Real Users

Here's a sampling of some of the Real User sessions at LIVE! '05:

DOD Marches Toward Adoption
The U.S. Department of Defense has begun an ambitious rollout of RFID technology, combined with bar codes and other auto-ID technology. The leader of that effort explains where the rollout stands, how it will progress and the impact it will have on suppliers.
Speaker:
Alan Estevez, Assistant Deputy Undersecretary for Supply Chain Integration, U.S. Department of Defense

The European RFID Experience
Tesco, the giant European retailer, has greatly expanded its use of RFID. The company recently ordered an additional 4,000 readers, which will be installed on all receiving and shipping doors at its distribution centers and at the receiving docks of some 1,400 stores in the United Kingdom. The company's CTO will provide up-to-date insights from its efforts.
Speaker:
John Clarke, Chief Technology Officer, Tesco

EPC/RFID in Action at Best Buy
After completing a distribution center RFID project, Best Buy is preparing for a major roll-out. The leading specialty retailer is getting its distribution centers and stores RFID-enabled while working diligently to get its partners ready, too. Best Buy believes that EPC/RFID could improve the supply chain process by ensuring the right products and solutions are available for their customers, while reducing costs. This session will focus on supplier management, implementation planning, and value drivers of RFID at Best Buy, along with future Item Level EPC tagging requirements which are critical for meeting long term goals for customer service.
Speaker:
Paul Freeman, EPC/RFID Program Director, Best Buy

Can RFID Reduce Retail Shrink?
One way RFID may be able to deliver a return on investment is to reduce shrinkage within the retail supply chain. This session examines whether or not RFID can help cut losses today and how the technology can be deployed cost-effectively in key areas to reduce shrink and the hurdles that still have to be overcome for a clear ROI.
Panelists:
John Clarke, Chief Technology Officer, Tesco
James Lee, Executive Editor, LossPrevention
Mike Marquis, Eastern Zone Vice President of Loss Prevention, Limited Brands
Moderator:
Jonathan Collins, Senior Editor, RFID Journal

Compliance vs. Internal Benefits
Manufacturers are struggling to meet RFID tagging mandates from major retailers, such as Metro, Target, Tesco and Wal-Mart, as well as from Airbus and Boeing, and the U.S. Department of Defense. How do they save money internally to offset the cost of compliance?
Panelists:
Mike Bargmann, Senior Vice President and Chief Logistics Officer, Wegmans Food Markets
Gary Cooper, Chief Technology Officer, Tyson Foods
Mark Engle, Senior Director IT, Campbell USA
Ed Matthews, Director Information Systems, Pacific Cycle
Moderator:
Ed Hess, Executive Editor, Integrated Solutions

Case Study: Conros Corporation
Conros is the largest maker of artificial fireplace logs in North America. It's not among Wal-Mart's top 100, but it has adopted RFID in its supply chain. Navin Chandaria explains why the company complied with the retailer's mandates even before it was required to.
Speaker:
Navin Chandaria, CEO, Conros

Case Study: Michelin
Michelin, one of the world's largest tire makers, is among the first companies to figure out how to embed RFID transponders in its products. The company not only wants to satisfy regulatory requirements and Wal-Mart, its top retail customer, but also seeks to take advantage of the technology to reduce its own costs.
Speaker:
Patrick F. King, Ph.D., Global Electronics Strategies, Michelin America R&D

Case Study: BP Senses New Opportunities
One of the world's largest oil companies is turning to sensory networks and related technologies to provide real-time information on the location, temperature and state of its asset base and supply chain. The technology has the potential to change many of its core business processes, lowering costs and improving customer offerings.
Speaker:
Ken Douglas, Technology Director - Sensory Networks, BP

Securing Global Trade
The Innovative Trade Network is developing a new international framework for securing global trade. RFID is one of the key to that effort. The panelists explain how companies can both secure their containers and reduce their logistics costs.
Panelists:
Noel Cunningham, Director of Operations and Emergency Management, Port of Los Angeles
Dean Kothmann, Board Member, Innovative Trade Network
Barry Wilkins, Worldwide Director of Logistic Solutions, Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations
Kelby Woodard, Director of Supply Chain Assets Protection. Target Corp. and Secretary, International Cargo Security Council
Moderator:
Michael Wolfe, Principal, North River Consulting Group

RFID in Transportation
What role do third-party logistics providers play in RFID compliance mandates? How will they share data about the location of products in the supply chain with retailers and manufacturers? Our panel looks at the key role 3PLs will play as RFID adoption ramps up.
Panelists:
Rich Hardt, Vice President of Technology R&D, Yellow Roadway Technologies
Jim Hyslop, Vice President of New Business Solutions Development, Exel
Bob Nonneman, Industrial Engineering Manager, Corporate Engineering Group, United Parcel Service of America
Abbott Weiss, Senior Lecturer, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Moderator:
Ann Grackin, CEO, ChainLink Research

Active Tagging in Iraq
The U.S. Department of Defense is tracking all pallets being shipped to Iraq with RFID tags. The system has provided greater visibility and reduced costs. The US Army's Product Manager, Joint-Automatic Identification Technology explains how the system works and what the return on investment is.
Speaker:
Harry Meisell, Logistics Analyst, U.S. Army Office for Program Management Joint-Automatic Identification Technology

Pilot Results: RFID and the Logistics Service Provider
This presentation will describe the architecture of an outsourced RFID compliance solution targeted to meet the mandates issued by major retailers. The session will describe how one logistics company uses RFID to achieve EPC-based visibility in a distributed global supply chain, using software solutions provided by many different vendors. You'll hear about a recent RFID pilot focused on shipping industrial printers from Germany to the United States.
Speaker:
Jeremy Duddlesten, Manager, WMS Implementations, Contract Logistics - U.S., Kuehne + Nagel

MasterCard PayPass
Credit card companies have traditionally had no way to capture small transactions that otherwise typically are paid for in cash. But MasterCard is rolling out PayPass, a convenient RFID payment system. What are the benefits to MasterCard and what are the implications for retailers?
Speaker:
Murdo Munro, Vice President, Mobile/Wireless, MasterCard International

RFID in the National Football League
Football fans are notoriously loyal to their home team, and when you sell out every Sunday, it can be difficult to find new ways to boost revenue. Several NFL teams have introduced the a contactless payment and loyalty solution utilizing RFID to help fans move through concession lines faster and build customer loyalty, resulting in year-round revenue opportunities and enhancing the overall fan experience.
Speaker:
Jon Campbell, Director of Business Systems, Detroit Lions
Michael Richardson, President & Chief Operating Officer, SMART System Technologies
Representative from the Philadelphia Eagles

Lessons Learned
Achieving reliable read rates is one of the big challenges that companies face. See how Wal-Mart and Kimberly-Clark have been working to address these challenges. Learn about Kimberly-Clark's internal RFID test facility, the evaluation process it uses, and how it is re-engineering its packaging to make it work in the emerging RFID enabled supply chain. As an early adopter Wal-Mart has a lot of first had experiences with RFID; see how they have been collaborating with their suppliers.
Speaker:
Simon Langford, Manager, Global RFID Strategy, Information Systems Division, Wal-Mart
Mike O'Shea, Director-Corporate AutoID/RFID Strategies & Technology, Kimberly-Clark

Deploying RFID in Commercial Aviation: The Boeing-Airbus Story
Normally fierce competitors, Airbus and Boeing are collaborating on the use of RFID because they share common challenges, customers and some 70% common suppliers across the globe. The two aviation giants will give a status update on the progress they've made establishing global standards for parts traceability, automated data collection, and the post-production performance of some 5,000 parts on each plane throughout their lifecycle in order to help airlines manage their spare parts needs. Boeing and Airbus both expect that RFID will be a major enabler in their manufacturing operations and supply chains.
Speaker:
Jens Heitmann, Senior Manager, System/Equipment Standardization Process and Methods, Airbus
Kenneth Porad, Program Manager, Automated Identification Program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group