WalMart RFID Program Proposes Acceleration

WalMart provides update on its RFID program and seeks to influence the market on adoption. ...

... "WalMart has implemented RFID in 1,000 of its 6,500 stores and clubs, covering 200,000 items, manufactured by about 600 participating suppliers, said Myron Burke, strategy manager of WalMart's store innovations and operations group in a keynote speech at the event." ...

Via CNN: WalMart RFID

RFID Research in Retail Supply Chain

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals funds RFID research. ...

... "Hardgrave's research team has already been collaborating with WalMart Stores Inc. in the use of RFID at the pallet and case level, and found that using the tags can reduce out-of-stock inventory by 30 percent. " ...

Via The Morning News: RFID Lab

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

Walmart RFID WSJ Incomplete Picture of Benefits

Dean Frew, President and CEO of Xterprise, responds to negative article in WSJ that criticized WalMart's RFID program alleging that WalMart is not realizing the benefits originally proposed. ...

... "It is always interesting to me that journalists like Mr. McWilliams write about the same three companies when covering RFID. Beaver Creek, Blyth and Thomasville. These companies together account for about 100,000 cases of RFID enabled product shipped per year out of >100 million cases shipped to Wal-Mart in 2006. Why did Mr. McWilliams not talk with Proctor & Gamble they have publicly talked about their RFID successes and ship millions of RFID-enabled cases of product annually? A number of our clients are each shipping over 1 Million tags a year to Wal-Mart alone and we have seen multiple of our clients that are seeing significant value in managing of promotions. Just because they are not talking about it, does not mean they are gaining value. It is unfortunate when the largest most respected global business publication leads the Market section with such a negative one-sided story with so much wrong information and without any commentary from the subject company. " ...

Via Xterprise: Letter to the Editor (PDF) ...

Schiff RFID Pilot Tests Technology Across Value Chain

Schiff Nutrition tests RFID technology in a pilot phase, with intention to realize benefits across its value chain with partners and customers. ...

... "Schiff Nutrition International, a U.S.-based manufacturer of vitamins and nutritional supplements, and IBM announced a new Radio Frequency Identification pilot to better anticipate current and future customer needs and improve efficiency. This makes Schiff the first mid-size manufacturer to execute such a program, giving it a competitive advantage in the market and illustrating that RFID is sustainable for small- and medium-sized businesses. After researching RFID technology, Schiff turned to IBM Global Services and Business Partner, OATSystems, for the initial design, testing and implementation of their RFID infrastructure. Remaining compliant with retailer mandates while also having a strategic vision of extended uses of the technology, Schiff required an RFID partner with deep expertise in integration and open standards. " ...

Via IBM: IBM Wins First of a Kind RFID Project for SMB, Schiff Nutrition ...

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 Savings Program: Discounted Rates ...

... "The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) announced a new program designed to help member companies implement Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID) and save money at the same time. AAFA has signed an agreement with Avery Dennison – Retail Information Services, a leading supplier of labels, tickets, and tags to the Apparel & Footwear industry, to provide sharply discounted rates for RFID labels to AAFA member companies. These rates are available exclusively to AAFA members who are producers and providers of apparel and footwear products. Under the agreement, Avery Dennison will provide Gen 1 RFID labels as well as the new Gen 2 AD-220 label. AAFA members that need to meet RFID requirements can use these labels for shipments to customers such as WalMart, Target, and the Department of Defense. Minimum orders can be as low as 5,000 labels. " ...

RFID Savings Program: Discounted Rates: Via American Apparel and Footwear Association: AAFA and Avery Dennison Launch New RFID Savings Program (RSP) for AAFA Members ...

Avery Dennison - Retail Information Services provides a global offering of information management, brand identification and solution-enabling products. Brand identification products include woven and printed fabric labels, heat transfers, graphic tags, integrated bar code tags, leather patches, sock bands, size stickers . . . and more. Among the company's Information management products are RFID and bar code price tickets, and carton and pallet labels; webenabled order entry systems; and the InfoChain Express supply chain management solution. Solution enabling products include RFID printers and print/apply systems, bar-code printers, heat-transfer bonders, molded plastic fastening and application devices, anti-counterfeiting and diversion tools. The organization operates ticketing centers and service bureaus in 35 countries and maintains mature, highly reliable global distribution processes throughout Asia, North and South America, Europe and Africa. Avery Dennison Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and member of EPCglobal.

WalMart Dillman RFID Push ...

Walmart continues to grow and expand. Expect it to push further in the adoption of RFID technology. Linda Dillman keeps the pressure on. ...

... "Another 200 suppliers were to come on board the RFID train this month. As if to show how important the technology is to WalMart, Dillman recently said that the company won't invest any more time in those suppliers who drag their feet in complying with the RFID program. " ...

WalMart Dillman RFID Push: Via The Morning News :: Business Page: Expansion Always In WalMart's Future ...

KimberlyClark Walmart RFID Program ...

Anita French reports on the community involvement of Kimberly-Clark, who is also a top Wal-Mart supplier and part of the Walmart RFID program.

KimberlyClark Walmart RFID Program: Via The Morning News; Kimberly-Clark Considers Itself Community Partner ...

... "The very first product scanned at the RFID testing program in Dallas was a Kimberly-Clark product, Dunning said. We're very involved with RFID and supplier-chain issues. " ...

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. " ...

WalMart RFID Program Expands in 2006

Walmart works with suppliers to expand scope of RFID program in 2006. Mark Roberti provides status update on the Walmart RFID program and their near term plans.

WalMart RFID Program Expands in 2006: Via RFID Journal: WalMart To Expand RFID Tagging Requirement ...

... "WalMart announced that it would continue its rollout during 2006, doubling the number of its RFID-enabled stores, as well as RFID-enabling the distribution centers servicing those stores. " ...

WalMart RFID Program Benefits ...

Walmart is beginning to accrue benefits from its investment in RFID technology. Laurie Sullivan provides update on Walmart's RFID-enabled stores and the inventory management benefits that they are measuring, which includes significant improvements in stock-outs ...

WalMart RFID Program Benefits: Via InformationWeek: WalMart RFID Trial: WalMart RFID Trial Shows 16% Reduction In Product Stock-Outs ...

... "Researchers found a 16% reduction in out-of-stock merchandise at WalMart stores equipped with RFID labels using EPC codes. The study also shows that out-of-stock items with RFID were replenished three times faster than items using standard bar-code technology. " ...

WalMart RFID Program: June 2005 Through January 2006

Wal-Mart Stores

... "June 2005: Live in up to six distribution centers Live in up to 250 WalMart stores and SAM'S CLUB locations; October 2005: Live in up to 13 distribution centers Live in up to 600 Wal-Mart stores and SAM'S CLUB locations; January 2006: Next top 200 suppliers begin tagging cases and pallets; The retailer is currently working with suppliers to determine in which geographical region the expanded EPC implementation will occur. Wal-Mart launched its initial implementation on April 30 in the North Texas area. Cases and pallets of 21 products from eight suppliers are being shipped to Wal-Mart's Sanger, Texas, distribution center and then onward to seven local Supercenters with radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags attached. This technology allows retailers greater inventory visibility from supplier to distribution center to a store's backroom. Wal-Mart initially announced its EPC initiative in June 2003. " ...

Zebra Aligns With Walmart RFID Program in Web Cast ...

Zebra Aligns With Walmart in Web Cast: Zebra Technologies' RFID Strategy Aligns With Wal-Mart Vision of ...

Zebra and Walmart collaborate on RFID strategy web seminar ...

From PR Newswire (press release) Zebra Advances RFID Adoption With Dynamic On-Demand Printing Solutions and Strategic Partnerships VERNON HILLS, Ill., Zebra ...

... Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a global leader in on-demand printing solutions for business improvement, continues to reinforce its leadership position in the rapid progression towards radio frequency identification (RFID) implementation in manufacturing and distribution supply chains. As a featured co-sponsor of the recent Xtalks Webcast, "Making a Difference," with keynote speaker Simon Langford, Wal-Mart's manager of RFID strategy, Zebra once again joined with other industry leaders to advance RFID adoption for retailer compliance mandates and leverage RFID implementation to foster internal process improvements that lead to greater efficiency, productivity, and customer service, while reducing operating costs and enhancing return on investment. ...

Zebra Technologies Corp. (Nasdaq: ZBRA) delivers innovative and reliable on-demand printing solutions for business improvement and security applications in 90 countries around the world. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Zebra-brand printers. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra-brand thermal bar code, "smart" label, receipt, and card printers, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs, and better customer service. The company has sold more than four million printers, including RFID printer/encoders and wireless mobile solutions, and also offers software, connectivity solutions and printing supplies.

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 ...

Walmart RFID Program: Walmart RFID Radio Tags Will Take Time ...

Walmart RFID Program: Walmart RFID Radio Tags Will Take Time, According to Barnaby J. Feder of the New York Times ...

New York Times' Barnaby Feder reports that ...

... RFID technology is not quite ready for prime-time use by Walmart and its suppliers due to a variety of reasons: unreliable read-rates, lack of automation for RFID label application, and poor integration with supply chain systems. Walmart continues to work closely with its suppliers to learn through this rollout. Industry analysts are not as confident, citing compliance as the primary motivator in the Walmart RFID program ...

Walmart RFID: Dillman Testimony

From The Committee on Energy and Commerce ...

... "Wal-Mart was the first retailer to join MIT's AUTO-ID Center in 1999. We, along with others, funded research on the potential of using RFID in the retail and consumer packaged goods sector. We began testing in 2000 and after reviewing the state of this technology in 2001, we created our own RFID lab in Rogers, Arkansas. We did our own research in addition to supporting the AUTO-ID Center. We consulted with experts. We reviewed RFID uses already in place. We did all of this to determine whether this technology could help us solve the merchandise availability issue. We recognized after reviewing RFID that it had the potential to significantly help reduce out-of-stock conditions through the introduction of what has now become known as an Electronic Product Code or EPC. In June 2003, convinced that it could, we challenged our top 100 suppliers -- representing some of the most innovative companies in America -- to begin using RFID tags on cases and pallets of products destined for our three North Texas distribution centers by January 2005. These distribution centers ship products to 150 of approximately 3500 Wal-Mart stores. It is important to note that we chose to focus on case- and pallet-level tagging. We did not, and are not, requesting item-level tagging. We believe this challenge not only set direction for a new era in merchandise availability but also spawned a new market for technology companies, both those long established and others in their infancy, to be at the forefront of this revolutionary effort. Since Wal-Mart announced its EPC goals, other retailers, such as Albertsons and Target, have announced similar projects as well. The U. S. Department of Defense has also announced a similar RFID initiative. On April 30, 2004, Wal-Mart moved EPCs from the laboratory environment to an actual field pilot program" ...

RFID Investment ROI: SeeBeyond to Highlight Value of Comprehensive Framework in ...

From Business Wire (press release), CA ... 18th at 10:00 am (PST) / 1:00 pm (EST) highlighting how organizations can accelerate the ROI from their radio frequency identification (RFID) investments. ...

Most companies are working to understand the return on investment (ROI) from RFID. Walmart sees a significant ROI from their RFID compliance program. ...

... EPCglobal Solution Provider To Host Webinar: "RFID: The Next Big Thing?" SeeBeyond (Nasdaq:SBYN), provider of the world's first fully integrated composite application network suite (SeeBeyond ICAN) for advanced integration and composite application solutions, today announced that it will host a webinar on Thursday, November 18th at 10:00 a.m. (PST) / 1:00 p.m. (EST) highlighting how organizations can accelerate the ROI from their radio frequency identification (RFID) investments. ...

Based on 15 years of software innovation and real-world experience in integrating systems across Global 2000 organizations, SeeBeyond (Nasdaq: SBYN) delivers the industry's first integrated composite application network built on a comprehensive integration platform. Beyond eAI, the SeeBeyond(R) Integrated Composite Application Network Suite(TM) helps organizations rapidly assemble and deploy enterprise-scale end-user applications built on existing systems and infrastructure to dramatically improve business operations. SeeBeyond has nearly 1,950 customers worldwide, including ABN Amro, BHP Billiton, The Cleveland Clinic, The Dial Corporation, DuPont, Florida Power & Light, Fluor Daniel, Fujitsu, General Motors, Halliburton, Hertz Corporation, HP, Lockheed Martin, Pfizer, Samsung, Sprint, Sutter Health and UnitedHealth Group. For more information, please visit www.seebeyond.com. Powered by the SeeBeyond Integrated Composite Application Network (SeeBeyond ICAN) Suite, the SeeBeyond RFID Composite Application Network was architected with key input from several Fortune 500 customers and solution partners who sit at the forefront of driving the adoption of RFID solutions. Optimized for the data intensive needs of RFID, the SeeBeyond RFID Composite Application Network is the first service-oriented RFID network to provide the infrastructure customers need to rapidly deploy end-to-end RFID initiatives today, while providing the architecture to support evolving RFID standards and process needs of the future.

Walmart RFID: Reference Testimony of Linda Dillman, EVP and CIO, Walmart ...

From the Committee on Energy and Commerce ... ... comments to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection concerning the expansion of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology into new industries and the potential impact on consumers ...

Testimony of Ms. Linda M. Dillman, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 702 SW 8th Street, Bentonville, AR, 72716 provided to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection ...

... RFID that it had the potential to significantly help reduce out-of-stock conditions through the introduction of what has now become known as an Electronic Product Code or EPC. In June 2003, convinced that it could, we challenged our top 100 suppliers -- representing some of the most innovative companies in America -- to begin using RFID tags on cases and pallets of products destined for our three North Texas distribution centers by January 2005. These distribution centers ship products to 150 of approximately 3500 Wal-Mart stores. It is important to note that we chose to focus on case- and pallet-level tagging. ...

Linda Dillman testimony continues ...

... On April 30, 2004, Wal-Mart moved EPCs from the laboratory environment to an actual field pilot program. Currently, cases and pallets of 21 products (1) from eight suppliers (2) destined for one distribution center and seven Supercenters (3) in North Texas are being tagged. At our Sanger, Texas, distribution center, we have placed readers at our receiving doors, above our conveyor belt systems, and at our shipping doors. At the seven Supercenters, we have placed readers at the receiving doors, at strategic points throughout the stores’ backrooms, at the door to the sales floor, and at the trash compactor. There are no readers on the sales floor, at the check stands, or at customer entryways or exits. ...

Lastly, Dillman testimony concludes with ...

... During 2004 to 2006, Wal-Mart will continue to focus on case-and pallet-level tagging. However, because some cases also serve as consumer packaging (4), there will be instances where a consumer could purchase a product which bears an RFID tag. We currently have three products in our pilot program -- two HP printers and one HP scanner -- where this is the case. These tags are on the outermost packaging of the product and, adhering to EPCglobal privacy guidelines, are marked with an EPCglobal symbol. ...

Walmart RFID Compliance References

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology: What the Future Holds for Commerce, Security, and the Consumer
The Committee on Energy and Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2927