Articles
RFID Integration Platform
May 17, 2006
•White Paper: RFID Integration
RFID is finding its way into supply chain processes in different industries and it is becoming increasingly important to devise the best integration architecture possible, one that includes processes and people. Traditional approach of using a turnkey solution does not scale up well as adoption progresses. The more popular alternative of using edgeware / middleware products primarily focuses on data collection, leaving out process and people integration. Successful RFID deployment calls for a systemic approach that enhances the existing processes and delivers actionable information to key stakeholders.
Introducing RFID into a business process involves attaching an RFID chip to an asset and tracking the asset using RFID readers as it moves through the enterprise or across the supply chain. There has been a great deal of discussion as to the type, class, range, scope, capabilities and limitations of the chips and readers. EPCglobal™ community has laid down standards that make hardware from different vendors interoperate. When a reader reads a tag, it gets an EPC (Electronic Product Code) number with possibly additional data. This information in itself is meaningless unless associated with appropriate business semantics and delivered to the relevant processes and people. This article explores the details of an RFID integration platform that can effectively address all these issues.
RFID brings great value to a host of business scenarios. It reduces out-of-stock on store shelf, prevents theft and loss in a retail store, helps locate an item in a warehouse, improves speed of product distribution, tracks items as they move from manufacturers to warehouses to stores, automates delivery and invoicing, improves product security, and streamlines reverse logistics. Each of the above scenarios affects a different business process involving a different set of people. The associated business context is also very different from one scenario to the next. A good platform should be flexible enough to cater to these different needs. We will delve into the details using Wal-Mart™ as a case study.
Click Here To Download:•White Paper: RFID Integration
