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Conference Agenda
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April 12, 2011 April 13, 2011 April 14, 2011
April 12, 2011Back to Top| 10:30 AM | RFID Basics
New to RFID? Here's your opportunity to gain a basic 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 RFID and EPC technologies, 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
Construction
Energy
Food/Agriculture
Health Care
RFID for IT Professionals
University
Warehouse/Inventory Management
| | 1:00 PM | Lunch
| | 4:45 PM | Welcome and Introduction
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | 5:00 PM | Keynote Session:
Applying RFID Along the Entire Retail Value Chain
Despite the challenging economic climate, one large retailer continues to move forward with its deployment of EPC RFID technology. In this presentation, hear how the company is using RFID to improve operations across the entire retail value chain. The speaker will provide insights into the lessons learned from using RFID in logistics, warehouse management, apparel store inventory management and quality control for fresh food products.
| | 5:45 PM | Keynote Session:
Helping Companies Across Vertical Industries Succeed
Companies across a variety of vertical industries are employing RFID-enabled technology to transform their business processes. This session will provide insight into successful deployments and business benefits in terms of the ROI from these deployments. Learn how companies across such verticals as manufacturing, supply chain, retail, hospitality, oil and gas, and airlines are utilizing RFID to gain visibility into physical world assets and activities, in order to improve business.
| | 6:30 PM | Opening Reception Starts
| | 8:30 PM | Opening Reception Ends
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April 13, 2011Back to Top| 7:30 AM | Morning Coffee
| | 8:00 AM | Welcome and Introduction
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | 8:30 AM | Keynote Session:
Achieving Real Business Value From RFID
Game-changing technologies enable early adopters to gain competitive advantage and drive shareholder value. Leading companies in many industries are gaining that advantage today with RFID. This session will focus on how companies are working with their key partners on large-scale strategic RFID implementations. Hear industry best practices that achieve real business value through the use of radio frequency identification, and why now is the best time to act.
| | 9:15 AM | Keynote Session:
RFID in 2011—Expanding the Scope and Extending the Benefits
From the manufacturing floor to the loading dock door, from the data center to the retail sales floor, a greater variety of RFID products can be leveraged today than ever before to help organizations improve efficiencies and maximize productivity. This growth in RFID form factors and features is expanding the technology's value into new industries and applications, thereby spurring adoption worldwide. In this session, some key solution providers will share their unique perspectives on the business value being unlocked by RFID, as well as the technology's importance as part of a complete mobility and communications strategy.
| | 10:00 AM | General Session:
Passive RTLS: Enterprises Gain Visibility into Large-Scale Operations
Leading supply chain executives will share insights derived from their pioneering RFID initiatives, launched in the past year utilizing passive real-time locating system (RTLS) RFID technologies to enable a new level of visibility into supply chain and asset-management operations within enterprises with large-scale needs.
| | 10:30 AM | Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
| | | 11:30 AM—Breakout Session | | » Visibility and Traceability:
Using EPCIS Data Sharing for Full Supply Chain Visibility
EPC Information Services (EPCIS) is a set of networking and data-sharing standards that offer companies the ability to share information not just about serial numbers read from RFID tags, but also the context of those reads. In this session, learn how EPCIS data can be utilized to help realize benefits from RFID in the supply chain for a wide range of industries. Hear how EPCIS goes beyond just identifying and tracking assets, and turns that visibility into action.
Speaker:
Ken Traub, PhD., Consultant, Standards Strategy, GS1 EPCglobal US
| | » Retail/CPG:
How Retailers Benefit From Using RFID to Improve Inventory Accuracy
The University of Arkansas' RFID Research Center has aggregated information regarding the impact RFID has had on various retailers' inventory accuracy and replenishment. The center plans to provide baseline data revealing the benefits that typical apparel retailers can expect to achieve with RFID. Attendees will also learn how the technology can be applied to reduce the out-of-stock problem that has long plagued retailers.
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 | | » Manufacturing/Operations:
Putting RFID to Work to Track Products, Assets
A networking-equipment manufacturer is employing an RFID-based asset-tracking solution to track and manage a variety of important company assets in locations around the world. The firm first began using active RFID tags to track high-value equipment in its internal product group department, which develops and tests new networking products. It later started attaching passive RFID tags to circuit boards used in prototype products. In this session, hear how the firm has expanded its usage to include attaching passive tags to servers, laptops and other IT assets at its data centers worldwide.
Takeaways:
• Learn how the system is being utilized to track 33,000 pieces of test equipment, circuit boards, prototype products and IT assets across three facilities, located in the U.S. and India
• How RFID is being used in their data centers | | » How to Deploy:
How to Choose the Right RTLS for Your Needs
There are a wide variety of real-time location systems (RTLS) on the market. Many use RFID, but their performance differs on whether they employ active or passive RFID, Wi-FI tags, ZigBee or ultra-wideband (UWB), and on whether they combine RFID with other technologies, such as ultrasound or infrared. This session will explain the different systems and the applications for which they are most suitable, and provide a step-by-step framework for choosing the right system for your organization's needs.
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
Takeaways:
• Insights into the many different types of RTLSs, and the applications for which each is most suitable
• A step-by-step process for choosing the right real-time location systems | | » Defense/Security:
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. In this session, learn how RFID technology offers ship's personnel real-time visibility into which types of decoys are deployed, as well as in which barrels they are installed, 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 | | » 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 issues alerts if boxes or bags are being loaded onto the wrong truck, or if an item falls off a conveyor and is at risk of being misplaced. When an order is placed, warehouse workers use an electronic pick list and load boxes destined for the ordering customer. In this session, 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, while also reducing loading problems
• Future uses of the system in the entire warehouse, and with the tagging of all items | | » Aviation/Aerospace:
RFID Saves Time, Improves Safety at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
Even a small tool left on the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center could potentially damage a spacecraft during liftoff, thereby jeopardizing a mission. To prevent assets from being left behind by workers, Boeing has employed a real-time location system. Hear how the system reduces the time spent inventorying tools, by enabling staff members to search for a specific tool, or to perform an inventory of all tagged items at the facility, quickly and cost-effectively, thus reducing labor costs and increasing flight safety.
Speaker:
Philip Lintereur, Boeing Fluids, Avonics and Propulsion Systems Manager, Boeing
Takeaways:
• Best practices for using RFID for inventory tracking
• How to improve safety at a secure worksite | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Disney Cancer Center Uses RFID to Enhance Patient Experience
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center's Disney Family Cancer Center is employing an innovative RFID solution to reduce patient anxiety and improve workflow between clinicians, patients and administrators. In this session, learn how the hospital deployed interrogators to relay information from low-profile passive RFID tags on patients' ID badges to centralized applications that retrieve patient information. This information includes patient preferences to activate custom hospital-room settings—music, lighting and temperature—as well as location data that can be sent to the staff's phone displays, thereby enabling clinicians to greet or locate patients quickly. Information is also provided to the facility's security and environmental-control systems, thus maximizing the hospital's operational efficiencies.
Speaker:
Ray Lowe, Director Ministry Support/IS Operations, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Takeaways:
• How to integrate active and passive RFID into a single system
• How to deploy a hospital-wide solution to patients' needs | | 12:20 PM | Sponsored Breakout Sessions
| | 1:00 PM | Lunch in Exhibit Hall
| | | 3:00 PM—Breakout Session | | » Visibility and Traceability:
How NASCAR Uses RFID to Authenticate Auto Parts
NASCAR needed to make sure that cars used newer, safer components as designed, and that all race teams remained in compliance with rules set forth by the sanctioning body. In this session, hear how NASCAR utilizes RFID as an information repository to record certain activities associated with a tagged part. Hear how NASCAR uses RFID to certify parts, and to follow that certification with a quick, effective method of verification at key points at race events, such as in the pit and post-race.
Speaker:
Jerry Kaproth, Safety Coordinator, NASCAR
Takeaways:
• How to choose tags that work on metal objects
• How to design a system that can authenticate products or parts | | » Retail/CPG:
Improving Inventory Accuracy and Reducing Labor Costs With RFID
Florida shoe retailer Peltz Shoes has saved approximately 1,500 man-hours in the past year by applying a passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tag to every box containing a pair of shoes at each of its four stores, and by employing an RFID-enabled cart to manage its inventory. The family-owned business, which has been in business since 1957, has been selling more goods online, and with the growth of that online business, the need for accurate inventory counts became more pronounced. The system, which delivered a return on investment in less than a year, provides an up-to-date list of available merchandise to online customers. Hear how the system was designed, and what additional functionality is being considered, including the ability to see, in real time, what is available at each of the firm's four stores, as well as the ability to detect when a pair of shoes has been incorrectly shelved.
Speaker:
Gary Peltz, VP/CEO, Peltz Shoes
Takeaways:
• How to use RFID to manage store inventory
• Strategies for deploying RFID in smaller retail chains | | » Manufacturing/Operations:
Using RFID to Track Inspections and Safety Data
A manufacturer of custom rigging supplies and fall-protection equipment is tagging every item it manufactures that must be periodically inspected. This enables the company's customers to begin tracking the equipment it receives for inventory purposes, as well as for maintaining an electronic record of all items it inspects. Learn how equipment users can obtain better results with an RFID system, versus manual record-keeping with pen and paper.
Takeaways:
• How RFID can be used to provide easily accessible records of inspections to OSHA and other agencies
• How the firm is using RFID tagged products to be competitive | | » How to Deploy:
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 needed to do so. In this session, 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 | | » Defense/Security:
Disaster Relief: Using RFID to Track Supplies and Equipment
Soon after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, U.S. military forces arrived on the devastated island to offer aid. In its efforts to provide assistance to the earthquake-damaged nation, the military is using 433 MHz active RFID tags to track supplies and equipment. RFID tags were attached to all cargo containers shipped from a military installation in Florida, and the supplies were then moved into Haiti efficiently. Water, ready-to-eat meals and medicine made up the bulk of the earliest shipments, with construction equipment and other large assets arriving later. Learn how the military used RFID to overcome the challenges presented by a rapid-deployment situation.
Takeaways:
• Best practices for deploying active RFID systems quickly
• The value of tracking goods used in mobile operations | | » Supply Chain/Logistics:
Freight Company Uses Trailer-Tracking System to Yield Greater Security
A shipping and transportation company has begun using an RFID system integrated with GPS and cellular technology to track the location and status of its trailers throughout North America. The new system provides the firm with visibility into the locations of the trailers and the cargo they contain, and also offers status alerts in the event that a trailer is opened while in transit. With the new system, the company receives greater location data regarding each of its trailers as they are being transported by its own tractors and drivers, as well as by third-party transportation providers. Hear how the system delivers greater security for the trailers' freight—typically, consumer goods and just-in-time raw materials and components.
Takeaways:
• How to increase the utility of trailers, ensuring that empty trailers are moved to the locations at which they will be needed
• How to integrate RFID with GPS and cellular technology to ensure containers have not been tampered with | | » Aviation/Aerospace:
Aerospace Company Streamlines Manufacturing With RFID
A contract aerospace and defense manufacturer is using RFID to track work-in-process on its manufacturing line, creating transparency of the firm's inventory and manufacturing processes, up and down the supply chain. In this session, hear how the deployment brought about a dramatic transformation in the firm's operations, trimming costs and streamlining manufacturing while also enabling the company's customers to track orders in real time.
Takeaways:
• How RFID helps the firm save more than $160,000 annually on its production line due to the above improvements
• Using RFID WIP applications to provide more accurate data in order to drive lean improvements | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Medical Center Uses RFID-Enabled Robots to Track Controlled Substances
A 400-bed medical center is using an RFID-enabled robot to securely transport certain drugs throughout its facility, and to provide a real-time view into who sent and received each item. When the high-value or controlled substances are first received at the hospital, information such as the drug's type, volume, expiration date and serial number is input into software residing on the facility's back-end server. Staff members then place a passive RFID tag on the drug container, such as a vial or pill bottle, and read that tag with a handheld reader, thereby linking the tag's unique ID number with the pharmaceutical data. When medication is requested for particular patients, an employee picks the items out of cabinets and places them in drawers assigned for each patient-care unit.
Takeaways:
• How the RFID-enabled robot is 40 to 50 percent more cost-effective than human labor
• Improving oversight and record-keeping as a result of the use of the robots | | | 3:50 PM—Breakout Session | | » Visibility and Traceability:
Food Importer Uses RFID to Improve Visibility and Product Freshness
A food importer is using cargo-container seals to track the location and temperature of products being transported from factories overseas to U.S. stores. When imported goods are shipped from a seaport to regional hubs throughout the United States via rail, the timing of their arrival can be varied and unpredictable. The inability to accurately plan when products will arrive can cause additional expense and delays for the firm that imports private-label processed fruits, fish and vegetables packaged in Asia and South America, and supplies them to U.S. retailers. In this session, hear how a temperature-monitoring system for containers in transit also solved both temperature and scheduling issues. Hear how the system also provides container security, and allows customers to gain a real-time view into where their products were located.
Takeaways:
• How to track the temperature of perishables in the supply chain
• Using RFID data to improve supply chain visibility | | » Retail/CPG:
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. This session walks attendees through the financial model. Everyone in attendance will receive a copy of the report on which the presentation is based, as well as an ROI calculator they can utilize to explore the benefits they can expect to receive.
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | » Manufacturing/Operations:
Tracking Tool Usage and Set Up With RFID
A manufacturer of computer numerical controllers (CNC) for machine tools has teamed up with a sensor maker to offer a device enabling an interface between the sensor maker's RFID-based sensor system and the manufacturer's controllers for tracking tool use in manufacturing systems. CNC controllers run a variety of tools, including drills, cutters and grinding wheels. Historically, machine tool operators have needed to manually input data regarding each tool, which can result in human error, causing a system to shut down because a tool either broke during the manufacturing process, was not operating properly due to being worn out or was not installed in the correct location. Hear how RFID can be employed to reduce the chance of human errors, which can have a high cost for manufacturers since sophisticated machinery can be expensive to repair. In addition, learn how the technology can eliminate the possibility of a misused tool or a system shutdown that can cost a manufacturer many hours in productivity.
Takeaways:
• Using RFID to automate presetter data
• How the system can save companies the engineering time involved in integration | | » How to Deploy:
Tagging Assets in the Data Center
A large financial institution is leveraging radio frequency identification to improve data-center asset inventory accuracy and efficiency. The technology greatly reduces the man hours spent locating assets and conducting on-site inventory audits. RFID provides the bank with a true real-time inventory -tracking and -control system, and will also facilitate the automation of receipt notification, both for supply chain management and workflow-management purposes.
Takeaways:
• How to tag data-center assets
• How to use RFID data about data-center assets | | » Defense/Security:
DOD RFID Update: Progress Report on the World's First RFID-Enabled Supply Chain
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is now five years into its effort to transform its supply chain using both active and passive RFID technologies. In this session, a panel of experts will provide an in-depth update regarding the rollout's progress, both within the United States and overseas. In addition, attendees will gain insights into the next stages of the deployment, and have their questions answered by experts.
Takeaways:
• How to employ automatic data-capture technologies to build trust in supply chain operations
• Insights into how the DOD is benefiting from radio frequency identification | | » Supply Chain/Logistics:
Improving Offshore Logistics With RFID
A leading supplier of support services to the offshore oil and gas industries is implementing an integrated technology solution to locate and monitor containers at its offshore marine bases in St. John's, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada. The solution supports offshore logistical operations, providing complete supply chain visibility, and resulting in reduced costs. In this session, learn how the solution allows the firm to locate containers, as well as the high-value assets contained within, in real time—while also delivering cost savings.
Takeaways:
• Using RFID to ensure that all containers are certified before they are sent offshore
• How to create an RFID system that can withstand the harsh environment of the Canadian offshore, and deliver real-time data and visibility | | » Aviation/Aerospace:
Lowering Costs and Optimizing Operations With RFID
A regional air carrier is outfitting hundreds of pieces of aircraft ground support equipment with active RFID, sensor and GPS technologies that will help it better manage its fleet of ground support equipment (GSE). The airline has installed active RFID tags, known as Vehicle Asset Communicators (VACs), in several hundred of its GSEs in order to track a particular vehicle's location. In this session, learn how the system has improved the GSEs' security and reduced operating costs. In addition, hear how flight operation has improved by ensuring aircraft are efficiently maintained, loaded and unloaded.
Takeaways:
• How RFID-enabled 13.56 MHz ID badges allow employees to start a vehicle's ignition when a tag recognizes the unique ID number encoded to a worker's badge
• Reducing vehicle idle times in order to lower fuel costs and diminish carbon footprint | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Ingestible RFID Tag Can Help Track Medication Compliance in Clinical Trials
During clinical trials, a pharmaceutical company may test a specific drug, and the results of such studies depend on trial participants taking tested medications at the exact times—and at the specific dosage—prescribed. Pharmaceutical companies often ask participating individuals to take the medication in front of a witness, in order to ensure the drugs are being taken properly. Researchers at one university teamed up with a biomedical research and engineering firm to create a solution that includes a microchip, as well as a digestible antenna and software. Patients wear a battery-powered RFID interrogator, which could be embedded in a patch worn on an arm or against the abdomen, so that the reader's input and output terminals make electrical contact with the skin. Once a person swallows the capsule, the interrogator emits an LF signal that travels through the body to the stomach, powering up the tag and transmitting its unique ID number through the body so that it can be received by the reader, which then forwards that information to a mobile device. Hear how users of the system could receive a reminder on their mobile device when they need to take a pill.
Takeaways:
• How the team developed a proprietary sensor, built into the tag's chip, that can detect if the pill is in the stomach
• The next steps needed to gain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including laboratory trials of the pill on animals and humans |
April 14, 2011Back 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:
Leveraging RFID to Improve Supply Chains
Logistics command and control is the fusing of logistics information into a common operating picture to drive efficiency and effectiveness from factory to foxhole. A manufacturer has been employing radio frequency identification and other technologies to provide knowledge-based logistics services to both private- and public-sector enterprises. In this session, learn how the firm is utilizing RFID and other technologies to improve the tracking and distribution of equipment, spare parts and personnel for government and non-government agencies, and how the company plans to use the same technologies and systems to improve its own operations.
| | 9:45 AM | General Session:
2011 RFID Journal Awards
Every year, RFID Journal selects a panel of independent judges to choose the best RFID projects. In this session, the finalists for Best RFID Implementation, Most Innovative Use of RFID, Best Use of RFID in a Product or Service, and Special Achievement will be announced, and each will present its story. We will also announce the winner of the Best in Show category, awarded to the vendor exhibiting the best new product at the conference.
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
| | 11:00 AM | Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall
| | | 12:00 PM—Breakout Session | | » Visibility and Traceability:
Achieving Product Traceability With RFID
An international biopharmaceutical manufacturer is implementing an RFID-based solution for serialized shipment-container tracking to enhance its shipping accuracy and traceability. RFID serialized container tracking supports the company's efforts to combat counterfeiting, improve process execution and prepare for regulatory requirements for tracking pharmaceutical pedigrees. In this session, hear about the business value the company expects to derive in its logistics operations from tracking serialized shipping containers with RFID.
Takeaways:
• Improving logistics operations through the use of RFID technology
• Using traceability to ensure the safety of products, and to protect the brand | | » Retail/CPG:
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 were followed to a store, enabling real-time visibility of logistics flows. In this session, hear the results of this groundbreaking pilot, and learn how RFID benefits logistics and store processes.
Speaker:
Antonio Rizzi, Ph.D., Full Professor - Industrial Logistics & Supply Chain Management, University of Parma
Takeaways:
• Strategies for working with partners across the supply chain to assess RFID's benefits for each player
• How RFID can provide supply chain partners with accurate and real-time data from their supply chain | | » Manufacturing/Operations:
Reducing Errors and Increasing Productivity With RFID
Since implementing an RFID system that tracks products from the point of assembly until the moment they are shipped to a customer, a manufacturer of hotel furniture has reduced staffing costs and achieved a quick return on investment. The use of passive UHF EPC RFID tags helps the firm locate each piece of furniture after assembly and before shipping to the company's 100,000-square-foot warehouse. Learn how the system automates tracking when and where orders are shipped, while also ensuring that orders are complete and accurate. In addition, hear how RFID has reduced errors based on mis-loaded items, and helps organize the loading process if a large order does not fit onto a single truck.
Takeaways:
• How to use RFID to track finished inventory
• How to employ the technology to ensure shipping accuracy and improve customer satisfaction | | » How to Deploy:
How to Improve the Customer Experience With RFID
A cruise line is providing its customers with an RFID-based application that offers families and other groups a way to track their members. The application employs a real-time locating system (RTLS) that includes Wi-Fi-based RFID tags in badges or wristbands, and an iPhone (for rent) that can access each tag's location on its screen displaying a map of the ship. The location information is transmitted to the iPhone via the ship's existing Wi-Fi nodes. In this session, hear how the system has improved the customer experience and engendered customer loyalty.
Takeaways:
• How the system functions over an existing Wi-Fi network, making it unnecessary for the cruise line to install a secondary infrastructure and a separate RFID system
• Future uses for the passenger-tracking system | | » Defense/Security:
Improving Asset Visibility and Equipment Accountability
A facility responsible for maintaining equipment and supplies aboard maritime prepositioning ships (MPS) is deploying long-range EPC Gen 2 tags to expedite the loading and unloading of cargo. MPS vessels are loaded with a variety of equipment and supplies, including tanks, howitzers, trucks, ammunition, food, hospital equipment, petroleum products, supplies and spare parts. The vessels are then strategically positioned throughout the globe, ready for rapid delivery ashore where and when required. In this session, hear how test results showed that using passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tags reduced labor hours and increased visibility into the location of supplies.
Takeaways:
• How to use passive UHF systems for asset visibility
• How the system will be expanded in the future | | » Supply Chain/Logistics:
Logistics Company Uses RFID to Reduce Labor Hours and Improve Accuracy
One of Asia's largest logistics providers has replaced a paper-based and bar-coding solution at its Singapore facility with RFID, eliminating human error and improving accuracy. The company uses the RFID system to track goods received, stored and shipped from the Singapore facility, and to obtain an accurate view into the locations of their products via Internet-based software. The company ships and stores its customers' products in a number of countries, including Thailand, Korea, China and Australia. Learn how the firm is reducing labor hours by phasing out manual methods of tracking shipments, gaining visibility and sharing that visibility with its customers.
Takeaways:
• Using RFID to eliminate the need for manually writing serial number or scanning bar codes
• How the technology saves approximately six minutes of scanning time per pallet, resulting in a total of 625 man-days | | » Aviation/Aerospace:
Manufacturer Makes Monitoring Work-in-Progress More Efficient
A metal plating and finishing firm for the aerospace industry is employing a newly released UHF RFID encoder installed in a monochrome laser printer to track the movements of products throughout its facility. The RFID-enabled printer has enabled the company to print multiple documents with some pages containing an adhesive RFID label, and others consisting of inexpensive plain paper. In this session, learn how the firm prints the combination of tags and documents it requires to track its production processes, without spending time and money printing tags on an RFID printer-encoder and printing plain documents on another printer.
Takeaways:
• Using RFID to track the productivity of a manufacturing operation, and to identify any bottlenecks
• How an RFID system is employed to let customers log into a special section on the firm's Web site to check order status | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
RFID Saves Health System $2 Million Annually
After five years of employing an RFID-based real-time location system (RTLS) to manage assets, and following 18 months of tracking patients in operating rooms, a health-care company has seen an annual savings of $2 million. The savings comes as a result of drastically reducing the amount of rental equipment utilized by the company's four hospitals, as well as decreasing the incidence of lost or stolen equipment. The asset-tracking portion of the deployment included tagging 11,000 assets, such as IV pumps, wheelchairs and stretchers, with 433 MHz active RFID tags, to make the management of equipment more effective. In this session, learn how the system has saved the staff time, while also cutting in half the number of phone calls placed by employees to locate equipment required for surgeries.
Takeaways:
• How the system has decreased the time needed to prepare a room for a surgical procedure after finishing a prior operation from 45 minutes to 20 minutes
• Future uses, including the installation of a patient-tracking system in the emergency departments at all of its hospitals | | 12:40 PM | Lunch in Exhibit Hall
| | | 2:00 PM—Breakout Session | | » Visibility and Traceability:
Utility Company Uses RFID to Monitor and Authorize Fuel Usage
A hydropower distribution company is using an RFID-powered fuel-management system to enable and track the fueling of its vehicles. Before the system was implemented in November 2009, maintenance crews that service power lines entered data into a keypad, including a driver and vehicle ID number and the pump to be used, as well as the vehicle's odometer reading. That information was transmitted via modem to the company's back-end server, but the modem transmission often failed, and the firm was unable to have a real-time view into the amount of fuel being used. What's more, there was no way to ensure that the company's vehicles were the only ones being fueled, because someone could input an ID number and then fuel an unauthorized vehicle. Learn how the system provides the firm with real-time visibility into what is happening with each pump at both fueling stations, and also enables the company to know when fueling is taking place, as well as who is doing the fueling and the amount being pumped.
Takeaways:
• The importance of capturing data and comparing it to authorized information in the system before allowing the pump to operate
• How the system saves 45 seconds per person to fuel a vehicle—which is a considerable amount throughout the day with 300 people fueling daily | | » Retail/CPG:
Sandal Maker Deploys RFID-enabled Displays in Stores
A company that manufactures high-performance sandals is using EPC RFID tags to help retailers maintain optimal stock levels of high-demand products. An RFID interrogator is embedded into each RFID product display installed at more than 20 stores across the country. Participating stores place all of the products on the fixture—and do not keep any in their stockrooms. The reader scans all of the tags in its read zone on a frequent, periodic basis, and when inventory levels fall below predetermined levels, retailers receive e-mail alerts recommending a reorder. Learn how this system benefits both retailers and the manufacturer.
Takeaways:
• How retailers can maximize their on-hand inventory while also avoiding over- and under-stocks
• Improving sales with radio frequency identification | | » Manufacturing/Operations:
Using RFID to Automate Crate Tracking
A 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 the 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 individual fish crates, whether onboard the vessel, at the auction house or at the manufacturer.
Takeaways:
• How RFID can support food traceability by providing visibility into the location and contents of each crate
• Using the technology can decrease labor costs by reducing the time spent searching for crates | | » How to Deploy:
How to Increase Auditing Efficiency With RFID
At a state energy agency, it often took several weeks to complete a biannual audit of assets valued at more than $100 apiece, including computers, monitors, printers and scanners. The manual process was slow and labor-intensive, and items were often not where they were expected to be. In some cases, a device's location had changed by the time one building's audit was nearly complete. So if a number was transposed, and if staff members went back in search of that item for verification purposes, it simply wasn't there anymore. In this session, hear how that agency turned to an automated solution that uses passive UHF RFID tags to identify both the assets and their users. Learn how taking inventory of hundreds of computers, printers, monitors and other electronic equipment can now be accomplished in a single day, instead of several weeks.
Takeaways:
• How the agency is using the system to perform its annual audit in only one day instead of the three weeks it previously took using the old manual method
• The importance of linking an asset and an employee ID, so that the agency knows which individual has possession of which asset at any particular time | | » Defense/Security:
Loading and Unloading Cargo With RFID
As part of its efforts to improve asset visibility and equipment accountability, a facility responsible for maintaining equipment and supplies aboard maritime prepositioning ships (MPS) is now applying passive RFID tags to the equipment transported to expedite the loading and unloading of cargo. Approximately five MPS vessels pass through the facility every year. The loading of each one, known as back-loading, typically takes eight working days. In this session, hear how the command tested 30 different passive RFID tags before choosing the best-performing tags to be attached to cargo containers and vehicles being loaded onto one of the MPS vessels. Lean why, following the success of the tests conducted at the facility and at one of its destinations, the command is continuing to place passive RFID tags on containers and vehicles for MPS.
Takeaways:
• How the RFID system tracks the arrival and movement of cargo off the vessel
• Complete testing results, including a failure analysis on the tags that were not read | | » Supply Chain/Logistics:
RFID Improves Management of Spare Parts Inventory at Nuclear Power Plant
A nuclear power plant has attached EPC Gen 2 tags to 70,000 reactor parts at its warehouse, in order to document their locations and maintenance status in case they are required. The system enables the facility to know exactly where the plant's back-up parts and equipment are, and has reduced the time employees spend taking inventory of its entire warehouse from 2,000 labor hours down to just 300. What's more, the solution has decreased the time workers spend searching for missing items from several days to only a few minutes.
Takeaways:
• How to design a system that can manage a large number of spare parts
• How to create a solution that can identify and warn of irregularities, such as an item being moved from its assigned shelf | | » Aviation/Aerospace:
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, being carried out by the University of Cambridge, the University College London (UCL) and the University of Leeds, aims to develop a self-organizing, wired/wireless converged system using a next-generation advanced wired and wireless network designed to 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.
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, while also speeding up aircraft turnaround | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Hospital Improves Medication Compliance With RFID
Upon being released from a hospital, patients are typically given one or more drug prescriptions that they must fill and then keep track of on their own. If an individual fails to take the medications as prescribed, he or she may end up back in the hospital. A medical center located in New York is addressing that problem with an automated solution that utilizes a mobile phone with an RFID interrogator, as well as tags attached to medication bottles, and a Web-based server that remotely manages a patient's prescription regimen. Hear how the system improved patient compliance with medication regimens.
Takeaways:
• How RFID is being used to meet the goal of fewer discharged patients returning due to not having adhered to their prescribed regimen
• How the system can help a hospital comply with the Healthcare Reform Act, which may penalize medical centers with a 2 percent Medicare reimbursement reduction for patients who are discharged and then readmitted shortly thereafter for the same condition | | | 2:50 PM—Breakout Session | | » Visibility and Traceability:
Using RFID to Track Goods From Factory to Distribution Center
A manufacturer of disposable diapers, baby wipes, toilet paper, napkins and other personal hygiene products is employing RFID at its plants to provide 100 percent inventory accuracy as the goods are packed, stored and loaded for shipping. The company ships out approximately 250 pallets loaded with its products each day. Before the system was deployed, the items would often end up missing between the time the pallets were loaded at the processing plant and when they should have arrived at the warehouse. Hear how heat sensors are used to signal the installed RFID interrogators to begin reading while digital cameras capture footage of the event as an employee, pulling a hand truck, proceeds through the portal. Learn how the firm used RFID to improve visibility, and to achieve 100 percent inventory accuracy.
Takeaways:
• How the manufacturer has reduced the theft of loaded pallets between the processing plant and the warehouse with RFID
• The company's future plans to expand the project at all six of its facilities | | » Retail/CPG:
Using RFID to Reduce Theft and Improve Store Processes
A German manufacturer of women's fashion 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. In this session, hear how the firm employs RFID to enhance delivery quality and accelerate processes, while also applying the technology as an EAS system.
| | » Manufacturing/Operations:
Automating Asset Management, Orders With RFID
Three years after deploying passive 125 kHz RFID tags to track tool usage, a 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 a 125 kHz RFID system to expedite shipments of equipment and supplies to its workers, as well as to track usage—expects to recoup its investment by 2011.
Takeaways:
• Why the firm chose an integrated RFID solution to manage, track and attain visibility into its plant, stock and equipment
• How the company is utilizing the system to automate the issue and return of those assets | | » How to Deploy:
How to Design an RFID System that Delivers a Short-Term ROI and Long-Term Strategic Benefits
Many companies are looking to RFID as a solution to a problem, such as the inability to locate tools or reusable assets in a timely manner. While RFID can solve these problems, businesses often find that the system can't do other things they want it to do, once it is installed. This session explains how you can choose a system that will deliver the required short-term return on investment, but be expanded to other applications that can provide a long-term strategic benefit.
Speaker:
Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
Takeaways:
• A guide to developing a system that can deliver both short-term tactical benefits and long-term strategic benefits
• A checklist for choosing the system that best meets both long- and short-term needs | | » Defense/Security:
Defense Contractor Uses RFID to Deliver Armored Vehicles on Time
An armored vehicle manufacturer is employing an RFID-enabled real-time locating system (RTLS) to track each vehicle as it is assembled, from the time a chassis is delivered to the company's manufacturing facility to when the vehicle is shipped off to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to ensuring that the vehicles are delivered to the war zones on time, the company has access to data enabling it to understand how long vehicles spend in each process.
Takeaways:
• Best practices for using active RFID technology in manufacturing
• Analyzing RFID data to improve manufacturing operations | | » Supply Chain/Logistics:
Manufacturer Reduces Costs With Wireless Vehicle-Management System
A global manufacturer is using a wireless vehicle-management system on a fleet of industrial trucks at a production and distribution facility in Germany. The system has enabled the firm to gain a competitive edge in its material-handling operations, by identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve operations. In this session, learn how the company is reducing fleet maintenance expenses by automatically uploading vehicle data, reporting vehicle problems electronically, scheduling maintenance according to actual vehicle usage, rather than by calendar or manual data entry, and helping determine the optimal economic time to replace equipment.
Takeaways:
• Configuring a system so that employees can use existing identification badges
• Improving supply chain productivity by establishing accountability for equipment usage | | » Aviation/Aerospace:
RFID Speeds Check-in, Improves Service for Airline Passengers
At one international airport, frequent fliers are using NFC-enabled phones that serve as customer-loyalty and ID cards. RFID eliminates the need for plastic customer-loyalty cards, and speeds up and simplifies such processes as passenger identification, security checks and the awarding of airport loyalty points. The airport is conducting a pilot in conjunction with approximately 50 passengers who frequently fly on the test route. Those participating in the trial are using NFC-enabled mobile phones as their electronic boarding and loyalty cards. Hear how a traveler can check in with any of the airline's standard check-in modes, and then proceed to an RFID interrogator at the airport, where pre-registered phones are identified and the system downloads boarding passes to those phones. Learn how the system can save a passenger 15 to 20 minutes of travel time, since that individual can present his or her phone at a kiosk, which then prints out a boarding card containing that person's seat assignment.
Takeaways:
• Additional benefits of the program, including access to a fast lane for security checks
• How the system could be used further by installing NFC-based interrogators on planes or on gateways, thus providing each traveler with a printed receipt verifying he or she actually boarded the plane | | » Health Care/Pharmaceutical:
Improved Tracking Efficiency With RFID
A blood and tissue bank is using an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID-based solution to track bags of blood and its derivatives, from donor to hospital. The RFID system tracks hemo-derivatives from the point at which the blood is drawn at a mobile blood-donation clinic—typically, a bus or similar vehicle—until it leaves for a hospital. The process is more efficient (because it eliminates the need to scan a label's bar codes or visually read its printed text) and safer (because it ensures that mistakes are not made). In this session, hear how FBSTIB tested the system this year in several pilots at the blood bank, before beginning the permanent installation—which includes a fixed reader at the plasma storage freezer to capture tags as they enter and leave it, handheld interrogators to locate items within the freezer, and desktop readers to update the tag data as blood is processed. Passive UHF tags, containing EPC Gen 2 chips, are attached to each bag, and the data is then linked with FBSTIB's management system to provide information regarding each bag's contents and location.
Takeaways:
• How RFID dramatically improves upon efficiency, reduces errors, enhances visibility and bolsters security within the supply chain
• The challenges the firm overcame when choosing a chip that could reliably perform in harsh conditions |
RFID Journal LIVE! 2011 is produced by RFID Journal, the World's RFID Authority.
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