the world, and is designed as an end-to-end management solution dedicated to improving the user’s bottom line.

“The RFID-enabled paper rolls represent a step-change in material management for our site. We have a solution that is actually working and enables automatic goods receipt and matching against order and shipping document without any manual intervention,” said Mike Ramsay, managing director, Mondi March Corrugated Packaging. “The system gives the site real-time, fool-proof data that enables us to determine exactly which reel has been used for each customer product. This, for the first time, gives us full traceability so that we can guarantee to a customer that the correct type and source of paper has been used. The technology is so simple to use that it provides a win-win solution with accurate data reporting and at less cost to acquire through savings in labor, waste, stock levels and stock outs.”

ABOUT SONOCO
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $4.0 billion global manufacturer of consumer and industrial products and provider of packaging services, with 334 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit our Web site at www.sonoco.com.

ABOUT IPICO Inc.
IPICO Inc. is an RFID solution supplier with operations in Canada, USA, South Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. IPICO produces smart labels and tags based on the IP-X communication protocol. IPICO’s low interference readers are designed to meet regulatory requirements in many major markets, and allow for multi-reader rollout in close proximity. IPICO’s low cost RFID products excel at long read range, fast multi-read anti-collision and high thru-beam read-speeds of dynamic tag populations. These products are used to optimize the management of items, people, animals and processes within the logistic supply chain and other value chains. For further information, go to www.ipico.com.


This news release contains certain forward-looking statements pertaining to future anticipated projected plans, performance and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations and results, including, without limitation, statements as to sales forecasts and required minimum future revenues. Any statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be considered to be forward-looking statements. Written words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intends”, “goal”, “objective”, “seek”, “attempt”, “suggest” or variations of these or similar words, identify forward-looking statements. These statements by their nature are estimates of future results only. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements and are based on current expectations that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the failure to meet market growth, order volume, delivery commitment or minimum revenue expectations, political intervention, and those other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in IPICO’s periodic reports filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).


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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Gordon Westwater, President & CEO, IPICO Inc., Tel: +1 905-631-6310
Email: gordon.westwater@ipico.com

Hilary Bassett, MAVERICK for IPICO Inc., Tel: +1 416-640-5525 x245
Email: hilaryb@maverickpr.com

Roger Schrum, Sonoco, Tel: +1 843-339-6018
Email: roger.schrum@sonoco.com