RFID and Retail Applications

RFID, Radio Frequency Identification, provides a means for identifying unique items using radio waves. The data is stored in a digital format typically within a microchip. This storage method provides much more data than can be stored in traditional barcode applications.

There are numerous potential applications of RFID.  Some are in the planning stages now, some are being prototyped, and others are still a bit blue sky but certainly not impossible.

• Providing markings for electronic equipment, automobiles, and other large items with unique serial numbers or codes. By scanning the RFID, the item can be located by it's unique serial number.
• Marking shipping containers, pallets, or cartons. This application is being implemented in the retail industry by Wal-Mart, Target, and others.
• Attaching patient history to medications, so that the information is readily available in a hospital or clinic with a scanner.
• Attaching medical history to a person so that during an emergency an EMT or other medical personnel could quickly gain access to the patient's history.

			Some Retail Applications of RFID

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is paving the way with a test program for RFID that the company hopes will eventually replace bar codes. In early 2004, they began testing with eight manufacturers and one distribution center. The manufacturers implemented case and pallet level RFID tags. In January 2005, Wal-Mart went live with RFID at distribution centers in Dallas.  The initial 100 suppliers has since grown to more than three times that number to 500 stores and five distribution centers. Wal-Mart expects to have 1000 stores capable of handling RFID-tagged items by January 2007 and 600 suppliers using the technology.

Target

Target Corporation set a June, 2005 deadline for its top 100 suppliers to start using RFID.

Albertsons

Albertsons expected its top 100 suppliers to be participating in the RFID program at the case and pallet level by April 2005. 

			RFID In the News

Computerworld: RFID is finding a home in the data center - Financial institutions say tagging IT assets speeds the inventory process. "We put an RFID tag on the laptop and a picture of the individual in the database," he says, "so all the user has to do is pass the laptop over the RFID scanner and a picture of them shows up on the security guard's screen." (05.11.2009)

Computerworld: Minnesota turns to RFID to monitor inmates - The system can detect track prisoners, modify behavior. (06.18.2007)

Computerworld: RFID adoption hobbled by lack of trained staff - Two thirds of companies see shortage in skilled labor pool. (05.31.2007)

Computerworld: McAfee: RFID chips exposing users to danger - As use expands, the technology becomes a very tempting target for hackers. (04.23.2007)

Computerworld: RFID-enabled vending machines installed at Atlanta airport - Thirsty travelers passing through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international Airport can now buy their soft drinks without having to fumble for exact change. (04.03.2007)

Computerworld: California lawmakers try again to create RFID protections - The California legislature this month is expected to vote on several bills that would regulate the use of radio frequency identification technology in government documents. (04.02.2007)

SecureIDNews: The Death of the 'Six Months Rule' for Retail RFID Strategy - Rapid progress of early-adopting retailers is stretching their headstart beyond the often cited six-month comfort zone. (02.28.2007)

Computerworld: Wal-Mart Shifts RFID Plans - Emphasis now on stores rather than distribution hubs. (02.26.2007)

Computerworld: Company hopes to tame Wal-Mart RFID requirement - Schiff Nutrition International is in the middle of an RFID pilot intended to help the midsize company deploy the technology in order to continue doing business with Wal-Mart. (02.23.2007)

Computerworld: Trucking firm turns to RFID to fill black hole - Horizon Lines Inc. has turned to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track containers seamlessly from a Seattle distribution center over the sea and land to their final destination in Alaska. (02.13.2007)

Computerworld: NASA testing RFID chips for trip to Mars - Looks to determine whether technology can survive in outer space. (02.08.2007)

Computerworld: RFID-enabled tattoos eyed for livestock tracking - Start-up firm Somark Innovations is touting technology designed to help tag and trace livestock with radio frequency identification enabled ink tattoos. (01.24.2007)

Computerworld: IBM pushing RFID data repository - IBM is rolling out RFID tag mddleware that's designed to enable real time, reliable and secure data sharing. (01.02.2007)

Computerworld: Nissan taps WhereNet's RFID system for supply chain - It will also be used to keep tabs on the automaker's outbound delivery chain. (12.05.2006)

Computerworld: Drug wholesaler to pilot RFID drug-tracking effort - One of the nation's largest pharmaceutical wholesalers today announced plans to launch a pilot program early next year to track drugs throughout the distribution process using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. (11.13.2006)

Computerworld: Gen 2 Tags Boost RFID, but Uncertainties Linger - Proponents of radio frequency identification technology have a lot riding on the success of a new generation of systems now being deployed. Although their initial findings look promising in terms of accuracy, cost and compatibility, questions remain among some users about RFID's maturity and business value. (08.14.2006)

Computerworld: RFID Success Signals - AS the cost of tags come down, RFID projects are finding appropriate niches, and implementation is up. (08.14.2006)

Computerworld: The failure of RFID - A few years ago, the IT industry was abuzz with the wonders of radio frequency ID technology. It was set to revolutionize everything about business process management. But in the past year, there have been few advances in RFID that would put it center stage in networking. (06.15.2006)

Computerworld: Wal-Mart expands its RFID efforts to Canada - Wal_mart STores INc. appears to be taking a new tack as it continues to roll out its much-touted radio frequency identification (RFID) technology supplier collaboration initiative. (06.06.2006)

Computerworld: Wal-Mart keeps RFID momentum after IT management reshuffle - Radio frequency identification technology is very much a part of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s future, despite a recent IT management reshuffle at the retailer. (04.19.2006)

Computerworld: Wal-Mart details its RFID journey - Retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. continues to build momentum around its radio frequency identification tag initiatives, adding new uses for the supply chain technology and getting more suppliers and partners to comply with its RFID mandates. (03.02.2006)

Computerworld: RFID for trucks coming to Los Angeles, Long Beach ports - PierPass, a nonprofit company owned by marine terminal operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, plans to equip up to 10,000 trucks with WhereNet Corp. RFID (radio frequency identification) tags to enhance security around the trucks entering the two facilities. (01.18.2006)

Computerworld: Colorado looks to RFID to protect elk herds - The state of Colorado is testing radio frequency identification tags as one way to help protect elk herds from contagious disease. (01.12.2006)

Computerworld: Forecast 2006: RFID Cost and complexity continue to block enterprise use - Respondents to a recent Computerworld survey ranked RFID second among technologies that hold promise for their companies or industries - but first among technologies that haven't lived up to their hype. (01.02.2006)

Computerworld: RFID and C-Level Thinking - "When exploring potential RFID applications, we must look beyond passive tags. For instance, active tags can be highly cost-effective when they are configured to be reused hundreds of times. They can provide the current status, availability or condition of an object throughout a plant or campus." (11.07.2005)

Computerworld: Think Tank:RFID is Showing Up in the Strangest Places - RFID is Showing up on Food, Tools, and Casino Chips. (08.03.2005)

Computerworld: Is RFID Revving up Retailers' Competitive Edge? - The retail industry is rife with competition, making it challenging for businesses to attain a leadership position—and maintain it for very long. (08.03.2005)

Computerworld: Companies announce RFID drug-tracking project - Unisys Corp. and SupplyScape Corp. have begun a test project to track pharmaceuticals through the supply chain using radio frequency identification tags or bar codes.

Computerworld: The Impact of RFID on Business Operations and IT Infrastructure. (05.23.2005) The Wal-Mart and DOD mandates -- technology and quality standards and implementation deadlines -- have pushed RFID from the proverbial minor leagues to the World Series.

Computerworld: German hospital uses RFID for patient identification (05.20.5005)

Computerworld: RFID hitches ride on German mass transit project (04.27.2005) The use of electronic-ticketing systems in Germany's huge mass transit sector is moving forward after the successful testing of a smart-card system that uses radio frequency identification (RFID).

The e-ticketing venture is one of many RFID projects in Germany, which is at the forefront of smart-tag development in Europe. Metro AG, one of the world's largest retail groups, which is based in Dusseldorf, Germany, is currently rolling out the technology across its German stores.

Computerworld: Price of New RFID Tags Must Fall Fast for Users to Reap Rewards (04.19.2005) An emerging generation of radio frequency identification tags promises reduced costs for manufacturers that have to put RFID labels on pallets and cases for retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp.

Computerworld: Texas bill would replace vehicle inspection stickers with RFID tags. A Texas legislator has filed a bill that would, in part, call for the state to replace vehicle inspection stickers with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, otherwise known as transponders.

Computerworld: RFID chips in world soccer tournament tickets questioned (04.01.2005) All 2.9 million tickets now on sale for next year's FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in Germany include an embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) smart tag that will allow entry to the games, according to Gerd Graus, a spokesman for the FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee.

Computerworld: Pushing RFID Deeper into Manufacturing (03.30.2005) As manufacturers rush to implement radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies, pushed by the likes of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and regulatory mandates, don't be surprised if they start asking about what's in it for them.

Computerworld: Suppliers eye RFID data, search for potential uses. (03.07.2005) More than 100 suppliers have started shipping RFID-tagged pallets and cases to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Computerworld: U.K. store expands RFID trial (03.02.2005) U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer PLC (M&S) will extend its ongoing trial of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for the management of its clothing stock from nine of its stores to 53 in the second quarter of next year.

Computerworld: From A to RFID: Plumbing 101 (02.15.2005). RFID systems are as dependent on the integration of business applications and processes as they are on wireless technology itself.

Computerworld: Med school CIO tests RFID for patients

Computerworld: Retailers Drag Feet on RFID Initiatives

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