German retail giant Metro is six months away
from completing an
RFID rollout spanning 200 locations, making it the biggest RFID
rollout in Europe.
The company is deploying tagging technology from
Reva systems, which builds radio frequency identification
(RFID) network infrastructure, in a rollout which promises to save
the company an estimated £5.7m annually.
Gerd Wolfram, managing director of MGI
Metro Group Information Technology, said, “We are moving RFID
out of the innovation labs and into working retail stores.”
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.
A spokesman for Metro said, “The main benefit of RFID is to enhance
our logistic process.” Metro will be using Reva’s Tag Acquisition
Processor (Tap) to improve the efficiency of its supply chain.
Metro is using pallet and case level tagging for tracking goods in
its warehouses. This process is used to tell Metro what goods are
in its warehouses and when they were received.
The Reva Tap product will be used to manage the distributed network
of RFID installations, to produce accurate data from each site, and
to provide rapid feedback. It will be used to control RFID readers
in Metro’s facilities, process raw tag data, and determine tag
locations in difficult environments. The Tap product has been
designed to eliminate duplicate tag readings, which is useful in
areas such as loading docks in order to provide operators with
feedback validating goods shipped and received.
Metro’s RFID Innovation Center, which has been running since in
2004, provides an information and development platform showing how
RFID technology can be integrated into retail IT. The innovation
centre includes a test area and over 40 systems including RFID used
in order picking, warehouse management, at home and in the
supermarket.
Marks & Spencer extends RFID technology to 120 stores
>>
Metro demonstrates next generation RFID system >>
Metro Group >>
Reva Systems: Tag Acquisition Processor >>
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