RFID Adaptive Supply Chain Networks

SAP upgrades its transportation management functionality, as part of the mySAP Supply Chain Management (mySAP SCM) modules to support adapting business processes to optimize revenue across global trade operations. The upgraded software will support ocean shipping management and transportation planning through increased visibility and control of shipments globally. Transportation management costs will be reduced by making the business process more flexible and dynamic using real world aware practices, such as RFID technology. RFID technology integration into the adaptive supply chain will occur through SAP's NetWeaver platform. SAP reports that its existing transportation management software is used by more than 2,200 companies worldwide. This upgrade positions SAP as a strong competitor in the supply chain logistics software market. ...

... "Powered by the SAP NetWeaver platform and leveraging emerging technologies and real world aware practices - using technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, smart cards and sensors - mySAP SCM transforms traditional, linear supply chains into adaptive supply chain networks to meet the challenges of rapidly changing market dynamics. These adaptive supply chain networks allow all participants, including suppliers and logistics providers, to sense changes in demand and supply conditions as they occur and to share the critical knowledge needed to respond intelligently. The result is an adaptive supply chain network that is not only demand-driven but can also leverage its assets to influence demand where appropriate. mySAP SCM offers a dynamic synchronization of demand-driven planning, logistics and network execution based on real-time information that provides the capability to synchronize supply with demand by balancing push and pull network planning processes and to replenish and produce based on actual demand; sense and respond with an adaptive supply chain network in which distribution, transportation and logistics are driven and integrated into real-time planning processes; and enable network wide visibility, collaboration and analytics across the extended supply chain. " ...

Via SAP: SAP Helps Companies Meet the Challenges and Reduce the Costs of Global Trade ...

RFID UHF Gen2 Chips Used in Labels ...

Impinj wins contract to supply their RFID UHF Gen2 chips for use in label products from RF IDentics. ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its high performance radio frequency identification (RFID) products, announced an agreement under which RF IDentics will purchase Impinj's Monza UHF Gen 2 chips for inclusion in its RFID inlay and label products. Responding to increased demand from leading consumer goods manufacturers in the global retail supply chain for high-performance RFID solutions, RF IDentics selected Impinj's Monza chips to power their RFID inlay products. In addition to Impinj's chips, RF IDentics will use its proprietary RFID antenna technology as well as antennas licensed from Impinj to manufacture the RFID inlays and labels used to gather and track retail supply chain data. " ...

RFID UHF Gen2 Chips Used in Labels: Via Impinj: Impinj and RF Identics Announce 25 Million UHF Gen 2 Supply Agreement ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and innovative semiconductor intellectual property (IP). A leading contributor to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide, Impinj leverages its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix solution, comprising tags, readers, software and systems integration to offer RFID that just works. Impinj's innovative IP products, core to the company's RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to seamlessly integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's IP products include the popular AEON family of embedded cores, which provides rewriteable NVM technology in logic CMOS manufacturing.

RFID Gen2 Item Level Tags ...

Impinj extends RFID Gen2 solution to item-level tagging ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its high performance radio frequency identification (RFID) products, announced the extension of its GrandPrix Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Gen 2 solution to include item-level tagging capability. Responding to increased demand from the global retail supply chain and other high-growth markets, Impinj has enhanced GrandPrix for tracking pharmaceuticals, apparel, CD/DVDs and many other high-value products. Conforming to EPCglobal's Gen 2 standard, GrandPrix is the first RFID system to provide a single infrastructure suitable for tagging items, cases and pallets, thus simplifying RFID installations and reducing system implementation costs without sacrificing system performance or functionality. Powered by Impinj's industry-leading Monza Gen 2 tag chip and Speedway reader with monostatic antenna technology, the GrandPrix item-level tagging solution also comprises a suite of patented, small-footprint tag antennas optimized for challenging item types or stocking conditions. For example, GrandPrix includes customized tag antennas for garments, DVDs and other stackable items, and items containing liquid or metals. " ...

RFID Gen2 Item Level Tags: Via Impinj: Impinj Extends GrandPrix™ Gen 2 RFID Solution to Item-Level Tagging ...

RFID Company Raises Capital ...

Impinj raises another round of investment funding from venture capitalists to sustain its growth in the RFID technology industry. ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its two business lines: semiconductor intellectual property and high performance radio frequency identification (RFID) products, announced it has secured a $26.5 million round of funding. Participants in the funding round included new investors GF Private Equity Group LLC, who led the round, and VentureTech Alliance along with existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Madrona Venture Group, Mobius Venture Capital, Polaris Venture Partners, Unilever Technology Ventures, UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund and the Viterbi Group. This new injection of capital allows Impinj to maintain our excellent progress delivering the semiconductor solutions that our customers in the explosive RFID and the nascent embedded nonvolatile markets are demanding, said Dr. William Colleran, President and CEO of Impinj. We will continue to aggressively drive our product development and operations to maintain our leadership positions in those markets. " ...

RFID Company Raises Capital: Via Impinj: Impinj Raises $26.5M, Cements RFID Leadership Role ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). A leading contributor to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide, Impinj leverages its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix™ solution, comprising tags, readers, software and systems integration to offer RFID that just works™. Impinj’s innovative SIP products, core to the company’s RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's SIP products include the popular AEON™ memory, the world's first rewriteable NVM technology compatible with logic CMOS manufacturing, and AEFuse™, the world's first rewriteable fuse architecture.

RFID Generation 2 Chips: TI Impinj Collaborate ...

Impinj and TI collaborate to deliver RFID Generation 2 inlay products. ...

Via Impinj: Impinj and Texas Instruments Announce RFID Gen 2 Supply Agreement ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its two business lines: semiconductor intellectual property and high performance radio frequency identification (RFID) products, and Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN), a leading provider of RFID chips, inlays and straps, announced a supply agreement under which Impinj will provide its Monza RFID Generation 2 (Gen 2) chips for inclusion in TI's initial production of RFID inlay and strap products. As part of its Gen 2 product offering, TI is using Monza chips from Impinj for its manufacturing of Gen 2 inlays and straps that label converter companies are incorporating into finished RFID tags for use by consumer goods manufacturers in the global retail supply chain. Part of Impinj's GrandPrix solution for robust RFID systems, Monza is the world's first tag chip certified as compliant with the Gen 2 standard promulgated by EPCglobal Inc, the industry consortium established to promote RFID in the global supply chain. " ...

RFID GPS Location Tracking ...

RFID GPS Location Tracking: Via Allixon: Allixon International Corporation Signs Educational-Industrial Cooperation Agreement with Research Center for Logistics Information Technology (LIT) of Pusan National University ...

... "Allixon will focus on developing four basic technologies as follows: a technique for location tracking of logistics using GPS/RFID, middleware technology for the control and management of readers for next-generation logistic tags, distributed platform structures and middleware technologies for logistics information network, and semantic-based integrated management of logistics resources and adaptive authentication software technologies. LIT, in conjunction with SUN Microsystems RFID Test Center at Pusan National University, has been established to support companies which are going to observe the RFID application plans. The SUN Microsystems RFID Test Center at Pusan National University has been built based on RFID Test Center in Dallas, but modified to suit the Korean environments. Allixon will also join this SUN Microsystems RFID Test Center to use it as an excellent test bed for the many companies which want to engraft RFID technologies to their business. " ...

RFID Sense Respond Demand Signals ...

RFID Sense Respond Demand Signals: Via One Network Enterprises: On Demand Supply Chain Solutions and Network Applications ...

... "Food Lion is utilizing One Network Shipment Execution and Appointment Scheduling. The solution includes visibility and the advanced functionality needed to both sense and respond to demand signals, a vital requirement in creating a demand-driven network. " ...

Food Lion LLC is a subsidiary of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). Food Lion operates more than 1,220 stores and employs approximately 70,000 associates, delivering great prices, neighborly convenience and quality products to its customers, in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Food Lion stores offer more than 28,000 different products.

One Network is the pioneer of next generation solutions for dynamic supply networks. The company delivers an advanced process-centric software architecture, robust supply network process templates and leading-edge mobile/RFID devices. The solution is delivered via an on-demand network, transforming slow moving, linear supply chains into responsive, adaptive supply networks. One Network is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has offices in the United States and Europe.

RFID Edge Technology Integration ...

RFID Edge Technology Integration: Via Valaran: Valaran Joins BEA Partner Program To Provide Solution For SOA Based Edge Computing ...

Valaran plans integration to support RFID edge technology, among others ...

... "Valaran plans to integrate its application platform with BEA WebLogic to provide enterprise customers and government agencies with products designed to integrate and execute business logic on edge technologies and devices such as Zigbee, RFID sensor readers, biometric scanners, IT appliances, IT switches, wireless PDAs, and mobile phones. The Valaran platform is designed to reduce cost and risk associated with integrating rapidly changing heterogeneous edge technologies, and can help to extend the reach of major J2EE and Web Services solutions already established in the market. " ...

Valaran Corporation has developed a standards based software platform that provide a service oriented architecture (SOA) for delivering and executing business logic on edge devices such as Zigbee and RFID sensor readers, biometric scanners, IT appliances, IT switches, wireless PDA’s, and mobile phones. The Valaran Platform has been designed to meet the challenges of integrating and managing highly distributed and/or fluid applications that extend to small footprint devices running at the network edge in vast numbers. The service oriented architecture (SOA) based Valaran Platform is suitable for large scale, mission critical production deployments. It arms software engineers with the tools they need to develop, deploy and manage highly distributed applications in a lightweight, standards-based environment. It employs a unique technological approach to integration that is highly adaptive to change, and significantly extends the reach of traditional middleware products beyond the back office to the network edge. The Valaran Platform is being used today in both commercial and government applications

RFID Gen2Tags Volume Shipments in 2005: 50 Million Expected ...

RFID Gen2Tags Volume Shipments in 2005: 50 Million Expected: Via Impinj: Impinj Gen 2 Silicon Shipments to Eclipse 50 Million Units in 2005 ...

Impinj expect volume shipments of their Gen2 RFID tags in 2005 ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon technology enables its two business lines: high performance radio-frequency identification (RFID) and semiconductor intellectual property products announced that it has entered volume production and will fulfill orders exceeding 50 million units for its Monza Generation 2 (Gen 2) RFID tag chip in the second half of 2005. Impinj has already manufactured several million of the Monza chips to fulfill orders from customers including Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY), Hana RFID, IER, KSW Microtec AG, Precisia, RF IDentics, RSI ID Technologies and UPM Rafsec. " ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). A leading contributor to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide, Impinj leverages its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix™ solution, comprising tags, readers, software and systems integration to offer RFID that just works™. Impinj’s innovative SIP products, core to the company’s RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's SIP products include the popular AEON™ memory, the world's first rewriteable NVM technology compatible with logic CMOS manufacturing, and AEFuse™, the world's first rewriteable fuse architecture.

SAP Retail RFID Growth

SAP Retail RFID Growth: Via SAP: SAP Racks up Retail Customers in Asia Pacific: SAP Asia Sees Threefold Revenue Growth for SAP for Retail Industry Solution ...

... "Demonstrating leadership and vision for the retail industry in the Asia-Pacific region (APA1) and continued evidence of its global leadership in providing retail solutions, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that revenue from customers in APA using SAP for Retail solutions has more than tripled over the past two years. These retail customers have selected SAP to improve their business processes and create a strong and adaptive environment for business growth and profitability. The announcement was made at the SAP Global Leadership meeting being held this week in Shanghai, China. " ...

Built on the open architecture of the SAP NetWeaver platform, SAP for Retail includes core capabilities for financial management, human resources, supplier relationship management and customer relationship management, as well as support for industry-specific merchandise management and planning, store and channel management, demand forecasting, replenishment, sophisticated allocation, workforce management, POS data management and RFID.

Tag: RFID

RFID DMEA Investments: Rugged Antenna

RFID DMEA Investments: Rugged Antenna: Paratek Awarded $1.987 Million DMEA Contract for RFID ...

... "Paratek Microwave, Inc., a privately held company at the forefront of the next generation wireless devices, announced a $1.987 million contract award from the Defense MicroElectronics Activity (DMEA). This research and development award is to advance the state-of-the-art concepts for ruggedized military radio frequency identification (RFID) antennas. " ...

Paratek is uniquely able to address the solutions needed for the next generation wireless devices by combining its patented tunable RF and microwave dielectric materials technology with its highly integrated 3-D miniaturization circuit and module design. Resulting products are multi-band, multi-function radio frequency components and front ends with ultra wideband frequency agility for software defined radios, circuit agility for longer battery life, and real-time adaptive impedance matching for improved performance. Other products include electronically tunable RF filters, pre-selectors and phase shifters. Paratek has also developed a line of smart scanning and phased array antennas, which provide enhanced wireless network performance, flexibility, scalability, and are particularly well suited for RFID and communications on the move applications. Paratek is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with offices in Nashua, New Hampshire.

RFID Class0 Zuma Support ...

RFID Class0 Zuma Support: Printronix and Impinj Demonstrate Fully Interoperable Gen 2 Tag and Printer Encoding System: Printronix Also Continues to Expand the Industry's Widest Selection of Protocol and Tags With the Immediate Availability of Impinj Class 0 Zuma Support ...

... "Printronix Inc. (Nasdaq: PTNX), the leading integrated supply-chain printing solutions manufacturer, and Impinj Inc., the Self-Adaptive Silicon(R) company, today announced that they have jointly demonstrated EPCglobal(TM) Generation 2 (Gen 2) interoperability. During the demonstration, Printronix successfully encoded, read and printed labels containing the Impinj Monza(TM) Gen 2 radio frequency identification (RFID) tag silicon inlays, using the Printronix SL5000r MP printer. " ...

Since 1974, Printronix Inc. (Nasdaq: PTNX) has created innovative printing solutions for the industrial marketplace and supply chain. The company is the worldwide market leader in enterprise solutions for line matrix printing and has earned an outstanding reputation for its high-performance thermal and fanfold laser printing solutions. Printronix also has become an established leader in pioneering technologies, including radio frequency identification (RFID) printing, bar code compliance and networked printer management. Printronix is headquartered in Irvine, Calif.

Impinj Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self- Adaptive Silicon(R) technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). Impinj is a leading contributor to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide and is leveraging its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix(TM) solution, comprising tags, readers, software, systems integration and high- volume manufacturing to offer low-cost UHF RFID that just works. Impinj's innovative SIP products, core to the company's RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's SIP products include the popular AEON(TM) memory, the world's first rewritable NVM technology compatible with logic CMOS manufacturing.

RFID Walmart Compliance with SAP RFID Infrastructure ...

SAP - Pacific Cycle Seizes Business Process Gains from RFID Automation with SAP

SAP customer, Pacific Cycle, demonstrates Walmart RFID compliance with SAP RFID infrastructure powered by the Netweaver platform ...

... "SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that Pacific Cycle, a division of Dorel Industries (NASDAQ: DIIB; TSX: DII.MV; DII.SV), has successfully implemented SAP's leading radio frequency identification (RFID) capabilities within its SAP NetWeaver platform. With its go-live on March 31, 2005, the Madison, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of such name brand bicycles as Schwinn, GT, Roadmaster and Mongoose is now surpassing the Wal-Mart mandate, which requires the retailer's top 100 suppliers to tag pallets and cases shipping to select Wal-Mart distribution centers. The SAP technology is enabling Pacific Cycle to reap the business gains of an adaptive business network automating warehouse activities, creating newfound data transparency across the supply chain and helping ensure the right shipment to the right place at the right time. Pacific Cycle chose the SAP solution with the aim of reducing total cost of ownership by scaling its RFID pilot project targeting immediate benefits through supply chain automation and leveraging its existing SAP software investment for further gains across its global operations. The RFID capabilities of SAP NetWeaver contain several preconfigured components that help reduce implementation time while maximizing value, including SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure, a key component of the SAP NetWeaver platform, which controls the RFID process while simultaneously converting raw RFID data into actionable business information; " ...

Pacific Cycle is the leading supplier of quality bicycles in North America and a division of Dorel Industries Inc. The company designs, markets and imports a full range of bicycles and recreation products under the brand names of Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, Pacific, InSTEP, Pacific Outdoors, Roadmaster and Dyno. Pacific Cycle is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin with offices in Olney, Illinois and Lake Forest, California. The company has distribution centers in Olney, Illinois, and Vacaville, California.

SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software solutions*. Today, more than 27,000 customers in over 120 countries run more than 91,500 installations of SAP® software—from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize businesses to enterprise-scale suite solutions for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver™ platform to drive innovation and enable business change, mySAP™ Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP industry solutions support the unique business processes of more than 25 industry segments, including high tech, retail, public sector and financial services.

RFID First Gen2 Solution: Impinj

Impinj Announces GrandPrix™ - World’s First Gen 2 RFID Solution ...

Impinj releases comprehensive Gen2 RFID solution ...

... "Impinj, Inc., the Self-Adaptive Silicon company, today announced a significant milestone in the advancement of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with the release of its GrandPrix solution, a high-performance RFID system conforming to the EPCglobal Generation 2 (Gen 2) RFID protocol. The first RFID system to support all features of the Gen 2 standard, the Impinj GrandPrix solution delivers uncompromising performance with Impinj's Monza Gen 2 RFID tag chip and Speedway multi-protocol reader platform. Monza, the world's first 100% Gen 2 compliant and certifiable RFID tag chip, implements all mandatory features of the Gen 2 standard, is sampling today, and will be in full production by the end of the second quarter of 2005." ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). Impinj is a leading contributor to the RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide and is leveraging its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix™ solution, comprising tags, readers, software, systems integration and high-volume manufacturing to offer low-cost UHF RFID that just works. Impinj’s innovative SIP products, core to the company’s RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip.

Alliance Supports RFID Asset Management Implementation in Asia and Beyond ...

Alliance Supports RFID Asset Management Implementation in Asia and Beyond: Apriso Announces Partnership Agreement with HCL Technologies ...

Apriso and HCL alliance will drive RFID-enabled asset management implementations in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels ...

... Apriso(R) Corporation and HCL Technologies (NSE:HCLT.NS) have formed an alliance appointing HCL as an implementation and services partner for Apriso FlexNet(TM) application software. HCL Technologies will be engaged in FlexNet implementation projects both in the Asia-Pacific region and throughout the world on behalf of Apriso as well as HCL customers. Apriso and HCL will jointly focus on the automotive, life sciences and electronics manufacturing & supply services (EMS) industries. The HCL Manufacturing IT Group provides complete lifecycle services, from concept to deployment, in the areas of factory applications such as manufacturing execution and automation systems; enterprise application services such as product data management (PDM), product lifecycle management (PLM) supply variability and enterprise integration; and performance applications such as performance dashboards, business analytics, plant maintenance and asset utilization. ...

Apriso is the pioneer of a new class of enterprise software that for the first time enables global corporations to define, operate, and monitor supply, production and distribution processes in real time, without limits. Apriso's software, known as FlexNet(R), provides such fine-grained visibility and control of both execution processes and key performance indicators that it is an ideal platform for accomplishing the most pressing business initiatives of today: compliance, product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels, demand-driven supply (the "Dell" model), and the adaptive enterprise. Apriso operates in 9 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, and its rapidly-growing customer base consists of more than 140 customers and over 400 installations worldwide.

HCL Technologies is one of India's leading global Technology & IT services companies, providing software- led IT solutions, BPO and infrastructure management services. Making a foray into the services domain in 1997-98, HCL Technologies focuses on technology and R&D outsourcing, working with clients in areas at the core of their business. The company leverages an extensive offshore infrastructure and its global network of 26 offices in 15 countries to deliver solutions across select verticals including Banking, Insurance, Retail & Consumer, Aerospace, Automotive, Semiconductors, Telecom and Life Sciences. For the twelve-month period ended 31st December 2004, HCL Technologies along with its subsidiaries had revenues of $664 million and 20,249 employees.

SAP RFID For SMB Market ...

SAP RFID For SMB Market: SAP Enables RFID Adoption for Small and Midsize Businesses

SAP announces RFID solutions in the SMB market which will be accomplished through partnerships ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... Announces Plans With Intermec to Offer EasyADC, RFID Compliance Solutions for SAP(R) Business One; Joins With Partners and Industry Organizations in Call to ...

... Consistent with its leadership in providing solutions to enable radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced a broad agenda and partnership to address the needs of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in adopting the new technology. A leading industry voice on adaptive business networks and RFID-related issues, SAP announced its intent to partner with Intermec Technologies and that it is joining with its SMB partners and APICS The Association for Operations Management in an effort to address barriers to RFID readiness for SMBs. The announcement, which continues SAP's momentum with leading manufacturing and distribution vendors, was made at National Manufacturing Week, being held in Chicago, Illinois, March 7-10. ...

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions. Today, more than 26,150 customers in over 120 countries run more than 88,700 installations of SAP(R) software -- from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize businesses to enterprise-scale suite solutions for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver(TM) platform to drive innovation and enable business change, mySAP(TM) Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP industry solutions support the unique business processes of more than 25 industry segments, including high tech, retail, public sector and financial services. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP."

SAP RFID Future Vision ...

SAP RFID Future Vision: SAP Business Economist Offers Real World Awareness Vision to Drive ...

SAP information describes RFID future state vision ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... Second Book from SAP Executive Provides Commentary, Analysis and Framework to Help Decision Makers Understand and Responsibly Deploy RFID Technologies CHICAGO ...

... SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the second business management book by SAP executive board member and business economist Claus Heinrich, outlining SAP's vision for next-generation business environments and technologies that will change how companies sense and respond to market dynamics in the near and distant future. In the new book, "RFID and Beyond: Growing Your Business through Real World Awareness," Heinrich expands upon the concept of the adaptive business network introduced in his first book, "Adapt or Die - Transforming Your Supply Chain into an Adaptive Business Network," in which a company's business processes are so tightly integrated with those of its key business partners, suppliers and customers that it can respond swiftly to any shift in customer demand, new market opportunity or external threat. The announcement was made at National Manufacturing Week, being held in Chicago, Illinois, March 7 - 10. ...

Prof. Dr. Claus E. Heinrich has been a member of the executive board of SAP AG since 1996. During his 18 years at SAP, he has headed up multiple areas, including SAP(R) R/3(R) development, SAP's manufacturing industry solutions, human resources and labor relations. Widely recognized as a practitioner and an international thought-leader in the supply chain management and RFID space, Heinrich serves on the boards of several academic institutions, as well as that of a consumer packaged goods company. With a doctorate in Business Administration, he is also the author of several articles and books including "Adapt or Die - Transforming Your Supply Chain into an Adaptive Business Network" and "RFID and Beyond: Growing Your Business through Real World Awareness." He also lectures as a professor of Management Science at the University of Mannheim, Germany.

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions. Today, more than 26,150 customers in over 120 countries run more than 88,700 installations of SAP(R) software-from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize businesses to enterprise-scale suite solutions for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver(TM) platform to drive innovation and enable business change, mySAP(TM) Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP industry solutions support the unique business processes of more than 25 industry segments, including high tech, retail, public sector and financial services. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP."

RFID Solution Enables Demand Fulfillment ...

RFID Solution Enables Demand Fulfillment: Click Commerce Acquires Optum, Inc.

From PR Newswire (press release) ... Optum's RFID-ready demand fulfillment solution will complement Click's existing portfolio of channel management and collaborative commerce solutions. ...

... Click Commerce, Inc. (Nasdaq: CKCM), a leading provider of collaborative extranet solutions, today announced it has acquired Optum, Inc. The acquisition expands Click Commerce's solutions portfolio to include Optum's on-demand, open-standards supply chain execution solutions. Optum has more than 600 global deployments of its supply chain and warehouse management systems. ...

Optum provides on-demand, open-standards supply chain execution solutions that enable, coordinate and optimize business processes both within the four walls of an enterprise and across a multi-tier supply chain network. By leveraging Optum's ECO eXecution Solutions and proven deployment methodology, companies can transform their supply chains into responsive and adaptive value-generating networks. Optum has more than 600 global deployments. Customers include market leaders such as Avnet, Bausch & Lomb, Dillen, Eagle Global Logistics, Home Shopping Network, InterState Battery, Invacare, LearJet, Lucent, NCR, Pier 1 Imports, Rheem, Ryder, StorageTek, TNT, Tyco Electronics, UniSource, VeriFone and Zales. Optum's more than 20 years of supply chain experience, advanced leading technologies and customer support allow companies to improve working capital control, speed order-to-cash cycles, and lower cost of deployment and ownership.

Additional resources on RFID-enabled demand fulfillment solutions ...

Turning signals into profits in the RFID-enabled supply chain: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... Intelligent demand fulfillment & logistics ... value networks to be successful in leveraging RFID, the value ... the members need a cost-effective solution to conduct ...

Going the EXTRA Mile: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... One face to the customer for all demand- fulfillment issues ensures rapid ... RFID solutions can also improve manufacturing quality and streamline the supply chain ...

Five Points to Consider in Your RFID Project Plan: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... the value of their solution, and this ... need to be evaluated for RFID readiness include ... as warehouse, distribution, transportation, and demand fulfillment systems ...

Asia Presence for RFID Manufacturing and Warehouse Systems ...

Asia Presence for RFID Manufacturing and Warehouse Systems: Apriso Announces Partnership Agreement with Mustang Technologies ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... for accomplishing the most pressing business initiatives of today: compliance, product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset ...

... Apriso and Mustang Technologies Co. Ltd. have signed a partnership agreement appointing Mustang Technologies as an authorized Apriso FlexNet Implementation Services partner throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, Mustang was awarded Apriso Certified Services Partner Status after successfully completing Apriso's functional training course for FlexNet software. FlexNet combines the essential aspects of advanced warehouse systems with the critical functions of advanced manufacturing systems, so manufacturers can synchronize material flows with their production schedules. As a Certified Services Partner, Mustang will be engaged in FlexNet implementation projects throughout the region for Apriso customers as well as for its own customers. ...

Mustang Technologies is a privately owned, Thailand Board of Investment promoted, technology company that focuses on providing outsourced software and e-commerce services. Mustang Technologies operates a software factory in Software Park Thailand, near Bangkok, that offers high quality, affordable software development services in one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. Mustang Technologies' MUSTANG COD MODEL gives global clients, looking for an affordable alternative to in-house software development, an opportunity to manage their software development projects using highly skilled, affordable, local development teams. Mustang Technologies' senior management team has more than 50 years' experience in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry.

Apriso's FlexNet enterprise software enables global corporations to define, operate and monitor supply, production and distribution processes in real time, without limits. Using an event-driven, distributed services model, FlexNet provides such fine-grained visibility and control of both execution processes and key performance indicators that it is an ideal platform for accomplishing the most pressing business initiatives of today: compliance, product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels, demand-driven supply (the "Dell" model) and the adaptive enterprise. Apriso FlexNet integrates quickly, easily and naturally into an enterprise's existing software infrastructure, and effectively extends the scope of systems such as enterprise resource planning into the furthest reaches of the extended production and supply network, as required. But unlike existing systems, which are based upon a top-down, plan-driven operations orientation, Apriso's event-driven, process-based architecture accommodates any operational model that is based upon real-time collaboration between execution processes, real-time visibility into performance, or the requirement to define, refine, or immediately control workflows throughout the enterprise, and across borders.

The Future of RFID Operation Execution Software ...

RFID Operation Execution Software: Global Supply Network Experts Help Shape Future of Collaborative ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... with any type of equipment, process, program or personnel, and collaborates with installed business applications such as ERP or new technologies such as RFID. ...

... Over 20 senior executives in manufacturing, supply chain, and information technology from some of the largest enterprises in the world gathered here recently to help set the direction of operation execution software for supply, manufacturing, and distribution. The group, gathered at the invitation of real-time execution software pioneer Apriso Corporation, shared their insights over a period of three days about the dramatically changing operations landscape in corporations large and small due to concepts such as the "adaptive" enterprise, in-line production sequencing, lean supply, demand driven manufacturing, and increased regulatory control. Keynote speaker for the event was Greg Gorbach from the ARC Advisory Group, and key discussions were moderated by the world-renowned supply chain management expert Dr. Dave Anderson. ...

Apriso is the pioneer of a significant, new class of enterprise software that for the first time enables global corporations to define, operate, and monitor supply, production and distribution processes in real time, without limits. Using an event-driven, distributed services model, Apriso's software provides such fine-grained visibility and control of both execution processes and key performance indicators that it is an ideal platform for accomplishing the most pressing business initiatives of today: compliance, product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels, demand-driven supply (the "Dell" model), and the adaptive enterprise. Apriso's software, known as FlexNet(R), integrates quickly, easily and naturally into an enterprise's existing software infrastructure, and effectively extends the scope of systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) into the furthest reaches of the extended production and supply network, as required. But unlike these systems, which are based upon a top-down, plan-driven operations orientation, Apriso's event-driven, process-based architecture accommodates any operational model that is based upon real-time collaboration between execution processes, real-time visibility into performance, or the requirement to define, refine, or immediately control workflows throughout the enterprise, and across borders.

Additional resources on RFID and operations execution software ...

RFID with Tagsys - TAGSYS Management Team: a cutting edge supply chain execution software, installed in ... John Jordon, 43, manages
TAGSYS' US operations. ... a company that successfully integrated RFID for a ...

IBM and Sun Put Radio Frequency ID to Test On Their Own Turfs: At IBM, manufacturing execution software (IBM SiView Standard ... RFID read points often are more appropriately ... will place burdens on operations where forklifts are ...

RFID Strategy Release: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... Event and state data from RFID readers, ERP ... view of a manufacturer’s operation at any ... Brooks enables intelligent automation of execution control, exception ...

Flexible RFID Readers Used at RFID Compliance Test Center ...

Flexible RFID Readers Used at RFID Compliance Test Center: SAMSys Readers Selected for New RFID Test Center To Meet ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SMY: TSX) announced today that its radio frequency identification (RFID) readers have been selected and ...

... SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SMY: TSX) announced today that its radio frequency identification (RFID) readers have been selected and installed as part of the hardware infrastructure of the new Star Alliance Center, a 3,200-square-foot RFID demonstration center designed to assist companies in complying with RFID tagging mandates from Wal-Mart, the Department of Defense, and other major retailers and organizations. SAMSys equipment was chosen because its built-in support for multiple tag protocols and frequencies will allow tags from any supplier to be tested without installing multiple readers. ...

SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SAMSys), founded in 1995, is a world-leading provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware solutions and RFID integration consulting services designed to evaluate and recommend optimal RFID solutions to enhance existing business process. SAMSys offers a family of products to simplify the installation and ensure the ongoing performance of the overall RFID hardware infrastructure. SAMSys is a public company whose shares are listed for trading on the TSX Exchange under the symbol: "SMY". The Company has a total of 47.6 million shares outstanding.

Additional resources on flexible RFID readers ...

Long-range Active RFID Specialists - Products: The i-CARD is the most adaptive and flexible RFID reader available, allowing users to select from a range of handheld equipment specific to their needs. ...

Psion Teklogix Launches RFID Development Kit: Both the Mobile UHF RFID Reader and the Fixed Station Readers are flexible enough to integrate with the protocols chosen by customers. ...

Texas Instruments’ Multi-Function: With its flexible architecture and scalability to a variety ... and design engineers an adaptable reader technology for open RFID infrastructure implementations ...

RFID Readers: 1 Tags Low Cost, Flexible Reader. This new product addresses a key market need for a low-cost, flexible industrial reader. The combination ...

RFID Gen 2: Impinj Demonstrates Working Generation 2 RFID Technology

From Market Wire (press release) ... semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its high-performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products, today ...

... Impinj, Inc, the fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its high-performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products, today announced a significant milestone in the advancement of RFID technology with its demonstration of prototype UHF Generation 2 products on December 2, 2004 at MET Laboratories, the certification partner of EPCglobal Inc™. Gen 2, the newest and most advanced of the EPCglobal RFID specifications for the UHF (ultra-high-frequency) band, is the preferred standard of many worldwide retailers. ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). Impinj's semiconductor chips power high performance, enhanced-functionality RFID systems that fulfill the global mandates promulgated by the consumer packaged goods and retailing industries. The company is a leading contributor to the emerging RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide. Impinj's innovative SIP products, core to the company's RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's SIP products include the popular AEON™ memory, the world's first rewritable NVM technology compatible with logic CMOS manufacturing.

RFID Network: Paratek Strengthens Commercial Business Development Team

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... array antennas, which provide enhanced wireless network performance, flexibility, scalability, and are particularly well suited for RFID and communications on ...

... Paratek Microwave, Inc., a privately held company at the forefront of the next generation wireless devices, today announced Greg Mendolia will lead its commercial sector as Vice President, Product Strategy and Business Development. Previously Executive Vice President at E-Tenna Corporation and Director of Ericsson's Mobile Phone Advanced Technology division, Mendolia leads Paratek's commercial product development and market entry strategies. ...

Paratek Microwave, Inc., a privately held company, is uniquely able to address the solutions needed for the next generation wireless devices by combining its patented tunable RF and microwave dielectric materials technology with its highly integrated 3-D miniaturized circuit and module design. Resulting products are multi-band, multi-function radio frequency front ends and components with ultra wideband frequency agility for software defined radios, circuit agility for longer battery life, and real-time adaptive impedance matching for improved performance. Other products include electronically tunable RF filters, pre-selectors, and phase shifters. Paratek has also developed a line of smart scanning and phased array antennas, which provide enhanced wireless network performance, flexibility, scalability, and are particularly well suited for RFID and communications on the move applications. Paratek is headquartered in Columbia, MD, with offices in Nashua, NH.

RFID Middleware: Guangzhou Middleware Research Center Joins ObjectWeb, Expanding ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... including J2EE servers, application development and integration, portals, integrated platforms, security, management, pervasive middleware and RFID middleware. ...

... ObjectWeb, an international consortium dedicated to open-source infrastructure software, and Guangzhou Middleware Research Center (GMRC), a leading Chinese middleware research institute on middleware, today announced that GMRC joined ObjectWeb to reinforce the consortium presence in China. ...

Guangzhou Middleware Research Center is the leading middleware research institute in China. Sponsored by Guangzhou government and hosted by South University of Technology, GMRC is one of the largest research institutes in middleware in China. GMRC's core team contains experts returning from the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. GMRC's main research area include: enterprise application infrastructure, pervasive middleware, RFID middleware, grid Middleware, adaptive middleware and enterprise integration technologies. The LongTeng platform, developed by GMRC, is a unified enterprise application infrastructure platform that integrates application development, operation, integration, deployment and management all-in-one single platform. It provides a highly reliable, available and secure environment for today's ever demanding application requirements.

Founded in 2002 by Bull, France Telecom and INRIA, ObjectWeb is a consortium of leading companies and research organizations from around the world who have joined forces to produce next generation of open-source Middleware. ObjectWeb's goal is to provide Real-Time Enterprises with independent solutions which combine quality and robustness at the best possible performance/cost ratio. ObjectWeb targets alternative solutions to proprietary products for e-business, EAI, data connectivity, grid computing, and enterprise messaging. Based on open standards, ObjectWeb's middleware includes application servers, components, frameworks and tools. Examples of ObjectWeb's "cost killer" platforms are JOnAS - an open-source implementation of the J2EE specification, JORAM - a message-oriented middleware with JMS(TM) / SOAP connectors and Enhydra - a Java/XML application server.

SAP RFID: SAP Helps Companies Drive Maximum Performance with Adaptive ...

From Yahoo News (press release) ... six sigma, compliant manufacturing (based on 21 CFR Part 11 stipulations*), performance management and radio frequency identification (RFID) adoption for the ...

SAP is investing in keeping its ERP software at the forefront of the industry through investments in six sigma and RFID ...

... SAP AG (NYSE: SAP - News) today announced new and enhanced capabilities to mySAP(TM) ERP, its world-leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that will help customers gain new insight to better manage their manufacturing businesses. These capabilities will allow customers to gain improved visibility across plant floor operations and thereby better enable processes in the areas of lean manufacturing, track and trace, six sigma and compliant manufacturing. ...

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions. SAP® solutions are designed to meet the demands of companies of all sizes-from small and midsize businesses to global enterprises. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver(TM) open integration and application platform to reduce complexity and total cost of ownership and empower business change and innovation, mySAP(TM) Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. The unique core processes of various industries, from aerospace to utilities, are supported by more than 25 SAP industry solutions. Today, more than 23,400 customers in over 120 countries run more than 79,800 installations of SAP® software. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP."

RFID Networks: Mesh Network For Wireless RFID Sensor Networks...

From MeshDynamics...

... MeshDynamics has a multi-radio, multi-channel backhaul. It forms a Structured Mesh(TM) -- a tree-like structure that resembles a wired switch stack. All the channels are dynamically allocated automatically. Systems built with Structured Mesh will scale to large deployments and the overall deployment cost is lowest since few external backhaul connections are required. ...

RFID sensor networks can be used to create fault tolerance in the delivery of sensor or tag information...

MeshDynamics is a division of Advanced Cybernetics Group (ACG). ACG, founded in 1992, has over a decade of proven expertise in providing high performance embedded system software for autonomous devices operating in dynamic, unstructured or even hostile environments. ACG's adaptive control software solutions have been used in both military and civilian applications to monitor changes in dynamic environments and modify the system behavior to maintain consistent system performance. ACG customers include the United States Air Force (USAF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Adept, Abbott Laboratories, Accufab, Adept Technology, Alereon, Babcock & Wilcox, Giddings and Lewis, Herrhammer GmbH, Hitachi, Hutchinson Technologies, IBM, Ingersoll-Rand, Motorola, Seagate, Schlage Lock, Summit Machines, Sylvania and others.

RFID RTLS: Sybase and AeroScout Partner to Deliver Integrated Wi-Fi Location ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... SYNOPSIS: New solution incorporates AeroScout's Active RFID and Real-Time Location System (RTLS) with the Sybase RFID offering, enabling centralized management ...

... Sybase, Inc. (NYSE: SY), a leading provider of enterprise infrastructure and mobile software, and AeroScout, a Wi-Fi standards-based enterprise visibility solutions provider, today announced availability of a mobile real-time RFID tracking solution. The combined solution allows organizations to quickly locate and determine availability of critical resources using Wi-Fi wireless network-based infrastructure, thereby improving asset utilization and enhancing service quality. The Sybase(R) mobile real-time RFID solution, which supports relational database management systems such as Sybase(R) Adaptive Server(R) Enterprise and SQL Anywhere(R) Studio, aggregates location data from AeroScout's active RFID solution, as well as other passive RFID sources, and delivers it to mobile devices such as smart phones and PDAs, including Palm and PocketPC. ...

AeroScout provides enterprise visibility solutions that bridge the gap between Wi-Fi, RFID and GPS. AeroScout enables standards-based location and presence-based applications for indoor and outdoor environments where real-time visibility of assets and people is required to drive revenues or cut costs. AeroScout is a privately held company based in San Mateo, Calif. Additional information is available at http://www.aeroscout.com. Celebrating 20 years of innovation, Sybase enables the Unwired Enterprise for customers and partners by delivering enterprise and mobile software solutions for information management, development and integration. The world's most critical data in commerce, communications, finance, government and healthcare runs on Sybase.

RFID Getting Started: Acsis Launches RFID Quickstart Program for Consumer Products and ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... Acsis, Inc., focused on delivering supply chain and business process automation solutions, today announced the launch of its RFID Quickstart program. ...

... Acsis, Inc., focused on delivering supply chain and business process automation solutions, today announced the launch of its RFID Quickstart program. The program consists of two distinct preconfigured solution packages that are tailored to help consumer products and pharmaceutical companies quickly meet trading partners' radio frequency identification (RFID) compliance mandates while providing a scalable platform and roadmap for future enterprise-wide implementations as their needs grow. Each solution package includes all the necessary components for a successful RFID implementation including a fixed-reader station, smart-label printer, light stacks, services and software based on Acsis' Adaptive Device Integration Platform. ...

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Marlton, N.J., Acsis, Inc., is a worldwide leader in delivering supply chain solutions for companies deploying Enterprise Resource Planning software solutions. Acsis specializes in real-time business process automation, specifically mobile data collection and RFID solutions with a specialty in SAP solution environments. An EPCglobal member, Acsis is an early implementer and adopter of RFID and other data collection technologies, combining its proven software applications with an experienced service-oriented approach to deliver practical solutions for today's supply chain challenges.

RFID Reader: SAMSys Announces Its New Class 0/0+ UHF Reader

From PR Newswire (press release) ... SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SMY: TSX), an international provider of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) hardware solutions and ...

... SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SMY: TSX), an international provider of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) hardware solutions and consulting services today announces that it has begun production of its new multi-protocol, multi-regional UHF reader, capable of reading Class 0 and Class 0+ tag protocols. These Class 0 protocols are deemed important to the EPC plans specified by the Wal(x)Mart's RFID compliance initiative with its top 100 suppliers, subject to begin in January, 2005. Wal(x)Mart has stated that it will accept Class 0, Class 0+ and Class 1 tags that were under development as standards for the RFID industry's first major supply chain compliance initiative. SAMSys adds this new version of the UHF MP9320 V2.7 reader to its current RFID reader family that supports Class 1, ISO 18000-6A, ISO 18000-6B, Philips UCODE 1.19, EM 4222 and Intellitag. ...

SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SAMSys), founded in 1995, is a world-leading provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware solutions and RFID integration consulting services designed to evaluate and recommend optimal RFID solutions to enhance existing business process. SAMSys offers a family of products to simplify the installation and ensure the ongoing performance of the overall RFID hardware infrastructure. SAMSys is a public company whose shares are listed for trading on the TSX Exchange under the symbol: "SMY". The Company has a total of 46.1 million shares outstanding. Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon(R) technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high performance RFID products and cost-effective semiconductor intellectual property (SIP). Impinj's semiconductor chips power high performance, enhanced-functionality RFID systems that fulfill the global mandates promulgated by the consumer packaged goods and retailing industries. The company is a leading contributor to the emerging RFID standards for high volume supply-chain applications worldwide. Impinj's innovative SIP products, core to the company's RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide allowing them to cost-effectively integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's SIP products include the popular AEON(TM) memory, the world's first rewritable NVM technology compatible with logic CMOS
manufacturing.

RFID Technology: Impinj pitches its chips for radio tags; retailers eager

From Seattle Times, WA ... Now, it has identified a market for its technology, called radio frequency identification (RFID), which has received considerable hype recently since retailers ...

Impinj's RFID products reduce inventory costs, improve out-of-stock conditions, minimize shrinkage and address counterfeiting issues. Impinj's series of RFID products deliver low cost, long range, field rewritable functionality that complies with a single, open, worldwide RFID standard in accordance with recent initiatives by the world's leading retailers, including Wal*Mart, DoD, Tesco and Metro Group. Impinj's advantages derive from its patented Self-Adaptive Silicon™, an integrated circuit design technique to produce nonvolatile memory and high performance analog functions, critical elements of RFID products.

RFID Company: Upstart tech snares $22M

From MSNBC ... one of the region's premier semiconductor companies, received $22 million in financing for the startup's attempts to break into the rapidly evolving RFID sector ...

Impinj, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company developing CMOS integrated circuit products and solutions using its exclusive Self-Adaptive Silicon™ technology. Impinj's RFID products are targeted to meet the requirements set by the consumer packaged goods industry and deliver low cost, long range, field-rewritable functionality. The company also licenses AEON™, the world's first truly nonvolatile memory fabricated in logic CMOS. Advanced development in analog and mixed-signal circuit design has been the core competency for the company since its inception in 2000. Self-Adaptive Silicon™, uses transistor physics in a fundamentally new way, enabling precision analog and wideband RF in low-cost, high-density digital CMOS. Impinj's breakthrough provides a true competitive advantage, enabling mixed-signal Systems-On-Chip (SoC) products.

Real-Time RFID: Apriso & AeroScout Do RFID

From Unstrung ... formerly Bluesoft, announced today a partnership to bring the concept of real-time manufacturing and logistics information flow bringing RFID capabilities to a ...

Apriso’s mission is to enable businesses, their customers, suppliers and partners to achieve and retain leadership market positions in the new execution economy through unparalleled operational excellence. Apriso has introduced the concept of bottom-out enterprise software, a new event-driven software paradigm that focuses the full power of information technology - for the very first time - on the people, processes, machines and material that comprise the value chain. Apriso’s products have been developed for the global enterprise, and will work natively in any language, currency and locale. Currently, six languages - English, French, German, Spanish (Mexican), Portuguese (Brazilian) and Japanese - are available “out of the box.” FlexNet® 2003 is a new type of enterprise software that is focused entirely on an enterprise's global supply, production, and distribution processes. Unlike legacy enterprise software, which institutionalizes — in billions of lines of code — a plan-driven, top-down approach to business, the FlexNet brand provides a real-time, event-driven model that can be used to institutionalize strategic business initiatives such as "lean supply," six-sigma quality programs, portable or re-usable processes, and demand pull, as well as provide for 'relentless efficiency' in all operations, around the world. The implication of an event-driven architecture — rather than the forecast-driven architecture of contemporary enterprise software — is that the software can be used to immediately implement dynamic, adaptive, pull-based supply models, such as the Toyota Production System, or the celebrated Dell Computer business model, as well as produce all data necessary for the most stringent reporting and compliance requirements. Moreover, the simplicity of describing, reusing, and transporting processes makes successive-improvement strategies (kaizen), or dynamic, adaptive business processes, practicable, perhaps for the first time in an organization. Finally, the comprehensive support throughout the FlexNet 2003 suite for monitoring and reacting to quality events makes the suite unsurpassed for true six-sigma, lean supply implementation and administration.

Apriso Corporation and AeroScout, Inc., formerly Bluesoft, announced a partnership to bring the concept of real-time manufacturing and logistics information flow bringing RFID capabilities to a new level. By combining the Wi-Fi™ location-sensing capability provided by the AeroScout™ product suite with Apriso's FlexNet™ real-time, event-driven execution software, businesses can now optimize critical supply, manufacturing, and distribution processes for carrying out production, logistics, quality control, and maintenance tasks.

AeroScout provides enterprise visibility solutions that bridge the gap between Wi-Fi, RFID and GPS. AeroScout enables standards-based location and presence-based applications for indoor and outdoor environments where real-time visibility of assets and people is required to drive revenues or cut costs. AeroScout is a privately held company based in San Mateo, CA.

Apriso was founded in 1992, and now operates in 11 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. World headquarters are in Long Beach, California. Apriso's rapidly-growing customer base of more than 140 customers and over 350 installations worldwide includes such high-profile, global companies as General Motors, Lear, Honeywell, Microsoft, Merck, Lockheed Martin, ITT, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, International Paper, Rubbermaid, Matsushita Avionics Systems, Saint-Gobain, Pechiney, and British American Tobacco.

RFID Tags: SAT Corp.'s Handhelds Help Refineries Quickly Spot Problems

From ComputerWorld ... based SAT Corp. that marries handheld devices, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and workflow applications. Workers are ...

SAT Corporation is the leading provider of integrated field force automation solutions for process manufacturing industries. For process-intensive enterprises, the integration of manufacturing decision support systems with mobile field workers has proven to be labor intensive, time consuming, and costly. SAT Corporation's integrated field force automation software and technology provide a practical, intelligent solution. Our IntelaTrac® enterprise software enables data collection, field force management, asset tracking and integration capabilities that fully extend enterprise and manufacturing decision support systems to mobile field workers through wireless handheld computers, like those offered by Symbol Technologies. Based on Adaptive Process Management, a rules-based workflow model for implementing field force automation solutions around complex processes, IntelaTrac software has been successfully deployed by Fortune 500 companies and other organizations and has produced significant, documented cost savings.

SAT's IntelaTrac® Work Process Management System is based on Adaptive Process Management (APM), a rules-based workflow model for implementing field force automation solutions around complex processes. Within the structure of this APM model, the data collection, field force management, asset tracking, and integration capabilities of IntelaTrac fully extend enterprise manufacturing decision support systems to mobile field workers. IntelaTrac software was designed from the ground up to operate on multiple mobile computing operating systems and platforms, and integrate seamlessly with a variety of back-end CMMS enterprise manufacturing, planning, and decision support systems. Using a suite of integrated modules, IntelaTrac software optimizes flexibility in addressing specific tasks and goals, and it allows for expansion to meet future needs.

RFID is the most advanced asset tracking and identification tag technology available today. It provides positive identification and automatic data transfer between a tagged object and a reader, which speeds data collection and improves the quality of data by validating asset and location information. Further, RFID tags have read/write capabilities, so tag data can be updated in the field with mobile computing devices. SAT's MA V wearable computer is designed to fit securely and comfortably on the body using a complete range of Xybernaut-designed vests, belts, and cases. Xybernaut has taken great care to consider key ergonomic, comfort and function issues or body placement, access, weight balance, materials, freedom of movement, hygiene and body support to ensure seamless human-computer interaction.

RFID Tagging System: RFID quality control wins 2004 NOVA Award

From UsingRFID.com, UK ... The monitor uses Identec's active RFID tagging system with software developed by International Road Dynamics to log concrete maturity and temperature in real ...


IDENTEC SOLUTIONS helps companies stop wasting time and resources. Too much labor time is spent finding, tracking, and ensuring sufficient assets, and too much money is spent on lost, damaged or compromised assets. By using IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' RFID system to manage assets, here are some examples of how we help customers save millions of dollars in operating costs. IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' Intelligent Long Range® (ILR®) system is comprised of an RFID system to track, locate and identify, and a data collection system that captures and processes the data delivered by the RFID hardware ...

IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' readers to communicate with i-Q and i-D tags are available as fixed or portable. The IDENTEC SOLUTIONS i-CARD is an RFID reader on a PC Card that can be used in portable computer equipment with a Type II slot. The i-CARD is the most adaptive and flexible RFID interrogator available, allowing users to select from a range of handheld equipment specific to their needs. The i-CARD allows RFID to be combined with other technologies, such as touch screen computers and bar code scanners. The i-CARD is also compatible with portable computers, communicating in real-time over wireless LAN connections ...

i-LINKS™ is IDENTEC SOLUTIONS powerful toolset of software modules that transforms real-time data collected by RFID hardware into relevant operational intelligence for instant and informed decision-making. As IDENTEC SOLUTIONS middleware system, i-LINKS enables seamless integration with existing business infrastructure and specifies what information is required from the radio frequency (RF) environment and populates the database according to business rules. i-LINKS is the key to creating optimized applications and it leverages RFID data to provide valuable asset detail ...

SAP RFID Technology: SAP to tout CRM, integration technology

From Computerworld New Zealand, New Zealand ... and future," she said. Wohl said SAP will be showcasing the ways customers can use RFID with its applications. SAP user Mike Perroni ...

SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure gives you the capabilities you need to integrate all automated communication and sensing devices -- including radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and printers, Bluetooth devices, embedded systems, and bar-code devices. SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure also integrates intelligent controls such as programmable language controls and Savant technologies, ensuring comprehensive device integration. SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure senses and controls automated signals in real-time. It connects directly with business processes requiring signal data to drive faster and better business decisions. With SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure, SAP has achieved an important milestone in realizing its vision of an adaptive supply chain network.

RFID in the Supply Chain: SAP RFID Infrastructure...

SAP RFID Infrastructure senses and controls automated signals in real-time. It connects directly with business processes requiring signal data to drive faster and better business decisions. With SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure, SAP has achieved an important milestone in realizing its vision of an adaptive supply chain network.

One of the first applications of SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure is the integration of RFID technology with supply chain processes. SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure provides out-of-the-box functionality to fulfill requirements for RFID compliance in the logistics applications of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and large retailers such as Wal-Mart. With SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure, you can meet current market needs and be ready for future automatic identification requirements.

Drawing upon experience from customer projects with leading companies like Procter & Gamble and the METRO Group, as well as six years of RFID research and involvement in RFID standards organizations, SAP has developed technology that will dramatically change supply chain management in the retail and consumer product industries. Companies can leverage data captured through RFID tags in their business processes by integrating ERP and SCM functionalities with RFID-enabled applications. Examples include packing and unpacking, shipping and receiving and tracking and tracing across the supply chain.

The Java-based RFID solution packages the new SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure, SAP® Event Management (SAP EM), a component of mySAP™ Supply Chain Management (mySAP SCM), and SAP® Enterprise Portal (SAP EP), a component of SAP NetWeaver™, the industry’s leading integration and application platform. Currently available to pilot customers, the SAP RFID packaged solution will be more widely available to customers in mid-2004.

The SAP RFID solution is built on SAP Web Application Server (SAP Web AS), part of the SAP NetWeaver technology platform, which ensures seamless extension and integration into SAP and non-SAP IT environments. The new packaged solution, developed to allow management and communication of RFID data and utilization of business content to automate RFID-enabled business processes, can be integrated into existing IT environments through Auto-ID connectors for SAP R/3, version 4.6c or higher, and mySAP™ ERP. SAP and its consulting and technology partners will help customers build individually tailored RFID solutions that address business case building, integrating RFID hardware infrastructure, creating solution blueprints and implementing projects. SAP’s automatic identification concept enables companies to manage multiple Auto-ID technologies, including RFID, barcodes and sensors.

Supply Chain RFID: SAP Launches RFID-Enabled Software

SAP Launches Latest Version of mySAP™ Supply Chain Management

New Responsive Replenishment Functionality and RFID-Enabled Supply Chain Execution Processes to Enable Companies to Build More Adaptive Supply Chains

ATLANTA, Ga. - April 19, 2004 - SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the launch of its latest version of mySAP™ Supply Chain Management (mySAP SCM). With its latest SCM solution, SAP introduces a new responsive replenishment scenario and RFID-enabled (radio frequency identification) supply chain execution processes, which will help enterprises gain better visibility into real-time customer demand and enable them to build more adaptive supply chains. The announcement was made before 6,000 attendees at the 2004 ASUG Annual Conference & Vendor Fair, being held this week in Atlanta, Georgia.

The new responsive replenishment process will enable companies to respond to real-time customer demand, including promotion-driven demand, coupled with the ability for retailers and consumer goods companies to support a fully automated replenishment process on a daily or sub-daily level. This functionality will allow companies to manage their replenishment processes much more efficiently, resulting in reduced inventory levels, shortened order cycle times and improved customer satisfaction. This will also enable them to meet the increasing replenishment requirements created by a growing global market and help them build customer and demand-driven supply networks that can span both SAP and non-SAP IT environments.

Leveraging the SAP® Auto-ID Infrastructure (SAP AII), a component of the SAP NetWeaver™ application and integration platform, SAP’s newest SCM solution will support RFID-enabled execution scenarios within warehouse and logistics processes. These scenarios will allow companies to meet RFID mandates from government agencies as well as major retailers such as Wal-Mart, METRO and Target.

“Our goal at Procter & Gamble has been to build a demand-driven supply chain that delivers the product at the right time, the right place and for the right price,” said Keith Harrison, global product supply officer, Procter & Gamble. “SAP has been instrumental in our efforts to deliver such a demand-driven supply network. It has been a key partner, helping us to establish a global business backbone at P&G over the last decade.”

The latest release of mySAP SCM will also offer enhancements to SAP® Advanced Planning & Optimization (SAP APO) for cross-industry implementation as well as new and enhanced industry-specific functionality. Benefits will include a fully automatic approach for adaptive forecasting and life-cycle planning within the demand-planning functionality. Customers will also be able to use adaptive forecasting to select optimal methods and parameters for each planning object. In the area of supply network planning, planning of subcontracting relationships has been enhanced to support business requirements for increased outsourcing of production capabilities. SAP APO will also offer companies enhanced transportation planning, vehicle scheduling and production planning and detailed scheduling functionality to support requirements for increased adaptive network planning...

About SAP
SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software solutions. SAP® solutions are designed to meet the demands of companies of all sizes -- from small and midsize businesses to global enterprises. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver™ open integration and application platform to reduce complexity and total cost of ownership and empower business change and innovation, mySAP™ Business Suite solutions are helping enterprises around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. The unique core processes of various industries, from aerospace to utilities, are supported by more than 25 industry-specific SAP solution portfolios. Today, more than 21,600 customers in over 120 countries run more than 69,700 installations of SAP® software. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol “SAP.” (Additional information at http://www.sap.com)

Manu RFID: Manugistics Delivers RFID Solution Leadership as Momentum for ...

From Business Wire (press release) ... of demand and supply chain solutions, today outlined its plans to continue to deliver solutions that are fully enabled for radio frequency identification (RFID ...

Manugistics solutions enable companies to capitalize on their RFID investment by leveraging reliable and timely RFID data to achieve optimal demand, supply chain, and logistics execution. RFID tag data can now be tapped to enable complex decision-support with real-time data on supply chain and market conditions. This new level of visibility enables a framework for organizations to collaborate, plan, monitor, and execute while optimally adapting to operating actuals and realities occurring throughout their extended supply chain.

Manugistics RFID solutions encompass several distinct functional areas that are designed to facilitate the gathering, usage, and storage of RFID data. The Manugistics solution leverages its sense-and-respond framework to receive and filter RFID data within the Manugistics solution set. Once filtered, the data is interrogated to determine if exception criteria exist between the plan and the actual event.

If the RFID data represents an acceptable event, the data will be stored for future analysis, and no adaptive measures will be taken. If the RFID data represents an unacceptable or unplanned event, the solution will execute the optimal contingency plan to resolve the exception.

The Manugistics solutions will continue to adapt to actual events as they occur until the final expected milestone or activity is achieved. The complete plan, milestones, actuals, RFID events, and audit trails are stored for future visibility and analysis.

Over 75 attendees congregated at the Manugistics RFID Summit at the Rockville, MD, on April 1, 2004. Speakers included RFID experts from Forrester Research, ePC Global, IBM, Tibbett & Britten, Georgia Pacific, Alien Technology, Traxus Technology and Accenture.

Some comments from our participants:

"Excellent Content and Speakers."

"This was very informative."

"RFID is very new to me but the Summit today has been extremely helpful."

"Wide range of presenters. Very good."

Impinj launches long-range field rewritable RFID

From UsingRFID.com, UK ... The US-based 'self-adaptive Silicon' producer, Impinj Inc., has announced its first long-range field re-writable RFID tag product, named 'Zuma', which will be ...

RFID in the DOD Strategic Supply Process

... Despite turbulent world and economic conditions, some companies continue to thrive in the global marketplace while others struggle to avoid or emerge from bankruptcy. We believe their secret to success is the successful application and integration of Supply Chain Management (SCM) principles throughout the entire enterprise. Industry leaders effortlessly balanced the iron triangle of SCM – the people, processes, and technology that are key to fueling a high velocity supply chain. The Department of Defense (DoD) lags behind industry in application of SCM principles. We recommend the DoD redefine its SCM enterprise at the DoD level and provide recommendations to guide the department as it transitions from a state of awareness about SCM to building an adaptive supply network in the future ...

... In today’s global economy, in-transit visibility is vital. Just-in-time manufacturing and assembly operations require firms to know – sometimes to the minute – when a key part or component will arrive from a supplier. Technology such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and automated identification technology (AIT) can provide this information to all firms in the supply chain. Customers increasingly demand the capability to use the Internet to track their package from the time it is shipped to the time it arrives at their home or office. FedEx provides world-class tracking capabilities for items shipped through its network of airborne and ground-based transportation channels. Wal-Mart’s move to implement passive RFID tags may accelerate the spread of this technology throughout the retail sector given the huge volume of goods moved through Wal-Mart distribution channels. The payback from implementing such programs can be substantial. For example, Savi Technology’s implementation of DoD’s Ammunition AIT project produced a 98% cost avoidance in the inventory/reconciliation of category I ammunition. Scanning labels and reconciling inventories used to take 40 man-hours per building. It now takes 30 minutes per building, yielding a cost avoidance of over $860,000 ...

Impinj Introduces Zuma: Industry's Longest-Range Field Rewritable ...

From Business Wire (press release) ... 23, 2004--Impinj, Inc., the Self-Adaptive Silicon(TM) company, today announced Zuma(TM), its high-performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that ...

RFID Poised to Catalyze Lean Adaptive Enterprises by Enabling Entirely New Processes

...You Just Need the Software says Apriso Co-founder and CTO Because it eliminates the need for manual data entry and scanning RFID is often thought of as simply an electronic bar-code replacement. But this is a naive view says Chris Will chief technology officer and co-founder of enterprise software maker Apriso Corporation...

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Impinj Technology to Solve Fundamental Problems for Explosive RFID Market

Impinj, Inc., the Self-Adaptive Silicon™ company, announced plans to provide Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products which reduce inventory costs, improve out-of-stock conditions and minimize shrinkage for the trillion-dollar worldwide consumer packaged goods industry. Impinj’s RFID products will leverage the company’s award-winning Self-Adaptive Silicon technology to deliver low cost, long range, field rewritable functionality that complies with a single, open, worldwide RFID standard in accordance with recent initiatives by the world’s largest retailers.

Self-Adaptive Silicon, a proprietary integrated circuit design technology, enables standard logic CMOS to deliver extremely high performance circuits that consume very low power. This technology will improve the achievable performance for several key analog building blocks of RFID products...