12:00

Preconference seminars open/working lunch

Working Lunch: RFID Basics
This session is designed for all preconference seminar attendees who want to gain the foundational knowledge of RFID needed to engage vendors and begin to develop a business case. The differences between the various classes of tags will be explained, including active and passive systems. The need for additional IT systems to build upon RFID in real-world applications will be highlighted. The session also includes a very brief overview of the EPCglobal Network, the future of ISO standards, ETSI reader regulations and the latest standardization efforts worldwide. Finally, the relationship between different standards in the area of RFID and EPC, including the latest EPC generation 2 standard, will be presented.

13:15

Preconference seminars continue in breakout rooms

      RFID Journal University
      EPC Training

17:00

Preconference Seminars End

08:00

Continental Breakfast

08:30

Welcome and Introduction

09:15

Opening Keynote:
Using RFID to Enhance Your Competitive Edge

It's essential for companies to develop an RFID strategy that supports their overall business strategy, whether that plan is to provide goods at the lowest cost, to deliver the correct product at the right price at the proper time, or to offer the best customer service and experience. In this session, learn how one major European company developed its RFID strategy, and how it supports the firm's overall goals while providing strategic advantages over the company's competitors.

Takeaways:

• How to develop the best RFID strategies
• Insights into how RFID can be employed to enhance a competitive advantage

10:00

General Session:
Leveraging RFID Data for Real-Time Benefits

It's not enough to deploy tags and readers. Companies must also create an RFID infrastructure enabling them to capture data in real time, and to quickly act on that information to achieve business benefits. In this session, learn how to build an RFID infrastructure so your company can cost-effectively manage and use RFID data, as well as share it with supply chain partners.

Takeaways:

• Strategies for turning RFID reads into useful information that employees can act on in real time
• Tips for building a cost-effective RFID infrastructure that can scale with your deployment

10:45

General Session:
RFID Transforms 3PL's Operations

One of Europe's largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers deployed RFID at a newly opened distribution center in an effort to streamline operations and gain a competitive edge. Since the system went live in November 2007, the company has seen reductions of 30 percent in the time it takes to put away pallets, 50 percent in stock-taking, 80 percent in shipping errors and the cost to rectify those errors, and 25 percent in overtime. Learn how the system works, and how your company can achieve similar savings.

Takeaways:

• How to deploy RFID cost-effectively in a distribution center
• Insights into where RFID can deliver value in distribution centers

11:15

General Session:
European Adoption of EPC Standards Gathers Momentum

RFID technologies based on EPCglobal standards are delivering value in numerous industries across Europe, including aerospace, automotive, consumer packaged goods and retailing. This session will examine key hardware and software standards, exploring how companies in Europe are using them to cut costs and boost sales.

Takeaways:

• An understanding of the progress being made in EPC standards
• Insights into the competitive landscape of industries adopting EPC

12:00

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Manufacturing/Operations:
Honda Transforms Production With RFID

Honda has deployed an RFID system at its plant in Atessa, Italy, to monitor the traceability of critical components, work-in-process and inventory replenishment. By replacing its paper-based component-tracking system with an RFID solution, the firm has reduced errors and improved production efficiency. Learn how the new solution was deployed, and how it improves Honda's ability to provide suppliers with information about which parts are in stock, as well as to quickly order new materials when inventory levels are low.

Takeaways:

• How RFID can be utilized to reduce manufacturing errors and boost production
• How to share data with suppliers to better manage parts replenishment

Supply Chain/Inventory Management:
Ice Cream Maker Uses RFID to Track Temperature

Last summer, a manufacturer of ice cream used temperature-sensing battery-assisted RFID tags to monitor storage and handling conditions of its product at its factory, distribution centers and stores. Learn the results of this groundbreaking pilot, and how the company plans to move forward with a deployment.

Takeaways:

• How to use RFID to better track the temperature of products as they move through the supply chain
• The benefits of combining inventory management and cold chain compliance

Retail:
Children's Store Lets Parents Drop and Shop

At one upscale shop in the Middle East, parents can drop off their kids at an indoor playground and go shopping. Thanks to an RFID-based tracking system, parents can view their kids' location in real time at kiosks located throughout the store. Learn how this system has enabled parents to shop for longer periods of time, thereby increasing the retailer's sales.

Takeaways:

• How to deploy an RFID-based tracking system in stores
• The benefits of providing an in-store RFID-based childcare system

15:25

Movement from room to room

15:35

Sponsored Breakout Sessions

16:15

Movement from room to room

Manufacturing/Operations:
The Benefits of RFID for Slab and Coil Logistics

ThyssenKrupp Steel and Accenture are leading an initiative to align steel industry players around a common effort to use RFID to help steel makers and customers with streamlining business processes, harnessing automation more extensively and reducing costs. Learn where RFID can provide real benefits to the steel industry and how to overcome problems reading tags on metal.

Speaker:

Loïc Feinbier, Head of Competence Center RFID, ThyssenKrupp Steel AG

Takeaways:

• The benefits RFID can deliver to all players in the steel industry
• How to use RFID to track large steel assets
• Insights into the emerging standards for RFID in this industry

Supply Chain/Inventory Management:
Using RFID to Track Food from Farm to Fork

A large Scandinavian meat producer is taking advantage of RFID's potential to provide detailed product information, as well as increased visibility and efficiency. At the farm, young animals are RFID-tagged for identification and classification. At the production site, tags identify the age and origin of specific animals. And on the cutting line, meat parts are identified according to their type, weight and nutritional characteristics. Learn how the system was designed and deployed, and discover where benefits are being achieved.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of tracking food products from farm to customer
• How to create a system for tracking food across the entire supply chain

Retail:
Case Study: Retailer Reduces Time to Market With RFID

An Indian retailer has introduced one of the largest item-level RFID deployments to date. The RFID system has shortened the time it takes to receive one carton (holding 30 garments) into inventory from 5 to 8 minutes down to 25 seconds. It has also reduced the time and labor required to dispatch merchandise to the store, reduced shipping errors, lowered time to market by 10 to 15 days, and contributed to the bottom line.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of tracking unique items with RFID
• How to reduce shipping errors and increase throughput at the retail DC With RFID

17:05

Day 1 conference program concludes

08:00

Continental Breakfast

08:30

Opening Keynote:
Keynote Address

09:15

General Session:
Automakers, Suppliers Share Benefits

A consortium of German automakers, suppliers, software companies and academia has launched a three-year project to affix passive RFID tags to metal car parts, as well as track them the length of the entire supply chain. The project's goal is to design a parts-tracking system that can be replicated throughout the automobile industry and used to help avoid recalls.

Takeaways:

• How to launch an industry-wide RFID project that can benefit supply chain partners
• The advantages of building a system for tracking parts across the entire supply chain

09:45

General Session:
Using RFID to Achieve Work-in-Process Visibility

Every manufacturer wants to know the status and location of all work-in-process (WIP). RFID can help, but companies also need the ability to identify each item and ensure its status is updated in real time. This session will explain the software and infrastructure required to track WIP in real time to achieve just-in-time manufacturing.

Takeaways:

• How to employ RFID to become a lean manufacturer
• The system components necessary to track work-in-process with RFID

10:15

Refreshment break in Exhibit Hall

Manufacturing/Operations:
German Manufacturer Keeps Tabs on Product Bins via RFID

A fastener manufacturer is utilizing passive 13.56 MHz tags to track the reusable containers it employs to ship products to companies worldwide. Learn how the firm designed the system, where it is reading tags on containers and how the system cuts costs and improves operations.

Takeaways:

• How to use RFID to track containers of product
• How to choose the right RFID technology for tracking containers

Supply Chain/Inventory Management:
Tracking Parts Bins With RFID Benefits All Players in the Automotive Industry

CHEP has been working with auto parts suppliers to tag mare than 150,000 large automotive containers. An RFID reader infrastructure has been deployed in eight countries across Europe. The system is expected to deliver an ROI for CHEP based on more effective materials management, but the project is also predicted to deliver additional benefits to all companies in the automotive supply chain. In this session, learn the business case for the project, the technology used, how the project is managed and the benefits being realized.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of tracking parts bins across the supply chain
• The technology infrastructure needed to track parts bins in the open supply chain

Retail:
RFID Keeps Food from Spoiling in the Store

A Swiss company is employing active tags with built-in sensors to measure and log the temperatures of freezers and refrigerators in its DCs and stores. Later this year, the firm plans to expand the application to track perishable foods as they move throughout the supply chain. Learn how RFID can prevent spoilage of produce and other products within a store.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of tracking the temperature of products within a store
• How RFID can simplify the collection of temperature data

11:55

Movement from room to room

12:00

Sponsored Breakout Sessions

12:40

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Manufacturing/Operations:
Case Study: Austrian Manufacturer Saves from RFID-Tracking Products Moving Among its Facilities

An Austrian manufacturing company is using RFID to track containers of products as they move among its three production facilities. The system has enabled the company to eliminate manual processes, and the errors such processes could cause. It has also helped the firm check the charges from external trucking companies it hires to move goods among its sites. Learn how the system works, and where it delivers the most value.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of tracking containers within a closed-loop supply chain
• How to utilize RFID to eliminate manual processes and associated human errors

Supply Chain/Inventory Management:
Beverage Maker Uses RFID to Comply With Regulations

A manufacturer of bottled non-alcoholic drinks and mineral water needed to comply with European Union regulations regarding the tracking of food and beverages. Two years after implementing an RFID-based system, the company says it has not only complied with rules regarding documenting shipments of goods sent to its customers, but also recouped approximately half of its investment.

Takeaways:

• How to use RFID to document shipments to customers for regulatory purposes
• Where food companies can benefit from using RFID for tracking shipments

Retail:
Book Store Deploys Item-Level RFID System

At its newest store, one European retailer is applying EPC Gen 2 tags to 250,000 books, games and videos to help customers locate and learn about their products, and to provide inventory and security applications. Learn how the tags are applied, where they are read, and why the system is cost-effective and will deliver an ROI.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of tracking books, video tapes and other items at the item level
• How to develop a cost-effective infrastructure for gathering item-level data

14:40

Movement from room to room

Manufacturing/Operations:
Glass Manufacturer Uses RFID to Automate Shipments

AGC Flat Glass Europe, has introduced RFID on a glass packing line, enabling it to work in an almost fully automated environment. The system has increased worker safety, eliminating waiting times for trucks, and assured the complete traceability of glass entering or leaving the packing area. Learn how the system was designed and installed, and how it is delivering an ROI today.

Speaker:

Eric Deneye, IT Program Leader, AGC Flat Glass Europe

Takeaways:

• The benefits of using RFID to automate shipping
• How to employ RFID to build a cost-effective infrastructure for gathering item-level data

Supply Chain/Inventory Management:
The Benefits of Using RFID to Track Reusable Crates

A provider of reusable containers used primarily for fruit, vegetables and other products is implementing passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags and interrogators to help improve its overall logistics and inventory processes. Learn how the system is reducing the cost of materials management and enabling other supply chain efficiencies.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of utilizing RFID to track returnable crates
• Insights into the benefits that can be achieved through the visibility of crates in the supply chain

Retail:
Hotel to Use RFID to Automate, Personalize Customer Service

Guests of a new hotel, currently under construction, will employ RFID technology to check in and out, as well as to access their rooms and set temperature, lighting, and audio and video systems to match their tastes. Will this system improve customer loyalty, and can the same approach be applied to stores?

Takeaways:

• Insights into how RFID can be used to provide personalized service
• The benefits retailers can achieve by automating personalized service

15:25

Movement from room to room

Manufacturing/Operations:
RFID Monitors Monitoring Devices

A German provider of services and tools for manufacturers has unveiled a new mobile monitoring device that employs RFID to help companies perform automated, predictive maintenance by analyzing the condition of machinery on the factory floor. Learn how the company developed the system, and how its customers are utilizing it to better monitor factory equipment and reduce maintenance costs.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of using RFID to monitor factory machinery
• How to deploy an RFID system that will reduce maintenance costs

Supply Chain/Inventory Management:
Case Study: RFID Improves Shipment Accuracy

A distributor of medical supplies is tagging and tracking cartons of goods, enabling it to reduce order-preparation time and eliminate errors. A distributor of medical devices and other surgical supplies has introduced an automated RFID system at its central warehouses to replace the process of manually checking the contents of each container it shipped to customers before that container left the site. Learn how the RFID system has reduced order preparation time, while also improving shipping accuracy.

Takeaways:

• The benefits of using RFID technology to automate order preparation
• How to employ RFID to improve shipping accuracy, as well as to better serve customers

Retail:
Boutique Adopts RFID to Boost Loyalty

A French clothing retail chain specializing in jeans is employing RFID loyalty cards to attract young shoppers to its stores. The system went live in Paris-area stores in May 2007, utilizing contactless loyalty cards and interactive RFID-enabled kiosks that provide personalized promotional information to cardholders. The retail sites also have RFID interrogators at the point of sale (POS) for faster checkout, as well as for disseminating promotional offers. Learn how the boutique is benefiting from promoting loyalty with RFID.

Takeaways:

• Insights into using RFID technology to promote customer loyalty
• How RFID can be deployed at the point of sale (POS) for faster checkout, and to disseminate promotional offers

16:10

Conference Adjourns