Metro RFID Traceability Manages Product Replenishment

METRO Group will implement IBM software to capture and manage inventory and expiration dates for meat sold in its retail Future Store. ...

... "The IBM software automates the process of identifying items nearing their expiration dates and alerts staff when the store is low on a particular meat item. In the past, these tasks have been performed manually by employees, who visually scanned shelves for items about to expire, and surveyed the freezer frequently to determine which meats needed to be restocked. Using IBM's RFID technology, METRO Group can improve customer satisfaction and boost sales by ensuring that its freezer is stocked with the meats shoppers are looking for. " ...

Via IBM: METRO Group Selects IBM Traceability Solution to Manage Products Better

RFID Efficiency at Metro Group

Metro RFID Shopping Experience

Metro pilots RFID in its Future Store initiative. ...

... "In a pilot project in the men's fashion department, some 30,000 products have been fitted with additional RFID labels - known as Smart Chips. " ...

Via Fibre2Fashion: RFID Shopping Experience

Metro RFID Future Store Initiative

Nice video of Metro Group's Future Store Initiative that relies on RFID for supply chain visibility. ...

Metro RFID Starter Packs

METRO Group will ramp up its use of radio frequency identification (RFID) this year and has approved Intermec RFID starter packs. ...

... "Metro has approved two Intermec RFID starter packs, specially tailored to the needs of the consumer goods industry, which will be offered to its suppliers. The preconfigured application contained in the packs makes it possible to easily fit pallets and boxes with RFID tags. Both RFID starter packs contain an Intermec PM4i RFID-enabled printer and SF51 Bluetooth bar code scanner. In addition, the second expanded option also contains an Intermec RFID portal for full recording of incoming and outgoing goods. The partnership between the two companies has its roots in the use of the Intermec RFID system in the METRO Group Future Store Initiative, the METRO Group RFID Innovation Center and the RFID introduction in November 2004. " ...

Via Intermec: Metro Starter Packs

Metro RFID Rolls Out Network Infrastructure

Reva enables Metro Group's RFID capability with its network infrastructure. ...

... "Reva's RFID network infrastructure provides a key component that enables Metro's RFID architecture to support current and future RFID initiatives. METRO Group has one of the most sophisticated RFID research and testing organizations in the world. Their process for evaluating innovative technologies is thorough, their requirements for standards-based performance are exacting, and their criteria are stringent for moving from RFID pilots to production. Reva's TAP products will be used to manage the distributed network of RFID installations, to produce accurate data from each site, and to provide rapid operator feedback. For the initial phase of the rollout, METRO Group is primarily using RFID to enhance its distribution and store receiving processes by using accurately located tag data for more efficient operations, better customer service and improved inventory management. " ...

Via Reva Systems: RFID Network Infrastructure for Europe's Largest Retail RFID Rollout at Metro Group

Metro Supplier RFID Tag Pilot

METRO Group's Tag It Easy! pilot uses Checkpoint RFID labels to manage the inbound supply-side of its supply chain in Asia to Germany. ...

... "The METRO Group expects that the RFID pilot will optimize efficiency and transparency in the international flow of goods. Access to more-accurate, real-time shipment data will help the retailer improve control over its international supply chain, resulting in lower warehousing costs and reduced out-of-stock situations.

METRO Group has standardized on UHF EPC Gen 2 tags for compliance to all regional requirements: 917 - 922 MHz for China; 920 - 925 MHz for Hong Kong; and 865.6 - 867.6 MHz for Europe. The RFID tags on the labels provided by Checkpoint will store the Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), which will be read at several points along the supply chain from Hong Kong to Unna, Germany. The METRO Group will receive an electronic delivery note in advance of the shipment, detailing the container content. The supplier also benefits, by gaining detailed proof of package delivery. The pilot will run for three months, and the METRO Group expects to extend the project to include several other Asian suppliers at a future date if the concept proves to be feasible. " ...

METRO Group and Checkpoint Systems Partner to Help Suppliers Tag it Easy

Russia RFID Transportation Application: Moscow Metro

UPM Raflatac will supply RFID inlays for contactless passenger tickets on the Moscow Metro. The RFID inlays will be supplied in cooperation with Moscow-based Comvision Russland for ticket converting at JSC Mikron. ...

... "The Moscow Metro is one of the world's most heavily used metro systems, carrying 8.2 million passengers on a normal weekday. The RFID inlays provided by UPM Raflatac will replace the cards with magnetic stripe Moscow Metro is currently using for tickets with a fixed number of journeys. For seasonal tickets, the Moscow Metro is already using contactless RFID smart cards which enable significantly faster entry for passengers. The Moscow Metro was the first metro system in Europe to implement smart cards together with a new type of magnetic card in 1998. In the first stage, the monthly usage of UPM Raflatac HF inlays based on the Mifare Ultralight standard will be 5 million pieces. After a transitional period at the end of summer 2007, usage will rise to approximately 30 million inlays per month. " ...

Via UPM Raflatac: UPM Raflatac supplies RFID inlays for Moscow Metro contactless tickets ...

Checkpoint RFID Metro Pilot Implementation Solves Technical Challenges

Checkpoint Systems is involved in pilot of UHF RFID technology at METRO Group's Distribution Centres near Hamm, Germany, under supervision of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) task group 34 (TG34). The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) plays a major role in the global standardization of Information and Communication Technologies. This pilot has been created to improve the read performance of RFID tags in a high-density UHF reading environment and validate the performance of portal dock door solutions. The successful pilot solves UHF RFID challenges and supports Metro's plan to implement RFID more broadly in 2007. The Metro RFID implementation is aimed at enhancing customer service and increasing the efficiency of its supply chain. METRO Group is an international retailing company with 2005 sales of EUR55.7 billion. The company has a headcount of about 250,000 employees and operates more than 2,200 outlets in 30 countries. ...

... "Utilizing equipment from numerous RFID suppliers in Europe and North America, Checkpoint served as a hardware integrator for the trials. In this capacity, Checkpoint helped with the design work for the hardware solution and procurement, configuration and installation of the 36 RFID-enabled dock door portals which were used to validate successful simultaneous operation of multiple dock doors using a 4-channel synchronized approach under the ETSI 302 208 standard. Pallets containing 62 individually tagged cases largely containing RFID unfriendly materials (such as cans, liquids and metal lined items) were simultaneously transported at warehouse speeds through 36 adjacent loading dock doors. Some 4.5 million individual reads were recorded over the course of the trials. Complying with the ETSI listen before talk (LBT) requirements, the tests achieved a 98.5%+ read rate simultaneously from multiple pallets as they were wheeled through the dock doors. " ...

Via Checkpoint Systems: Checkpoint Systems Partners with Metro Group to Successfully Deploy UHF RFID Dock Door Solution: 98.5%+ Read Rate Represents Milestone in European RFID Deployment ...

RFID Technology Enables Asia Logistics for Metro Supply Chain

The METRO Group and Savi Networks will collaborate to implement the Advanced Logistics Asia (ALA) project. The project will deploy RFID radio frequency identification technology to monitor the location and security of inventory shipped from Asia to Europe in real-time through the supply chain. ...

... "The ALA project, managed by METRO Group Buying Hong Kong (MGB Hong Kong), will utilize SaviTrak(TM), a web-based, real-time information service that leverages automatic data transmissions from Electronic Product Code (EPC) - compliant passive and active RFID tags, among other wireless devices, on shipments transported throughout the global supply chain. MGB Hong Kong manages METRO Group imports from sourcing to delivery at Distribution Centers in Germany. Under the ALA project, SaviTrak will monitor a variety of retail products while they are transported through a global RFID reader network, stretching from a consolidation center in Hong Kong, through the Port of Hong Kong, to the Port of Rotterdam, the inland Port of Duisburg in Germany and finally to a METRO Group distribution center in Unna, Germany.



Active, battery-powered RFID tags on containers will be utilized to automatically transmit information into the SaviTrak information service. As a six-month pilot, the ALA project is designed to evaluate improvements in the visibility, management and security of inventory while it is transported end-to-end. The project will further evaluate investment returns in reduced lead times and inventory, improved customer service as well as supply chain and financial performance." ...

Via Savi Networks: The METRO Group and Savi Networks Launch Real-Time Information Service on Inventory Shipped From Asia to Europe

RFID Manages Metro Shrinkage

Metro partners with Checkpoint to implement RFID source tags to reduce shrinkage across a significant number of stores across multiple countries. ...

... "The strategic agreement, which includes worldwide store installation of NDRF (New Digital Radio Frequency) technology and source tagging, will help METRO Cash & Carry to minimize shrinkage and reduce operational costs by using only one supplier, Checkpoint Systems, and implement source tagging, with the ultimate aim of improving their customers' shopping experience. Installation of 3G NDRF (called Liberty PX in North America) antennas and deactivators is planned for the more than 425 Cash & Carry self-service wholesale stores in 28 countries, making it the most international EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) roll out of its kind. The global shrink management solution provides METRO Cash & Carry (under METRO and MAKRO brand names), with product protection throughout the entire supply chain, from manufacturing and distribution to the point of sale, where the RF tags on the item are deactivated. This eliminates the need for employees to spend time physically securing the tags in-store or removing them at point of sale. " ...

Via Checkpoint Systems: METRO Cash & Carry Selects Checkpoint Systems as Their Exclusive Shrink Management Global Partner

Metro RFID: Gen2 Supplier Mandate ...

Metro starts transition to Generation 2 RFID standards with suppliers. ...

... "Germany's Metro Group, a European retail giant, has started using an updated international standard for radio frequency identification (RFID) in some of its stores ... " ...

Metro RFID: Gen2 Supplier Mandate: Via FreshPlaza: Metro's suppliers face deadline on updated RFID standard ...

RFID Program: P&G EPC

P&G electronic product code (EPC) and radio frequency identification (RFID) program is focused on the opportunities in the supply chain and is sensitive to privacy concerns that consumers may have. ...

... "The Procter & Gamble Company is pursuing the use of EPC (Electronic Product Coding) to create efficiencies in the supply chain, to manage inventory, prevent theft and counterfeiting, and reduce out-of-stock levels, via case and pallet-level EPC. Down the road as we learn more about the technology, there may be opportunities to save costs and generate additional benefits for the supply chain and consumers via item-level EPC. " ...

References on P&G's RFID program ...

RFID Program: P&G EPC: Via P&G: P&G Position on Electronic Product Coding (EPC) ...

Via SAP: SAP Launches First RFID Solution to Help Customers Automate RFID-Enabled Business Processes: "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. "

Via RFID Journal: P&G Teams With T3Ci for RFID Apps: "Procter & Gamble has signed a five-year agreement with T3Ci, a Mountain View, Calif.-based startup that has created software for analyzing Electronic Product Code (EPC) data from radio frequency identification systems. "

Via Computerworld: Early Adopters Send Mixed Messages About RFID: "Flannery said the justification is more apparent in P&G's pharmaceutical business, where RFID is viewed as a technology that can help curb counterfeit drugs and bolster consumer safety. "

RFID Technology Automotive Industry Event: November 2005

RFID Technology Automotive Industry Event: November 2005: Via AIAG: AIAG Event Explores the RFID Wave in Automotive Industry ...

AIAG event on RFID technology in the automotive industry is planned for November ...

... "Something that can be half the size of a grain of sand is transforming the automotive supply chain. These radio frequency identification (RFID) chips (as part of a complete RFID system) are used to quickly and reliably detect, identify and track different automotive parts. The Automotive Industry Action Group’s (AIAG) second annual RFID Summit event will explore how the most-talked about technology in years is shaping the automotive industry on Nov. 3, 2005 at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich. The full-day program will feature some of the early adopters of RFID who will share automotive implementations, case studies and end-user applications. Retail, defense and research organizations also will share their experiences. " ...

Founded in 1982, AIAG is a globally recognized organization where OEMs and suppliers unite to address and resolve issues affecting the worldwide automotive supply chain. AIAG’s goals are to reduce cost and complexity through collaboration; improve product quality, health, safety and the environment; and optimize speed to market throughout the supply chain. Headquartered in the metro Detroit area, its more than 1,500 member companies include North American, European and Asia-Pacific OEMs and suppliers to the automotive industry.

Oracle EPC RFID Metro Package: Accelerated Implementation

Oracle EPC RFID Metro Package: Accelerated Implementation: Oracle Supports EPC-Compliance-Package for METRO Group Suppliers: Oracle, Intermec, SATO, and Schreiner LogiData offer rapid and easy RFID integration using new EPC-Metro-Compliance-Package ...

... "Suppliers to METRO Group looking to expand their use of RFID technology can now take advantage of a new EPC-Metro-Compliance-Package being offered jointly by Oracle, Intermec, SATO, and Schreiner LogiData. The integrated solution - consisting of software, hardware and a service and support package - enables RFID technology to be rapidly and securely deployed in companies today and expanded in the future. Oracle and its partners can implement the entire solution in just five days. " ...

Metro RFID Gen2 ETSI Readers

Metro RFID Gen2 ETSI Readers: Intermec and METRO Group Demonstrate Intermec IP4, First Generation 2, ETSI-Compliant Handheld RFID Reader: Multi-protocol capabilities support EPCglobal Gen 2, Gen 1 and ISO-based RFID systems: Available for order worldwide Sept. 1 ...

... "Intermec Technologies Corp. and METRO Group today announced the successful demonstration of the first EPCglobal Generation 2 RFID handheld reader that also meets stringent European requirements for radio frequency and reader communications protocols. The new multi-protocol Intermec IP4 Intellitag® multi-protocol RFID reader reads Gen 2 tags from multiple manufacturers. It also reads tags based on all major global RFID standards, including EPCglobal Gen 2, Gen 1 and ISO 18000-6b, with a migration path to the emerging ISO 18000-6c standard. " ...

Intermec Technologies Corp., a UNOVA Inc. (NYSE:UNA) company, is a leader in global supply chain solutions and in the development, manufacture and integration of wired and wireless automated data collection, RFID (radio frequency identification), mobile computing systems, bar code printers and label media. The company s products and services are used by customers in many industries to improve productivity, quality and responsiveness of business operations, from supply chain management and enterprise resource planning to field sales and service.

RFID Location Based Services: Asset Positioning System

RFID LocationBased Services: Asset Positioning System: Skyhook Wireless Announces Commercial Availability of the Wi-Fi Positioning System Across Top 25 Metropolitan Areas: Industry’s First Wi-Fi Positioning System Now Available to Vendors of Location Based Services and Applications

Skyhook provides wireless services that support precision device location, including RFID devices ...

... "Skyhook Wireless announced today the commercial availability of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), the first wide-area positioning system leveraging 802.11, or Wi-Fi, rather than satellite or cell-tower-based technologies. The system is now available for deployment by application developers and device manufacturers across the largest 25 metropolitan areas of the United States. The precise location of any Wi-Fi enabled device, including a PC, laptop, PDA, Tablet PC, Smartphone or RFID tag, can be determined without adding any new hardware. " ...

Founded in 2003, Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of the first-ever metro-area positioning system that leverages Wi-Fi rather than satellites or cell towers to deliver precise location data supporting the growing market for location-based services. The Skyhook Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) requires no new hardware, works indoors and outdoors, provides an instant location and is more accurate than current technologies in congested downtown areas. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA and is privately held.

RFID Movie from RFID Innovation Center

RFID Movie: METRO Group Future Store Initiative: RFID Innovation Center

... "RFID - Efficient paths to the future is a movie of the METRO Group RFID Innovation Center, showing the future of the RFID technology " ...

Europe RFID Test Labs

Europe RFID Test Labs: Manhattan Associates Launches Network of RFID Demonstration Labs across Europe: Labs to Provide Setting for Customers to Evaluate Deployment of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology ...

Manhattan opens RFID test labs in Europe to support demonstration and evaluation of RFID technology configurations and representative business process simulations ...

... "Manhattan Associates®, Inc. (Nasdaq: MANH), the global leader in providing supply chain execution and optimization solutions, has today announced the opening of five RFID demonstration labs across its key European markets. The labs will showcase Manhattan Associates' award-winning RFID in a Box® solution and provide a representative customer environment in which Manhattan Associates can evaluate various RFID technologies and equipment with clients' products. The opening of the labs has been made possible with the help of Microsoft and several of Manhattan Associates' key alliance partners. The labs, located in Paris, Sophia Antipolis (France), Munich (Germany), Utrecht (Netherlands) and Bracknell (UK), will provide companies with the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in RFID and understand how to deploy and begin benefiting from this technology. Suppliers will learn how to meet RFID-compliance mandates including those issued by Metro, Tesco, Wal-Mart and others. " ...

Manhattan Associates, Inc., is the global leader in providing supply execution and optimization solutions. It enables operational excellence through its warehouse, transportation, distributed order management, reverse logistics and trading partner management applications, as well as its RFID, performance management and event management capabilities. These Integrated Logistics Solutions™ leverage state-of-the-art technologies, innovative practices and our domain expertise to enhance performance, profitability and competitive advantage. Manhattan Associates has licensed more than 900 customers representing more than 1,600 facilities worldwide, which include some of the world's leading manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

Metro RFID Congress: Gen2 RFID Compliance

Metro RFID Congress: Gen2 RFID Compliance: SAMSys showcasing Gen 2 RFID readers at the Metro Group RFID Congress ...

At Metro RFID Congress in Germany, SamSys demonstrates its latest Gen2-compliant RFID readers ...

... "SAMSys Technologies Inc. (SMY: TSX), an international provider of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) hardware solutions, will be showcasing its new Gen 2 ready RFID readers at the Metro Group RFID Congress in Cologne, Germany on June 8-9. These readers are the first of its products capable of reading tags that conform to the new EPC Generation Two (Gen 2) standard. The MP9320 v2.8 reader is the latest addition to the SAMSys family of multi-protocol, multi-regional, RFID readers that, in addition to Gen 2, supports the full array of legacy UHF protocols; e.g., EPC Class 0 and 0+; EPC Class 1, ISO 18000-6A, ISO 18000-6B, Philips UCODE 1.19, EM 4222 and Intellitag. Adding support for the EPC Gen 2 tag protocol represents the next step in the migration path to the emerging global standard tag protocol; and in the ability to support this new standard alongside existing legacy installations. The MP9320 reader has already been endorsed by many current adopters of RFID technology such as the U.S. Dept. of Defense (DoD), and other major retailers and consumer packaged goods companies. " ...

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 Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol: “SMY”. The Company has a total of 47.8 million shares outstanding.