RFID Journal LIVE! 2015

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Designing Your RFID Solution

RFID is not just about tags and readers. It’s a multi-layer system comprising different hardware and software technologies, integrated with your existing enterprise’s back-end systems and connected to communication networks. Many scenarios can be envisioned to address an RFID initiative, each of which will have an impact on the solution’s design, as well as its benefits—thus suggesting a trade-off analysis. This session will help you understand how to leverage RFID’s ability to automatically identify objects, enable real-time inventory tracking and facilitate the tracking and tracing of products and related information throughout the supply chain—and how to design a solution accordingly.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Building Your RFID Business Case

RFID can provide several advantages over existing automated-identification technologies in terms of supply chain and inventory management. In order to build a realistic business case and justify your investment, both qualitatively and quantifiably, you will need to accurately evaluate RFID’s marginal impact and benefits over existing technologies. This session will help you understand how to measure the technology’s impact on your supply chain process performance, by using specific key performance indicators. In addition, the presenters will explain how to document an RFID business case within your four walls, and throughout your supply chain.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Targeting the Correct RFID Technology for the Right Project

This session will present proven methods used to discover profitable challenges that can be addressed with RFID, and specific tools for selecting the proper technology for your specific project. Wisely selecting the correct RFID candidate projects and the proper technology will help your organization minimize its investment, while improving supply chain efficiency more quickly

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Key Steps in Building an Inventory-Management RFID Solution: Build Your Own RFID Portal

You’ve probably seen an RFID implementation that demonstrates the tracking of incoming and outgoing inventory at the warehouse dock door in the blink of an eye, and that automatically triggers events, warnings and processes. If you’ve ever wondered how to implement such a system, then this session is for you. We will assemble the solution from bare components, test the complete RFID-enabled portal and start conducting supply chain transactions (automated receiving and shipping, for example). This session will help you understand how to move from simple RFID data capture to real-time transactions, and enable the basis of building a smart supply chain easily and at a low entry cost. The next step will be for you to create your own RFID portal.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

IT Data-Center Asset Tracking

In the process of mapping out business requirements for tracking data-center equipment and choosing the technology to meet those requirements, a large IT firm learned valuable lessons that can benefit other companies looking to track IT assets. The firm considered key policy, process, change-management and technology solutions, including the use of RFID to enable it to quickly identify and locate individual servers and fixed assets. Hear about some of the challenges faced, how the company overcame them and the lessons learned.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Building a Flexible RFID Data Infrastructure

Many businesses enter into an RFID implementation plan hoping to realize significant cost savings, as well as supply chain visibility and efficiency gains. But achieving those goals may be difficult, as there are many application-development, integration and deployment challenges. Developing an RFID infrastructure can be complicated and time-consuming. This session will provide the practical knowledge you need to move ahead with a realistic delivery plan.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Transacting Bitcoin Via NFC

BitFlo is a point-of-sale and ATM app that enables users to pay for merchandise and services with Bitcoin via a secure Near Field Communication credential and mobile device. Customers are given a secure NFC credential that requires a PIN entry for every transaction. After entering the PIN, a merchant receives payment notification through its cloud-connected device. Hear how the open-source technology behind the app integrates NFC with the Bitcoin infrastructure to create a secure and offline-capable payments solution. Learn how charitable and nonprofit organizations could use BitFlo as a solution for distributing humanitarian aid to catastrophe-stricken areas in which traditional financial infrastructure has been ineffective.

15 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

RFID Basics

New to RFID? This optional session for all preconference attendees provides an introduction to the fundamentals of the technology. The differences between the various classes of tags will be explained, including active and passive systems, and the need for additional IT systems to build upon RFID in real-world applications will be highlighted. The session will also include a brief overview of the EPCglobal network, the future of ISO standards, ETSI reader regulations and the latest standardization efforts worldwide. Finally, the relationship between different standards in the area of EPC RFID, including the latest EPC Gen 2 standard, will be presented.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

RFID Improves Real-Time Inventory and Visibility for Comcast

Media, entertainment and communications company Comcast is evaluating RFID to track inventory on trucks, in real time, by location. The firm seeks to improve customer service by arriving at the home with the correct equipment, as well as improving visibility into inventory. Learn how Comcast equipped three warehouses with RFID and integrated the technology with their existing warehouse inventory-management system, and how it is working on improving the customer experience.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Public Prosecution Office Cuts File Search Time by 60 Percent

A public prosecution office manages not only tens of thousands of case files, but also its own office assets, along with the confiscated or seized property. Prior to deploying an RFID-based system to track the case files, the organization utilized a delivery notebook that employees filled out manually every time they removed a file from the shelves and provided them to a specific individual. Thanks to the RFID system, the amount of time workers spend searching for missing files has been reduced by 60 percent. What’s more, the number of missing case files has dropped—and the solution also prevents the removal of files without permission, providing a significant benefit to the office’s security.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

University Automates Inventory Control Via RFID

A university is employing an RFID-enabled solution to automate its after-hours return process, and to conduct inventory counts of the 2,000 pieces of media equipment that it loans out to students and personnel. The solution enables borrowers to return goods outside of business hours, by placing items into RFID-enabled lockers, and also reduces the amount of time required for staff members to take inventory of items stored in the equipment stockroom. Learn how the solution has increased satisfaction and streamlined inventory control by saving staff time.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

Linking RFID to Inventory-Management Best Practices

RFID has finally reached a level of maturity at which a critical number of end users are benefiting from the technology at the warehouse level. This session will discuss practical examples of how these companies are using RFID to benefit from real-time visibility into their operations, and to improve their supply chain and inventory-management performance

15 Apr, 2015 4:15 pm

Preconference Ends

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Abbott Gains Real-Time Visibility Into Materials Via New RFID-based Inventory-Management Solution

Abbott, a global health-care company, needs to manage a large inventory of R&D materials that have a turnover similar to that of finished goods. This inventory can be problematic to control, as development materials are produced in smaller volumes and to specific formulations that may not be easily reproduced. Unlike standard inventory that can be reordered if misplaced or expired, R&D materials carry an inherent level of value that is difficult to quantify. Learn how Abbott has employed this RFID-based inventory-management solution to transform operations and reduce overhead, and how other global health-care systems have used it to automate operations.

15 Apr, 2015 12:15 pm

Lunch

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Using RFID to Save Money for Natural Gas Service Providers

An energy services firm is saving money by improving its ability to track gas meters using UHF RFID. Before implementing the RFID system, gas meters installed on an estimated 3,300 gas customers had not been officially recorded by technicians—a process required to initiate billing. Hear how the RFID solution ensures that customers are billed, thereby reducing the paperwork and time spent tracking down unrecorded meters. And learn how the technology saves the company more than a million dollars annually, providing an almost immediate return on investment.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Mining Company Reduces Labor Costs With RFID

A mining company is using EPC Gen 2 RFID readers to capture the identities of construction workers, and to clock labor hours at a remotely located mining site. The RFID system has enabled the company to track thousands of man-hours on the site in less time, with fewer errors. Learn how the system enables the firm to stop utilizing a handwritten process, and instead move through the construction site twice daily to monitor labor via handheld RFID interrogators. The solution has eliminated the delay between when names are written on the job site and when they are input into the computer system. Hear how the firm uses the timekeepers’ data not only to track man-hours for billing purposes, but also to monitor efficiency and ensure that projected work times are accurate.

15 Apr, 2015 2:30 pm

Break

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Tracking Assets on Industrial Construction Sites

With increasing frequency, RFID tags and readers are being used to monitor materials and tools at oil and gas facilities, power plants, and similar industrial construction projects—often from the point of an item’s manufacture until it is built into the facility. On average, each site tracks between 10,000 and 100,000 critical items, such as fabricated pipe spools, valves and cable. One company has deployed the technology at an oil-sands project, using vehicle-mounted devices with built-in RFID readers and GPS units. Learn how the technology can identify the locations of all items, and determine if anything has been moved since its last RFID tag read, as well as whether that location is the one that management would expect.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Using RFID to Improve Refinery Maintenance

One of the world’s largest oil companies has implemented 125,000 high-frequency (HF) RFID tags and mobile readers at one of its facilities. The deployment’s objective was to increase efficiencies during a turnaround (or TAR—a planned, periodic shutdown of a refinery process unit or plant to perform maintenance, overhaul and repair operations, and to inspect, test and replace process materials and equipment), and to replace the existing manual, paper-based system. Learn how the firm successfully used the process throughout the TAR, fitting RFID tags to every isolation point, and hear how the system is providing a common refinery data format, as well as real-time reporting capability and a complete blind history usage.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Equipment Value Stream Management and RFID at BAE Systems

BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems (ES) sector spans the commercial and defense electronics markets with a broad portfolio of mission-critical electronic systems, including flight and engine controls, electronic warfare and night-vision systems, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors, secure networked communications equipment, and power- and energy-management systems. The use of radio frequency identification enables the automated location tracking of tools and equipment, which reduces search times, streamlines equipment maintenance and improves equipment utilization. This session will present best practices when implementing an RFID project in the aerospace and defense industry, as well as lessons learned for implementing passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) fixed portal and real-time location system (RTLS) solutions for tool and equipment management.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: See guide for details

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Military, Industry and Academia Partnerships Enhance Asset Visibility for Warfighters

This panel will focus on the importance of the U.S. Department of Defense, industry and academia partnerships for effective use of automatic identification technology (AIT) to enhance many of the DOD’s business processes. The panelists will discuss the AIT efforts of their company or agency, their role in supporting the DOD’s AIT program and potential future AIT technologies of interest to the DOD.

16 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Refreshment Break

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Global Aviation Maintenance Company Tracks Tools via RFID

A global aviation maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) company is using an RFID-based system to ensure that tools employed for aircraft maintenance remain visible in the tool-management system, whether in storage or in use. While the misplacing of a tool is a rare occurrence, it can also be an expensive one, causing aircraft maintenance to be delayed for days or weeks until the missing asset can be found. Learn how the system makes it easier for the firm to account for every tool, helping to eliminate the possibility of foreign object damage, and to manage the maintenance of the tools themselves.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Aircraft Services Company Gains Efficiency With RFID

A third-party provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services has deployed an RFID system at its facility to manage work-in-progress for the parts it services for its customers, which include aircraft manufacturers. The system is designed to track components from their reception at a dedicated receiving area through to numerous repair stations and to the dispatch area from which those parts are then shipped back to the customer. By reading the tags during these multiple processes, the firm attains a real-time view into the progress of each MRO service being provided for every component, and can thus identify if a delay occurs. The system has helped the firm reduce turnaround times, and has provided information that the company can employ to further improve efficiency.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Airbus: Sharing the Benefits of an RFID-Enabled Value Chain

The Airbus Group has been a pioneer in using RFID and other technologies to track and manage its supply chain, tools, parts and other items, enabling it to measure and improve its industrial processes. Hear how and why Airbus is digitalizing old analog processes and using RFID to help build the world’s first truly smart factory. Learn how the company is engaging suppliers and customers to use the same technologies to achieve similar benefits, by streamlining processes and reducing the cost of production, maintenance and in-service operations.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: See guide for details

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

3-D Printing and RFID: A New Industrial Revolution

As technology advances in capability and quality, traditional manufacturers are turning to 3-D printing or additive manufacturing (AM), not as a replacement for high-volume manufacturing, but as a research tool and a low-volume solution. AM has the potential to radically change business and engineering processes during the next decade, as some organizations have been discovering, through the use of rapid prototyping (RP). The growth of 3-D printing for prototyping, final production and other applications is important to the RFID industry, because it can fundamentally change how products are manufactured. This evolution will bring both new manufacturing techniques and RFID technology to smaller firms that traditionally would have viewed either option as out of reach. Learn how RFID is currently being used as a complementary technology to enhance 3-D printing, and how it can expand the horizons of the RFID industry in the future.

16 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Refreshment Break

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Improving Inventory Control in the Packaging Industry

A global manufacturer of consumer and industrial packaging and a provider of packaging services is integrating UHF tags inside the cores used for European décor paper. Hear how the company is utilizing RFID to automatically track each roll of paper throughout its lifecycle. Learn how the system has improved inventory accuracy, and how some of its customers are reporting 10 percent savings on annual paper purchasing.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

RFID Boosts Productivity at Truck Factory

A truck manufacturer is employing an RFID system to know exactly where within its yard each trailer loaded with specific materials and components is located. By attaching passive UHF RFID tags to the trailers, the company can direct yard-truck drivers to the specific location at which trailers need to be retrieved and then delivered, thereby saving time that the staff previously spent driving around the yard reading serial numbers, using the radio and manually writing down trailer ID numbers on paper. The system has enabled the firm to achieve 99 percent trailer location accuracy within its yard, and has allowed yard workers to increase productivity. Learn how the organization has been able to reduce its number of yard trucks, and how the system also provides real-time management reporting about trailer arrivals and movements, as well as worker productivity.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Michelin Uses RFID to Improve Performance

Tire manufacturer Michelin has demonstrated knowledge of embedding RFID UHF in several harsh environment applications, such as heavy truck tires, endurance racing tires and Michelin’s Tweel airless radial tires. Gain an overview into the commercial benefits and technical challenges related to RF communication through tire materials and tag and tire durability. Learn how RFID compares to other technologies and leads to a reliable solution for traceability. The speaker will also present an endurance racing tire use case to illustrate how RFID is creating value for the firm through a fully automated solution.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: Achieving Real Business Value From RFID—Why You Should Act Now

Game-changing technologies enable early adopters to gain competitive advantage and drive shareholder value. Leading companies in many industries are already gaining that advantage from RFID, and our panel of experts will focus on how other businesses can do the same.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Ambulance Service Uses RFID to Track Equipment Quickly

The management of critical equipment aboard ambulances involves ensuring that each item intended to treat a patient is onboard when needed, as well as providing scheduled maintenance and servicing to guarantee that if a piece of equipment is required during an emergency, it will function as expected. An emergency services provider has attached EPC Gen 2 passive UHF RFID tags to critical gear, and can now more easily verify what is onboard each vehicle, and when it was last serviced. Learn how the firm is using the technology to be sure that nothing is missing on any ambulance, and also that any equipment that might be needed during a particular emergency call will be in good operational order.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: See guide for details

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Enhancing Patient Experience With RFID

When a regional health-care organization combined three of its area clinics into a single facility to merge medical practices, radiation treatment and radiology, it wanted the new, larger, 36,000-square-foot site to maintain the feeling of smaller clinics. That meant each of the more than 400 patients treated daily at the facility could feel confident that he or she would be seen quickly and never be overlooked. The firm considered a variety of technology options and chose a system that allowed it to identify the locations of patients and health-care workers, in order to ensure personalized and timely care. In addition, the system provides medical assistants with visibility into when a specific examination room is free and ready for use by a new patient. Physicians and nurses also wear the badges, thereby enabling the facility to track how long a particular patient awaited treatment before a health-care provider visited his or her examining room. Learn how it also enables staff members to find colleagues in real time.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Improving Infusion Pump Usage and Utilization With RFID

A large regional hospital has implemented an RFID solution to track and manage IV pumps. Before deploying the system, the 385-bed facility discovered that nurses in gateway areas (where patients enter) often sought IV pumps, which would frequently collect within discharge areas. The process was prone to hoarding and hunting, resulting in the staff’s frequent dissatisfaction. Past solutions required the leasing, buying or renting of additional pumps. While this provided short-term relief, the latent root cause was never addressed and resolved. Learn how the facility decreased the number of IV pumps by 26 percent (from 923 units down to 700) by increasing equipment availability and eliminating frustrations.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Implementation of an RFID Solution to Track Medical Devices

A large medical facility has installed an RFID-based real-time location system (RTLS), enabling it to track thousands of medical devices. The 747-bed nonprofit teaching hospital currently tracks more than 6,000 portable patient-care devices on its campus, extending throughout two buildings. Hear the processes and lessons learned from the RFID implementation, and find out how the system has improved patient care, streamlined patient flow and saved the hospital money.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Clinic Gains Efficiency, Safety With RFID

A cancer center is employing EPC Gen 2 RFID tags to track the amount of time that each patient awaits radiation treatment, and to verify that the correct equipment is being employed. The facility treats approximately 100 patients daily, using one internal and four external radiation machines. In addition to requiring efficiency, the clinic must also ensure that the proper equipment is utilized with each patient, in order to properly immobilize the correct body part prior to radiation. A solution was installed that enables the cancer center to track the locations of tagged individuals and equipment throughout its two buildings.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

RFID Reduces Wait Times on TransBay Transit Center Construction Project

Accurately monitoring the curing of concrete can be critical on large construction projects. Shimmick Construction Co. has deployed an RFID solution consisting of active ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags with built-in sensors, as well as handheld readers and software to interpret the collected temperature data for the construction of San Francisco’s new TransBay Transit Center. The tags’ sensor probes are embedded in each concrete slab and the data is read remotely, making the system more nimble than conventional data loggers. The system has been able to determine that concrete has adequately cured within about two weeks after it is poured—approximately half the time the company would have had to wait without the sensor data, and has paid for itself three to four times over, based on the reduced wait times.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: Understanding ROI for RFID in Retail—Are You a Good Candidate?

As consumer expectations continue to grow, now more than ever, inventory accuracy and visibility is a business imperative—and it starts with RFID. But how can you know if your retail chain is a good candidate for RFID? And if you are, what ROI benefits can you expect? Tyco Retail Solutions and ChainLink Research are joining together for a research- and experience-based session with practical tools to help you decide if RFID is right for you, and the best ways to get started. Learn about the actual ROI achieved in retail RFID implementations, the mechanisms for those returns, and how the right candidates can successfully adopt and deploy real-world solutions.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Jewelry Company Uses RFID to Engage Shoppers, Increase Sales

A jewelry company has launched a multi-store pilot of a radio frequency identification solution enabling retailers that sell their jewelry to automatically display information about merchandise that customers asked to see, and allowing those shoppers to share the items’ images after making a purchase. Store management can collect data regarding sales-floor behavior, including which items have been viewed, the percentage that were purchased and employees’ sales rates. The technology is intended to provide shoppers at brick-and-mortar stores with the advantages they can gain during online shopping—such as easy access to data about a product and the ability to scroll to similar items before making a purchase. Learn how the system can be installed at any of the approximately 180 retailers that sell the firm’s products, upon their request.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Clothing Company Expands RFID Usage to Track Inventory

An international clothing company has expanded its RFID system from what was initially a trial involving five of its stores. Following a successful trial deployment of a UHF EPC RFID solution, the firm is employing EPC tags and readers to manage the shipments of high-demand items to a total of 25 stores, using the technology to monitor inventory at each location. The system provides advance shipping notices as goods leave the factory bound for a specific store, as well as inventory data that tracks which goods are in each store’s back room and on the sales floor, which have been sold and, in some cases, what has passed through a particular location’s doors. Learn how the system ensures that never out of stock (NOS) items are always on the shelf.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Leather Goods Company Uses RFID to Track Inventory, Fight Diversion

A manufacturer of handbags, wallets, shoes and other leather goods has increased its inventory accuracy from 90 percent to 99.9 percent, thanks to a radio frequency identification system that tracks each item from the point of manufacture to one of its own brand stores. When an item is purchased, an employee reads and removes the tag, and the software is automatically updated to indicate which merchandise has been sold and, if necessary, trigger the reordering of stock. Not only has the technology boosted inventory accuracy, but it also makes the receipt and shipping of goods at the warehouse more efficient.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Understanding RF Performance in a Retail Store Deployment

An RFID implementation’s success is dependent on two major factors: properly executing the use of any new RFID processes, and monitoring the RFID readers and tags to be certain that they can successfully function together. Gain an understanding of what retailers can expect regarding RFID system performance, and how to resolve any issues that might occur. Techniques to resolve issues that arise from execution or RF performance will also be reviewed.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

What’s Next for RFID and Related Technologies

After 15 years spent following the markets for RFID, NFC, RTLS and contactless technologies, as well as the Internet of Things, an analyst will share his thoughts and perspectives regarding innovation in the RFID sector, and discuss what is new and what is next for the market in 2014 and beyond. This session will address several key questions, including in which directions the markets, applications and trends for these technologies are headed. Find out what roles these technologies play in the lives of citizens, consumers and corporations today—and in the future. Learn how RFID and related technologies are supporting the concept, definition and delivery of Internet of Things solutions.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

RFID-enabled Social Media Drives Consumer Interest at Car Company

Passive UHF RFID technology has enabled fans at motor shows and other events to link pictures and other media on Facebook and Twitter. Attendees at these events are issued RFID-enabled ID cards that they can use to have themselves photographed, and then post those images on their Facebook wall or share their “likes.” By enabling this function, the system provides a source of publicity for the car manufacturer, while users can share their activities with friends or colleagues online. Learn how visitors can use their RFID-enabled cards to link themselves to the image of a car of their own design, which could then be shared on social media, and how they can create their own sound for the Leaf electric car, which could be shared online via RFID.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

RFID Helps Hotel Provide Five-Star Service

One luxury hotel has installed an RFID system that tells a bartender the name and specific preferences of a patron approaching the bar, so that he or she can provide personalized greetings and assistance. The system consists of active 433 MHz RFID tags built into key fobs carried by guests, as well as readers that awaken and receive those tags’ transmitted ID numbers, and then forward those IDs back to a gateway, which communicates with a cloud-based server. A tablet computer mounted behind the bar can then display information regarding each customer carrying a fob, such as his or name and gender, along with any unique details about that person, including his or her room number. The bartender can then greet the individual by name.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

RFID Facilitates Training for Crews

A stock car racing organization is using real-time location system (RTLS) technology to better train its crews, by tracking the movements of each individual and the equipment used, in simulated pit stops for racing stock cars. The system helps the company to better identify the movements of individuals and equipment, and to reduce the amount of time crew members previously spent painstakingly watching—and often rewatching—videos, examining each action during training. By collecting data regarding the movements of people and equipment, the firm can better identify which video will be useful to watch. If the system finds that certain individuals accomplished their work especially well, for example, examining footage of that pit stop could help better train them and others—just as identifying a specific error can lead athletes and trainers to the point in the video at which the error can be viewed and studied.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Reducing Waste and Losses in the Postharvest Supply Chain

The deterioration of strawberry quality during distribution can lead to consumer dissatisfaction, losses and reduced sales. As part of the University of Arkansas’ National Strawberry Sustainability Initiative, University of Florida and University of South Florida scientists and engineers have developed a framework to use perishable shipping temperature history, as recorded by RFID data loggers, to predict the remaining shelf life under different conditions, in order to enable intelligent distribution using a “first expired, first out” (FEFO) logistic approach. The team worked with strawberry and Wal-Mart distribution centers to monitor the temperature and quality of multiple shipments of strawberries. Learn how the FEFO-based approach provides customers with higher and more consistent perishable quality.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

RFID Delivers Supply Chain Management Benefits

One of the world’s largest steel companies is employing radio frequency identification to streamline supply chain processes, harness automation more extensively and reduce costs. The firm was the first steel business to utilize RFID to identify slabs across a supply chain from Brazil to Europe and the United States, via several trans-shipment terminals. Learn how the company is achieving real benefits from RFID, and how it plans to utilize the technology in the future.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

RFID to Boost Quality and Yield at Processing Plants

A fish processing company is using an RFID-enabled system that moves fish through weighing, trimming and quality-control processes, while tracking data and identifying product for inspection, based on information collected by RFID readers and antennas. The solution consists of a modular unit with a conveyor, stations for employees to conduct trimming, another station for inspection and two weight scales—all with built-in ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID reader antennas to interrogate tags built into baskets containing the fish. Hear how the system tracks work-in-progress, as well as product movements throughout the company’s facilities.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Manufacturer Integrates RFID Technology Into Appliances

A home appliance manufacturer is incorporating passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags into its air conditioners. Tags are integrated into the 200,000 AC units that the firm manufactures annually. The technology enables the company to track each unit’s assembly process from one station to the next, providing supply chain visibility through the distribution center and to the store, by collecting data related to every unit’s operation once it is purchased. Each tag also serves as a black box, storing what has happened to the air conditioner to which it is attached, in the event that the unit malfunctions, as well as sharing error code information with maintenance personnel. Technicians can then access the tag’s data via an EPC UHF RFID reader, in order to identify what is wrong with the air conditioner prior to its disassembly.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: See guide for details

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

RFID Delivers ROI Within Months for Food Producer

One of the world’s largest producers of corn flour and tortilla products was losing thousands of trays annually, at a cost of approximately $3.5 million. The company deployed an RFID-based tracking system that enables it to keep tabs on which independent distributors remove trays from its warehouse at any given time, as well as which return them, thereby providing greater accountability for missing trays. Hear how the firm realized a return on its investment within a few months of the implementation.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

RFID Enables Improved Inventory Visibility for Duty Free Air and Ship Supply

Duty Free Air and Ship Supply (DFASS) is one of the world’s largest in-flight specialty retailers, with operations on five continents, through a worldwide network of 120 packing and fulfillment stations. Airline duty-free sales management requires that the correct products be displayed in limited shelf space, and that accountability of small, high-dollar goods be maintained. DFASS will share how it is using RFID technology to decrease operating costs and improve the visibility of inventory between its warehouse and flights. Learn how the system provides insight into which products sell best, and which travel repeatedly.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

Getting Started: Key Considerations For RFID Pilots and Deployments

Retailers looking to pilot or deploy radio frequency identification should ask many questions, such as: What categories should be considered? How many items should be tagged in order to gain insight into a business case? How many stores must be included in a pilot or early deployment? Who tags items, and when does this take place? And what read points are required? In this session, the answers to these and many other questions pertaining to a successful pilot or early-stage deployment will be explored.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Source Tagging and Serialization

This session will explain how to choose an appropriate EPC Gen 2 UHF RFID tag, as well as the options for encoding it with serialized data. In addition, the speakers will discuss the pros and cons of the various options for tagging goods at the source, including using service bureaus.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Supplier Use Cases: Where the Benefits of Item-Level RFID Are

Whether you are a brand owner or a retailer with private-label goods, it’s important to understand that EPC RFID technology can deliver value even before tagged goods arrive at stores. This session will cover the key uses of RFID that drive benefits, as identified by major research conducted by the RFID Research Center, as well as insight from early adopters. Leading brand owners and researchers will discuss potential and real-world deployments, and how RFID can be used to achieve cost savings and improve operations.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Retailer Use Cases: Where the Benefits of Item-Level RFID Are

RFID technology can be used for daily cycle counts, replenishment, promotions management, customer engagement and other in-store applications. But what are the basic applications of EPC RFID in the store that will deliver value to retailers? And which applications are likely to deliver the most value to particular types of retailers? This session will explain where the benefits are and which applications will deliver them. Speakers will address the role of different applications in various retail formats, as well as the categories in which retailers are seeing the greatest benefits today.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

GS1 US Item Level RFID Workgroup Update

This session will provide an update on the extensive work taking place in the GS1 US Item Level RFID workgroup. The workgroup, formed in 2012 after the merger with the VICS RFID Initiative, provides an RFID-specific forum for peer-to-peer outreach and implementation sharing. Hear how RFID is being used as the foundation for today’s omni-channel retailing strategies and the key to future business growth. Get an update on the current GS1 RFID standards, as well as a status update on the Item Level RFID workgroup, and learn where the industry is headed in 2015 and beyond.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

Museum Visitors Become Designers With NFC

When visitors arrive at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, they receive a device containing an electronic drawing implement with a stylus on one side and a Near Field Communication (NFC) reader on the other. Visitors can use the device to capture information and patterns from exhibits identified by NFC labels, and to then send the pattern to an interactive screen, enabling them to use the stylus to add to the design. A bar-coded ID number, printed on the ticket, will be paired with the unique ID transmitted by the RFID reader built into the stylus. A URL, also printed on the ticket, will enable the user to later open an account and view drawings that he or she created during the visit and share them on social media.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Improving Beverage Sales With NFC Promotion

A bottling plant for one of the world’s largest beverage companies is conducting a regional promotion by replacing 200,000 of its reusable plastic trays (known as “floats”) with NFC-enabled versions that also come with a QR code label. Two-liter bottles of soda are transported and then displayed in stores. Upon approaching the displays at a store, consumers read instructions printed on the float to access the promotional offer via the QR code or the NFC tag. Shoppers can access, via a hosted server, a $5 discount coupon for tickets to a college hockey tournament, as well as view promotional information about the brand and its products.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

App Uses NFC Phones to Authorize Document Printing

An information technology company has released a new app for Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled smartphones that will allow users to easily authenticate themselves before printing any documents. The touch-to-authenticate app provides a more automated option for users of the firm’s access control technology, which prevents printers from printing any document until an authorized individual identifies himself or herself at the actual printer. Learn how the application provides a way for companies to make sure that sensitive printed material does not end up in the wrong hands, or in a wastebasket.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Bluetooth-NFC Beacons Bring Discounts to Pharmacy Shoppers

A family-owned pharmacy has deployed a series of hybrid beacons combining Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID technologies to enable its customers to access coupons and promotional information regarding products via a simple tap of their mobile phones. The solution, which consists of the beacons with built-in battery-powered NFC transponders that make it possible to communicate with any smartphone featuring either NFC or BLE compatibility, enables customers to only receive the data they specifically want, by requiring that a phone be within 3 to 6 inches of a beacon before information can be transmitted to that phone. Learn how the solution is being used to enhance the in-store experience, as well as driving sales.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

NFC-Enabled Refrigerator Shares Data With Mobile Phones

An electronics and home appliance firm is selling a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled refrigerator that allows users to track the condition and efficiency of their kitchen appliance, by means of an NFC smartphone loaded with a special application. The refrigerator comes with sensors to detect whether any of its three compartments are open, and to measure the temperature within each compartment. It also includes a processor that tracks the appliance’s energy consumption. A user with an NFC reader built into a phone or tablet would first read the appliance’s tag, and then download the app. At that time, that person would be invited to select which functions he or she wishes to activate and those options are then saved, with the user’s profile linked to his or her mobile phone or tablet reader.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Logistics Firm Uses Active RFID for Automotive Customer

A full service logistics provider is using a system to track when each of its trucks are loaded with assembled parts, and when they leave its facility for delivery to a car manufacturing client. The parts are used in assembly by an automotive company, and must be delivered at very precise times in order to avoid causing production delays on the auto company’s assembly line. Active RFID tags are applied inside the cabs of the delivery trucks and each tag’s unique ID number is linked to that vehicle’s identifier. The firm maintains records indicating which goods are loaded onto each vehicle. With this data, the firm not only can collect historical information, but also search for a vehicle in real time, by identifying when it left the gate and, thus, when it should be expected at the customer’s facility.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: Unlocking New Applications for UHF RFID

NXP introduces the latest innovation in RAIN RFID and announces the industry’s first tag IC designed in accordance with the latest GS1 UHF RFID Gen2v2 standard. Leading RF performance, unexpected new features and revolutionary game-changing functionality are all part of NXP’s new offering, which will be presented to the world for the first time at RFID Journal LIVE! 2015. This innovation promises to open up new market applications for passive UHF technology, and to deliver unique value to end users and eco-system players across various market verticals.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Improving Inventory Control and Security in Records Management Via RFID

The management of information assets is becoming more critical within corporations and government agencies. Traditional bar-code-based tracking for files, tapes and boxes of material is proving to be incompatible with new and enhanced security, accountability and risk mitigation applications. Learn how a provider of secure document management is using radio frequency identification for records management, making 100 percent inventory audits a feasible reality.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Improving Traceability Via UHF RFID Tags

An RFID application development laboratory was contracted by a livestock and meat association to conduct a proof of concept and field trial of UHF RFID technology in the beef industry. In this session hear about the benefits of employing UHF RFID in this sector, as well as ROI opportunities and the additional traceability that UHF RFID can provide that enhances food safety. Also learn how the technology can be used to decrease the error read rate and improve read accuracy at a speed that better meets industry demands, and how it can also be more cost-effective, by lowering hardware costs.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Kuehne + Nagel Uses RFID for 24-7 Real-Time Temperature Tracking

Pharmaceuticals are complex, costly and time-consuming to manufacture. At the point of dispatch from the factory, there may be a patient who is waiting for the medication, or who requires an inoculation in order to prevent him or her from contracting a preventable disease. Kuehne + Nagel (KN), one of the world’s leading logistics providers, is using RFID-enabled technology to provide global, real-time monitoring of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and health-care products in transit. After implementing the technology, the firm now receives the temperature data as close to real time as possible, enabling it to proactively intervene to secure the cargo in the event of a temperature alarm. Learn how KN has reduced in-transit product loss due to temperature deviations, and how it is saving time and money while improving processes.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Serialization and Traceability: What It Takes to Pilot

Preparing to pilot serialization and traceability with your wholesale distributor presents many challenges. Learn how a healthcare services and information technology company worked with manufacturers to test products and processes within a serialized environment. Hear how the company faced a number of issues, including serialization at the item, case and container levels; the aggregation of individual units to a case, and of cases to a container managing serialized data; data exchange; and more.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

“Smart Life” Products Made More Intelligent and Relevant With RFID

RFID technology is revolutionizing products by providing dramatic improvements in functionality and performance. These smart, connected products have become complex systems combining hardware, sensors, data storage, software and connectivity. Learn how RFID, NFC and sensors are making smart objects, smart appliances, smart devices and smart personal accessories more intelligent and more relevant. This session will highlight some of the key trends for smart products, provide examples of available solutions, suggest which areas of our lives are being made smarter, discuss what technology improvements are needed and take a look into the future, as we evolve from smarter lives to smarter cities to a smarter planet.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Designer Brings Authentication and Personalization to Luxury Goods

A designer of shoes and accessories is selling a bag that links a digital record about that bag with the physical product itself, via a built-in NFC RFID tag that enables users to authenticate their bags and track down a bag if it is ever stolen. In addition to providing customers with proof that the bag is authentic and not a counterfeit, the technology will make bag ownership more fun and personal, such as providing the ability to create a digital diary about where the bag is taken, share details regarding the bag’s features with other owners, sell the bag, and find it in the event that it is stolen.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

RFID Enabled Implants Gives Physicians and Patients Improved Visibility

A manufacturer of medical breast- and body-shaping implants has begun selling some of its breast implants with a radio frequency identification tag built in, with the goal of providing information about the implant to a patient long after the device has been inserted into her body. The implants, containing passive low-frequency (LF) RFID tags, enable the physician to identify the model, size and other details about that implant. A doctor who needed to remove one could ascertain, prior to beginning the surgical procedure, the type of implant used and, therefore, how best to remove it. Learn how the technology can also extend to all types of implantable and reusable medical devices.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Protecting Brand Loyalty With NFC RFID

Arjowiggins, one of the largest paper manufacturers worldwide, has developed a paper product with integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tags. The product, known as PowerCoat Alive, provides users with uniform NFC-tagged paper sheets that can be modified as necessary for use on packaging, labels, business cards or other paper-based products that can be tracked electronically. Learn how the product is being used for brand protection or loyalty, and how it is being marketed to brand owners, retailers and other potential users.

17 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Planning Your Manufacturing Line Deployment

The last thing any manufacturer wants to do is disrupt its finely tuned, high-speed production line. Deploying RFID technology successfully on any line requires careful planning. This session will address how to conduct a proper site survey and work with line managers, IT managers, facilities and other constituencies to ensure a successful deployment.

17 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Creating the Proper IT Infrastructure for Serialization

To give individual products, subassemblies or cases a unique identifier, it is necessary to link an RFID tag ID to a specific product. Should you create a special RFID database or link readers to your existing product databases? Should you use middleware to send information to existing back-end systems, or create an API and transmit the data directly from the reader? How should you manage serialized data across multiple manufacturing locations? Get answers to these critical questions and more.

17 Apr, 2015 3:45 pm

Choosing the Right RFID Equipment

Depending on the speed of your manufacturing line, it might be difficult to find RFID-enabled label applicators that are fast enough to apply tags inline, without slowing down the manufacturing process. If you need to write data to a tag, this, too, can slow down production. This session will tell you everything you need to know about the RFID hardware you will require, as well as how to deploy it in a way that will keep your line humming.

17 Apr, 2015 4:30 pm

Integrating RFID into Manufacturing Processes and Systems

Learn how RFID improves manufacturing processes in ways that manual processes or other technologies cannot. This session will begin by helping attendees identify opportunities for process efficiency and defining a business case prior to proceeding. Armed with a clear set of requirements, costs and project success criteria, attendees will review a checklist of integration steps, including PLC integration guidelines for ensuring that your project produces a highly reliable production-quality system. Participants will discuss their specific environment and applications for selecting the best integration strategy, and will have the opportunity to ask questions.

17 Apr, 2015 5:15 pm

Testing and Quality Control

It is critical, once an RFID system is deployed, that it function as designed. Failure to read 100 percent of tags, in some cases, can mean disrupting a manufacturing line, which costs a company money. In this session, the presenter will discuss the steps required to ensure that tags are read 100 percent of the time, and that the system functions properly.

17 Apr, 2015 6:00 pm

Post-conference workshop concludes

17 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Break

17 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF RFID Tags: Part 1

Understanding how passive UHF tags perform and why some tags do so better than others is critical to achieving high read rates in any RFID deployment. This session will explain the types of tag antennas, and how different antennas perform with linear and circular polarized reader antennas, tag detuning and shadowing. Participants will learn how to create test plans, procedures and metrics to measure read speeds for tags in isolation, or in a population of other tags.

17 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF RFID Tags: Part 2

In this session, the presenter will explain how to test tags’ orientation sensitivity, and explore ways to test the efficiency of tags and their ability to harvest energy and respond to readers. Participants will learn how to measure tag performance in free air and on different types of products and materials, as well as how to identify improperly tagged items.

17 Apr, 2015 3:45 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF Readers: Part 1

Readers are the other critical element in any passive UHF RFID system. This session will explain how to create test plans, procedures and metrics to determine essential benchmarking parameters, including reader sensitivity, when picking up signals from passive UHF tags. The presenter will also explore RFID reader interfaces and the importance of being able to adjust the gain of reader antennas in order to read tags in a variety of applications.

17 Apr, 2015 4:30 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF Readers: Part 2

The performance of an RFID system can be optimized by the types of antennas you choose. In this session, the presenter will demonstrate types of antennas for stationary and handheld readers, as well as parameters like directive gain, and show how antenna performance can be measured.

17 Apr, 2015 5:15 pm

Open Discussion

Participants will have the opportunity to question the presenter and ask about specific applications, in addition to the use of passive UHF RFID systems in different environments.

17 Apr, 2015 6:00 pm

Post-conference seminar concludes

17 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

An Overview of RFID Today

Senior executives will hear the truth about where RFID adoption currently stands, where it is making a difference for companies in specific industries, and how smart businesses have developed strategies to deploy the technology in a way that enhances their business goals.

17 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Taking a Strategic Approach to RFID

Learn the difference between short-term tactical applications of RFID and a long-term strategic approach that can enhance your company’s major goals and reduce costs in a variety of areas. The benefits of taking a strategic approach will be explained.

17 Apr, 2015 3:45 pm

A Step-By-Step Approach to Developing a Strategic RFID Plan

To be successful, companies need to set clear goals for their RFID deployments; map existing business processes; determine where data needs to be collected, as well as how that information will be used; and then select the technology that will achieve the desired goals. The presenter will walk participants through this process.

17 Apr, 2015 4:30 pm

RFID and Change Management

RFID represents a new and potentially threatening way of conducting business, and some people will resist any changes. This session will discuss the common employee reactions that companies face when deploying RFID, as well as how to avoid typical problems. Learn how to build a team that can execute on a strategic RFID plan, and how to convince senior management to fund RFID projects.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

PR Firm Uses RFID to Create Buzz at Event

A multinational communications and public relations firm created an RFID campaign to bring attention to its customer’s brand during fashion week. Every visitor was given a RFID wristband through which he or she could automatically share updates of the fashion week with their network of family and friends on Facebook and Twitter. The campaign created interest across online platforms, generating a number of conversations and impressions on social-media platforms. Learn how RFID enabled the brand to increase engagement levels among consumers, designers, fashion enthusiasts, buyers and other stakeholders.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Ad Agency Uses RFID to Improve Marketing Strategies

An advertising agency is using RFID technology as one strategy to bring new consumer engagement to marketing campaigns. To support those efforts, the firm installed an RFID system enabling players at two of its office to engage virtually. The game consists of a low-frequency (LF) passive RFID tag attached to each playing piece, as well as RFID readers built into squares on the board that are linked to the Instagram pictures. As employees at the agencies play the new game, the company hopes to demonstrate to clients how RFID could bring greater excitement to marketing.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

RFID Enhances Brand and Makes Friends for Beverage Company

A beverage company has launched a new cup that automatically adds friends on Facebook when those with accounts clink glasses. Every time two cups clink, the cup holders become friends on the social-media site. Each cup contains an RFID chip that becomes activated before it is filled the first time, by scanning a QR code that will associate the cup with that person’s Facebook account. When two cups are in contact, their RFID chips connect and automatically exchange friend requests between the two cup holders, and a red LED serves as confirmation that the cup holder has a new friend. Learn how the beverage company is using the technology to enhance brand activation and increase interaction between consumers.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Connecting Businesses and Consumers Via Mobile RFID

A marketing firm is offering a mobile consumer-engagement network in which consumers can use cell phones to connect with businesses while in the retail environment. The company lets customers earn rewards and special discounts at merchants within their network, via a simple tap of an RFID-enabled sticker. Hear how the firm is partnering with online communities to furnish registered customers with access to discounts and rewards, while also enabling merchants to obtain critical customer data and profiles to drive targeted offerings.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Building Brand Loyalty With RFID

RFID technology has made the move from industrial applications to linking tags with social networks, providing instant Internet exposure while offering consumers a unique and memorable experience interacting with the brand. Learn how a vodka company is promoting its products at a series of parties and events, enabling guests to share activities with friends on Facebook using an RFID-enabled token. Hear how the solution is being utilized at a variety of nightclubs, with users updating their pages with comments regarding where they are and what they are doing, along with pictures of themselves and friends partying at a particular club.

17 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Introduction to NFC Terms and Concepts

NFC is a short-range form of radio frequency identification that is being used in a wide variety of marketing and consumer applications. This session will introduce NFC technical concepts; NFC mobile architecture and components, including secure elements; NFC controllers; operating modes (reader-writer, peer to peer, card emulations); and NFC Forum standards.

17 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

NFC Standards and Applications

This session will cover the standards that govern how NFC tags and readers operate. Participants will learn what the four types of NFC are and how each is used. The presenter will also discuss different NFC applications, and explain why NFC is preferable for certain application to other types of RFID technology.

17 Apr, 2015 3:45 pm

NFC Lab Demo

During this live demonstration, participants will see first-hand how NFC readers communicate with NFC tags. The presenter will demonstrate peer-to-peer applications, as well as reader emulation mode.

17 Apr, 2015 2:30 pm

Developing NFC Applications

This module will discuss requirements for Android application development, development tools, application structure, NFC APIs in Android, the tag intent dispatch system, foreground dispatch system and Android applications.

17 Apr, 2015 5:15 pm

Developing NFC Applications: Part 2

Continuing the in-depth information on developing an Android application for NFC-enabled phones, this session will include an overview of the Android SDK, the Android Application Record, testing the APK File and uploading to Google Play.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

The Physics Behind RFID

Obtain a fundamental understanding of RFID hardware. This session will cover the different frequency bands used: LF (125 KHz), HF (13.56 MHz) and UHF (860 to 960 MHz and 2.45 GHz). The instructor will explore the nature of RF fields and radio propagation, including the complex areas of null spots, reflections, polarization and other issues. By explaining many buzzwords common within the RFID community, we will provide delegates with the terminology they need to understand the technology, and to work with systems integrators and other RFID vendors.

15 Apr, 2015 11:30 am

RFID Visibility Data for Business Applications

To many, RFID data is what comes out of an RFID reader, but routing the raw information from a reader directly to a business application is a sure path to problems. The business application is locked into the way that information is captured, and the capture operations on the factory floor cannot be upgraded without disturbing the business applications. This session will show how to design RFID visibility data in a way that decouples data capture by RFID readers and other devices from information used by business applications. The role of the EPC Information Services (EPCIS) standard will be discussed, and the presenter will explain how that standard can be used effectively, even in closed-loop applications and by those not utilizing Electronic Product Codes.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Legislation and Standardization

Legislation regarding the use of RFID varies around the world and is subject to almost constant ongoing review. Standards will ensure compliance with legislation, and also guarantee interoperability between RFID systems manufactured by different technology providers. This session will offer an update on the latest developments by legislative and standardization bodies around the world.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Live Demo: RFID in the Real World

Theory is nice, but wait until you experience RFID in action and see its potential—as well as the potential challenges you might encounter while deploying the technology. Our live demonstration of a UHF RFID interrogator with a variety of products will highlight many real-world issues that arise when deploying RFID. In addition, the instructor will demonstrate how antenna polarization and the presence of metal and liquids can affect the ability to read a tag on products, as well as various approaches to alleviating this problem.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Real-World Considerations

The instructor will discuss some of the important practical issues that must be considered when embarking on an RFID deployment. These range from the all-important cost of tags and interrogators to practical approaches to ensuring high operational reliability. Example application areas will be presented, in order to highlight how to apply these insights in the real world.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Building an RFID Business Case

Developing a strategy and business case is the first step toward understanding how RFID technology can develop high-performance results. The presenter will discuss various scenarios for RFID strategy and business-case development, and provide an in-depth look at components and output. Emphasis will be placed on defining the value of information, and on how to evaluate various pricing strategies for RFID deployments.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

RFID Data-Capture Software

RFID allows for data capture without human intervention, and for many tags to be sensed at once. This makes RFID data capture significantly more complex than reading bar codes or human data entry. Capturing meaningful data often requires the development or customization of software in order to orchestrate RFID devices with other sensors, human interaction and back-end systems. At the same time, the data-capture infrastructure must manage many RFID interrogators and keep them running, even if unattended. This session will explore how to architect a well-layered software system that separates these concerns, and illustrates typical RFID data-capture paradigms. The presenter will also introduce several data-capture standards, including LLRP, ALE, RM and DCI.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Putting It Together: Architecture, Product Selection and IT Governance

This session will outline how to put together the elements described in the preceding two sessions, in order to create a complete enterprise-scale software architecture for RFID-based visibility. With such a setup, an enterprise can define architectural plans that meet business requirements and provide for growth and change, and then use those plans to drive the selection of commercial hardware and software products, rather than the other way around. The presenter will also explain the role of IT governance, and describe a design methodology to ensure that RFID is implemented consistently, and with scalability across an enterprise and the supply chain.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

RFID Tag-Data Standards

As RFID tags grow in capacity and sophistication, the possible methods for storing information on them becomes ever more complex. Whereas tags carried just a simple “license plate” identifier in the past, they now have a full random-access “user memory” that can be employed by applications to store a variety of business data. This session will provide an overview of the myriad of data standards that have evolved to take advantage of these features, including the popular Electronic Product Code (EPC); the ISO/IEC 15962 standard for user memory and its variations, including the latest “packed objects” standard; and the different data systems, including GS1 Application Identifiers (AIs), ANSI Data Identifiers (DIs) and aerospace Text Element Identifiers (TEIs).

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

RFID Data-Capture Standards: LLRP and ALE

The first task in many RFID implementations is to interface with RFID interrogators—which is significantly more complex than interfacing with a bar-code scanner. Fortunately, there are widely adopted standards that can help ease the task, and that enable developers to focus on the business problem they are trying to solve. The Low-Level Reader Protocol (LLRP) provides a standardized interface to RFID interrogator devices, while the Application-Level Events (ALE) standard defines a standardized way for application business logic to obtain the data it requires from a network of RFID devices. This session will explore these two standards in detail, outline their use in commercial products, and show how developers can utilize them to rapidly build robust, vendor-independent RFID systems.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best New Product, Group 1

This award, formerly Best in Show, will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! An independent panel of judges has selected 10 finalists, which have been divided into three groups. Each finalist will speak for a few minutes about its product: Farsens, for its battery-free RFID sensor tags capable of monitoring voltage levels in AC circuits; Invengo, for its 24-hour, self-service library carousels, allowing libraries to serve patients during off-hours or in remote locations; NXP Semiconductors, for its passive EPC Gen 2 V2 UHF RFID chip.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

RFID Green Award

This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of RFID technology to improve the environment, increase recycling or enhance sustainability. The three finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation: Detroit Diesel Corp. (a Daimler company), for its use of a visual RFID tag, which saves more than 7 million sheets of paper annually; Ambiente Brasil, for its use of RFID to reduce illegal dumping of hazardous waste; Sabesp, for its use of RFID to better manage and authenticate water meters, thus reducing unauthorized consumption.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best New Product, Group 2

This award, formerly Best in Show, will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! An independent panel of judges has selected 10 finalists, which have been divided into three groups. Each finalist will speak for a few minutes about its product: Omni-ID, for its 433 MHz active RFID tag based on the open IEEE 802.15.4f-2012 standard; Phase IV Engineering, for its passive UHF RFID strain sensor and battery-assisted strain/temperature sensor and logger; RFMicron, for its Magnus S chip that enables the creation of low-cost moisture-sensing devices that are battery- and maintenance-free.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best NFC Deployment

This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of Near Field Communication (NFC) for consumer or other applications. The finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation: Free the Children, for its use of NFC-enabled bracelets on an 11-event We Day tour to enable attendees to check-in via Facebook, post and share pictures on social media, enter contests, receive content by e-mail and more; Note: Free the Children will be presenting in the Innovative Marketing With NFC and RFID preconference track at 3:30 PM, Wednesday April 15 Skoubee SARL, for its use of NFC-enabled pet tags to allow owners to find lost pets, socialize with other pet owners through the Skoubee platform and manage all pet medical information; SM Prime Holdings, a Philippine mall operator, for its use of NFC in its e-PLUS Tap to Pay nationwide loyalty, e-payment, and automatic fare collection (AFC) solution.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Most Innovative Use of RFID

The finalists for this award, given to the end-user company with the most novel use of RFID technology, are: Age Steel, for its use of an RFID-enabled drone to take inventory of steel products in a 65,000 square-meter yard; NASA Marshall Space Flight, for its use of a passive RFID temperature sensor inside a Urine Processing Unit, enabling it to recover the most amount of water possible; Trigger Smart, for is use of RFID to create a smart gun that fires only when the owner is holding the gun.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best RFID Implementation

This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of RFID technology to improve its manufacturing, supply chain or retail operations. The winner will be the company that best demonstrates how RFID is delivering real value to shareholders. The finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation: DIRECTV, for its use of RFID to track 200,000 pieces of broadcast equipment, dramatically reducing the time required to take inventory of these items. Note: DIRECTV will be presenting in the Supply Chain track at 9:00 AM, Friday April 17; Interstate Batteries, for its use of RFID on racks to monitor inventory and streamline replenishment across a large number of retail locations; Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, for its use of an active RFID-based real-time location system across multiple applications.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best Use of RFID to Enhance a Product or Service

This award will be given to the end-user company that has best used RFID technology to enhance an existing product or service. The winner will be the company that demonstrates how it is using RFID to provide additional value to its customers. The three finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation: Clarisonic, for its use of NFC technology in the handle of its Clarisonic Smart Profile skin-cleansing device to interrogate the attached brush and set up specific treatment protocols dependent on brush type; Kuehne+Nagel, to provide active and real-time temperature monitoring of temperature sensitive pharma and health-care products in transit during intercontinental transportation; RSH Energy, for its use of RFID to enhance pipeline construction by identifying sections of pipe, their unique characteristics and their GPS location.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best New Product, Group 3

This award, formerly Best in Show, will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! An independent panel of judges has selected 10 finalists, which have been divided into three groups. Each finalist will speak for a few minutes about its product: Siemens Industry Inc., for its SIMATIC line of UHF readers optimized for use in industrial settings; Thin Film Electronics, for its adhesive printed electronic label that features memory, temperature-sensing, battery and display components; Tyco Retail Solutions, for its RFID UHF antenna with beam-steering technology in a low-profile housing designed for use in retail environments; Zebra Technologies, for its athlete tracking solution that provides coaches, teams, media and leagues with unprecedented performance and playing statistics.

16 Apr, 2015 8:00 am

Welcome and Introduction

16 Apr, 2015 8:30 am

Item-Level RFID in Retail: Getting to Mass Adoption

RFID’s ability to provide item-level visibility within stores and through the retail supply chain has been well-documented. This visibility is critical for omnichannel retailing and will enable second-order applications, including enhancing the consumer experience, improving conversion rates, reducing shrinkage and using advanced cycle-counting strategies to improve category inventory accuracy. But for RFID to truly fulfill its potential in retail, items must be tagged at the source, suppliers must use tags that work throughout the supply chain and in the store, and standards about what data to put on a tag and where to place it on an item must be established. This panel of early adopters will discuss where the industry is in relation to each of these issues, and what work is left to be done to take retail to mass adoption of RFID.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Transit Authority Automates Predictive Maintenance Program Via RFID

Utah Transit Authority (UTA) provides public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the Salt Lake City area. Historically, UTA manually tracked its major component inventory using spreadsheets assigned to multiple staff members. This process had a high error rate and did not provide the necessary information to make strategic decisions regarding predictive maintenance activities. UTA is now using an RFID-based solution in its asset-management program to track its light rail trains and major components, thereby allowing the organization to establish a predictive maintenance program. Learn how the light rail trains pass through an RFID portal that automatically identifies the components installed on the trains and records the asset information. This information is used to model useful life, and is the foundation of UTA’s predictive maintenance program.

16 Apr, 2015 10:00 am

RFID’s Role in the Aerospace Value Chain

Airbus began using RFID on an industrial scale in 2007 to improve visibility of its activities, streamline its operations and digitalize its processes. Applications that proved their value were expanded across Airbus Helicopters, Airbus Defense & Space, and other units in the Airbus Group. Additionally, the firm has been working with supply chain partners, airline customers and MRO service providers to extend the benefits the technology delivers to the entire value chain. Hear from Airbus and its partners about how the benefits of RFID multiply as partners share information and use the technology’s capabilities across the full lifecycle to track, trace and optimize how parts are made, put on a plane, maintained and finally replaced.

16 Apr, 2015 10:45 am

Exhibit Hall opens

16 Apr, 2015 12:00 pm

Lunch in Exhibit Hall

15 Apr, 2015 4:45 pm

Welcome and Introduction

15 Apr, 2015 5:00 pm

Department of Defense In-Transit Visibility–A Layered Approach

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is using a layered approach to achieve visibility of equipment and supplies moving worldwide in support of warfighters. The DoD must be able to operate anywhere in the world, and tracking shipments is essential to efficiently and effectively carrying out that mission. Automatic identification technology (AIT), including RFID, is a key enabler in gathering timely and accurate DoD in-transit and asset-visibility information. Rear Admiral Baucom will share current AIT implementations and requirements. Learn how AIT data fits into the layered approach, along with human-entered information, and how robust information systems are essential to giving warfighters the complete picture of shipments in transit.

15 Apr, 2015 5:45 pm

NFL Benefits from Next-Generation Stats and Analytics

A growing number of businesses are finding ways to leverage RFID-enabled data to improve their processes, services, products and customer experience. The National Football League has done just this, deploying the Zebra Sports Solution player tracking system to identify the location of every player during a game to within 6 inches (15 centimeters). This groundbreaking solution delivers what the NFL calls “Next Generation Statistics.” The system automatically captures game data that previously had to be captured manually, including downs, the amount of time expended during a huddle break and so forth. But it also allows the capture of new statistical data, such as how fast a player runs and how far he moves during a play, as well as precise location data—all in real time—throughout the game. Learn what Next Generation Statistics mean for the NFL, and what RFID technologies could mean for your business.

15 Apr, 2015 6:30 pm

Opening Reception Starts

15 Apr, 2015 8:15 pm

Opening Reception Ends

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Madshus Embeds RFID Tags in Skis to Deliver Customized Performance

Madshus, the world’s leading-performance Nordic ski company, is embedding Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID inlays in its skis during manufacturing. Madshus’ empower technology was developed to improve quality control during the production process, help the brand build better product to meet specific construction specs, deliver an improved ski-selection experience at retail, and offer its consumers the opportunity for customized and improved on-snow performance. To achieve this, Madshus embedded passive NFC RFID tags into each ski. As the ski is built, its unique signature is created; Madshus then stores the collected data on its server, linked to the tags’ ID numbers, throughout the manufacturing process. Customers are then able to access data about each ski prior to making a purchase. After selecting the best ski for their given profile, customers can interact with their products on the fly through their mobile phones using the coinciding Madshus empower app.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

RFID Boosts Productivity at Daimler Truck Factory

The Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) facility in Saltillo, Mexico, is employing an RFID system to know exactly where within its yard each trailer loaded with specific materials and components is located. By attaching passive UHF RFID tags to the trailers, the company can direct yard-truck drivers to the specific location where trailers need to be retrieved and then delivered, thereby saving time that the staff previously spent driving around the yard reading serial numbers, using the radio and manually writing down trailer ID numbers on paper. The system has enabled DTNA to achieve 99 percent trailer location accuracy within its yard, and has allowed yard workers to increase productivity. Learn how Daimler has been able to reduce its number of yard trucks, and how the system also provides real-time management reporting about trailer arrivals, trailer movement and worker productivity.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

RFID Speeds Vehicles Through Assembly

Troy Design & Manufacture (TDM), a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., is using an RFID-based solution to reduce the amount of labor time employees spend manually tracking work-in-progress (WIP) on paper. Three years after installing the system at the new plant—which converts various vehicles from Ford Motor Co. into Police Interceptor models—TDM found that the solution saves five to seven seconds from each workstation process compared with the amount of time required to perform bar-code scans, as well as enabling personnel to focus on the value-based work at hand. As a result, the firm has managed to outperform its expected production rates. Hear how RFID is being used to improve WIP data accuracy, reduce labor times and increase production output rates.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Brascol Uses RFID to Improve Inventory Control

Brascol, a leading wholesaler and distributor of babies’ and children’s clothing in Brasil, has deployed a radio frequency identification solution to optimize control of its inventory, increase operational savings and provide an improved service experience to customers. Learn how the firm has used the technology to successfully reduce the average checkout time for customers by one-third.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Downtown Stores Use BLE to Improve Customer Service

Merchants in two Canadian cities have deployed Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons in conjunction with an app enabling shoppers to top off payments on their parking meters. The solution consists of beacons and a free app, known as HotSpot Parking, which can be downloaded on a user’s BLE-enabled smartphone. The app enables shoppers to view notifications about their parking payment status and pay for extra minutes, as well as receive promotional information from participating stores. If the parking meter payment is due to expire while the shopper is still in a store equipped with a beacon, the phone app will send that individual an alert indicating the need for additional payment, which the customer can then approve in order to avoid a parking violation fine. In this way, the merchant can be assured that the shopper will not prematurely leave the store to pay a meter. Learn how this function has helped increase sales, and how retailers are using the app to personalize offers to participating shoppers.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Improving Sales With NFC

A bottling plant for Pepsi, one of the world’s largest beverage companies, has conducted a regional promotion by replacing 200,000 of its reusable transportation assets (known as shells) with NFC-enabled versions that also come with a QR code label. Logistics firm Rehrig Pacific provided the assets, supporting software and Web services for the project. Pepsi then used the assets in the transport and merchandising of the product (2-liter bottles of soda) as normal. Upon approaching the displays at a store, consumers read instructions printed on the display to access the promotional offer via the QR code or the NFC tag. Shoppers accessed, via a hosted server, a $5 discount coupon for tickets to a college hockey tournament. They were also able to view promotional information about the brand and its products. Learn how message penetration and sales were measured, and how the positive performance of the promotion resulted in the project’s expansion and the ongoing success for both parties.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Luxottica Improves Returns Traceability and Profitability With NFC

Luxottica Group, the world leader in premium, luxury and sports eyewear, is using NFC technology to manage unsold glasses that are returned from customers in 27 European countries. The project enables the company’s after-sales department to trace the crediting, quality control, refurbishing and packaging activities of almost 2 million pairs of glasses annually. An NFC tag in the shape of a small badge with a lanyard is applied to each item, enabling the firm to read directly from a tablet, identify the glasses and record all subsequent activities. Learn how the project has enabled Luxottica to automate identification and traceability that was previously carried out by paper forms and complex reporting activities.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Improving Productivity and Documentation Via RFID at Dominion East Ohio

Dominion East Ohio (DEO) is using smartphones and tablets to read and transmit RFID tag data to document aboveground pipeline coating and corrosion inspections. Historically, DEO performed the inspections using a paper-based process, but this did not provide the company with adequate information regarding which assets were inspected, their location, the severity or proof of inspection. After a successful pilot, employees now use the system to provide a visual record of the station’s current conditions and confirm that maintenance functions have been completed. Learn how DEO has utilized the technology to increase documentation and reduce clerical human error, as well as provide real-time data, proof of identification, “before” and “after” photos, GPS verification and onsite audit verification.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Marks & Spencer Broadens and Deepens its RFID Use

A pioneer in the use of radio frequency identification, Marks & Spencer (M&S) is one of the United Kingdom’s leading retailers, with some 760 stores. In 2001, M&S began using RFID to track deliveries of fresh food into distribution centers. In 2004, the company launched its RFID effort, deploying a solution to tag and track some clothing items at several locations. From 2012 to 2014 M&S saw a massive expansion in its deployment – to include 380 of its largest U.K. stores and more than 95% of its apparel and home ware. Since then, M&S has been busy investigating and trialing new uses of the technology across the entire scope of their operations. Learn why the firm expects the technology’s future benefits to provide even greater merchandise visibility and accuracy, from supplier through DC’s and into stores, to support their omni channel efforts. Hear how RFID will be used to reduce cost, make processes more efficient, improve accuracy and ultimately enhance top line and bottom line performance.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Managing Livestock With Active RFID

The consolidation of dairy farms is resulting in larger herd sizes and farms, which can often mean increased labor costs and longer working hours. Due to the large herd sizes, farmers often have difficulty identifying each individual cow and tracking its health record. What’s more, farmers are under pressure to keep product costs low, thereby leaving a slim profit margin. GEA Farm Technologies, a division of Germany’s GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, is providing farmers with a system that allows them to track the location and behavior of dairy cows, to enable farmers to better manage their herds. Learn how ultra-wideband (UWB) real-time location system (RTLS) tags are being used to pinpoint the precise location and activity of every individual animal, including its health and movement history, delivering an analysis of each individual animal in real time.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

The John Lewis Success Story: From Pilot to Deployment

John Lewis is a leading department store retailer in the UK, owned by The John Lewis Partnership, which also operates Waitrose supermarkets. In 2007 they made their first foray into RFID with a one store evaluation in the women’s shoes department. Based on the results of that project, in 2008 they moved to men’s suits in four trial stores and four control stores, tagging at the source. Hear how the firm recently conducted a pilot in three shops which included the integration of their legacy systems and 25,000 SKUs across selected fashion assortments. Gain an understanding of the challenges faced by the firm and how they plan to roll out item level RFID to more stores in 2015.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Tracking Gunpowder Safely and Accurately

ATK New River Energetics, operating at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, manufactures gun powder for sportsmen and federal and state law enforcement. The company also loads, assembles and packs medium-caliber ammunition to support military weapons systems. ATK wanted to improve accuracy, reduce labor costs and automate workflows in the production of gunpowder within a challenging and explosive environment. Find out how the use of passive UHF RFID technology to track containers of explosive materials, through mixing, warehousing and logistics, has increased productivity, while maintaining safety and improving pedigree. Learn how the firm worked through the challenges of building an infrastructure for data collection; labeling and tagging explosive products; tracking goods through creation, transfer and storage into 1940s-built bunkers; and consumption into finished product.

17 Apr, 2015 10:30 am

Best Internet of Things Deployment

This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of Internet of Things technologies to improve the way they do business, enhance a product or engage customers. Hear the top three finalists in the Best Internet of Things Deployment category discuss their award submissions; Fukui Shell, for its use of IoT technologies to enable the pearl industry to track, trace and authenticate individual cultivated pearls; Turkish Technic (a division of Turkish Airlines), for its use of IoT technologies to link technicians, tools, parts and inventory, ground services equipment, aircraft, hangar slots and other resources to the Internet, so that all information about all these people and things can be accessed via single software platform; SteadyServ, for its use of IoT technologies to make beer kegs intelligent, providing big data to bar owners, distributors and brewers.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Monitoring Radioactive Materials Via RFID

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed several RFID solutions for the tracking of radioactive and other hazardous materials, including the Rapid Deployable Global Sensing Hazard Alert System (SAV-EM) and Inherently Safe Passive Gas Monitoring for Hazardous Material Storage and Shipping Containers (InPac). Designed to connect to a variety of gas, environmental and/or radiation sensors, SAV-EM uses a credit card-size device that tracks sensors or personnel in real time, anywhere on Earth, via GPS and Iridium satellite constellation. Hear how the DOE is successfully using RFID, and learn how several of its national laboratories, including Savannah River National Laboratory, are working on additional projects using RFID-enabled technology.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

RFID Powers College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame is using an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID system, enabling visitors to enjoy a personalized experience at exhibits located throughout the facility. The solution includes RFID-tagged “credentials” that guests can use to receive content tailored specifically for them, as well as 100 readers installed at strategic points. In addition to allowing visitors to share content with friends via social media, the system can also track details for the purpose of analytics. Learn how the facility can view the movements of fans throughout the facility and determine which exhibits are popular, as well as how long guests remain at them, and when and where bottlenecks occur.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Moods of Norway Increases Sales Via RFID

Scandinavian clothing company Moods of Norway (MoN) has equipped 13 of its stores with RFID technology to better manage its inventory. This deployment follows a six-month pilot that boosted sales of men’s shirts and suits by double digits. During the pilot (which consisted of tagging men’s shirts and suits, and using a handheld reader to conduct inventory counts on the sales floor), the system not only provided 98 to 99 percent inventory accuracy, but also reduced the amount of labor employees spent performing manual inventory checks, thereby enabling more frequent checks. Learn how MoN expanded the program to include men’s suits, and how it expects to tag all children’s, sports, women’s and men’s clothing, as well as footwear, for the spring and summer 2015 seasons.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

Diamond Wholesaler Uses RFID to Manage High Value Inventory

IGC Brand Services, a diamond jewelry wholesaler, is using RFID technology to document the locations of more than 10,000 diamonds and pieces of jewelry with a value in excess of $5 million. In this very busy environment, display wallets are assembled by sales staff and taken out on the road. Product is allocated among 20 to 40 pending large orders. Shipments from the factory, which depend on the accuracy of the firm’s inventory counts, must be sorted and placed into current stock. Packages arrive filled with product being returned from consignment. Damaged goods, which must be accounted for, are sold for scrap. It is imperative that all of these movements be logged without slowing down the business process. Learn how RFID has enabled the firm to maintain accurate records and stay ahead in the highly competitive industry.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Tracking Radioactive Sources In-Transit

Radioactive sources are used in the oil and gas industry to characterize wells providing critical data to exploit geological formations in pursuit of oil caches. These mobile radioactive sources are of sufficient curie quantities to be categorized as attractive sources for terrorist organizations. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed a system that monitors, records and reports the status of mobile radioactive sources using sensor-based, active RFID technology to track the source shields, calibration sources and verifiers. Learn how real-time status is communicated from the Master Control Unit through a telematics device (long-range communications) to the cloud, providing situational awareness to the base of operations center. In the event of an upset condition (lost or stolen source), an alarm is sent to the base of operation center for immediate notification of key personnel to the field condition.

16 Apr, 2015 2:00 pm

OrbitalATK Uses RFID to Manufacture Composite Aerostructures

Aircraft are getting lighter as composite materials replace metal in their components and airframe. Commercial aircraft component manufacturer OrbitalATK is using RFID to improve process efficiency for fabricating composite aerostructures. OrbitalATK’s Aircraft Commercial Center of Excellence (ACCE is dedicated to high-rate composite structures manufacturing and produces composite airframe and engine components for the Airbus A350 XWB and Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Learn how the use of RFID in the ACCE is enabling a “visual factory” where each step of the composite manufacturing process can be monitored automatically, from raw material receipt through component production through eventual shipment to the end customer. Hear how RFID informs OrbitalATK’s manufacturing processes, and how RFID serves as a critical enabler for ramping up production for the company’s OEM contracts.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Clarisonic Customizes User Experience With RFID

Clarisonic, a pioneer in sonic cleansing and transformative skincare, has launched the Smart Profile for face and body cleansing. Initially sold through skincare professionals and now available in retail channels, the system incorporates RFID technology to allow brush-to-handle communication. Smart, RFID-enabled brushes allow the cleansing brush head to communicate directly with the device to customize specific protocols and adjust timing and power for an optimal, customized sonic cleansing experience. RFID technology also enables this device to track brush head usage and prompts users when it is time to change their brush head.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Building Tradeshow Booth Traffic and Sales Leads With RFID

Multi Image Group (MIG), an innovative corporate event-planning company, is using RFID technology to enhance the booth experience at tradeshows. Partnering with TD Auto Finance (TDAF) at the annual National Automobile Dealers Association Convention, MIG created three exciting, interactive and distinctive, yet related, experiences at strategic locations within the booth. Every attendee was given a custom-designed TD Hot Wheels car with an RFID token attached as he or she entered the booth. A TD representative would then scan the attendee’s badge and link the car to that individual. Learn how RFID allowed TDAF to mine the data from the various experiences and stations, and how it was able to effectively use this information to custom-tailor follow-up communications with specific items of interest.

16 Apr, 2015 9:15 am

Interstate Batteries Improves Product Inventory Management Via RFID

U.S. automotive battery supplier Interstate Batteries has partnered with an RFID solution provider to develop a remote, autonomous RFID monitoring system. This patented technology provides Interstate with near-real-time inventory visibility at a dealer (store) level. Interstate is currently testing this solution at approximately 2,000 of its 200,000 dealers. The data culled from this unique system provides the company with unprecedented visibility into product movement in the market, thus enabling more efficient and cost-effective replenishment procedures. The data from this unique system is enabling Interstate to explore more efficient and cost-effective replenishment procedures. Knowing the required product mix for delivery also allows Interstate to experiment with using smaller, more environmentally friendly delivery vehicles. Additionally, the firm has installed an RFID-based monitoring system within 29 of its delivery vehicles, streamlining inventory control procedures and increasing product-management accuracy.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Jewelry Shines Brighter With NFC

Galatea: Jewelry by Artist recently introduced the first cultured pearl to contain Near Field Communication, allowing a user to create a tailored voice message that can be played when the pearl is tapped against a compatible mobile device. The Momento Pearl can also store a variety of digital content, including images, messages and video. The NFC chip is embedded inside the pearl, and a user, after downloading an app, can record a message or upload an audio file. Learn how an individual can tap the pearl against an NFC-enabled mobile device to hear the audio and view the digital material displayed. In addition, get an overview of how Galatea intends to use NFC technology in the future by offering gemstone and diamond products.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Ritani Uses RFID to Engage Shoppers, Increase Sales

Jewelry company Ritani is using an RFID solution enabling retailers that sell their jewelry to automatically display information about merchandise that customers asked to see, and also allows those shoppers to share the items’ images after making a purchase. Store management can collect data regarding sales-floor behavior, including which items have been viewed, the percentage that were purchased and employees’ sales rates. Learn how the technology can provide shoppers at brick-and-mortar stores with the advantages they can gain during online shopping—such as easy access to data about a product and the ability to scroll to similar items before making a purchase.

15 Apr, 2015 1:00 pm

Improving Access Mat Visibility and Reducing Costs With RFID

Access mats, the portable platforms used to support equipment in the construction, oil and gas, and other energy-related industries, are often moved from one remote site to another and can be difficult to track. Inaccurate access mat reporting systems can cost energy and construction companies millions of dollars per year. Learn how matting services firm GEM Services is using RFID and GPS tracking in its SmartMat product to pinpoint exact mat locations, as well as records of all deployment information. Hear how the technology is increasing asset utilization, and how it is decreasing the potential for asset abandonment and liability.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Charity Uses RFID to Create Buzz at Event

We Day is an annual youth-empowerment event organized by the Free the Children charity. Held in cities across Canada and the United States, We Day events feature speeches and performances from global leaders, social activists and public figures. Registrants to We Day 2014 received RFID-enabled wristbands that allowed them to link up their e-mail and social-media accounts. Once onsite, users scanned their wristbands at RFID kiosks, enabling them to check in via Facebook, share photos or Tweet about what is happening at the event. Learn how the organization used the technology to create unique, interactive experiences and develop long-term relationships with their customers.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

NASTAR Ski Program Speeds Up Racecourse Access

NASTAR, a recreational race program for skiers and snowboarders, has launched a radio frequency identification initiative that speeds up access to the program at 20 resorts, in order to allow the automatic identification of racers before they head down the slopes. At any of the 20 ski resorts participating in NASTAR’s RFID program, a racer can receive an RFID-enabled ID card. The first time a racer has his or her card scanned, the staff must look up that individual’s NASTAR record by entering the participant’s NASTAR registration number or last name into the system and then selecting his or her permanent record. Once this is done, the ID number encoded to the card is added to that person’s record, and the next time that racer enters the starting gate, he or she is automatically loaded into the timing software. Learn how the technology enables each NASTAR resort to update its database by connecting to the NASTAR website to post results, and hear how the system may be expanded in the future.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Akron City Hospital Gains Efficiency, Improves Customer Service With RFID

Summa Akron City Hospital, part of Summa Health System, is a Level 1 Trauma Center, and its emergency department is equipped to serve more than 80,000 patients annually. Prior to deploying an RFID solution, the facility experienced unacceptable wait times to transfer ambulance patients from their emergency medical services cots to ED beds. In addition to improving customer satisfaction by decreasing wait times, the ED is able to track when the longest wait times occur, by hour of the day and day of the week. This enables management to modify staffing levels and increase staffing at peak wait times. Learn how the firm has established a benchmark of 15 minutes as a reasonable wait time in the ED, based on the data results.

Networking Break on Exhibit Floor

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Improving Inventory Control With RFID at USC

A UHF solution is enabling the University of Southern California (USC) to boost the accuracy of inventory data related to more than 60,000 pieces of on- and off-campus housing furnishings. Before the school deployed the system, tracking which items were at what locations, as well as which were broken, missing or due for replacement, required exhaustive manual inventory counts using temporary workers and many hours of labor to catalog what was where. In addition to tracking inventory, USC also began using the collected data to learn the lifespan of specific furniture. Because the department can track how long each item has been in use, as well as its typical lifespan, it can now begin ordering replacements shortly before items would typically wear out. Learn how USC decreased the amount of labor time required to conduct inventory checks, as well as the ordering of replacement items.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

IT Service Provider Gains Visibility Into Warehouse Logistics

Essintial Enterprise Solutions, a national provider of enterprise infrastructure services and support solutions for distributed technologies—from maintaining data servers to bank ATMs—has deployed a radio frequency identification solution to improve inventory control throughout its logistics processes. Parts at the company’s central stocking warehouse were tracked manually through its enterprise resource planning system. Several warehouse workers were responsible for updating the inventory location as parts moved through the various stages of the warehouse and depot repair processes, leading to inaccuracies due to the manual process. Currently, Essintial uses RFID to track all parts within the warehouse, including good parts from vendors, consigned inventory from customers, and defective and repaired parts. Learn how RFID has increased accuracy and visibility for the firm, while also lowering labor costs and improving efficiency.

16 Apr, 2015 2:50 pm

Solution Provider Session: How RFID Solutions Drive New Business Benefits

RFID hardware has become more reliable over the past few years, enabling companies to take advantage of RFID data in new and powerful ways. Software solutions are enabling firms to reengineer processes and deliver more value. In this session, our panel of experts will explain how businesses are leveraging these new capabilities.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

How NFC Can Enhance Events, Cashless Payments and Social Networking

Having worked with numerous large-scale music festivals, sports stadiums and conference events, RFID Academia, a leading consulting and systems integration firm, will explain how NFC technology works (its components and how to communicate with them) and, more importantly, how to develop NFC-enabled apps and integrate this technology into your offerings. Learn what you need to know to leverage NFC to maximum effect.

16 Apr, 2015 4:00 pm

Improving Safety, Reducing Costs and Increasing Efficiency at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center is using an automated RFID-enabled kit and tray replenishment solution to manage medication kits, trays and tackle boxes for faster processing and fewer errors. Since deploying the system, the 420-bed general medical and surgical facility has been able to inventory more than 150 items within seconds, providing details regarding what is missing, expired and soon to expire among medication kits, trays, tackle boxes, fanny packs and duffel bags. Hear how RFID is driving greater patient safety by assuring that medication kits never leave the pharmacy with expired or missing drugs. Learn how the RFID system has enabled thousands of dollars in revenue through accurate charge capture and cost savings, realized by optimizing labor efficiency, reducing supply waste and lowering carrying costs.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

Geisinger Health System Expands RTLS to Track Patients and Staff

Geisinger Health System has expanded its use of a realtime locating system (RTLS) beyond tracking assets to using the technology to track patient and staff interactions. The use of RFID is not new to the facility, which also utilizes the technology to help personnel more easily locate equipment, as well as reduce logistics and inventory costs. Hear how the firm is currently performing patient and staff tagging projects, and how RTLS helps it obtain valuable data, analytics and other important information. Learn how the information can also be used to leverage the same process in workflow analysis at some of its out-patient clinics.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

Gaining Optimal RFID Performance by Implementing the GS1 US Tagged Item Performance Protocol

The GS1 US Tagged Item Performance Protocol (TIPP) Guideline provides a standard means to express performance requirements and a standard test protocol to verify the performance of a tagged item (not an inlay). Using the new TIPP Guideline, retailers and retail product manufacturers can specify and measure the RFID performance grade of tagged items. This grading system simplifies properly setting up RFID environments, choosing tagging solutions for products, and sharing information between retailers and suppliers throughout the industry. This session will review the fundamentals of TIPP and provide guidance for retailers, suppliers and solution providers to start using TIPP to simplify the RFID supply chain.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

RFID Provides Mission-Critical Monitoring for Health-Care Research

Northwestern University’s Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) is a service and teaching unit that supports all animal use in research, testing and education. With a large population of animals and $300 million in ongoing biomedical research projects, the CCM needed a way to ensure that the animals were receiving the best possible care, while also protecting the integrity of the research being conducted. Since deploying the RFID system, CCM has been able to track the locations of animal cages throughout the facility, thus eliminating the error-prone manual labor associated with bar-code censuses, and increasing census accuracy. Learn how the firm has decreased staff requirements, lowered risk of contamination, improved animal welfare, safeguarded funding and established a new standard of animal care at research facilities.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Bridging the Gap: Creative RFID and Infrastructure Solutions

Those who live in cities assume infrastructure is readily available, and that being disconnected is never an issue. But not all buildings, facilities and field locations are connected. The RFID Application Development Lab (RADLab) at SAIT Polytechnic took a project lacking the technology to support it and developed application-specific RFID readers to bridge the gap. Whether a proof-of-concept, small-scale pilot or full-scale production, implementing and supporting an RFID system in which infrastructure is non-ideal has led to new expertise in a growing variety of deployments. Learn how RFID is being used at RADLab to overcome the challenges of developing new technologies and implementing off-the-beaten-path RFID applications.

15 Apr, 2015 3:30 pm

NCDOT Tracks Construction Material With RFID

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is using RFID technology that is enabling its own laboratory testing of samples from job sites, as well as inspections of precast concrete materials at the sites of suppliers, to be captured and then managed electronically. The agency is now able to better manage where materials used in an infrastructure construction project originated, which inspections were administered and the results of the inspections. Learn how NCDOT is experiencing a reduction in labor, vehicle and fuel costs (stemming from the reduced time that inspectors spend onsite, and the fewer visits made), as well as savings that have resulted by replacing the manual system previously in use.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

DIRECTV Uses RFID to Cut Inventory Time

Broadcast satellite company DIRECTV is implementing a radio frequency identification system to track 200,000 pieces of equipment at three broadcast centers, as well as nearly 200 smaller facilities. The system is intended to reduce inventory tracking time, while also improving inventory accuracy from 75 percent to 97 percent. The RFID system was taken live in December 2014, and the company expects that it will be able to decrease the amount of time required for performing a full inventory from years to months. The system also enables the collection of data that the company uses to track asset lifecycles and perform other business analytics. Hear how the next phase of the project will involve tagging and tracking assets at the company’s laboratory in El Segundo, and then at about 190 remote locations—13 of which are broadcast centers, the rest signal-collection or uplink centers—located throughout the United States.

16 Apr, 2015 4:50 pm

RFID in Petrobras Offshore Oil and Gas Logistics: Past, Present and Future

Brazilian multinational energy corporation Petrobras owns oil refineries and oil tankers, and is a major distributor of oil products. The company is a world leader in the development of advanced technology from deep and ultradeep water oil production, with its research and development activities centralized at the Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello Research & Development Center (CENPES), located in Rio de Janeiro. Learn how the firm is testing the use of RFID technology, and what is planned for the future.

07 Oct, 2015 11:45 am

How RFID Solutions Drive New Business Benefits

RFID hardware has become more reliable during the past few years, enabling companies to take advantage of RFID data in new and powerful ways. Software solutions are enabling firms to reengineer processes and deliver more value. In this session, our panel of experts will explain how businesses are leveraging these new capabilities.

17 Apr, 2015 9:45 am

Improving Visibility Between Offshore Locations and Warehouse With RFID

Weatherford Labs is using RFID technology to track sample containers of different sizes and shapes from a warehouse to an offshore drillship, then back to the laboratory for analysis and storage. The small containers house pieces of earth extracted by a drilling rig that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a day to operate. Once a core sample is shipped, it is impossible to replace if lost. Learn how the system is enabling the firm to effectively monitor the high-value assets and significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to track the containers.

15 Apr, 2015 1:45 pm

Smart System Uses RFID to Authenticate Medications

Integrated Line Technologies (ILT), a provider of caps for vials, pharmaceutical bottles and test tubes, is using RFID technology in a version of its products that will enable customers to read built-in RFID tags on cap liners and thereby prove that an item is authentic, as well as create and track an electronic history of the product inside a container. The firm uses EPC ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) passive RFID tags built into the cap liners and in well mats (rubber mats with recesses to store fluids or other contents), as well as a software-as-a-service hosted server that users can access to learn data about a tag and the specific vial linked to it. Learn how the system is efficiently identifying each vial, as well as what is in it and its history, and how it ensures that a medication or other product is not counterfeit.

15 Apr, 2015 2:45 pm

Powering the Internet of Things and Customer Experiences Via NFC and RFID

Zebra Technologies, a global leader in products and services that provide real-time visibility into organizations’ assets, people and transactions, will provide insights into how NFC technology is used in its printer products, and how this enables real-time support and instructions for users. Learn how the Internet of Things will change customer experiences and engagement across multiple verticals, and see some early use cases on Zebra’s IoT platform, Zatar.

17 Apr, 2015 9:00 am

Boeing Improves Aircraft Production and Maintenance With RFID

Boeing is a leading airframe manufacturer in both the commercial and defense sectors, with several projects employing RFID technology. RFID-based tracking and tracing of aircraft parts, during both the production and maintenance phases of the lifecycle, brings significant value to all stakeholders within the aviation ecosystem. The common thread for all of these stakeholders is an improvement in quality, productivity and maintainability over an aircraft’s lifecycle, spanning several years. The use of RFID enables automated data collection, verification and validation, resulting in improved accuracy and reduced flow time. Learn how the stakeholders are working together to maximize the benefits offered by the technology.

17 Apr, 2015 5:15 pm

Next Steps

You believe RFID can help your company—but what do you do when the event is over and you return to your office? This session will explain some concrete steps you can take to begin working toward developing a strategic RFID plan, and executing on it.