Key Takeaways:
- Auburn Research and Technology Foundation has broken ground on a $22 million, 100,000-square-foot RFID Lab facility scheduled to open in summer 2027.
- The new lab will anchor a 45-acre advanced manufacturing research district focused on RFID, automation, AI, robotics, and supply chain innovation.
One of the top RFID research universities in the United States is expanding.
Officials from the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation (ARTF), the City of Auburn and its Industrial Development Board (IDB), and Auburn University gathered in the Auburn Research Park (The Park) recently to mark the construction of a world-class laboratory and to formally announce the beginnings of a 45-acre advanced manufacturing research district.
Scheduled to open in summer 2027, the $22 million, 100,000 square-foot facility will house the Auburn University Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Lab.
Auburn’s Justin Patton on RFID Lab Expansion
For more than 20 years, the RFID Lab has focused on advancing and implementing RFID and other emerging supply chain technologies in industry settings including retail, aviation, aerospace, and manufacturing. The new facility is a transformational space designed to meet the growing demands of RFID innovation, research, and industry collaboration, said Justin Patton, executive director of the RFID Lab.
“As the technology landscape evolves, this expanded facility allows us to scale our work, simulate complex supply chain environments, and better support our partners by accelerating adoption,” said Patton in a statement. “This dynamic learning environment will serve as a professional development platform for our students. They will gain hands-on experience with real-world systems and work alongside industry leaders.”
Why The New RFID Lab in Needed
A unit within the Harbert College of Business, the Auburn University RFID Lab is a research institute focusing on the business case and technical implementation of RFID and other emerging technologies in retail, aviation, aerospace, supply chain, and manufacturing. The RFID Lab, which beagn operations at Auburn in 2014, now includes more than 100 students and faculty along with more than 35 research and development sponsors that inlude Delta, Boeing, Nike, Walmart, UPS and McDonald’s.
The new RFID Lab was designed by Goodwyn Mills and Cawood (GMC), one of the largest architectural and engineering firms in the Southeast. Bailey-Harris Construction, a leading Alabama-based general contractor and construction management firm, is constructing the facility.
“The lab has grown by a factor of five over the last five years, and as we expand our scope from RFID to include the many other sensor technologies that are used in the supply chain and advanced manufacturing,” Patton said. “This new facility gives us the ability to scale up our operations alongside our industry partners to ensure that Auburn students define the future of how the global supply chain will operate.”
The Advanced Manufacturing Research District
The RFID Lab is the first of several facilities slated for The Park’s newly-formed advanced manufacturing research district. Unique in the nation, this research district with its specialized advanced manufacturing focus, will create an environment where the public and private sector can collaborate and even co-locate their R&D work with Auburn experts and students in a wide range of manufacturing technologies, prompting shared discovery and innovation.
These technologies include automation, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), digital engineering, lean manufacturing, advanced machining, additive manufacturing, and mass timber production. Promoting economic growth through the reshoring of manufacturing and growth of knowledge-based jobs is a shared goal of Auburn University and the City of Auburn, according to officials gather for the announcement.
The advanced manufacturing research district will be a blend of university units shoulder to shoulder with industry partners working together to take innovative technologies from the lab to the market.
The Impact on Manufacturing Sectors
The district will be a place for research, technology development, and rapid prototyping, said Steve Taylor, ARTF president and senior vice president for research and economic development at Auburn University. Shared spaces and equipment reduce costs and allow researchers and businesses to iterate quickly as they move from proof-of-concept to market.
“The RFID Lab is an outstanding example of the types of Auburn research programs that we are recruiting to our new advanced manufacturing research district in The Park,” said Taylor. “The RFID Lab will have Auburn University faculty experts and students working hand in hand with industry to develop and deploy revolutionary supply chain technology.
“Now, supported by the unique partnership between the university and the city, additional research centers are poised to locate in The Park and make an even greater impact on our manufacturing sectors.”