Five companies heavily involved in supply-chain automation technology teamed together at the recent National Retail Federation show in New York City to put on a series of live demonstrations showing EPC Gen2 standard RFID technology at work.
Intermec Technologies, IBM, the METRO Group, Procter & Gamble, and DHL created scenarios focussed on key stages in the retail supply chain from factory to consumer. Featured in the demonstrations were fork-lift, portal and handheld systems that included a range of EPC Gen2-compliant RFID devices, including the Intermec IF5 intelligent reader, IP4 handheld reader, IV7 fork-lift reader and RFID-enabled PM4i label printer.
“This demonstration represents a milestone in the application of Gen2 RFID technology in real-world scenarios,” said Intermec President Steve Winter. “It shows how RFID will help to transform supply chains and proves that properly designed products are already being deployed to meet EPC Gen2 standards.”
Added Dr. Gerd Wolfram, managing director of METRO Group, “Verifying the business advantages of RFID has vividly illustrated how retailers can increase system-wide efficiency and inventory accuracy while at the same time increasing profits.”