RFID Transforms Michigan Vending Company
Sterling Services operates self-service convenience stores that replace on-site cafeterias, saving businesses money and satisfying customers.
By Jill Gambon
Feb. 16, 2009—Sterling Services, a food-service management and vending company that has operated in the Detroit area for some 23 years, has employed radio frequency identification technology to transform its business. For the past three years, the company has been running RFID-based self-service convenience stores in office buildings, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, a health club and even a high school.
The RFID-enabled stores, known as Fast Track Convenience, often replace money-losing company cafeterias or vending machines. Operating the Fast Track stores has proven to be more profitable than the vending machine business, says Ray Friedrich, the company's general manager.
The RFID-based retail system was developed by Freedom Shopping, a privately held, 14-employee firm in Hickory, N.C. The company's self-service systems are deployed in approximately 30 retail sites in the United States. Resellers can brand the stores with whatever name they choose. The system includes RFID tags and interrogators from a variety of manufacturers, as well as software and a checkout kiosk. "We use the [hardware] brand that's best suited for the circumstances," says Rob Simmons, the company's CEO. Freedom Shopping also maintains a database containing all of the product, inventory and sales information for the self-service stores.
Feb. 16, 2009—Sterling Services, a food-service management and vending company that has operated in the Detroit area for some 23 years, has employed radio frequency identification technology to transform its business. For the past three years, the company has been running RFID-based self-service convenience stores in office buildings, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, a health club and even a high school.
The RFID-enabled stores, known as Fast Track Convenience, often replace money-losing company cafeterias or vending machines. Operating the Fast Track stores has proven to be more profitable than the vending machine business, says Ray Friedrich, the company's general manager.
|
| After making their selections, customers bring the items to a kiosk equipped with an RFID reader. |
The RFID-based retail system was developed by Freedom Shopping, a privately held, 14-employee firm in Hickory, N.C. The company's self-service systems are deployed in approximately 30 retail sites in the United States. Resellers can brand the stores with whatever name they choose. The system includes RFID tags and interrogators from a variety of manufacturers, as well as software and a checkout kiosk. "We use the [hardware] brand that's best suited for the circumstances," says Rob Simmons, the company's CEO. Freedom Shopping also maintains a database containing all of the product, inventory and sales information for the self-service stores.
To continue reading this article, please log in or choose a purchase option.
Option 1: Become a Premium Member.
| One-year subscription, unlimited access to Premium Content: $189 |
Option 2: Purchase this article.
| Pages: 4 | Word Count: 1,859 | Purchase Price: $19.99 |
