Achieve Breakthrough Performance Through RFID Radio Frequency Identification and Auto-ID Technology.
Fools take on Intel and RFID technology in the blood supply chain. ...
... "RFID technology could also reduce waiting time, errors, and blood-type mismatches by strengthening quality control and logistics systems. " ...
Labels: blood-tracking, intel, logistics, motley-fool, quality-control, rfid-technology, traceability
US Army's Product Manager, Joint - Automatic Identification Technology (PM J-AIT) implements MicroStrategy Business Intelligence Platform to provide analytics for logistics data from radio frequency identification (RFID) solution created by Unisys Corp. ...
... "The Radio Frequency In-Transit Visibility (RF-ITV) program provides government and contractor personnel across four continents with instant access to critical information on military cargo, equipment, and supplies. MicroStrategy software was selected to improve the ability to access and analyze data, and provide better decisions to enhance the Department of Defense's worldwide logistics tracking system. Timely access to mission-critical information will enable decision makers throughout the logistics pipeline to plan, prioritize, and redirect logistics operations to improve warfighter readiness. " ...
Labels: army, business-intelligence, department-of-defense, enabler, in-transit, logistics, rfid, solution, visibility
Accellos completes RFID consortium initiative to address emerging RFID requirements of the third-party logistics (3PL) market in the freezer, cooler and dry warehousing environments. ...
... "The purpose of the project was to develop RFID Slap and Ship capability that meets the compliance requirements of specific retailers. The RFID consortium, a best of breed group comprised of manufacturers, operators and system integrators was a unique approach to enhancing the Accellos Enterprise 3PL product, with each member of the RFID consortium having an equal vote in all project related decisions. " ...
Labels: 3pl, accellos, cold-chain, consortium, logistics, project, requirement, retail, slap-and-ship
The NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) contracts with Savi Technology to implement Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based solutions for consignment tracking and management solutions through pre-authorized sourcing. ...
... "The contract, announced today at the opening of the 2007 Paris Air Show, simplifies and centralizes the process for NATO nations to place orders for Savi Technology's networked solutions through the NAMSA procurement process. There are no limits to the size or amount of orders that can be placed through NAMSA. The Savi SmartChain Consignment Management Solution (CMS) is compliant with NATO Standardization Agreements (STANAGS) for consignment management, and already is used by NATO, several member nations and other coalition defense forces worldwide. NATO Force Goal 4052 also recognizes the importance of member nations to have supply chain visibility and interoperability through STANAG-based consignment management systems for greater collaboration in multi-national logistics operations. The contract was awarded to Savi Technology to facilitate the process of gaining real-time visibility of consignments for NATO member and Partner for Peace nations in their own supply chains as well as when collaborating with other nations to transport critical supplies. Centralizing the logistics procurement process through NAMSA helps control costs and quality while promoting the use of standardized solutions for the operational readiness of NATO forces. " ...
Labels: consignment, goal-4052, logistics, namsa, nato, procurement, quality-control, savi, solution
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awards Unisys its follow-on contract to enhance supply chain visibility for military logistics. ...
... "The contract, which includes firm fixed-price and time and materials work, is worth approximately $28 million in the first year, if the government continues to order time and materials work at the current level. The total value of the contract could be approximately $112 million if the government exercises all options and continues to order time and materials work at the current level. In addition, the contract provides for the award of additional fees if performance metrics are exceeded and the imposition of penalties if the metrics are not met. Award of this contract allows Unisys to continue its efforts on the RFID program that began 13 years ago. Unisys has been working with DoD to develop, maintain and enhance an in-transit visibility system utilizing radio frequency identification technology. Providing visibility almost instantaneously into the location of supplies and shipments enables the military to increase its agility to supply units and soldiers with critical supplies in a timely manner, focus on mission-critical activities and respond quickly to mission changes.
Unisys tracks approximately 125,000 shipments of supplies each week, including ammunition, food/rations and water, medical supplies, vehicles, vehicle parts and aircraft. Attached to these shipments are RFID tags that store information vital to the soldier. Unisys tracks shipments across all modes of transportation - truck, rail, ship and air - to their final destinations in combatant commands worldwide. Fixed and handheld readers send and receive radio signals to and from the tags. Because data written to each tag are replicated among five servers, users worldwide have access to the same information on each item. Consequently, decision-makers at all levels of command and throughout the logistics supply chain can plan, prioritize and redirect shipments accordingly and collaboratively. " ...
Labels: collaboration, contract, department-of-defense, dod, in-transit, logistics, military, rfid-network, shipment-tracking, supply-chain, unisys, visibility, win
Shanghai-Savannah Express Trade Lane Project will use RFID technology to manage this supply chain route. ...
... "SIPG and Savi Networks have jointly developed a localized China RFID solution which includes electronic seal and GPS integrated handheld for this project. This solution builds on a project previously conducted by SIPG from Shanghai to Yantai and will facilitate SIPG's objective of being a global information and logistics hub. The solution will be built upon an open, international standards-based network platform, including compatibility with ISO standard 18000-7 for active RFID devices and ISO standard 18185 for electronic container security devices, both operating at the 433.92 MHz radio frequency. " ...
Labels: cargo-security, iso-18185, logistics, port-of-savannah, port-of-shanghai, rfid, savi, security, solution, supply-chain, trade
DHL is recognized for innovative application of RFID technology in the pharma supply chain. ...
... "Today's pharmaceutical products generally consist of temperature-sensitive ingredients that can lose their effectiveness when they are placed in an environment that is too cold or too hot. The DHL Innovation Initiative developed an inventive solution to monitor temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products during transport. RFID sensor tags made by the development partner Infratab monitor the temperature of pharmaceutical shipments. The stored measurement data can be read by a RFID reader without physical contact using radio waves. In the process, the shipment does not have to be opened. The link to the database is handled by solutions created by IBM, one of the global innovation partners of the DHL Innovation Initiative. Thanks to the new service, pharmaceutical companies can react to temperatures that exceed or fall below limits even while the shipment is still being transported.
The battery-powered memory chip is equipped with an integrated alarm function that records each time that the temperature rises above or falls below predetermined limits. In the future, unusable medications can be removed more quickly from the supply chain. Based on the temperatures to which the shipment was subjected, the sensor chip also determines the individual expiration date for medications. As a result, physicians and pharmacists can distribute the medication whose expiration date comes first, preventing medications from going bad after they have left the transport chain. " ...
Labels: active-rfid, alarm, cold-chain, dhl, ibm, infratab, logistics, medication, pharma, radio-tags, rfid, solution, supply-chain, temperature-sensor
Horizon Lines implements RFID technology to better manage logistics across multiple modes of transportation. ...
... "To overcome the lack of highway readers, the company placed so-called active RFID tags, which use an internal power source to contact readers, on 5100 containers. " ...
Labels: active-rfid, activerfid, container, intermodal, logistics, rfid, rfid-company, rfid-tags, rfid-technology, technology, transportation
Datatrac adds Radio Frequency Identification Data (RFID) collection capabilities to the eTrac shipment tracking system in partnership with Psion Teklogix and KonaWare to enable real-time track and trace capabilities for logistics. ...
... "By leveraging cutting-edge RFID equipped handheld computers from Psion Teklogix and KonaWare's Mobility Platform, Datatrac's eTrac system automatically tracks complete shipment information in real-time from order entry through delivery, invoicing, reconciliation and settlement. Users can now track packages with increased accuracy and obtain specific shipment custody information. Moreover, the RFID capabilities work seamlessly with existing Datatrac systems. " ...
Labels: accuracy, data, datatrac, edge, enabler, etrac, info, information, konaware, logistics, mobility, partnership, psion-teklogix, rfid, rfid-technology, rfid-transportation, rfidsystem, software, solution, system, technology, track-trace, tracking, transportation
... "Once that pallet passes through a specific point at a shipping dock, then the tag is read and the contents of the data loaded earlier gets processed into the enterprise software. This in turn will generate invoices, initiate courier tracking, adjusts inventories, initiates material purchases to name just some of the impact RFID can have for your day-to-day business. Gone too are many of the headaches associated with bottlenecks in the shipping process such as verifying shipments against the bill-of-lading while drivers queue up for their pick-ups, the potential for human error in getting the wrong product on the wrong truck. " ...
Labels: data, distribution, logistics, manufacturing, news, product, rfid-news, rfid-technology, shipment-tracking, shipping, shipping-process, software, supply-chain, technology, tracking, truck, ups, warehouse
DHL develops RFID sensor tag with IBM and partners in the pharmaceutical industry. The RFID sensor tag is used successfully in the overseas transport of diagnostic material and vaccines. ...
... "A special RFID sensor tag controls and documents the temperature of items throughout transport. The measuring data are available at every read point so that senders, recipients and inspectors alike can check the condition of the products at any time. After all, fluctuations in temperature outside of the recommended range can have a negative effect on the lifespan of medical products such as vaccines. The new sensor tag is a combination of temperature sensor and RFID radio chip. It permits continuous monitoring and recording of a pre-defined temperature range as well as read-out of the data at any time, without having to open the shipment. Thanks to the sensor's special design, it can be attached especially close to the product, not just on the inside of the packaging as before. In addition, the current lifespan of the product can be calculated and read out at any time. This was previously possible only at the end of a transport. " ...
Labels: chipsheet, data, design, dhl, healthcare, ibm, ibm-rfid, ibmrfid, logistics, medical, medical-rfid, pharma, pharmaceutical, product, rfid-design, rfid-sensor, solution, temp, temperature-sensor
... "Responding to significant demand from the Korean manufacturing sector for RFID-enabled logistics and distribution capability, LS Industrial Systems will build and distribute a comprehensive RFID solution incorporating Impinj's Speedway reader platform and Monza Gen 2 tag chips. Available starting in February 2007, the LS Industrial Systems RFID solution targets Korean product distributors, manufacturing companies and government entities requiring RFID technology to improve factory automation and supply chain efficiency. " ...
Labels: country-korea, demand, efficiency, factory, gen-2, impinj, industrial, logistics, ls-industrial-systems, manufacturing, market, monza, performance, product, reader, region-asia, rfid, rfid-gen2, rfid-market, rfid-reader, rfid-solution, rfid-technology, solution, supplier, supply-chain, technology
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. " ...
Labels: adaptive-supply-chain, company, demand, enabler, flexible, info, information, integration, logistics, market, network, ocean, planning, radio-frequency-network, radio-tags, rfid, rfid-company, rfid-suppliers, rfid-tags, rfid-technology, rfid-transportation, rfid-world, sap, saprfid, shipping, smart, software, suppliers, supply-chain, tags, technology, trade, transportation, visibility
Sybase enhances its RFID Anywhere solution to support advanced services that enable context-aware locating capabilities. Location information is given a business context in applications that support asset management, access control, resource management in industries, such as logistics, healthcare, and other supply chain environments. Location information will integrate sensor technology data associated with assets. Assets will be identified and associated with fixed locations and temporal information to provide location and timing insights. Conditions can be monitored and alerts will be provided based on events. ...
... "RFID Anywhere 3.0 breaks new ground with the delivery of a context-aware Location Information System. Using RFID Anywhere, businesses can not only track assets from a range of data collection points [such as passive RFID, active RFID, real-time location systems (RTLS), barcode, global positioning systems (GPS) and environmental sensors], but can dramatically enhance the value of this data by associating environmental inputs (e.g., temperature) along with the location data. In addition, the RFID Anywhere 3.0 Location Information System exposes its complete feature set via a rich service oriented architecture (SOA) web services layer allowing organizations to easily transform static business information into business-aware intelligence. " ...
Labels: access-control, active-rfid, activerfid, applications, architecture, asset-management, barcode, context-aware, data, enabler, framework, gps, healthcare, info, information, infrastructure, itservices, location, location-tracking, logistics, network, passive, passive-rfid, radio-frequency-network, rfid, rfid-anywhere, rfid-deployment, rfid-technology, rfidsystem, rtls, services, solution, supply-chain, sybase, system, technology, temp, value
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." ...
Labels: active-rfid, activerfid, battery, center, city-hong-kong, container, country-germany, data, data-center, electronic-product-code, epc, epc-electronic-product-code, epc-global, europe, graphic, info, information, inventory-management, location, logistics, metro, metro-rfid, network, passive, passive-rfid, performance, port-of-duisburg, port-of-hong-kong, port-of-rotterdam, port-security, ports, product, project, radio-frequency-network, radio-tags, reader, region-asia, region-europe, retail, rfid, rfid-pilot, rfid-reader, rfid-tags, rfid-technology, savi, savi-network, savitrak, security, supply-chain, tags, technology, visibility, wireless
Nissan implements a continuous improvement initiative to target vehicle labor cost reduction, increase logistics throughput accelerating customer service, and enhance vehicle quality through defect elimination early in the product lifecycle. The initiative will be enabled by a wireless architecture and active RFID technology in the Nissan Canton MS manufacturing facility, supplied by WhereNet. ...
... "As part of a continuous improvement initiative at its four-million square foot assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, Nissan will leverage a single wireless architecture to run multiple WhereNet applications, including the WhereSoft Yard Management System (YMS) and Vehicle Tracking and Management System (VTMS), to improve production velocity and throughput, labor productivity, and vehicle quality. Nissan's Canton assembly plant has the capacity to produce 400,000 vehicles per year, including the Altima sedan, Armada full-size sport utility vehicle, Infiniti QX56 full-size sport utility vehicle, Quest minivan, and Titan full-size pickup truck.
Deploying the WhereNet single wireless infrastructure over the entire Canton complex will take less than 90 days. The hardware consists of 1500 active RFID WhereTag transmitters, which are temporarily attached to new vehicles as they roll off the assembly line as part of the WhereNet VTMS system; 700 WhereTag transmitters that are permanently fixed to trailers belonging to Nissan's dedicated suppliers or temporarily attached to others as part of the WhereSoft YMS application; 120 WherePort magnetic exciters positioned between gates and at key choke points across the complex; and a local infrastructure of 80 wireless WhereLAN locating access points.
Nissan also plans to deploy the WhereNet automated gate check-in/out solution known as Fast Gate that supports 24x7 sequenced parts deliveries from Nissan suppliers. Fast Gate senses when a truck is approaching the gate; cross-references detailed information about the truck in a database; and, if authorized, automatically opens the gate to grant entry. Then, based on business rules loaded into the WhereSoft yard management application, the system instructs drivers and yard personnel to deliver the inbound load to the appropriate dock door for just-in-time sequencing of parts based on the assembly line build plan for that work shift.
When new vehicles roll off the Nissan assembly line, each vehicle is assigned an active RFID WhereTag transmitter that is married to the vehicle identification number (VIN). The WhereTag remains on the vehicle until it has been processed and is ready to ship to its final destination. Nissan uses the WhereNet VTMS in off-line areas to manage post-assembly verification and test processes, as well as quality repair, containment and shipping zones. The system includes a logical hierarchy of rules that manages the processing of every vehicle in accordance with its assigned status so that critical orders are processed before lower-priority units. " ...
Labels: active-rfid, activerfid, applications, architecture, assembly, automotive, city-canton-ms, cost, country-usa, customer-service, dock-door, grant, hardware, info, information, infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing, news, nissan, product, production, rfid-application, rfid-news, rfid-suppliers, rfid-tags, rfid-technology, rfidsystem, roll-out, shipping, solution, state-mississippi, suppliers, supply-chain, system, tags, technology, tracking, truck, vehicle, wherenet, wireless
The future of logistics involves RFID smart cargo ...
... "First, it will be intelligent, or smart, meaning that it can provide detailed information about its location and the condition of its cargo at all times, through the use of RFID. " ...
Labels: future, info, information, location, logistics, smart
Intelleflex RFID tags can be used by logistics companies and in manufacturing in long-range, battery-assisted mode for real-time inventory tracking of assemblies in the warehouses. The RFID system can automatically generate a proof of shipment when assemblies are shipped. When used in maintenance operations in passive mode, companies can realize significant benefits from having actionable manufacturing and repair history data in the 64Kb user memory of the RFID tag at the point of use. ...
... "Intelleflex's InfoSure tags and the I-Beam reader are multi-protocol, ensuring global interoperability using EPC standards. InfoSure tags can be used as passive C1G2 tags with any other C1G2 reader or used in the battery-assisted passive mode at long ranges with the I-Beam reader. InfoSure tags offer up to 100-meter read/write range in free space, which translates to 100 percent read/write reliability at standard working ranges in industrial environments. They also offer 64 kb user memory, which is segmented into 1 kb blocks so they can be independently protected for read/write access through passwords. The I-Beam reader can read any EPC C1G2 tag as well as the Class 3 InfoSure tag. Initial product shipments of both the tags and readers are targeted for asset management, yard management, manufacturing and zonal access control applications. " ...
Labels: access-control, applications, assembly, asset-management, battery, benefits, card, data, epc, epc-global, history, industrial, interoperability, inventory-management, logistics, long-range, manufacturing, passive, passive-rfid, passive-tag, passivetag, product, reader, rfid-reader, rfid-tags, rfidsystem, standard, system, tags, tracking
