RFID Software: i2 Delivers Master Data Management Solution Capabilities Across Multiple Industries For Added Supply Chain Efficiency

i2 moves industry leaders to second generation solutions to provide supply chain visibility across the enterprise through RFID Technology...

DALLAS -- April 26, 2004
These days, it seems everyone is talking about data – how to gather it, analyze it and track it for maximum supply chain efficiency. Master data – information about a company’s products, customers, suppliers and facilities, etc. – is often distributed across a variety of enterprise systems. This can lead to incomplete, inaccurate, out-of-date, inconsistent or unavailable master data. The efficiency of the supply chain can decrease significantly when this data is not maintained in a way necessary to execute day-to-day operations.

i2 Technologies, Inc. (OTC: ITWO), a leading provider of closed-loop supply chain management solutions, can help companies tackle their data challenges with its Master Data Management (MDM) solution. i2 first introduced its MDM solution with its release of i2 Six in the first quarter of 2003. Now in its second generation of development, i2 MDM is currently deployed by approximately 15 customers across a wide range of industries providing supply chain visibility across the enterprise...

..."We are partnering with various industry leaders, such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), through OEM agreements, which will allow i2 to enter and compete in new industries that can benefit from solving the chronic problem of synchronizing information from the business organization to the IT organization," explained Chatterjee. "Keeping up-to-date and consistent information across the enterprise is essential when introducing new technology, such as RFID, when conducting merger and acquisition activities as well as when complying with regulatory acts such as HAZMAT or UCCNet data synchronization. i2 MDM is based on an open, network-enabled architecture and offers direct access by external systems and can also be integrated with message bus (EAI) and ETL (bulk data transfer) tools."

i2 MDM continues to be enhanced to meet GDSN standards allowing the supplier to publish the structure and the retailer to receive it for internal use. Suppliers can also use this product hierarchy master data in other planning and execution systems such as an inventory system that is able to track products using the RFID tags.

"Accurate and standardized product data is an essential foundation for deriving value from RFID technology" says Nick Parnaby, Global Director of Member Development at the WorldWide Retail Exchange. "Our members, which include some of the world's largest retailers like Aeon, CVS, and Delhaize, recognize that master data management within an enterprise and global data synchronization across the retail supply chain will directly and significantly contribute to the potential ROI from technologies like RFID."

i2 MDM can help companies meet RFID mandates
RFID mandates by leading retailers and government agencies, requiring companies to use this technology to track assets, products and materials, have companies scrambling to meet compliance deadlines.

But while RFID can make data collection more efficient and granular, it aggravates, instead of solves, the problem of unsynchronized data. If synchronizing today's data is a challenge, chaos could result when RFID multiplies data volumes by a factor of 10.

Stores magazine recently highlighted a study produced by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney that revealed 30 percent of items in retail catalogs have data errors, 60 percent of invoices generate errors and 43 percent of all invoices result in deductions. This adds up to $40 billion in supply chain costs due to unsynchronized product data. A.T. Kearney goes on to estimates that data synchronization can deliver $1 million in benefits for every $1 billion in sales. The tangible and more readily attained savings from data synchronization may not help pay just for itself, but for the broader RFID deployment. Turning RFID data into strategic intelligence requires an understanding of the challenges posed processing RFID data with existing systems...

About i2
A leading provider of closed-loop supply chain management solutions, i2 designs and delivers software that helps customers optimize and synchronize activities involved in successfully managing supply and demand. i2’s global customer base consists of some of the world’s market leaders – including seven of the Fortune global top 10. Founded in 1988 with a commitment to customer success, i2 remains focused on delivering value by implementing solutions designed to provide a rapid return on investment. Learn more at www.i2.com.