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Conference Agenda
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April 3, 2012 April 4, 2012 April 5, 2012
April 3, 2012Back to Top| 10:30 AM | RFID Basics
New to RFID? This optional session for all preconference attendees provides an introduction to the fundamentals of the technology. 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. The session will also include a 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 EPC RFID, including the latest EPC Gen 2 standard, will be presented.
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
Takeaways:
• A general understanding of the various types of RFID systems and their applications
• An understanding of the different components of an RFID system and how they fit together | | 11:30 AM | Preconference Seminars Continue in Breakout Rooms
NFC Workshop
Item-Level Retail and Apparel Workshop
Item-Level Supplier Workshop
RFID for Warehouse and Inventory Management
Security, Privacy and Legislation
RFID in Energy
RFID in Health Care
RFID for IT Professionals
RFID Journal University
| | 4:45 PM | Welcome and Introduction
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | 5:00 PM | General Session:
10 years of Putting RFID to Work—Lessons Learned From Experienced End Users
RFID deployments sometimes involve physics challenges, business process change, IT integration and other factors that must be addressed in order to achieve success. Our panelists were among the early adopters of RFID technologies, and they now have many years of experience with the technology. During this probing panel discussion, the speakers will reveal what they've learned—often the hard way. Find out how to avoid common pitfalls, how to address challenges and how to get an entire organization behind an RFID project.
Moderator:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
Panelists:
Carlo K. Nizam, Head of Value Chain Visibility and RFID, Airbus
Paul Peters, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Supply Chain Integration [DASD (SCI)] , U.S. Department of Defense
Dr. Sanjay Sarma, Professor, MIT; Co-founder, Auto-ID Center at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| | 5:45 PM | Keynote Session:
Where Do We Go From Here—The Future of RFID Technology
As RFID reaches maturity and adoption begins to spread, companies are finding innovative ways to use the technology. Businesses began achieving benefits from large-scale deployments in many industries, including manufacturing, retail, logistics and aerospace. But where are we heading? How will this evolutionary technology impact business, governments, global trade and consumers over the next decade? In this session, hear about the next wave of innovation, in terms of the ways in which RFID is used and where it will lead.
| | 6:30 PM | Opening Reception Starts
| | 8:30 PM | Opening Reception Ends
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April 4, 2012Back to Top| 7:30 AM | Morning Coffee
| | 8:00 AM | Welcome and Introduction
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | 8:30 AM | General Session:
Moving the Industry Forward—The Item-Level RFID Initiative
A coalition of industry groups, including retailers, manufacturers and other retail associations, have teamed up to create the Item-Level RFID Initiative, in order to provide recommendations for EPC tagging at the item level, to be used by retailers and their suppliers. Members of the group are developing measurable value propositions for retailers, suppliers and other stakeholders, as well as standards-based guidelines and business practices for each use case to support industry rollout. In this session, a panel comprising leading retailers will discuss some of the research being conducted under the Item-Level RFID Initiative, where retailers see benefits, and why there is interest in moving the industry forward together under the initiative.
Moderator:
Dr. Bill Hardgrave, Dean and Wells Fargo Professor, College of Business, Auburn University
Panelists:
Bill Connell, Senior VP of Logistics and Operations, Macy's
Stacey Shulman, VP of Technology, American Apparel
| | 9:15 AM | Keynote Session:
Cisco Benefits from Tracking IT Assets
Cisco Systems has long been one of the world's most sophisticated users of information technology. Managing that infrastructure, from a physical standpoint, can be challenging. The company considered key policy, process and technology solutions, including the use of RFID to enable it to quickly identify and locate individual servers, storage devices and other assets. Hear how Cisco has reduced the amount of time required for workers to conduct inventories, and the additional benefits that the firm achieves from the system.
Speakers:
Ted Baumuller, Director, IT, Marketing and Cisco.com, Cisco Systems
Maryanne Flynn, Director, Operations, Cisco Systems
| | 9:55 AM | Keynote Session:
The Evolution of the RFID Solution Set
Paul Steinberg, with his unique perspective as Motorola Solutions' CTO, will discuss global market trends and their impact on the RFID solution set. Topics discussed will include business applications, benefits being realized, and the expected evolution of technologies vital to meeting the needs of the global enterprise.
Speaker:
Paul Steinberg, Chief Technology Officer, Motorola Solutions
| | | 10:40 AM—Solution Provider Sessions | | How RFID Solutions Drive New Business Benefits
RFID hardware has become more reliable over the past few years, enabling companies to take advantage of RFID data in new and powerful ways. Software solutions are enabling firms to reengineer processes and deliver more value. In this session, our panel of experts will explain how businesses are leveraging these new capabilities.
Moderator:
Michael Liard, Director for RFID, VDC Research Group, Inc.
| | RFID: Solutions for Daily Life
Radio frequency identification touches our everyday lives, with its influence reaching beyond supply chain efficiencies. Smart phones incorporating Near Field Communication (NFC), such as NXP Semiconductors' Google Nexus-S, extend e-conveniences to the general public, and suppliers of fast-moving consumer goods and electronic components are exploring unchartered uses in authentication and device provisioning. Learn how NXP's RFID solutions satisfy multiple applications, including low-frequency (LF), high-frequency (HF), ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) and NFC. Hear about leading-edge innovations applicable to a broad array of complimentary solutions for a myriad of applications, and discover how they can enhance conventional track-and-trace deployments. NXP, which provides high-performance mixed-signal (HPMS) and standard product solutions leveraging the company's RF, analog, power-management, interface, security and digital-processing expertise, offers multi-RFID applications without compromising design, performance or convenience.
Speaker:
Victor Vega, Marketing Director for RFID—North America, NXP Semiconductors
| | ROI in Asset Management
If you could save tenfold on the time and cost it takes to conduct asset inventories, reduce capitol expenditure spending by 15 percent and improve audit accuracy, would you spend 30 minutes learning how to get an immediate ROI from real-time asset management? See you in Orlando.
Speaker:
Diana Hage, CEO, RFID Global Solution
| | Security and Privacy in RFID
RFID systems and applications consistently gain in maturity, becoming increasingly automated and continually enabling new heights of process sophistication. The result is an improved and more convenient world in which logistical streams of goods are transparent, people and objects can be uniquely identified and transactions take place at lighting speeds. With these new and innovative capabilities, however, come threats to privacy, denial-of-service and replay attacks specifically designed for RFID, to name just a few. In this presentation, the speaker will discuss this new environment and its ever-changing landscape of vulnerabilities in light of specific applications to deduct a classification of solutions and subsequent security needs, and present specific—proprietary and open—technologies focused on securing RFID systems. These will be presented in regard to security strength and implementation cost.
Speaker:
Chris Hanebeck, VP of Product Management and Marketing , Revere Security
Takeaways:
•How organizations can secure RFID solutions today
•The necessary components for secure RFID systems | | 11:30 AM | Lunch in Exhibit Hall
| | | 1:30 PM—Track Sessions | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Mission Hospital Improves Equipment Utility Rate and Saves $150,000 Annually
Mission Hospital, a 552-bed facility with two campuses in Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach, Calif., is employing a hybrid infrared (IR) and RFID system to track the location, cleaning and maintenance of its moveable medical equipment. Following the system's installation, the equipment utility rate for tagged items rose by 7 percent. The rate of lost or stolen devices dropped from 13.8 percent to zero, resulting in an annual savings of $150,000 to $200,000 worth of equipment that had been lost each year prior to the system being installed. The firm deployed RFID access points throughout the facility—providing 100 percent coverage in the building's public sections—and attached tags to mobile assets of high value. In this session, learn how Mission Hospital is using the system to better manage its moveable medical equipment, perform periodic maintenance of its assets more efficiently, assure Joint Commission compliance and reduce equipment loss.
Speaker:
Michael Kohler, Director of Material Management, Mission Hospital—Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach
Takeaways:
• The use of an alerting system to provide notification that an activity of concern is taking place, by alerting security via text message and e-mail
• How the solution has enabled nurses to locate equipment more readily, and thus have greater work satisfaction since the tools they need for treating patients can be easily accessed | | » Retail/Apparel:
RFID-Enabled Stores Produces Quick ROI for American Apparel
American Apparel, a vertically integrated clothing manufacturer and retailer is increasing the total number of RFID-enabled stores operated by the company up to 100. The firm, which attributes improved stock levels and store performance to the technology, has already deployed radio frequency identification at 50 of its retail stores, most located in the United States. After analyzing initial results, the firm reports that it is realizing an ROI on RFID-enabled stores within six months. Learn how the stores are using the RFID system to decrease shrinkage, improve stock levels and reduce employee turnover.
Speaker:
Stacey Shulman, VP of Technology, American Apparel
Takeaways:
• Why the RFID-enabled stores are outperforming the non-RFID stores
• How the use of RFID has changed the internal culture, since employees understand that items are precisely tracked, which diminishes their chances of getting away with theft | | » Enhancing Visibility and Traceability:
Using RFID to Identify and Track Livestock
Costa View Farms, located in Madera, Calif., first began employing RFID approximately four years ago, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began investigating the technology to monitor poultry and livestock populations so it could more quickly and effectively trace animal diseases to the source in the event of a breakout. Although the USDA has not yet mandated the use of an animal-identification system, Costa View Farms has tagged more than 6,000 dairy cows with passive RFID transponders encoded with unique ID numbers. Learn how the identification system has saved the farm's workers countless hours previously spent searching for and treating cows, while also improving its animal records and boosting milk production.
Speaker:
Larry Pietrowski, Co-Owner, Costa View Farms
Takeaways:
• The benefits of utilizing RFID to replace a manual, paper-based system requiring workers to visually search for numbers printed on ear tags
• How radio frequency identification can be used in a breeding program | | » Improving Supply Chain Logistics:
Using RFID to Speed Up Inventory Management at Disney
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts' costuming division is currently using ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology at more than 40 locations to track approximately 2 million individual garments through their lifecycle. The technology, combined with an internal garment-tracking system, makes the checkout, laundry-return and overall inventory processes more efficient, and has enabled the costuming locations to run more effectively. Prior to the RFID implementation, bar codes were used, and were manually scanned for all garment transactions and physical inventories. Each cast member issue transaction would take approximately 30 seconds, while a physical inventory could require upwards of 250 labor hours to complete. With the RFID solution in place, issue transactions now last only 7 seconds. What's more, the development of an RFID inventory cart enables the physical inventory process within a costuming location to be completed by a single cast member within a matter of hours. Learn how the use of RFID within the costuming division of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has provided multiple benefits, including faster inventories, shorter transaction times and improved inventory accountability.
Speaker:
Vinny Pagliuca, Director, Creative Costuming and Entertainment Metrics, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S.
Takeaways:
• How RFID enables the costuming division to make more accurate garment-purchasing decisions, as well as provide higher service levels for cast members
• How the system is being used to provide a better experience for guests, allowing the firm to reinvest its savings back into its costume processes | | » Defense/Aerospace:
Tracking Sound and Vibration Levels Via RFID
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is employing RFID to capture data regarding vibration, as well as gauge the acoustic emissions, during space shuttle and rocket launches at Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, located at Patrick Air Force Base. Active RFID sensor tags are being used to transmit data to a reader and a PC, where the information can be reviewed in order to determine the sound and vibration levels generated by a rocket launch. The solution consists of active 2.4 GHz RFID tags with built-in sensors that capture the vibrations resulting at different areas surrounding a launch pad during liftoff. Learn how NASA uses the data to gain a greater understanding of the sound waves emitted from launches, and to better predict any potential damage that the waves might cause to equipment and structures within the area. Gain an understanding of how the technology may be used in the future to improve mission safety.
Speaker:
Dr. Ravi Margasahayam, Aerospace Engineer, NASA
Takeaways:
• Ensuring that ground equipment and structures are safe, reliable and operational through the use of RFID
• Using tags with strain sensors (instead of vibration sensors) to measure the amount of deformation to containers known as composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV), used to store pressurized fluids | | » Manufacturing/Operational Efficiency:
Reducing Inventory-Management Costs With RFID
Sumitomo Electric Lightwave (SEL), a manufacturer of optical fibers, optical cables and other related products, is using an RFID-enabled solution to monitor the level of raw materials in its 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The company's manufacturing process is in operation 24-7, but its warehouse is only staffed for 40 hours a week, leaving a large gap of time during which raw material movements were unmonitored. When manufacturing personnel removed material during off-hours, the warehouse's raw material count was incorrect, leading to occasional material shortages. Hear how the firm is employing radio frequency identification to track raw materials, thereby resulting in fewer material shortages and disruptions to the production schedule.
Speaker:
Cosby Dudley, Production Planning Manager, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave
Takeaways:
• How RFID enables labor and cost savings
• Using the RFID system to accurately control inventory levels | | » Achieving an ROI:
Choosing the Right Real-Time Location Solution for Your Organization
Real-time location systems (RTLS) have emerged to enable many organizations to efficiently identify and track the location, status and movement of supplies, equipment and personnel. RTLS technologies can dramatically reduce costs, increase operating efficiencies and furnish immediate benefits, from both a return-on-investment (ROI) and improved workflow-process perspective, for the vast majority of enterprises. In this session, the speaker will explain how companies can cut costs with an RFID tracking solution, as well as steps that businesses should take in order to select the most appropriate system for their needs.
Speaker:
Ray Lowe, Senior Director of Enterprise Clinical Implementation (EHR) and Acute Care Strategy, Dignity Health
Takeaways:
• Insights into which RFID technologies are suitable for your company's assets
• How the technology can be used to gain visibility into the location and movement of assets | | » Technology and Infrastructure:
Live Demonstration: Managing Tools With RFID
See how EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and readers, as well as GPS and cellular technology, are being employed by building, construction and highway contractors to track tools' locations and status on work sites. The system consists of a customized computer wired to an RFID reader, a GPS unit and a cellular device, installed in containers or vehicles that transport and store equipment. With RFID tags applied to the equipment, software can identify which tools are within read range of the interrogator, and thereby know whether they are still in storage within that container or vehicle, or have been removed by the construction staff. A live demonstration of the technology will be presented, providing an example of how the system tracks which tools are in use, and which are sitting idle.
Speaker:
Geir Vevle, CTO, HRAFN
Takeaways:
• How the solution utilizes radio frequency identification to improve overall logistical efficiency for a movable-asset-intensive organization
• Why the system is not just specific to construction-related firms, and how it can benefit any company with multiple project sites | | | 2:20 PM—Track Sessions | | » Retail/Apparel:
Going Mobile at Best Buy: Enhancing the Customer Experience With QR Codes
Mobile codes provide consumers with the best of both worlds. Using their smartphones, they now have access to the rich data available online, plus an in-store experience that includes seeing and trying on products, asking experts for help and buying products for immediate use. Retail channels are blending, making it more important than ever to understand multi-channel marketing. Best Buy employs QR codes—a type of two-dimensional bar code designed to transmit information to a mobile device via a camera—on store shelf tags and in advertising inserts, to offer consumers a self-paced, personal, interactive shopping experience. This case study will discuss Best Buy's mobile code journey.
Speaker:
Paula Giovannetti, Program Manager, Global Merchandising and Operations, Best Buy
Takeaways:
• The increased importance of data accuracy
• The components of a mobile commerce initiative
• Lessons learned while deploying emerging technologies | | » Enhancing Visibility and Traceability:
Web-based System for Monitoring the Location, Security and Status of Hazardous Material Movements
Dow Chemical is using a combination of the latest automatic-identification technologies, sensors and Web-based software to monitor the real-time location, security status and environmental conditions of in-transit shipments of highly hazardous materials. The system employs transponders that combine sensors, a two-way satellite communications modem and GPS positioning. Information transmitted by the device is forwarded to the asset-management platform, enabling the firm to receive regular location alerts and notifications in the event that something goes wrong or violates a defined business rule. This approach allows Dow to monitor thousands of shipments on an exception basis, and to share that information with any necessary agencies.
Speaker:
Craig Casto, Auto-ID Technology Leader, Dow Chemical
Takeaways:
• Using the solution to satisfy multiple requirements, such as location, security and real-time data collection
• How the system has enabled Dow to have a common "version of the truth" that can be shared and acted on by numerous parties, including suppliers | | » Improving Supply Chain Logistics:
Brooke Army Medical Center Uses RTLS to Track High-Value Equipment
The Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), located in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is using a real-time location system (RTLS) to help staff members locate high-value equipment in need of maintenance or inspection, as well as items required simply to treat patients. BAMC consists of the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), as well as four other San Antonio treatment facilities. The largest military hospital in the United States, it spans 3 million square feet and contains 450 beds. Hear how the facility integrated the new solution with its own equipment-management software, thereby enabling employees to continue using that system, while sharing its data—such as descriptions, serial numbers and maintenance history—with the new software. This process enabled new materials received and input into BAMC's existing management system to automatically appear with the appropriate nomenclature in an RTLS solution. Learn how the facility is now expanding the program by adding Wi-Fi-based tags and software to its new 200-bed tower.
Speaker:
Amy Sheehan, Chief, Equipment Management Branch, Brooke Army Medical Center
Takeaways:
• How RTLS technology is used to efficiently conduct monthly inventory counts and preventative services
• How the solution spares the hospital's staff the lengthy process of searching for equipment and filling out paperwork explaining where it was most recently located | | » Manufacturing/Operational Efficiency:
John Deere Planter Factory Improves Efficiency on the Assembly Line With RFID
John Deere, an agriculture equipment manufacturer, has increased its efficiency in how it replenishes welding material, as well as how it carries out processes at its assembly stations. After installing a Wi-Fi-based real-time location system (RTLS) at a factory run by its Seeding Group, in Moline, Ill., the firm has reported a 10 percent increase in welding efficiency by implementing the kitting process, as well as a 40 percent improvement in kit-replenishment time by implementing the wireless triggers. On the assembly line, the system provides a view into work-in-process (WIP), reducing the cycle time required to assemble a single product by approximately 5 percent. Learn how the system has resulted in improved replenishment, as well as a decrease in overtime work undertaken by employees at the welding station.
Speaker:
Shay O'Neal, Business Unit Leader, Deere & Company
Takeaways:
• How the firm used the existing Wi-Fi nodes that it had already installed throughout its facility, and avoided the expense of installing RFID readers
• The benefits of utilizing RFID to manage work-in-progress on assembling lines | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
RFID-Enabled Journals Help Patients Track and Manage Chronic Diseases
Meridian Health, which operates five New Jersey hospitals and a home-care service, has developed electronic health journals for patients to answer key questions regarding symptoms of their condition, such as adult asthma, pain, COPD and depression, as well as an RFID-enabled journal to improve medication management, and to offer greater independence and safety to patients with chronic diseases. The journals' latest application targets poor sleep health—a pervasive problem, with 25 percent of U.S. adults reporting insufficient sleep or rest at least 15 out of every 30 days. Learn how the firm's newest application enables patients to monitor their sleeping habits during the night, in the comfort of their own home. This smart card, worn during the night, tracks overall activity levels associated with sleep and combines that knowledge with common daily symptoms into a core sleep assessment, providing a method for monitoring the impact of lifestyle changes on sleep patterns.
Speaker:
Sandra Elliott, Director of Consumer Technology and Service Development, Meridian Health
Takeaways:
• How RFID technology is improving medication management and offering greater independence and safety to those with chronic illnesses, outside a health-care setting
• How the iMPak Health SleepTrak application and solution uses NFC technology to upload sleep data with "touch-and-post" simplicity, via a user's mobile phone | | » Achieving an ROI:
Lowering the Cost of Managing Inventory With RFID
The purchasing division of Florida's Seminole County has attached EPC Gen 2 passive RFID tags to 10,000 of its most valuable assets, so that it can swiftly conduct inventory throughout its 130 facilities and offices. The solution reduces the costs of managing inventory to the county by 34 percent, and also decreases costs to the managers of other county departments that utilize those same assets. Learn how the system also locates underused assets during spot-checks, thereby enabling them to be put to work in another location, or be sold.
Speaker:
Betsy J. Cohen, C.P.M., CPPO, CPPB, Procurement Administrator, Purchasing and Contracts Office, Seminole County Government
Takeaways:
• How the cost of operating the procurement office is being decreased through the use of RFID
• The importance of utilizing a variety of RFID tags in a range of sizes, some ruggedized for outdoor weather, to suit the equipment to which they are applied | | » Defense/Aerospace:
U.S. Department of Defense Automatic Identification Technology Update
This presentation will discuss topics related to the use of automatic-identification technology (AIT) by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to enable in-transit visibility (ITV) across the enterprise. The DOD uses—or is currently exploring the use of—various AIT media, including bar codes, active RFID, passive RFID, satellites and mesh networks. Use cases include positive inventory control, ITV, receipt and in-check. Benefits include labor savings, automated business processes, increased data quality and reliable metrics for process improvements. AIT implementation challenges and business-process improvements related to AIT use will be explored throughout the presentation.
Speaker:
Andrew Monday, Chief, In-transit Visibility Integration Division, U.S. Transportation Command
| | » Technology and Infrastructure:
RFID as a Lean Tool in Manufacturing
Many still consider radio frequency identification an emerging technology, but the reality is that RFID is a stable technology that can make a real impact for businesses today—not just 10 years down the road. The key to using RFID as a lean tool is the education and buy-in of operations-level IT technicians and production support-staff members. Learn how to introduce your operations staff to the uses, constraints and applications of RFID, and gain an understanding of how the technology can make a difference in your day-to-day obligations for operational improvement.
Speaker:
Jeremy Mercer, Project Engineer, Honeywell Aerospace
Takeaways:
• Opportunities for visibility and cost savings through the use of RFID applications
• How RFID replaces the need for several workers with stopwatches observing processes for weeks or months in order to obtain and analyze the same data | | | 3:10 PM—Track Sessions | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Clinic Gains Efficiency, Safety With RFID
The University of California, San Diego's Moores Cancer Center is employing EPC Gen 2 RFID tags to track the amount of time that each patient awaits radiation treatment, and to verify that the correct equipment is being employed. The facility treats approximately 100 patients daily, using one internal and four external radiation machines. In addition to requiring efficiency, the facility must also ensure that the proper equipment is utilized with each patient, in order to properly immobilize the correct body part prior to radiation. A system was installed that allows the center to track the locations of tagged individuals and equipment throughout the clinic's two buildings.
Speaker:
Todd Pawlicki, Director, Division of Medical Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Diego
Takeaways:
• How UC San Diego overcame adoption issues and introduced the system to patients and staff members
• How the use of RFID maintains efficiency and helps the center to identify workflow procedures | | » Retail/Apparel:
Reducing Out-of-Stocks With RFID
The University of Parma's RFID Lab has completed the second phase of a project designed to test radio frequency identification's potential to increase turnover rates at retail and manufacturing organizations, by reducing and preventing out-of-stocks on store shelves. A variety of food and fast-moving consumer goods companies participated, including Auchan, Coop-Centrale Adriatica, Conad, Danone, Lavazza, Nestlé, Parmalat and Parmacotto. Indicod-Ecr, GS1's Italian representative, also took part in the research, and provided Electronic Product Code (EPC) standards developed by EPCglobal. The project mainly involves Auchan's distribution center, located at Calcinate (Bergamo, Italy), and at two of its retail hypermarkets. The DC affixed EPC Gen 2 RFID tags to approximately 5,000 cases of a panel of 60 fresh and dry goods. Learn how the pilot focused on the stores' replenishment processes, and how RFID was used to monitor stock levels, both in the stores' back rooms and shop areas, to reduce product shrinkage, as well as to optimize on-shelf inventory levels.
Speaker:
Antonio Rizzi, Ph.D., Full Professor - Industrial Logistics and Supply Chain Management, University of Parma
Takeaways:
• How RFID can be used in the prevention of out-of-stock events, as well as to potentially reduce product shrinkage and inventory levels
• Using the EPCglobal network for real-time monitoring and managing of supply chain processes, and for increasing store turnover | | » Enhancing Visibility and Traceability:
Tracking and Tracing Vehicles With RFID
Daimler, the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles—and one of the largest producers of premium cars—has embarked on a project to provide information transparency along the distribution chain. In this session, in partnership with BIBA—Bremer Institute of Production und Logistics, the automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will share the results of the RFID installation within its rework area. Hear why the use of the track-and-trace system is of central importance in the creation of industry standards for enterprise-wide deployment.
Speakers:
Stefanie Herrmann, Project Manager, Daimler AG
Dirk Werthmann, Research Scientist, Bremen Institute for Production (BIBA)
Takeaways:
• How RFID technology is being used throughout the logistics network
• How the OEM overcame the challenge of installing the system within an area containing metal obstructions | | » Improving Supply Chain Logistics:
Improving Asset and Inventory Control With RFID
Keeping an accurate inventory is a key part of managing any business. Maintaining inaccurate records can prevent corporations from having the correct amounts of their assets in stock—and, most importantly, it can have an impact on financial records and taxes. In January 2011, a national financial-services company sought help from Steelcase Mexico in reconfiguring its 107,000-square-foot campus to accommodate a staff of 1,100. The firm chose an RFID-enabled solution that provided full control of assets going out of the company's prior site and into its new location, utilizing a full inventory system. Hear how Steelcase Mexico integrated RFID into the services it provided to its client, and how it ensured a smooth transition from the old facility to the new building.
Speaker:
Raúl Hernández Rivas, Project and Services Manager, Steelcase México
Takeaways:
•How RFID can reduce paperwork while improving inventory accuracy
•Preventing excess or misuse of assets | | » Defense/Aerospace:
Fulfilling Air Transport Association Customer Mandates to Commission High Memory Tags
Rockwell Collins has implemented a wireless, enterprise resource planning (ERP)-integrated solution to write multiple birth-record data elements to high-memory passive tags for avionics installed on the Airbus A350 platform. In this session, learn about the background leading up to the project, and how the firm chose the correct approach. Understand how Rockwell Collins managed RFID integrator engagement, as well as hardware, Web services, ERP and wireless integration, while incorporating the challenges of emerging standards.
Speakers:
Todd Boyle, Material and Process Engineer, Rockwell Collins
Lloyd V. Whiting, II, Principal Business Integration Analyst, Service & Asset Mgmt., Rockwell Collins
| | » Achieving an ROI:
Increasing Safety and Enhancing Worker Productivity Via RFID
Rapid-transit agencies rely on frequent visual inspections of rail tracks to ensure safe operations. The track workers that perform these inspections, however, can be vulnerable to hazards, since they must rely on policies or procedures to ensure their safety. Although incidents are rare, the impact is often disastrous when they occur. Bombardier Transportation has developed the TrackSafe system to ensure a safer working environment for track workers, by enabling contextual and real-time alerts. The system provides access to information being used to provide visibility into business processes, and also enhances worker productivity through process reengineering. Learn how the TrackSafe solution contributes to increased productivity, while ensuring a safe working environment.
Speakers:
Pankaj Sood, Founder , McMaster RFID Applications Lab
Tony Sutton, General Manager, Material Solutions, North America, Bombardier Transportation
Takeaways:
• How to build a business case for a safer working environment
• How to design applications with the user experience in mind | | » Technology and Infrastructure:
Making the Move to UHF Tags
In 2006, NASCAR began implementing an RFID program. At that time, to ensure the integrity of its chassis certification process, the organization elected to utilize low-frequency (LF) tags. In 2011, NASCAR expanded the program and transitioned to ultrahigh-frequency (UHF). The UHF tags and readers are now utilized to increase the integrity of the inspection process, while also reducing staffing requirements. Hear how the organization is using the technology to ensure that Goodyear tires are read and verified.
Speaker:
Jerry Kaproth, Safety Coordinator, NASCAR
Takeaways:
• How 11 chassis UHF tags are automatically read as each car is presented at the portal, instead of workers having to manually read 3 or 4 tags
• The benefits of utilizing the technology to read not only chassis numbers, but also a file containing certification measurements | | » Manufacturing/Operational Efficiency:
Parts Maker Uses RFID to Increase Efficiencies
Automotive electrical parts manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America (MEAA), has teamed up with Midtronics, a battery-management company, to add RFID functionality to test equipment that the parts maker's customers can utilize to gain an automated electronic record of maintenance and repair to those components. The system includes a single passive high-frequency (HF) RFID tag attached to a truck, to store the maintenance history of that vehicle's electrical system, as well as tags attached to the parts maker's components. Tags attached to components would have sufficient memory to allow each tag to store a more detailed maintenance history of the individual component to which it was attached. Dealers often return parts to the manufacturer that they claim are inoperable, but that are actually still functioning, having simply been misdiagnosed. As a result, the firm charges the dealership for these unnecessary repairs. Learn how the system can be used to provide the manufacturer with an automated way to receive warranty information, as well as data about the component's functionality, and then ease the process of completing a warranty claim, refurbishing or just replacing the part.
Speakers:
Chris Page, Senior Business Manager, Midtronics
Adam M. Warmack, Account Manager, Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc.
Takeaways:
• The use of RFID to store data about a vehicle, including its make, model, year and maintenance history
• Better management of trucks' maintenance schedules, meaning that some parts may not need to be replaced as early as the company would have scheduled replacement, if testing found it operating properly | | 4:00 PM | Networking in Exhibit Hall
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April 5, 2012Back to Top| 7:30 AM | Morning Coffee
| | 8:30 AM | General Session:
Welcome Back
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | 9:00 AM | General Session:
2012 RFID Journal Awards
Each year, RFID Journal selects a panel of independent judges to choose the best RFID projects. In this session, the finalists will be announced, and each end-user company or organization will present a case study explaining the project chosen for the award. In addition, the winner of the Best in Show award, given to the best new product exhibited at the conference, will be unveiled.
| | 11:00 AM | Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
| | | 12:00 PM—Track Sessions | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Improving Efficiency With RTLS
Celebration Health, a Florida Hospital facility, is employing a real-time locating system (RTLS) to measure the operational efficiency of its new patient tower, which opened in mid-August 2011. At the tower, nurses wear RTLS badges enabling the hospital to gather and analyze data regarding the movements of staff members, in order to ascertain how the unit could be more efficient. The system utilizes the hospital's existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, with tags that transmit data to the Wi-Fi nodes, and the software manages the information related to RTLS reads. Celebration Health is using its own business-management software, including Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, to evaluate the data and determine what it means for staff efficiency, and how it could be improved. Learn how the system allows management to view, for example, when employees take extra steps, enabling the firm to improve procedures based on those findings.
Speaker:
Todd Frantz, Associate Chief Technology Officer, Florida Hospital
Takeaways:
•Why the system is not linked to specific employees
•How the firm is using the data to determine what motion is useful and valuable, as well as identify motion or activity that reduces efficiency | | » Retail/Apparel:
Increasing Sales With an RFID-Enabled Loyalty Program
The Tampa Bay Lightning, an NHL hockey team, is using an RFID-based loyalty program for its season-pass holders, nearly doubling the number of customers using such passes in just one year. The solution—which features passive 13.56 MHz tags sewn into Lightning jerseys worn by fans, in addition to RFID readers deployed at concession stands and stores—allows a user to receive discounts every time he or she buys food, beverages or souvenirs, such as team apparel, at the St. Pete Times Forum stadium, in Tampa, Fla. The Bolts, as the team is commonly known, are using jerseys with RFID tags sewn into the garments, along with 200 fixed readers at point-of-service locations throughout the stadium. When season passes went on sale for the 2011-12 season, jersey buyers were notified about a new program whereby fans wearing the shirts could use them to receive 25 percent discounts on food and beverages purchased at the home stadium's concession stands, as well as 35 percent discounts on merchandise. Learn how users first selected a jersey that was a good fit, then provided his or her name and e-mail address, which employees input into the software, residing on the Bolts' back-end database. The staff then read the tag on the selected jersey, linking its tag's unique ID number with that individual's data.
Speaker:
Brad Lott, Executive VP of Service and Operations, Tampa Bay Lightning
Takeaways:
• The benefits of using an RFID solution not only to provide discounts, but also to help management better control activity at concession stands and in stores, by knowing which products are being purchased, when this occurs and the amount bought by each customer
• Future uses, including helping the team to gain a better comprehension of how the services are being utilized by season-pass holders | | » Enhancing Visibility and Traceability:
Lowering Traffic Congestion With RFID
To better measure traffic flow, the Texas Transportation Institute and a private research-and-development organization have installed a solution that reads government-issued passive UHF tags attached to the windshields of northbound commercial traffic. Between 50 and 80 percent of trucks passing through the borders are equipped with some type of RFID transponder, and the use of those existing transponders for tracking traffic movement across the border enables the agencies to measure and store data about crossing times for commercial vehicles. Before the RFID-based solution was put in place, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) depended on anecdotal reports from drivers regarding wait times, as well as on visual inspections conducted by officers regarding queue lengths. Learn how truck drivers' existing transponders attached to their windshields for toll-payment or shipment-clearance identification are being utilized to ease the inspection process. This process does not include tracking individuals, but simply collecting an ID number and a timestamp as a transponder passes a reader location. Hear how the data is being used to help border-crossing agencies to strategize traffic solutions, such as opening extra lanes at specific times.
Speaker:
Rajat Rajbhandari, Ph.D., P.E., PMP, Research Engineer, Texas Transportation Institute
Takeaways:
• Using RFID to analyze resulting data indicating wait times, as well as crossing times
• Future uses, including a Web site that trucking companies, shippers and members of the public can log onto in order to access real-time congestion data, as well as reports containing historical information, such as the busiest and least busy times of day or days of the week | | » Improving Supply Chain Logistics:
Enhancing the Inventory Accuracy of Products and Materials With RFID
Morgan Thermal Ceramics designs, manufactures and installs a broad range of thermal-insulation products that significantly reduce energy consumption and emissions in a variety of high-temperature processing applications. The firm provides ceramic fiber-insulation products, refractory ceramics or passive fire protection. Learn how the company incorporated seamless, real-time, RFID technology into its production facility and achieved 100 percent traceability of products within its plant and warehouse.
Speaker:
José Manuel Zavala G., Technology Projects Advisor, Grupo Industrial Morgan (Morgan Thermal Ceramics Mexico)
Takeaways:
• How Morgan Thermal Ceramics uses passive RFID tags for the precise identification of each product leaving its production line
• The use of touch screens and RFID forklift readers on the production line | | » Defense/Aerospace:
DLA Uses RFID-enabled Distribution to Support the U.S. War Efforts
By leveraging the relationships of its suppliers and customers, using new and exciting technologies, and integrating RFID into more of its logistics footprint and processes, the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is providing improved visibility beyond just receiving goods into inventory. In this session, learn how this capability will deliver improved availability, trust, responsiveness, speed and efficiency within the defense supply chain to support the war effort.
Speaker:
Mark Lieberman, AIT Program Manager, U.S. Defense Logistics Agency
Takeaways:
• How existing implementations have demonstrated the value of automatic identification technology in the defense supply chain
• How the DLA's next phase of implementation will include expanding previous initiatives, as well as enabling new capabilities | | » Achieving an ROI:
Thinking Outside the Carton: Using RFID for Document Management
Trying to accurately locate a single file within a warehouse containing hundreds of thousands of cartons of documents, stacked six stories high, can be a daunting process, regardless of how meticulous the filing system. Learn how Recall Corp., a global leader in document storage, secure document destruction, digital document management and data protection, is using radio frequency identification for records management, making the proverbial "needle in the haystack" quantifiably easier to find.
Speaker:
Jonathan Poole, RFID Manager, Recall Corporation
Takeaways:
• Why RFID became a necessity for records management
• How Recall Corp. utilizes the technology to enhance its consumer offerings | | » Technology and Infrastructure:
The Internet of Things (IoT): An Update from the AIM IoT Committee
Whether it's the Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) communications or the Connected World, AIM Global has created a committee to examine the low-level issues associated with the Internet of Things, and how RFID and automatic-identification (AIDC) technologies will play a part in the future. Such issues range from the global communications level down to the sensor and RFID tag level. Although governments in Europe, China and Korea have already invested billions of dollars, the U.S. government has yet to make any announcements regarding this subject, or to make a significant investment in the technology. In this session, gain an update on AIM's involvement, and learn what is happening with several projects being conducted by the IoT committee. Learn how AIM is committed to increasing IoT awareness, defining how AIDC plays a pivotal role and educating all stakeholders (including the legislature) about issues and opportunities.
Speaker:
Stephen Halliday, President, High Tech Aid
Takeaways:
•The importance of new and emerging standards being developed that have the potential to change our perspective of how data capture works within the corporate environment
•The latest updates from AIM's IoT committee, and how you can be involved in this exciting area of technology | | » Manufacturing/Operational Efficiency:
Using RFID to Locate Materials in Rugged Conditions
JV Driver Group, a provider of industrial construction services to the oil and gas, energy, petrochemical, forestry and mining sectors, is employing RFID tracking technology that utilizes rugged active tracking tags, chokepoint readers, vehicle readers and handheld interrogators to automate the receiving and locating of materials anywhere at its large industrial construction projects throughout Canada. In March 2011, the firm undertook a 12-month industrial construction project to construct complex pipe-rack and electrical modules within its 80-acre site in Edmonton, Alberta, that would later be shipped to an oil-sands mining site located in Northern Alberta. Tens of thousands of module components and equipment items of varying sizes arrived at Edmonton from around the world, via ocean shipping containers and heavy haul trucks. With so many components arriving at Edmonton within such a short timeframe, it was critical that the materials-management team be able to account for each piece and easily find every component, out of thousands of similar-looking parts in the warehouse or outdoor laydown yards—and in a timely fashion—without holding up a module's construction. Learn how JV Driver Group is utilizing rugged active RFID technology to help automate the receiving and locating of materials anywhere on the construction site.
Speaker:
Joel Lukaseder, VP of Project Services, JV Driver Group
Takeaways:
• How the system created a very efficient work process for the materials-management team and work crews, by enabling 99 percent of the tagged materials to be located within less than five minutes (whereas in the past, it took an average of 30 minutes per piece)
• The benefits of using RFID-automated material-movement reports to track the progress of percentage completed for each module, as well as progress factors for receiving, storing, staging, issuing and installation | | 12:40 PM | Lunch in Exhibit Hall
| | | 2:00 PM—Track Sessions | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Serialization With RFID in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain
Upcoming track-and-trace requirements by individual states for the pharmaceutical supply chain, such as California in 2015, as well as higher-level electronic-pedigree obligations, have encouraged many drug companies to explore supply chain solutions based on RFID technologies. The existence of a large number of different system parameters with significant effects on the performance of an RFID implementation, however, creates a challenge for companies in identifying the optimal system setup with minimal supply chain disruption. In this session, find out how the University of South Florida Polytechnic employed an analytical approach to help a pharmaceutical firm improve the efficiency of its RFID implementation for a challenging product.
Speaker:
Ismail Uysal, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of South Florida Polytechnic
Takeaways:
• The use of a state-of-the-art, closed-loop test conveyor and intelligent test software to systematically cycle and modify all system configurations and RFID parameters in order to improve performance at both the unit-carton and case levels
• How the same test setup can be applied to other RFID pharmaceutical applications, using the ISO 18000-6C standard to overcome such implementation-specific challenges as product type (blister packs or liquid products), line speed and more | | » Retail/Apparel:
Adding Value to the Customer Experience With RFID
Players at TopGolf, an RFID-enabled golf entertainment complex located in Allen, Texas, have been viewing their golfing scores on LCD screens, based on RFID readings of the balls they hit. TopGolf's entertainment complex includes a variety of golf-related games, as well as food, beverages, and events or private parties. Many of its guests are new to golf, and value the overall entertainment experience. Thus, the company has made a point of providing something beyond a simple driving range or golf course. The solution uses passive EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology to measure the distance that each ball travels, as well as keep score for every player. The RFID solution employs tags embedded in golf balls, and includes 50 readers, used in conjunction with eight-port multiplexers. Altogether, the facility has 548 read points installed throughout the complex, at ball dispensers located in hitting bays, as well as along the 240-yard-long fairway. Learn how the RFID system manages more than 10,000 ball reads per hour when the complex is operating at full capacity.
Speaker:
Chris Wagner, Research and Development Engineer, TopGolf
Takeaways:
• How TopGolf developed a "diverter" machine to test balls in-house, and to ensure that the tag within each ball is functioning properly at any given time
• How the system met the company's desire to upgrade the automated scoring system with off-the-shelf components | | » Enhancing Visibility and Traceability:
Using RFID at the Maryland Medical Examiner's Office
When employees at Maryland's Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) require paperwork pertaining to a human body being stored at the Baltimore facility, those files could be located at a variety of places. To better manage such files—of which the office currently has approximately 30,000—the organization employs ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID real-time location system (RTLS) technology, as well as a software platform that manages data from 11 different readers. Based on the system's success, the office plans to utilize it to track the bodies themselves. Armed with data regarding a corpse's location, the office will know if a body has been kept unrefrigerated, and for how long—an important piece of information, since many bodies provide organs for transplant procedures, and must thus be kept cooled in order for those organs to retain viability. Although a body remains on site for only about 72 hours, its file circulates from one floor to another, and often to a third or fourth floor. Hear how the RTLS solution enables the firm to quickly locate decedents, and find out why proof of tracking in the OCME system suggests that living patient uses will be significant for emergency medical services (EMS), as well as within a hospital's intensive-care unit, operating room and other areas.
Speaker:
Michael Eagle, Director of Information Technology, Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Takeaways:
• How the file-tracking system proved its ability to save time and help workers locate paperwork quickly if another staff member or visitor needs it
• How using the RFID solution to track decedents not only allows workers to have a more accurate record of how long a particular body remained unrefrigerated, but also provides that information to physicians | | » Improving Supply Chain Logistics:
Asset Management in the U.S. Air Force: Using RFID in the Global Supply Chain
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) Program Office is responsible for promoting the use of RFID-based automatic-identification technology within the U.S. Air Force (USAF). This presentation will provide an update regarding the USAF's passive RFID program, with emphasis on employing the technology to support the tracking of critical assets, as well as an integrated approach between passive RFID, bar codes and wireless handheld terminals in base supply.
Speaker:
Mark Reboulet, AIT Program Manager, U.S. Air Force
Takeaways:
• How RFID is being utilized to improve the overall efficiency and productivity of the USAF supply chain
•An understanding of the USAF's enterprise approach to automated identification and data capture (AIDC) | | » Defense/Aerospace:
Automating the Littoral Combat Ship Support Container Inventory Process With RFID
Speed in responding to threats is vital to a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), which must be able to quickly replenish an existing mission package or swap out for a new one. The presence of a critical maintenance item for a required piece of equipment within a container can mean the difference between the success or failure of a mission. Learn how the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) is automating its LCS support container inventory process. Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Mine Countermeasures Systems for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Advanced Flight Mission Package Program, the Mission Package Automated Inventory Information System (MPAIIS) uses government-developed software and commercial off-the-shelf hardware and passive RFID tags to form a comprehensive inventory system. MPAIIS offers warfighters an incredible advantage, and provides inventory control, configuration management and asset tracking, with high accuracy and fast response times. By utilizing MPAIIS, a warfighter can be assured that he or she will always have the proper tool in the correct place at the right time.
Speaker:
Ryan Mabry, Engineer, Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD)
Takeaways:
• How MPAIIS greatly improves inventory accuracy and turnaround time, while also adding significant cost savings
• How MPAIIS was able to demonstrate 100 percent inventory accuracy of a container in less than 2 minutes 100 percent of the time, translating to a 99 percent reduction in a warfighter's inventory workload | | » Achieving an ROI:
RFID Pricing Models
Emerging technology applications, such as automatic-identification technologies (RFID, for instance), generally hold a lot of promise in terms of forecasted benefits. Given a lack of empirical evidence, however, organizations generally face a great deal of uncertainty with regard to the proposed value of information. Since a growing number of organizations are moving toward value-based pricing, that makes it challenging to determine the price of a new information-based product or service, due to the uncertainty of the information's value. Current pricing models fall short of addressing this concern, and are among the reasons for slow adoption of RFID applications. In this session, the speakers will discuss a hybrid-pricing model that addresses these challenges, utilizes value-based pricing to determine cost and provides a way for producers and consumers to share risks posed by the uncertainty of realizing the forecasted value of information.
Speakers:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
Pankaj Sood, Founder and Researcher, McMaster RFID Applications Lab; Cambridge University
| | » Manufacturing/Operational Efficiency:
RFID for Equipment Yard Management
A manufacturer of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers distributes its products using various pieces of equipment, such as sprayers, conveyors and dispensers, which are stored and managed in its equipment yards. Before selecting a system to track which equipment was in its yard, and how often the various items were used, the company often experienced underutilized assets, delayed customer response times and unnecessary purchases of new equipment. Hear why the firm chose an RFID-enabled yard-management solution to automatically track equipment inventory in real time. Learn how that system monitors the location to which the equipment is delivered, when it is returned and how frequently it is used.
Takeaways:
• How RFID enables the firm to track the location to which the equipment is delivered, as well as how frequently it is used at the site
• How the system provides information regarding when the equipment leaves the yard and when it is returned | | » Technology and Infrastructure:
Low-Cost Ubiquitous Passive RFID Real-Time Location-Sensing System
A groundbreaking real-time location system (RTLS) developed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK EPSRC), The INtelligent Airport (TINA) project, and the Boeing Framework Agreement, at the University of Cambridge, will allow retailers, airlines and other businesses to inexpensively and effectively monitor these items' locations in real time. A major objective of the approach was not only to overcome the limited range for the reliable detection of passive tags, so that antennas could be spaced 20 meters apart—comparable with conventional Wi-Fi spacings—but also to provide accurate real-time location data. As an output of the project, a proof-on-principle demonstrator was created. The solution, which recently won the Royal Academy of Engineering's ERA Foundation Entrepreneurship Award, could potentially save airlines millions of pounds. Retail groups have also been engaged in the project—not just for tagging goods, but also for the advancement of self-service checkouts. Learn how this solution will help RFID technology to move away from a conventional narrow-portal approach to a ubiquitous-coverage solution.
Speaker:
Sithamparanathan Sabesan, M.Phil., Ph.D., Junior Research Fellow, Girton College, Cambridge University
Takeaways:
• How the system will enable a wide range of applications
•Why the solution is not just specific to the airline and retail industries, but can also be used to monitor and locate assets at multiple warehouses, as well as track documents within office environments | | | 2:50 PM—Track Sessions | | » Technology and Infrastructure:
How to Choose an RFID Asset-Tracking Solution
Real-time visibility can dramatically reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies for the vast majority of enterprises. This session will explain how companies can cut costs using an RFID tracking system, and how businesses should go about choosing the proper solution. Learn the differences between passive and active RFID, ultra-wideband (UWB) and real-time location system (RTLS) technologies. What's more, the speaker will explain the steps that companies should take in order to select the most appropriate system for their needs.
Takeaways:
• Insights into which RFID technologies are suitable for your company's assets
• How the technology can be used to gain visibility into assets' locations and movements | | » Improving Supply Chain Logistics:
Government Agency Improves Warehouse Management With RFID
A government agency has installed a real-time location system (RTLS) at its distribution center to better manage assets. Passive UHF RFID transponders are being used to track the movements of pallets, boxes and bags through loading dock doors and into the backs of trucks. The system records when an item is shipped, and also issue alerts if boxes or bags are being loaded onto the wrong vehicle, or if an item falls off a conveyor and is at risk of being misplaced. When an order is placed, warehouse workers utilize an electronic pick list and load boxes destined for the ordering customer. Hear how the system facilitates greater visibility within the agency's warehouses.
Takeaways:
• How RFID has improved the efficiency of the company's overall warehouse management, and how it has reduced loading problems
• Future uses of the system in the entire warehouse, including the tagging of all items | | » Defense/Aerospace:
RFID Helps Naval Ships Defend Themselves From Missile Attacks
Two years ago, a NATO member country first began using an RFID component for its navy's automated launch of expendables (ALEX) systems—fire decoys designed to counter inbound enemy anti-ship missiles (ASMs). Mounted onboard the navy's combatant vessels, the decoy launchers were outfitted with RFID readers and decoy cartridges were fitted with RFID tags. Learn how the RFID technology offers ship's personnel real-time visibility into which types of decoys are deployed, as well as which barrels they are installed in, and helps ensure that the proper round is fired off, potentially in a split-second decision, while the vessel is under attack.
Takeaways:
• Results from tests to ensure that the RFID system would operate properly in the rigorous environment of a vessel at sea
• How the system is able to withstand the ship's highly wet and metallic environment, as well as sustain the shocks of repeated decoy firing | | » Manufacturing/Operational Efficiency:
Improving Workflow at Manufacturing Facility With RFID
A manufacturer of tires is utilizing Wi-Fi-based tags to locate components for its 500,000-square-foot passenger car and light truck (PLT) tire-assembly plant, reducing the time workers spend searching for parts and ensuring that they are used before expiring. In 2010, the firm deployed the system to help reduce the time that its staff spent searching for containers filled with components required for tire assembly, as well as decreasing the amount of waste by providing alerts when parts need to be used before becoming too old. Learn how the system helps the factory maintain an optimal level of material and component inventory on the shop floor, by providing visibility into when part stock is running low.
Takeaways:
• How RFID has reduced the loss of tires due to component expiration by 20 percent
• How the system has improved workflow, by allowing management to track a particular container from the point of component production to consumption at the tire-assembly station | | » Retail/Apparel:
Comprehensive Analysis of RFID Performance Within Retail Stores: What Can a Retailer Expect?
The University of Arkansas' RFID Research Center has completed a detailed analysis of the EPC read environments of various retailers' stores. The study, comprising thousands of hours of exhaustive data capture and analysis of tagged items within actual retail store implementations, contains information regarding data-capture rates and the performance of the current generation of RFID technology. Hear the study's results, and learn about the process issues that retailers might need to address in order to achieve better EPC performance, including supplier source tagging, label attachment, returns, in-store tagging, store environment, tag performance, reader performance, scanning, associating RFID information and more.
Speakers:
David Cromhout, RFID Research Center Lab Director, University of Arkansas
Justin Patton, Managing Director, RFID Research Center, University of Arkansas
| | » Achieving an ROI:
Choosing the Right RFID Tool-Tracking Systems to Save Time and Money
In many industries—including automotive, aerospace, oil and gas exploration and production, and farming—a fully automated RFID tool-tracking system can eliminate human errors, freeing up workers to perform their primary jobs without worrying about the tools required to do so. Learn how to choose which technology will work best in your particular operating environment.
Takeaways:
• How to choose the right RFID technology to track tools in your environment
• The benefits of using RFID to track tools | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Clinic Improves Access to Electronic Medical Records
Security measures instituted at medical centers typically require that each staff member input an authorized user name and password in order to access a patient's electronic medical records (EMR), and then to close that file prior to stepping away from the computer. A clinic in the Northwest has resolved this time-consuming process by using an RFID system to save time and increase file security. RFID tags in ID badges are verified upon entering a room and coming within range of a reader, thereby triggering a computer to permit employees access to EMR files, with the EMR software application or just the file shutting down again as they leave that area. Learn how the solution also helps the clinic ensure that it complies with the U.S. government's Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), by not leaving files open that could result in security breaches—which can lead to penalties meted out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Takeaways:
• How the RFID system saves the staff time otherwise spent logging into and out of PCs numerous times every day
• Increased security, since the system automatically closes the EMR application when a user leaves the vicinity | | » Enhancing Visibility and Traceability:
Using RFID to Track the Movements of High-Value Materials
The Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT), with assistance from the University of Alaska, recently completed a pilot that tracked asphalt-filled dump trucks from a weigh station in Anchorage to the Glenn Highway construction site, located about an hour's drive away. This involved utilizing an RFID solution that includes 900 MHz active tags attached to trucks, as well as readers installed at the weigh station and attached to a paver—a vehicle that applies hot-mix asphalt to a new road surface—on the construction site. Asphalt, which costs approximately $115 per ton, must be laid while still warm in order for it to set properly, or else a road could experience cracks or other problems down the line. Hear how the pilot utilized radio frequency identification to track a total of 50,000 tons of asphalt, laid along a 10-mile-long section of a six-lane roadway under construction.
Speaker:
Jim Sweeney, P.E., Research Engineer, Statewide Research Section, Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT)
Takeaways:
• How the project provided accurate and reliable data, including an exact record of when each truck was at a particular location, as well as how long it remained there
• Using RFID to reduce the amount of labor hours spent inputting handwritten paperwork regarding delivery | | 3:30 PM | Conference Concludes
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RFID Journal LIVE! 2012 is produced by RFID Journal, the World's RFID Authority.
All conference sessions are subject to change, and RFID Journal reserves the right to alter dates, programs and speakers at any time, as circumstances dictate. Sessions without assigned speakers indicate a target topic; every effort will be made to ensure that a program of equivalent standard and value is available.
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