Jun 30, 2014This year's RFID Journal LIVE! Europe conference and exhibition, to be held on Oct. 23, at Dexter House, in London, England, will open with three general sessions, including a presentation from Aston Martin. The event will then divide into a main track and a retail track.
Alastair Booker, Aston Martin's manufacturing systems lead, will present one of the keynote sessions. Booker will share how the automaker is employing active RFID tags to monitor the locations of vehicles as they progress through the post-assembly test and verification stages of the company's manufacturing process (see Aston Martin Speeds Cars Through Production). Attendees will learn how workers access this data through a single online portal, and how they use this information to gain new insights into process performance.
Mark Roberti, RFID Journal's founder and editor, will also present a keynote session detailing the state of RFID adoption in Europe. RFID has been in and out of favor since 2004. Roberti will discuss where adoption stands today, which industries are likely to adopt soon, when RFID will reach the tipping point and which areas of the world are leading the way in terms of using the technology. Attendees will gain an insider's view of the current state of RFID adoption, and insights into how adoption is likely to progress over the next few years.
During the main track, Carlo Nizam, the head of value chain visibility and RFID at and Airbus—which won the 2008 RFID Journal Award for Best Implementation (see Profits in Motion)—will update participants on his company's progress in building the factory of the future. Airbus has been pioneering best practices in the adoption of RFID by deploying the technology as "business radar" across all aspects of its business, including supply chain logistics, transportation, manufacturing and aircraft in-flight operations. This approach, which leverages a passive and active RFID reader infrastructure for multiple applications operating on a common software platform, has yielded significant cost savings, as well as improvements in operational efficiencies. Throughout the past three years, the firm has significantly expanded these capabilities to new areas of operations across its value chain. Attendees will hear how Airbus is benefiting from these systems, as well as the company's latest plans for the next few years.
Speedy Services, a provider of rental tools and equipment to the construction and industrial services industries within the United Kingdom, will explain how it is using RFID as part of a self-service equipment storage and rental solution (see RFID Helps U.K. Tool-Rental Company Better Serve Customers). The presenter will discuss how the company's RFID-enabled pod can automatically update a customer's account on Speedy's My Speedy extranet system, thereby offering that customer full visibility regarding its current usage and incurred charges.
In addition, LIVE! Europe will feature an exhibit area in which leading technology companies will showcase their latest solutions. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from those who have already deployed RFID, and to network with leading end users.
More information is available at the RFID Journal LIVE! Europe website, or by calling (631) 249-4960.
