12:00

Preconference seminars open with working lunch

Working Lunch: RFID Basics
New to RFID? Here's your opportunity to gain a basic introduction to the fundamentals of radio frequency identification. The differences between the various classes of tags will be explained, including active and passive systems, and the need for additional IT systems to build upon RFID in real-world applications will be highlighted. This session will also include 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 areas of RFID and EPC, including the latest EPC Gen 2 standard, will be presented.

Speaker:

Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal

13:00

Preconference Seminars Break into Separate Rooms

RFID Journal University
RTLS for Manufacturing Workshop

17:15

RFID Journal University Preconference Seminar Concludes

RTLS for Manufacturing Workshop Concludes

08:00

Continental Breakfast

09:00

Welcome and Introduction

09:15

Opening Keynote:
Airbus Reveals the Benefits of an Enterprise Approach to RFID

Airbus, the 2008 RFID Journal Award winner for best implementation, has been pioneering best practices in the adoption of RFID by deploying the technology as "business radar" across all aspects of its business, including supply chain logistics, transportation, manufacturing and aircraft in-flight operations. This approach, which leverages a passive and active RFID reader infrastructure for multiple applications operating on a common software platform, has yielded significant benefits. The head of the company's RFID program will explain some ways in which Airbus leverages its RFID "business radar," as well as some of the benefits the technology helps to deliver.

Speaker:

Paul-Antoine Calandreau, Flyable RFID project leader, Airbus Resource Planning - OCR, Airbus

10:00

General Session:
The State of RFID Adoption Globally

As the editor of RFID Journal, Mark Roberti has had a unique view of the RFID industry's development around the globe. In this presentation, Roberti will bring attendees up to date on the state of adoption worldwide, share insights into which industries are adopting RFID most quickly and explain which factors are currently driving adoption.

Speaker:

Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal

10:45

Refreshment Break in Exhibit Hall

11:15

General Session:
Achieving Real Business Value From RFID—Why You Should Act Now

Game-changing technologies enable early adopters to gain competitive advantage and drive shareholder value. Leading companies in many industries are already gaining that advantage from RFID, and our panel of experts will focus on how other businesses can do the same.

Moderator:

Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal

Panelists:

Stephen Logue, VP of Sales, EMEA, Zebra Technologies
William Mapp, President, BA Systems, LLC

11:45

General Session:
RFID in the Lufthansa Technik Group—UHF Technology for Logistic and Maintenance Processes

Lufthansa Technik, a leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for civilian aircraft, has implemented an RFID solution for tracking aircraft components through its maintenance processes. In this session, learn the latest information about the company's RFID initiative to use ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) technology permanently on parts.

Speaker:

Tom Burian, RFID Application Manager, Lufthansa Technik

Takeaways:

• Tag development and implementation status
• The business case for the deployment, as well as the benefits

12:30

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Manufacturing/Operations:
Automating Asset Management, Orders With RFID

Three years after deploying passive 125 kHz RFID tags to track its tool usage, the Byrne Group, a U.K. concrete substructure construction firm, has expanded its use of the system to identify users of its 16,000 assets—including tools, excavators, trailers and other heavy equipment, as well as consumables, such as gloves and boots—across its numerous construction projects. The company is also using the technology to manage the online ordering of those assets. In this session, hear how the firm, which is employing 125 kHz RFID to expedite shipments of equipment and supplies to its workers, as well as to track usage, expects to recoup its investment by 2011.

Speaker:

Matthew Preston, Group IT Director, Byrne Group

Takeaways:

• Why the Byrne Group chose an integrated RFID solution to manage, track and attain visibility into its plant, stock and equipment
• How the firm is utilizing the system to automate the issue and return of those assets

Supply Chain/Logistics:
Auto Importer Uses RFID to Reduce Labor Costs and Expedite Vehicle Movement

Colmobil, Israel's largest automobile importer, is employing an RFID system to decrease labor costs and expedite the processing of those vehicles as they are brought into the country at two ports. The company imports 35,000 to 45,000 cars every year, and sells them at 45 dealerships throughout the nation. The cars are brought into the Port of Eilat and the Port of Ashdod, where they are stored until they can be removed from the port's storage parking lot and shipped to Colmobil's pre-delivery inspection (PDI) facility. At the storage parking lot, each automobile is identified by its vehicle identification number (VIN), printed in text and bar-code form on a sheet of paper glued to the car's rear-left passenger window. The firm permanently fits each new vehicle with a 3/4-inch by 4-inch EPC Gen 2 passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tag as it is being unloaded from the ship. In this session, learn how the staff uses a handheld computer coupled with an RFID interrogator and a bar-code scanner to locate and confirm they have the correct car before picking it up. Hear how the technology is being utilized to accurately determine final detailing, safety inspections and registration with the motor vehicle license bureau, and to provide that information to customers.

Speaker:

Gil Katz, CIO, Colmobil Corp.

Takeaways:

• How RFID has decreased the amount of time the company spent on its annual inventory count from two days to only four hours
• The next phase of the system, which will enable Colmobil to expedite the movement of vehicles out of the storage lot

Retail:
Deploying RFID in the Fashion Supply Chain

The RFID Fashion Pilot, the first Italian supply chain pilot aimed at assessing RFID's impact in the fashion industry, was launched in June 2009 by the University of Parma's RFID Lab. Participants include Branded Apparel, Dolce & Gabbana, DHL, TNT, Imax, Miroglio and Trussardi. In advance of the spring-summer 2010 season, approximately 30,000 garments were tagged at a distribution center and followed to a store, enabling real-time visibility of logistics flows. In this session, hear the results of this groundbreaking pilot, and learn how radio frequency identification benefits logistics and store processes.

Speaker:

Antonio Rizzi, Ph.D., Full Professor - Industrial Logistics and Supply Chain Management, University of Parma

Takeaways:

• How a pool of technology partners supplied state-of-the-art RFID hardware and software to track the flow of goods in the supply chain, enabling value-added information to be obtained from data warehouses
• How the RFID Fashion Pilot helped the companies to obtain accurate and real-time data from their supply chain

14:40

Movement from Room to Room

Manufacturing/Operations:
Pack and Sea Uses RFID to Automate Crate Tracking

Pack and Sea, a Danish company that leases crates to the fishing industry, is employing radio frequency identification to track the locations of its plastic crates. The containers hold fish as they are caught at sea, and later as they are sold at market. The company had relied mainly on a manual method of tracking its containers, using pen and paper to record the number of crates a fisherman, auction house or buyer has at any given time, along with when they need to be returned. The firm turned to RFID to streamline the tracking of crates and invoicing of customers. Learn how the system delivers a real-time overview of the number of fish crates in various parts of the logistics chain, as well as providing documentation of the actual location and status of the individual fish crate, whether onboard the vessel, at the auction or at the manufacturer.

Speakers:

Simon Johansen, Division Manager, Pack and Sea
Bent Kirk, Managing Director, Pack and Sea

Takeaways:

• How RFID can support food traceability by providing visibility into the location and contents of each crate
• Using RFID to decrease labor costs by reducing time spent searching for crates

Supply Chain/Logistics:
Driving Down Costs With RFID

Radio frequency identification can play a key role in helping companies manage the inventory of equipment arriving on a construction site, as well as reduce the incidence of theft and improve the tracking of assets. In this session, learn how Magnor Plant (part of the Morgan Est Group) utilizes RFID to help provide modern lifting equipment, safety devices, vehicles and accommodation units to all Morgan Est construction sites. Hear how tagged assets are being instantly scanned using handheld computers, enabling the firm to manage inspection and delivery schedules for each asset. And find out how these systems are helping Magnor effectively manage its inventory and logistics systems.

Speaker:

Neill Pawsey, Project Manager, FIATECH

Retail:
How Retailers Benefit from Using RFID to Improve Inventory Accuracy

For the past several years, the University of Arkansas' RFID Research Center has been studying the impact various retailers have achieved by employing radio frequency identification to improve inventory accuracy and replenishment. The center has now aggregated this information, and plans to provide baseline data revealing the benefits the typical apparel retailer can expect to achieve with RFID. Attendees will also learn how the technology can be applied to improving inventory accuracy and reducing the out-of-stock problem that has long plagued retailers.

Speaker:

Justin Patton, RFID Research Center Managing Director, University of Arkansas

Takeaways:

• Baseline data and new insights regarding the ROI that apparel retailers can expect to achieve using RFID
• The requirements for applying RFID to out-of-stocks

15:30

Day 1 Conference Program Concludes

08:00

Continental Breakfast

09:00

Welcome and Introduction

09:15

General Session:
Adopting EPC RFID Technology for the European Pallet Association (EPAL)

In 2007, the European Pallet Association (EPAL), the association behind the Euro pallet, launched a major EPC RFID pilot. The project's primary objective is to identify each pallet individually, improve the control of production and repair, offer clear authentication and provide better asset management. EPAL also expects to reduce administration costs by automating the licencing fee, reduce the amount of counterfeit pallets, improve the identification of black markets and increase customer satisfaction. In this session, hear how this project will change the logistics world and boost the adoption of RFID in Europe. Gain an understanding of the importance of GS1's RTI pallet-tagging guidelines, and learn how EPAL has assumed a leadership role in their creation and implementation.

Speaker:

Harry Jacobi, CEO, European Pallet Association (EPAL)

Takeaways:

• Inside information about the results, status and future of the project
• An understanding of how pool users can benefit from EPC RFID technology
• An update on the standardization activities within GS1, including the challenges facing pallet tagging

10:00

General Session:
Reaching Out to a New Audience With NFC

The Centre Pompidou, an art museum in Paris, France, is using a mobile phone system known as Smart Muse to attract young visitors to its new Teen Gallery. As part of a French national project supported by the Ministère de l'Economie, de l'Industrie et de l'Emploi, and the Direction Générale de la Compétitivité, de l'industrie et des Services, the objective is to put Near Field Communication (NFC) technology into consumers' hands. The Centre Pompidou is employing RFID-enabled mobile phones to reach young visitors through the medium to which they are accustomed—social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. In this session, learn how each phone the museum provides is equipped with an NFC RFID module and an antenna, and how passive 13.56 MHz RFID tags compliant with NFC standards are attached to posters and exhibits in the Teen Gallery. When a user moves his or her phone close to a tag, the handset will read that tag's unique ID number. Using software residing on the phone, as well as on the server, the phone will access the server to download content related to that particular poster or exhibit, and display it on the handset's screen.

Speaker:

Mauricio Estrada Muñoz, Project Manager, Youth Programs, Centre Pompidou

Takeaways:

• How Centre Pompidou is using NFC-enabled phones and displays to encourage young visitors to interact with the museum and share cultural content online with friends
• The importance of utilizing a tool familiar to most teens—a mobile phone—to choose what they would like to learn more about, as well as watch videos, listen to interviews or obtain details regarding specific artists and museum program schedules

10:45

Refreshment Break in Exhibit Hall

Supply Chain/Logistics:
Stepping Up Efficiencies—Improving Logistics in the Fashion Industry With RFID

LTC-Logistics (Logistics & Traffic Centre srl) is a third-party logistics company based in Perugia, Italy, specializing in serving the clothing, footwear, luxury goods and accessories industries. In this session, learn how the company is employing RFID-enabled technology in a three-phase project to significantly reduce its total processing time, improve accuracy and streamline various phases of work. During the first phase of the project, the firm filled individual cartons with representative fashion articles that it regularly handles, and loaded them onto pallets with various types and formats of tags in order to verify reading-performance capabilities. After simulating passages at various speeds through the tunnel and gate at the facility for its client's product, LTC-Logistics modified the tag's position within the article to obtain the best read performance. Hear how the company is experiencing increased efficiencies in its current receiving and departure processes, as well as labor savings.

Speaker:

Meredith Lamborn, International Accounts, LTC-Logistics (Logistics & Traffic Centre srl)

Takeaways:

• Improving operational efficiencies with the use of RFID
• How the firm overcame read problems by positioning the tag correctly on the inside of the product

Manufacturing/Operations:
Looking Ahead—Exploring RFID and Related Emerging Technologies for Construction

As the construction and facility-management industries begin to deploy RFID solutions, new issues beyond the selection of readers and tags begin to emerge. This session will explore some of these emerging issues, including infrastructure setup (communication options to consider in an open environment), alternative mobile devices as readers (digital pens and tablets, interactive hands-free or head-mounted mobile devices, and cell phone readers), and unique issues involving rugged and metal-friendly tags (including ATEX certification and data standards).

Speaker:

Francis Rabuck, Director, Intelligent Infrastructure Lab, Bentley Systems

Retail:
Using RFID to Reduce Theft

Gerry Weber International, a German manufacturer of women’s fashions, is applying EPC Gen 2 RFID tags to the 25 million garments it produces annually. The company also plans to roll out RFID technology at 150 of its company-owned retail stores in Germany and abroad. The application is designed to improve the efficiency of its incoming goods and inventory processes, and to function as an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system.

Speaker:

Christian von Grone, CIO, GERRY WEBER International AG

12:00

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Manufacturing/Operations:
Sketching the User Experience—Rapidly Deploying RFID for Maximum Success at Bombardier

Bombardier, a manufacturer of state-of-the-art planes and trains, is working with leading transit authorities to design and develop a solution that will enhance safety in the transportation industry. Understanding an end user's needs and designing an engaging experience was identified as a key objective to making sure the project results in a successful deployment. This session will discuss the approach that was followed to create the user experience, as well as the impact it has had on the evolution of the proposed ingenious and sustainable solution.

Speaker:

Pankaj Sood, Founder, McMaster RFID Applications Lab

Retail:
RFID and Wireless Systems for Intelligent Airports

Airports and other large infrastructures have diverse communications needs that include complex and often varying service requirements, traffic profiles and user expectations. The Intelligent Airport (TINA) project was created to address these future and present needs. This three-year research project is being carried out by the University of Cambridge, UCL and the University of Leeds. The project aims to develop a self-organizing, wired/wireless converged system using a next-generation advanced wired and wireless network that will meet the needs of a future airport environment. In this session, hear how RFID can manage a wide range of fixed and mobile equipment. Uses for RFID in large facilities include information and entertainment services, security cameras, biometric sensors and explosive and chemical detectors, as well as logistical support for retailers, facility services and operations. With such a capability, this system concept is also expected to find applications outside the airport sector.

Speaker:

Sithamparanathan Sabesan, M.Phil., Ph.D., Research Fellow, Engineering Department, Cambridge University

Takeaways:

• Improving efficiency and security through the active tracking of visitors and employees, by using RFID tags to aid in the detection and identification of possible intruder threats.
• How RFID can be utilized in airports to locate checked-in passengers who are either missing or late, thereby facilitating the reduction of passenger-induced delays and speeding up aircraft turnaround.

Supply Chain/Logistics:
Managing Returnable Transit Items (RTI’s) Using RFID

Packaging Logistics Services (PLS), a British provider of plastic pallets and reusable containers, as well as a manager of pallets and containers used by other companies, is employing RFID to track its own assets—while also helping customers to set up RFID tracking for their reusable pallets and containers. PLS has tagged its own products, in addition to installing RFID interrogators at its four European depots (three in the United Kingdom, and one in Germany), and at 16 third-party warehouses that the firm utilizes to ship its pallets and containers throughout Europe. In this session, hear the company's future plans, which include putting readers in customers' warehouses, and enabling them to share information with PLS regarding the movements of containers.

Speaker:

Jon Graves, General Manager, Packaging Logistics Services

Takeaways:

• How to actively manage stock to make sure there are adequate supplies, while eliminating overstocking—a common practice of product manufacturers and reusable packaging providers
• How RFID is being used as tool to offer to customers

14:10

Movement from Room to Room

Manufacturing/Operations:
Choosing an RFID Solution for Tagging PCBs

Schneider Electric, a global energy-management firm headquartered in France, is currently using a data-matrix identification solution, as well as a mix of high-frequency (HF) tags and bar codes, for logistics within its manufacturing environment. The next step will be to replace the current HF system with one utilizing ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology. In this session, learn how the company evaluated different technology solutions for use in the tagging of printed circuit boards (PCBs), as well as the types of RFID solutions chosen.

Speaker:

Michel Ollive, Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Design and Technologies, Schneider Electric

Takeaways:

• The results of feasibility studies being performed to evaluate the evolution of PCB tagging solutions
• Future uses of the solution after the UHF RFID project has been successfully implemented

Supply Chain/Logistics:
Using RFID Technology in a Seaport Terminal

Cargo that is too heavy and bulky to be placed in a container and does not move on its own wheels is typically loaded onto roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels by means of special heavy-duty trailers. These trailers, in turn, are handled by a special piece of towing equipment called a "tugmaster." Storage positions of full and empty trailers are manually recorded, resulting in less than optimal control and necessitating significant efforts to localize trailers when the need arises. This session presents an innovative solution being used by a German port operator and its scientific partner. The technology achieves automatic identification and localization by combining passive RFID tags and GPS.

Speakers:

Wolf Lampe, Director, Innovative Seaport Technologies, BLG Logistics group
Anne Schweizer, Research Scientist, Bremen Institute for Production (BIBA)

Takeaways:

• How the system's implementation is expected to significantly reduce operational efforts
• How RFID is being used to reduce the flow of traffic at the seaport terminals

Retail:
Adding Value Through RFID at s.Oliver

German apparel retailer s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG explored RFID's effects in the retail environment by performing a proof-of-concept project in selected stores. The initiative's main focus was to determine the technology's benefits in a store environment. In this presentation, s.Oliver will explain the system it implemented, and share the important lessons that it learned. The presenters will discuss the results of the project, and show a video detailing the implementation.

Speakers:

Florian Oechsner, Head of Commercial International Retail, s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG
Uwe Quiede, Senior Consultant, TAILORIT GmbH

15:00

Movement from Room to Room

Supply Chain/Logistics:
Using RFID to Improve Tracking Efficiency and Customer Service

Staff Jeans, a Greek clothing company currently employing radio frequency identification to track apparel at the item level in its factories and DC, is expanding its use of the technology to include value-added services at the point of sale, at the 'firm's flagship store, located in Athens. The company is adding an intelligent-shopping function that works with RFID-enabled in-store video screens, as well as an RFID-based checkout system and an RFID product-authentication solution for returns. Staff Jeans initially implemented RFID in late 2008 for warehouse management (automating its DC's receiving, picking and shipping processes). The retailer expanded the application in early 2010, and now tags all items it produces. Learn how the company has spent the last six months fine-tuning and optimizing the use of mobile readers for its picking and packing processes, as well as optimizing the system for processing the higher volume of tagged goods, and hear how it is now expanding its use of the technology to offer garment information and shopping suggestions at its Athens location.

Speaker:

Nikos Zarokostas, Software Engineer, SENSAP AE

Manufacturing/Operations:
Minimizing Picking Errors With RFID

Order-picking is one of the most important processes in internal logistics, and can impact the customer-supplier relationship regarding quality and timely deliveries. In this session, learn how a preset scenario in which an automated high rack supports pick-by-light picking spots, as well as the possible application of innovative identification and measurement systems for monitoring a pick process in order to minimize errors, has been implemented at one facility. Hear how identification and measurement technologies, such as RFID, scanning and weighting, have been combined with suitable sensors to facilitate an evaluation in a lab-based scenario.

Speaker:

Dieter Uckelmann, Manager, LogDynamics Lab, University of Bremen

Retail:
The Business Case for RFID in Retail Apparel

RFID Journal has conducted extensive research to understand the business case for RFID in apparel retail, and to create metrics that companies in that sector can use to determine the likely return on investment they could achieve by employing the technology to manage store inventory. In this session, we will explain the data used, and walk attendees through the financial model. Those in attendance will receive a copy of the report on which the presentation will be based, as well as an interactive spreadsheet they can utilize to explore the benefits they can expect to receive, based on their own store size, number of units, margin, labor costs and other inputs.

Speaker:

Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal

15:50

Conference Adjourns