January 2004

JAN 2004

Features

• VERTICAL FOCUS
• A Healthy Dose of RFID
  RFID could dramatically change the healthcare industry by improving the quality of patient care and boosting the efficiency of a largely paper-based industry.
• FEATURES
• The 5-Cent RFID Tag
  The promise of a 5-cent tag has many manufacturers and retailers dreaming of a truly automated supply chain. But can it really be achieved? And if so, how long will it take until you can actually buy one? RFID Journal reports.
• COVER STORIES
• Mandate for Change
  Thanks to Wal-Mart and the U.S. Department of Defense, suppliers have to spend millions to put RFID tags on pallets and cases. A money pit? Not if companies get smart.
• COVER STORIES
• Who Will Pay the Piper?
  Suppliers will eventually be able to pass some of the cost for RFID tags to companies downstream in the supply chain.
• COVER STORIES
• Where the Benefits Are
  From receiving and warehouse management to yard management and shipping, here’s how RFID is helping five companies save millions.
• COVER STORIES
• Five More Ways to Save
  Depending on the nature of your business, there may be other ways to achieve significant savings with an RFID system.
• SPECIAL SPONSORED SECTION
• Silent Commerce Has Arrived
  Radio-frequency identification and related sensor technologies are helping a wide array of companies improve productivity and reduce costs today.
• CASE STUDIES
• Pallet Tracking Goes High Tech
  Can RFID transform the way CHEP, a global supplier of wooden pallets and other reusable assets, does business and help its customers save money? CEO Victor Mendes says yes.

Departments

• Editor's Note
• Angst and Opportunity
• Out in Front
• Top 10 Stories for 2004
  This year will be a critical one for the adoption of radio-frequency identification. Here are the 10 top stories that would make waves in 2004.
• Out in Front
• Guide for the Visually Impaired
  Students at the University of Rochester have developed an RFID system that can direct the visually impaired.
• Out in Front
• Move Over, R2-D2
  A robot developed by General Dynamics Robotics Systems for the U.S. military takes inventory automatically with an RFID reader.
• Perspective
• The Standard Problem
  Achieving the benefits of RFID technology in the global supply chain could hinge on whether two competing protocols can be merged into a single system.
• Perspective
• The Ugly Year Ahead
  Progress in the adoption of RFID technology will be overshadowed by failed pilots, self-interests and political infighting over standards.

Columns

• Road Map
• Change the Culture
  Companies deploying RFID are focused almost solely on the technology, but it is people who will determine success or failure.
• Ashton's View
• Time to Face Reality
  Those who said the Auto-ID Center’s vision of ubiquitous RFID was unrealistic aren’t laughing today. Now all companies have to reevaluate the facts and get real.