WalMart RFID Technology Expansion Continues Per CIO

Executive Vice President and CIO Rollin Ford describes WalMart's plan to continue implementation of RFID technology in a keynote speech at the RFID Journal Live conference in Orlando, Florida. ...

... "WalMart Stores continues to expand its RFID capability to additional facilities, enabling an additional 400 WalMart stores by the end of this fiscal year, WalMart Executive Vice President and CIO Rollin Ford said in a speech Monday. Ford also discussed the technology's current and future benefits to both business and consumers including broad benefits for improving sustainability. He said current benefits include a 30 percent reduction of out-of-stocks, reduction of excess inventory in the supply chain, and sustainability impacts. Ford also outlined advancements including pallet locators now being used at Sam's Club locations. On a daily basis, more than 24 million people shop our stores. If 100,000 extra trips are avoided by having items in stock, we will save customers $22.8 million a year in gas savings and reduce greenhouse gases by 80,209 metric tons. " ...

Via WalMart: WalMart Continues RFID Technology Expansion

Hospital RFID Realizes Patient Benefits

HP and Precision Dynamics implement patient management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in Taiwan at the Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH). The hospital CIO sees the hospital realizing benefits through a reduction in medical errors, from root causes such as manual processes, compliance to standard operating procedures, and visibility to real-time patient status and medical process exceptions. The system is architected with PDC's RFID wristbands and HP's mobile and fixed RFID infrastructure. Privacy is managed by storing confidential patient information on the RFID chip rather than printing the information on the wristband. ...

... "CGMH implemented the RFID system in its operating rooms to improve patient safety by verifying and positively identifying patients, gathering real-time data, reducing risk of wrong-site and/or wrong-patient surgery, and ensuring compliance with hospital patient safety procedures or standard operating procedures. Since the implementation, CGMH has achieved 100% accuracy in patient ID in the OR. The new RFID system automates many manual functions of the previous operating room processes. The system helps verify that the five rights of medication safety are met - right patient, medication, dose, time, and route - as well as right surgery and surgical site. Automating patient data verification processes has saved CGMH medical staff an average of 4.3 minutes per patient. Also, automated data collection has helped prevent common manual data entry mistakes, which if gone undetected could lead to medical errors." ...

Via HP: Precision Dynamics Corporation and HP Provide Chang Gung Memorial Hospital with RFID System for Patient Management

RFID Telematics: RailCars

Dow Chemical is piloting RFID technology in its logistics processes to sense material conditions and enable supply chain security. ...

... "Last year, Dow Chemical decided to integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) and GPS tracking technology on trucks and rail cars. " ...

Via CIO Today: Tracking Trucks the Telematics Way

RFID Retail: Apparel Payback ...

Laudis demo planned for RFID conference will show payback in the retail apparel industry ...

... "The RFID Journal and AAFA Summit, held at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York Aug. 15-16, is the first event of its kind designed to address RFID-related opportunities and issues in the apparel and footwear industry. Laudis and NCR will demonstrate their collaborative end-to-end RFID solution that allows manufacturers to tag apparel at the source, enabling retailers to verify the location or the receipt of garments anywhere within the supply chain. The demonstration (Laudis AAFA Summit booth #3) will feature the Laudis apparel applications and item-level tracking solutions for clothing and footwear. NCR will provide hardware, such as hang tags, flap tags and RFID-reader technology. NCR is also providing Laudis with consulting services and installation support for its end-to-end clothing solution. " ...

Via NCR: NCR and Laudis Systems Demonstrate End-to-End RFID Solution for Apparel Industry ...

Retail RFID applications are discussed ...

Via CIO Magazine: The RFID Imperative - Retail - prepare systems for RFID technology: "Like most CIOs in the retail industry, he believes that widespread RFID adoption is a sure thing and that the technology—which some day will enable him to track every single product, from manufacture to checkout ... "

ABI has researched the market for retail RFID use ...

The RFID Retail Market Market Research Report from ABI Research: "The retail market is possibly the most talked about in the RFID industry. Although Wal-Mart is not the only retailer that has issued an RFID mandate for its suppliers, it is still the most popular subject. This market is expected to be one of the fastest growing RFID verticals. "

T3CI offers RFID-enabled business intelligence capabilities for the retail industry ...

Via T3CI: RFID Analytics and Application Leadership; Experience Delivering Business Value to Major Retail Suppliers Drive Investment Decision: "T3Ci's software and subscription services are designed for leaders of RFID initiatives at major retail suppliers and pharmaceutical companies to deliver business value from their RFID investments. The company's enterprise-class solutions provide RFID data analysis (only for retailers who allow 3rd party analysis of their EPC data), deductions management and authentication/anti-counterfeiting/e-pedigree – the most comprehensive RFID applications vision. "

RFID Gen2 Transition ...

Industry making transition to Generation 2 RFID ...

... "RFID markets, increasingly concentrated on the Gen 2 specification, show signs of a healthy transition to the next phase of RFID implementation: full integration at the enterprise level, backed by deep management commitment. When WalMart's new CIO, Rollin Ford, addressed his troops upon taking office last week, he confirmed the company's unabated enthusiasm for RFID ... " ...

RFID Gen2 Transition: Via ABI Research: Scalability, Interoperability, Performance: ABI Research Highlights RFID's New Mantra ...

Walmart RFID Commitment ReAffirmed by New CIO ...

Walmart CIO, Rollin Ford, reaffirms committment to the Walmart RFID program, praising company innovations and the efforts of Linda Dillman. ...

... "The pioneering work at WalMart to mine the supply chain benefits of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) will continue unabated under the Wal-Mart Information Systems Division's new leader. Rollin Ford, WalMart's new executive vice president and chief information officer, who previously served as the company's executive vice president of logistics and supply chain, strongly endorsed RFID technology at the biannual CIO summit, hosted by WalMart on Wednesday in Bentonville. Ford told the audience of CIOs he was thrilled to be in his new position and that both logistics and information systems were at the center of WalMart's competitive advantage. Ford said he intended to build on the success of his predecessor, Linda Dillman, who was named executive vice president of risk management and benefits administration at Wal-Mart. " ...

Walmart RFID Commitment ReAffirmed by New CIO: Via WalMart Stores: New CIO Confirms Wal-Mart Commitment to RFID ...:

RFID Tag Manufacturing Increase ...

Omron to increase the manufacturing of RFID tags ...

... "Japan's Omron plans to more than double its production capacity of radio frequency identification (RFID) inlays within the coming months ... " ...

RFID Tag Manufacturing Increase: Via CIO: Omron Plans Big Boost to RFID Manufacturing ...

CIO RFID Opinion ...

CIO shares opinion on RFID technology. ...

... "I'm not against RFID - we know that it can work really well. For example, in the technology used in the automatic Hong Kong Cross-Harbour Tunnel [toll] readers, it's fantastic. " ...

CIO RFID Opinion: Via Computerworld: Airline IT chief gives lowdown on business-IT interaction ...

RFID Emergency Card: Enables Electronic Health Record ...

MedicAlert will show its RFID-enabled smart-card for enabling emergency medical care through the use of identification and electronic health records. ...

... "MedicAlert will be showcasing technology products - the MedicAlert® E-HealthKEY, the Health Enhancement System (HES), and the RFID Emergency Card in response to the federal government’s goal to give all Americans electronic medical records in the coming years. Within a few years, one-third of all Americans will be elderly – about 77 million people – the single biggest demographic group in the country. Globally, the U.S. will have the largest population of elderly people in the history of the world. " ...

RFID Emergency Card: Enables Electronic Health Record: Via MedicAlert: MedicAlert® to showcase technology at the White House Conference on Aging ...

MedicAlert® is committed to providing technology-based solutions and is an active member and a leader in developing interoperability standards with all the major Healthcare IT standards organizations. The MedicAlert® repository uses Web service interfaces to support standard Electronic Health Records (EHRs), including electronic drug prescriptions and for patient record interoperability. These activities will ensure the rapid development and deployment of standards to improve the quality of care, lower healthcare costs while increasing patient safety. MedicAlert® is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1956 with a mission to protect and save lives, is headquartered in the United States and has international affiliates in nine countries.

Additional resources on uses of RFID to support emergency health care or electronic health care identification:

Health Care CIO Runs Internal RFID Test - Computerworld: "Halamka said this month that when the chip is scanned by an RFID reader, an identifying number directs physicians to his medical records, which are stored electronically at CareGroup's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "

VeriChip launches secure database to consult health care data stored on implantable RFID chips: "VeriChip is a miniaturised, implantable, radio frequency identification device (RFID) which can be used in a variety of security, emergency, and health care applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip is composed of FDA-accepted materials and contains a unique verification number which can seamlessly integrate to the GVS Registry."

RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world | WTN: "Radio frequency identification technology is often touted as a way to improve supply chain management. But in the health care world, the technology is bringing other, perhaps more important benefits: safety and security."

RFID Industry Consortium: Focus on Responsibility ...

The RFID industry collaborates on responsibility through the industry consortium, Identification Technology Group, lead by Debra Spitle. ...

RFID Industry Consortium: Focus on Responsibility: Via CIO Today: Vendors Push RFID Responsibility ...

... "The goal is to invite RFID companies, government entities, legislators, end users and vendors to raise awareness about RFID technology and to discuss ways to ensure the continued responsible use of RFID in the public sector, Spitler said. " ...

RFID Innovation: Run IT as Business

Interview with John Partridge, CEO of Inovant LLC, Visa's global I.T. organization, explores the challenges of running an IT organization as a business operating at six sigma performance levels, while innovating through emerging technologies such as RFID and mobility.

RFID Innovation: Run IT as Business: Via CIO Today: Visa CIO John Partridge on Reliability and Innovation ...

... "Partridge: Tools that support component reuse. RFID and mobile payments are beginning to have an impact in our business. " ...

2006 Big Year For RFID ? ...

Article supports the hypothesis that RFID will have a big year in 2006. Experts point to RFID adooption rates and the creation of industry RFID standards as indicators of a strong foundation for significant adoption in the year ahead. ...

2006 Big Year For RFID ?: Via CIO Today: Analysts Predict Big Year Ahead for RFID

... "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology will reach a significant turning point by the end of 2006, according to Unisys Global Visible Commerce experts. Companies will move beyond the pilot phase, implementing RFID infrastructures that will increasingly become a core element of their businesses in 2006. ... " ...

Linda Dillman Walmart RFID Update ...

Linda Dillman, Walmart CIO, provides update on the Walmart RFID program. ...

Linda Dillman Walmart RFID Update: Via Carthage Press: Wal-Mart: Radio Tags Keep Shelves Stocked ...

... "RFID, or radio-frequency identification tags, has reduced out-of-stock merchandise by 16 percent at the company's stores that have begun to use the technology over the past 12 months, Linda Dillman, WalMart's chief information officer, said at the company's annual analyst meeting Wednesday. WalMart has been able to restock RFID-tagged items three times as fast as non-tagged items ... " ...

Walmart RFID: Linda Dillman Shares Status Update

Linda Dillman shares interim results on the Walmart RFID program ...

Walmart RFID: Linda Dillman Shares Status Update: Via WalMart Stores, Inc.: WalMart Improves On-Shelf Availability Through the Use of Electronic Product Codes

... "WalMart customers found items they wanted in stock more often due to the retailer's use of electronic product codes (EPCs) powered by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology when compared to control stores. This is according to an independent University of Arkansas study's initial findings. Researchers at the University of Arkansas found a 16 percent reduction in out-of-stocks. Additionally, the study also showed that out-of-stock items with EPCs were replenished three times faster than comparable items using standard bar code technology. Equally important, WalMart experienced a meaningful reduction in manual orders resulting in a reduction of excess inventory. This is no longer a take-it-on-faith initiative, said Linda Dillman, executive vice president and CIO for Wal-Mart. This study provides conclusive evidence that EPCs increase how often we put products in the hands of customers who want to buy them, making it a win for shoppers, suppliers and retailers. ...

As part of its standard processes, WalMart has focused on driving improved product availability for its customers through a series of initiatives unrelated to RFID technology. The research was structured to isolate the impact of RFID to be able show the improvements directly attributable to the RFID process improvements. The study showed RFID-enabled stores were 63 percent more effective in replenishing out-of-stocks than the control stores, Dillman said. The WalMart RFID team knew that this technology would have a huge impact on out-of-stocks. Now we have an independent study that confirms RFID has a significant impact in retailing, Dillman continued. However, we are not stopping there. This is only one of many changes that RFID will bring. We are already working on initiatives and enhancements that will build on this success. The 16 percent reduction in merchandise out-of-stocks was determined by physically scanning out-of-stocks at the shelf every day. A baseline was established and this was then compared to the number of out-of-stocks in both sets of stores once the RFID technology was enabled in the pilot stores, explained Hardgrave. The net result of the impact of RFID, removing any other influences, was a reduction of 16 percent in the occurrences of products being out-of-stock on the shelf. " ...

RFID BPM Asset Management Solution ...

RFID BPM Asset Management Solution: Appian Further Solidifies Lead in BPM Market, Offering RFID Integration to Enhance Process-Driven Solutions: Company Showcases RFID-Enabled, BPM-Based Asset Management Solution at 2005 U.S. Army DOIM/AKM Conference ...

Appian will demo RFID BPM asset management process at upcoming conference ...

... "Appian Corporation, the first Business Process Management (BPM) company to deliver advanced process, knowledge, and analytics capabilities in a fully integrated suite, will demonstrate it's RFID-enabled, BPM-based Asset Management solution at the 2005 Directorate of Information Management (DOIM)/Army Knowledge Management (AKM) Conference, August 23 - 25, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. By offering integrated radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Appian's Asset Management solution allows organizations to capture critical information about their physical assets and significantly improve the way they manage their inventory and supply chains. " ...

With this new composite process solution, Appian further extends its leadership in the BPM Suite (BPMS) market as the first provider to combine integrated RFID technology with sophisticated process management and composite application development capabilities such as document management, rules management, real-time analytics, dashboards and portal functionality.

Co-Sponsored by AFCEA International and the Army Chief Information Officer (CIO/G-6) and NETCOM/9th ASC, the Directorate of Information Management (DOIM)/Army Knowledge Management (AKM) Conference is the premier forum for Government and Industry to exchange ideas about commercial best business practices and government implementations.

RFID TRACK AND TRACE Conference

2005 TRACK AND TRACE SUMMIT

... "RFID is one of the hottest technologies around. And while you've heard a lot of the noise surrounding RFID coming from vendors and consultants who tout RFID's benefits, what you've really been seeking are actual case studies from companies whose businesses are dependent upon the use of RFID, rather than the sale of the latest RFID technology or expertise. At the Track & Trace Summit, you'll hear real-world case studies from industry leaders. Neco Can, CIO of JCREW, will discuss the way he has employed strategic solutions to cost obstacles. " ...

Track and Trace Summit, October 17-19, 2005
The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club
19999 West Country Club Drive
Aventura, FL 33180-2401

DOD RFID at FOSE 2005

FOSE 2005

FOSE 2005 - Where Government Meets Technology
April 5 - 7, 2005
Washington Convention Center

... "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are being used by the military to track everything from butter to bullets. In an effort to take full advantage of the inherent life-cycle asset management efficiencies that can by realized by RFID, DoD has established a policy for the use of RFID. This session will discuss the benefits of RFID tagging, movement to a single standard and the status of implementation of that standard, and interference issues associated with RFID.

Date: 04/05/2005
StartTime: 2:00 PM
End Time: 2:45 PM

Panelists:
John Lussier
RF Spectrum/Wireless Manager
DON CIO
Department of the Navy

Steve Ward
Senior Spectrum Engineer
DON CIO" ...

RFID on Production Floor

Ask The CIO ...

... "On the manufacturing side, we're really increasing information flow and data accuracy to our production floors. Operators have real-time mobile access to machine SPC data. There are areas that technology in the manufacturing area that probably isn't as well suited to other agencies or departments. RFIDs for example. In some areas, the asset tracking is an ideal technology for us because of the proximity nature. The radio frequency allows us to be close to something as opposed to actually having to read every barcode one by one. " ...

RF Tags: Ask The CIO

Ask The CIO

... "Are there other pilot programs? PORTER: Again, we just finished eight in this last fiscal year. We just initiated 14 more this year. One of them is RF tags. A big issue inside the maintenance community is that very expensive gearboxes or engines are placed inside of containers. Sometimes the seals on those containers don't match up quite properly. Humidity can creep in there and can actually do a lot of damage to some of these very sophisticated and expensive components. One of the things that they've established is containers that report on their own condition. They use RF technology and can actually communicate with individuals over their PDAs and actually tell the maintenance specialist exactly how it's doing. We've got other ones in helping people move. Obviously, relocation is a big thing in the Department. We've been able to take arranging household goods shipments and move that to the Web. " ...

Four Sigma Level RFID Read Rates Achieved ...

Four Sigma Level RFID Read Rates Achieved: Intermec and METRO Group Achieve 99 Percent RFID Pallet Tag Read ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... METRO Group, the world's third-largest retailer and an RFID pioneer, and Intermec Technologies Corp. ...

... METRO Group, the world's third-largest retailer and an RFID pioneer, and Intermec Technologies Corp. today announced the successful completion of implementation of RFID readers and tags at METRO Group's largest and busiest distribution center in Germany. Located in Unna, Germany, the distribution center is equipped with Intermec IF5 Intelligent RFID readers and RFID tags powered by Intermec. With more than 50,000 pallets read to date, METRO is enjoying 99% tag read-rates, as well as complete compliance with ETSI radio standards for operation in Europe. ...

Additional resources on sigma level and read rates for RFID ...

RFID Demystified” National Institute of Industrial: File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... Sigma and Lean Manufacturing. ... should be considered. This will often be impacted by the level of partnering that ... block, citing read rates in the 80%-90% range. ...

RFID - Tag ,You're Late - Why Wal-Mart's suppliers think RFID: on products to get the best read-rates." Unilever's Ellis ... Coming from a 6 Sigma headset (DMAIC process ... technology commensurate with the same level that industry ...

Apriso News and Events: bar code systems, RFID tags can be read even when ... management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels, demand-driven ...

Linda Dillman on the Walmart RFID Program ...

Dillman on the Walmart RFID Program: WalMart CIO Linda Dillman to Offer Keynote Address at RFID World ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... Linda Dillman, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., one of the RFID market's most outspoken ...

... Linda Dillman, executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) of WalMart Stores, Inc., one of the RFID market's most outspoken executives on the benefits of RFID in the retail supply chain, will be presenting the opening keynote address at RFID World 2005, on March 2nd, at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, Texas. An additional highlight of the first day of RFID World 2005 is an end-user panel, featuring a cross-section of industry players leading the way in early RFID implementations. Moderated by D'Anne Hotchkiss, editor of RFID News & Solutions, the panel includes Miley Ainsworth, director, Innovation and Scanning Technology, FedEx Corporate Services; Stephen M. Moody, chief warrant officer and RFID program coordinator, U.S. Army; Robert E. Kashmer, Jr., vice president, Information Technology, H. D. Smith Wholesale Drug Company; and Howard Stockdale, chief information officer, Beaver Street Fisheries. These end users will discuss lessons learned in early implementations and share ideas for expanding these trials into broader-scale deployments. ...

Shorecliff Communications is a leading producer of high-quality content rich events worldwide in technology industries including broadband, wireless infrastructure, telecommunications and radio frequency identification (RFID).

Additional resources on Linda Dillman and the Walmart RFID program in the retail supply chain ...

Wal-Mart begins using RFID product tags: Wal-Mart chief information officer Linda Dillman would not say ... a presentation organized Thursday by Wal-Mart in Dallas, and he spoke with Dillman and Ian ...

Wal-Mart Details RFID Requirement: President and CEO Mike Duke, CIO Linda Dillman and others at ... Opts for EPC Class 1, V2.) Dillman said Wal ... “Wal-Mart is saying to CPG companies and RFID vendors ...

Talking RFID with Wal-Mart's CIO: when an item is out of stock, says Linda Dillman, Wal-Mart's chief information ... In RFID, Wal-Mart is running a little behind some of its international ...