The Secrets of Their Success
Companies that are tagging goods for retailers—and Wal-Mart's Simon Langford—reveal how to turn an RFID mandate into a competitive advantage.
By Jim Morrison
Two and a half years ago, Howard Stockdale, chief information officer for Beaver Street Fisheries, knew nothing about radio frequency identification when his boss came to him with the news that Wal-Mart was requiring its top 100 suppliers to implement RFID technology.
The Jacksonville, Fla., frozen-seafood dealer wasn't among the top 100 companies that needed to tag pallets and cases by January 2005, nor was Wal-Mart the company's largest account. It could sit back and wait until the next 200 suppliers were required to begin tagging shipments in January 2007. But Wal-Mart was a valuable customer, and other retailers were making noises that they, too, were looking into using the technology. Stockdale began reading everything he could to educate himself.
"Within the first month," he says, "I identified this as not limited to just Wal-Mart and said we need to get serious about executing in this type of supply chain."
Two and a half years ago, Howard Stockdale, chief information officer for Beaver Street Fisheries, knew nothing about radio frequency identification when his boss came to him with the news that Wal-Mart was requiring its top 100 suppliers to implement RFID technology.
The Jacksonville, Fla., frozen-seafood dealer wasn't among the top 100 companies that needed to tag pallets and cases by January 2005, nor was Wal-Mart the company's largest account. It could sit back and wait until the next 200 suppliers were required to begin tagging shipments in January 2007. But Wal-Mart was a valuable customer, and other retailers were making noises that they, too, were looking into using the technology. Stockdale began reading everything he could to educate himself.
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