March/April 2006

MAR/APR 2006

Features

• COVER STORY
• RFID Gets Itemized
  Most people thought item-level RFID tracking was years away, but many early adopters are launching pilots that could lead to major rollouts this year.
• CASE STUDY
• E-Pedigree Pioneers
  A groundbreaking pilot involving drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma and wholesaler H.D. Smith proves RFID tags can be used as the information-carrying platform to create secure electronic documents with chain-of-custody information.
• SYSTEMS UPGRADE
• Warehouse Management Systems That Handle RFID Data
  Most WMS vendors have upgraded their applications to support Electronic Product Codes, but many companies are not yet taking advantage of this capability.
• VERTICAL FOCUS
• Mining the Benefits of RFID
  The mining and energy industries face numerous challenges, many stemming from the dangerous work that's done in harsh terrain. RFID could bring several benefits at once, including protecting workers and the environment, tracking expensive assets and boosting productivity.

Departments

• Editor’s Note
• Visibility Down to the Item
  I recently had the pleasure of interviewing David Brock for an "Out in Front" story. Brock is the mad scientist who, back in 1996, came up with the ridiculously implausible idea of embedding a radio frequency identification tag in every item manufactured on Earth. A decade later, Brock's idea not only doesn't seem so farfetched, it's actually starting to happen.
• Out in Front
• Ending the Hunt for Parking
  Researchers at MIT have developed an ad hoc sensor network that can help drivers in urban areas find available parking spots on the street.
• Out in Front
• RFID’s Forgotten Man
  The RFID leader that time virtually forgot
• Perspective
• The Chicken or the Egg?
  Manufacturers won't benefit from tagging their items until RFID becomes widely adopted, but that won't happen until manufacturers tag their items.
• Perspective
• RFID Enters a New Phase
  Mounting the slope of RFID enlightment.
• Perspective
• RFID Makes Work More Fun
  Store associates have embraced radio frequency identification.

Columns

• Ashton’s View
• The History of EPC's Future
  The Generation 3 standard will take the RFID market into the mainstream.
• EPCglobal Update
• The 95 Percent Solution
  EPCglobal standards can help improve the safety and longevity of aircraft.
• Inside the Labs
• Winning the Toughest Battle
  By learning how to use RFID to fight counterfeiting, we know what's needed to make the EPCglobal Network secure.