According to a rather less than complimentary piece about RFID in Fierce CIO, there is an RFID vulnerability assessment report which talks about the problems with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) systems.
You can view the article here and the vulnerability assessment here
]]>Savvy watchers have always concluded that it is simply not a case of bar codes v RFID, because the two will co-exist for some time yet. While the article doesn't tell us much more "about why RFID is not completely there" (in the retail world) - it does have significant traction in other sectors - the piece does give a useful summary of the thought processes affecting the packaging industry.
Ultimately, I wonder whether the choice of bar codes or RFID will ultimately also be impacted by the green argument, with a desire for more environmentally-friendly packaging - or simply less "wrap-around" altogether. This is an area, I'm sure, that the packaging industry, together with retailers, is already addressing in its future planning, especially with the Courtauld Commitment in mind. The Courtauld Commitment has an ultimate target of decreasing the amount of packaging waste by 2010.
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The work, by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, is tackling the problems companies face when sharing the information they collect via RFID. The project, known as Ko-RFID, began nearly two years ago, and runs until September next year.
You can read details of the project on RFID Journal here
The project is part of the German Government's Next Generation Media Programme
]]>The potential applications could transform retailing, the EU suggests. For example, if one product is selling well at store A, but selling badly at store B, RFID-powered inventory systems could initiate the transfer of the product from one store to another.
The Sixth Framework Programme-funded SMART project will go into phase one of its testing from October where it will be running two test scenarios in two pilot phases for RFID retail applications. The first phase of the pilots will test the back-office functions, while the second will put more emphasis on consumer aspects.
The first test involves stock tracking and activity monitoring for promoted goods, such as bath foam. The supplier is able to monitor shelf and backroom inventory for the promoted product, sales location, consumer preferences for gifts and so on, making adjustments to promotion activities while the event is still running.
The second test involves an automatic discounting system for products - specifically, meat - that is nearing its expiry date.
Once the results are back from the initial pilot phase, SMART will integrate the indicated improvements in the system and then run a second pilot test in the first half of 2009.
Here are a couple of links for more information:
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What's interesting about it is the proposed use of EPCIS, EPCglobal's Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard, which allows the sharing of RFID data across and between enterprises.
You can read Cliff's story here. I think the key point is that there has been little use in anger so far of EPCIS, though admittedly, it is still pretty early days for organisations in understanding how to use the standard.
Galeria Kaufhof, part of the Metro Group in Germany has been trialling it, but the number of live sites is pretty small. I'd bet that this is a good showcase example for IBM of what can be achieved through EPCIS, but it would be some way from full implementation yet.
]]> ]]>Clearly, given that RFID is already finding its way as an application into hospitals this study needs to be followed up. The idea that international standards need to be updated may be a concern, given the glacial pace at which standards usually move. I would guess there would need to be wider studies confirming the RFID electromagnetic interference issue on medical equipment before much will happen on the standards front.
]]>Incidentally, the line up for this year's RFID Europe event is available on the IDTechEx website. One presentation that will be interesting is that of James Stafford, now with his Avery Dennison hat on as Head of RFID Adoption, following his move to the supply-side from Marks & Spencer last Autumn.
]]>It's probably only a precursor for even wackier ideas to follow that will show RFID intersecting with everyone's lives in a fun, non-threatening way, all allied to the use of an RFID tag/chip that we'll probably come to take for granted as much as we now do the bar code.
]]> I'm grateful to Gizmodo (via RFID News) for this example of an RFID-enabled robotic chair which works when you swipe your RFID library card in front of the chair's sensor. The chair - or even chair(s) - will then follow you, Pied-Piper-like - around the library.The idea, from the Dutch designer Jelte van Geest's for Openbare Bibliotheek Eindhoven is not the first and certainly won't be the last cool RFID application to emerge - but it's probably one of the best. And if you want one of these at home, it's probably only a matter of time before you can get one from Ikea!
]]>The pilot, which was supported by the Japanese Ministry of Trade and Economics (METI) and members of the Transportation and Logistics Industry Action Group, involved two shipments of three containers, each carrying 40 pallets. The project, one of the first of its kind, involved the shipment of parts such as tyres and finished goods, including laptops, from source locations in China to distribution centres in the US, with the goods flowing through two ports: Shanghai and Los Angeles.
What does the pilot prove? According to EPCglobal president Chris Adcock, it demonstrates that the use of EPCIS, coupled with other EPCglobal standards, can enable visibility across multiple business layers for stakeholders across global supply chains. Adcock says the pilot means "Companies can improve supply chain execution and cut costs through real-time asset management, while some retailers can increase revenue by reducing out-of-stocks."
According to Tom Escott, president of Schneder Logistics, the pilot has helped define "the art of the possible from a transportation and logistics business value perspective."
The trial is now moving into Phase 3, and will involve more parts and finished products as well as additional trading partners from different regions.
The companies involved in the pilot were: Alien Technology, Allumis, Confidex, DHL, GlobeRanger, iControl, Motorola, NEC, NTT, NTT Comware, NYK Logistics, Oracle, Sato, Savi, Schneider National, Sense Technology, Toppan Forms and Printing, and UPM Raflatec.
There is some background on EPCIS here, and some FAQs about EPCIS here
]]>It is also the subject of an RFID Journal blog post
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