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News from RFID Journal LIVE! 2007
"Our goal in developing BizTalk RFID," Anush Kumar, worldwide product manager for the BizTalk RFID software, told attendees, "is to make RFID relevant to people within the organizations who use the technology." Kumar explained that solution providers could accomplish this goal by building applications on top of BizTalk RFID and using the software to quickly and easily add RFID readers and other auto-ID hardware devices to a network. "We have been dealing with devices for 20 years, and we know how to make them plug-and-play," he said. "When was the last time you spent more than 30 seconds configuring a mouse?"
RFID hardware providers Alien Technology and Xterprise have developed an asset-tracking system built on BizTalk RFID. The solution, known as iSUM, was demonstrated at the conference and is being used by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (IGPS). Like CHEP, the Orlando startup offers RFID-enabled pallets for manufacturers, distributors and retailers. IGPS is using ISUM to track and inventory its plastic pallets by monitoring their movements into and out of rental facilities. The software can also automatically generate replenishment orders to ensure that the company's customers always have an adequate number of pallets on hand.
Other vendors have also developed software based on BizTalk RFID, such as 3M, Daenet, HP, Infosys, Kikata, Maximum Data Solutions, TCS and Wipro. Hardware manufacturers that have certified the ability of end users to easily configure their devices using BizTalk include Cathexis, Convergence Systems Limited (CSL), Intermec, Motorola, MTI, Paxar, Printronix, Reva, SATO, Tyco, Ubisense, Unitech, Wavetrend and Zebra.
Not all end users have worked out the kinks in their RFID systems, however. During a CIO roundtable discussion, George Chappelle, CIO of Sara Lee, said poor read rates on some of its perishable food items are making it difficult for the company to reap the types of benefits it had hoped by now to have achieved.
"The read rates we're getting from [tags attached to] our frozen or dry foods are in the 70 to 75 percent range," Chappelle said, "but for refrigerated goods, we're only seeing 30 percent read rates because of the condensation that forms on these goods. To get the benefits [of RFID] we need in order to expand our use of the technology in our company, we need to improve that range."
Chappelle noted that Sara Lee did see some improvements in read rates when it moved from using Gen 1 EPC UHF RFID tags to Gen 2, though not as much of an increase as it had expected. He added that the firm is more concerned now with the performance of the tags it purchases than it is with cost, whereas initially it had been more focused on finding low-cost tags.
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RFID hardware providers Alien Technology and Xterprise have developed an asset-tracking system built on BizTalk RFID. The solution, known as iSUM, was demonstrated at the conference and is being used by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (IGPS). Like CHEP, the Orlando startup offers RFID-enabled pallets for manufacturers, distributors and retailers. IGPS is using ISUM to track and inventory its plastic pallets by monitoring their movements into and out of rental facilities. The software can also automatically generate replenishment orders to ensure that the company's customers always have an adequate number of pallets on hand.
Other vendors have also developed software based on BizTalk RFID, such as 3M, Daenet, HP, Infosys, Kikata, Maximum Data Solutions, TCS and Wipro. Hardware manufacturers that have certified the ability of end users to easily configure their devices using BizTalk include Cathexis, Convergence Systems Limited (CSL), Intermec, Motorola, MTI, Paxar, Printronix, Reva, SATO, Tyco, Ubisense, Unitech, Wavetrend and Zebra.
Not all end users have worked out the kinks in their RFID systems, however. During a CIO roundtable discussion, George Chappelle, CIO of Sara Lee, said poor read rates on some of its perishable food items are making it difficult for the company to reap the types of benefits it had hoped by now to have achieved.
Chappelle noted that Sara Lee did see some improvements in read rates when it moved from using Gen 1 EPC UHF RFID tags to Gen 2, though not as much of an increase as it had expected. He added that the firm is more concerned now with the performance of the tags it purchases than it is with cost, whereas initially it had been more focused on finding low-cost tags.
