Editor’s Notes
A Year of Great Progress
This year, RFID has made major strides towards becoming a technology that can be used in open supply chains. But there is still important work to be done.
The Value of Good Information
There's a lot of confusing information about RFID being published, and that's making it harder for senior executives to make smart decisions.
Trend Lines, Part II
Achieving a global standard for RFID will take time, and there will be bumps in the road, but it will happen.
Trend Lines, Part I
CEOs concerned about the high-cost of deploying RFID technology need to keep an eye on the bottom line, but they also need to prepare their companies for the future.
The Real Scandal
The Chicago Sun Times has uncovered a “secret” smart-shelf test run by Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble. One privacy group calls it a scandal. The real scandal is the way the public is being misled about RFID by journalists more interested in a sexy story than the facts.
A Little More Clarity
The information Wal-Mart has provided about its RFID requirements will help suppliers figure out how to move forward with their own deployments. It also sheds new light on the future of EPC technology.
The End of the Beginning
After four years of R&D, the Auto-ID Center closed its doors last week. Despite the controversy that has surrounded the center, it has been enormously successful.A Bridge Between ISO and EPC
The only realistic way to deploy a UHF RFID system in an open supply chain today is to implement ISO 18000-6 and make next-generation EPC technology backwards compatible with it.
Precedents Set
Marks & Spencer has taken privacy concerns seriously in setting up an RFID trial. Other retailers would be smart to learn from its example.