RFID Journal LIVE! 2014

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

How to Choose the Right RFID Technology for Your Needs

There are many different types of RFID technology. There are different types of active RFID, passive RFID and battery assisted tags. Different systems
perform differently depending on the frequencies they use and other factors. Some systems are suitable for tracking objects at short range, others at long
range. In addition, RFID is often combined with sensors and with other technologies, such as infrared and GPS. In this session, you will learn how to determine which technology is right for your application, the key considerations to take into account and additional factors that need to be considered.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Airline Uses RFID in MRO and Security Operations

An airline that operates an extensive domestic and international network, with more than 5,000 flights daily and approximately 80,000 employees, has used RFID in its maintenance operation for more than two years. The airline has been tagging emergency equipment in the cabin that must be on every plane and must not be expired, such as oxygen generators, life vests, portable oxygen bottles, first-aid kits, medical kits, defibrillators, fire suppression squibs, EPAS bottles that blow the doors open, and so forth. RFID replaces repeated date inspections and allows the carrier to get the maximum lifespan out of an asset before removing it from service.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Aerospace Manufacturing Company Uses RFID to Improve Process Efficiency

Moving from the decades-old practice of fabricating aircraft from discrete metal components to building aerostructures, by cutting, forming and curing advanced composite materials, has produced a shift in the manufacturing paradigm for aerospace companies. An aerospace, defense, and commercial products manufacturing company is using RFID to improve process efficiency in the production of composite airframe and engine components for the Airbus A350 XWB, as well as General Electric’s and Rolls-Royce’s engine programs.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

RFID Improves Aircraft Production and Maintenance

A leading airframe manufacturer in both the commercial and defense sectors is employing RFID technology to track and trace aircraft parts. RFID is being used during both the production and maintenance phases of the lifecycle, bringing 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. Learn how the use of RFID enables automated data collection, verification and validation, resulting in improved accuracy and reduced flow time.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

DLA Uses RFID-enabled Distribution to Support U.S. War Efforts

By leveraging the relationships of its suppliers and customers, using new and exciting technologies, and integrating RFID into more of its logistics footprint and processes, the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is providing improved visibility beyond just receiving goods into inventory. Learn how this capability will deliver improved availability, trust, responsiveness, speed and efficiency within the defense supply chain to support the war effort.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Using RFID in the Global Supply Chain

The Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) Program Office is responsible for promoting the use of RFID-based automatic-identification technology within the U.S. Air Force (USAF). This presentation will provide an update regarding the USAF’s passive RFID program, with emphasis on employing the technology to support the tracking of critical assets, as well as an integrated approach between passive RFID, bar codes and wireless handheld terminals in base supply

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Manufacturer Saves $120,000 Annually in Reduced Labor Costs Via RFID

The factory that produces Trane heating and air-conditioning systems in Tyler, Texas, uses a kanban (just-in-time-ordering) system to ensure the efficient movement of components from a third-party warehouse to the plant. The firm has boosted efficiency by adding RFID technology to automate the process of identifying when supplies are received at its plant. A process that previously lasted for approximately 30 minutes—the receiving of goods at the factory’s warehouse, and the scanning of those products’ bar codes—now takes only about five minutes to complete, as workers pass the RFID-tagged goods through a fixed RFID reader. The system notifies the factory’s workers and management when goods are onsite, and can thus be expected on the assembly line. Learn how the software can also issue alerts indicating that something has not been received when expected—such as components for which tags were printed at the warehouse, but that did not arrive at the plant within the anticipated span of time.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 pm

Core Store Operations

RFID technology can be used for daily cycle counts, replenishment, promotions management and other in-store applications. This session will cover best practices for using RFID to improve store operations. Find out where the big benefits are, from companies using RFID today.

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Secondary Store Applications

In addition to the applications discussed in the previous session, RFID can also be used for loss prevention, improving the customer shopping experience, reducing lines at the point of sale, managing returns, reverse logistics and more. Hear about the benefits that retailers can expect to achieve from these uses of the technology.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Brand Improves Supply Chain Visibility Via RFID

A fashion brand has doubled the efficiency of the intake and shipping of its apparel as the garments are processed at the company’s three distribution centers, while its tagged clothing can also be read at some stores by customers looking to learn more about the products. Following the RFID solution’s installation at all three DCs, employees are now able to handle 380 to 400 items per hour. Previously, when shipping goods to retailers, the DCs could process only 140 products hourly, but they now can ship out approximately 330. The RFID system has also increased accuracy, thereby ensuring that incorrect products are not shipped to retailers, and that out-of-stocks are less likely to occur due to inaccurate inventory counts. Learn how the company uses RFID at some stores to display product information, thereby encouraging sales. When a customer carries clothing past informational video totems located near the dressing room entrances at one of its stores, two LCD touch screens play videos of models wearing the clothing, and offer advice regarding other items or accessories that might combine well with that garment.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

The Internet Underwater: Monitoring Undersea Conditions With Acoustic Networks

State University of New York researchers in Buffalo are testing a wireless underwater network of nodes that chirp acoustic, rather than RF, transmissions from lake or ocean floors to a receiver on the water’s surface, and then forward that data to the Internet via a cellular connection. The underwater nodes transmit at 11.5 kHz, forming a network that forwards data over the course of potentially many miles, back to a receiving node linked to software on a back-end system at the water’s surface. When sensors, such as temperature-measurement devices, are built into or wired to the unit, that unit can then transmit information regarding changes in the water. Learn how the system could eventually enable scientists to predict tsunamis or other natural disasters, as well as locate underwater oil or natural gas sources, or to monitor fish and marine mammals within the vicinity.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Reducing Labor Costs and Improving Visibility of Returnable Assets

A logistics company in the horticultural industry manages more than 3.5 million racks that it provides to its global customers. The company has tagged these items and installed 150 RFID interrogators at nurseries, greenhouses and fields, as well as at its depots, to track the whereabouts of 250,000 metal carts. Learn how this system, one of the largest RFID deployments worldwide, has enabled the company to reduce labor costs and improve the visibility of its assets.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Using RTLS to Improve Security

At Idaho’s Skyview High School, when teachers and staff members have a possible emergency on their hands, they use a real-time location system (RTLS) to indicate the nature of the problem and their location, thereby making response times faster than for traditional methods of placing phone calls or calling for help. Approximately 100 employees at the high school wear Wi-Fi badges that can be used to call for help in the event of a security threat or medical emergency, and also trigger a lockdown. Learn why the facility opted to install the system, along with IR beacons, in order to help its resource officer and other staff members identify not only the nature of an emergency, but also its location. And hear how the system uses a color-coded solution to identify and prioritize the emergency’s nature.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

RFID Helps Hotel Provide Five-Star Service

One five-star hotel has installed an RFID system to identify guests as they approach its bar. The solution can tell bartenders the name and specific preferences of an approaching patron, enabling them to 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 that communicates with a cloud-based server. A tablet computer mounted behind the bar can then display information about the customers carrying the fobs. Employees working at the reception desk explain how the key fob works to the guest. Guests who opt not to be recognized via the fob are told they can simply leave the device in their room when visiting the bar.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Embedding RFID Chips in Paper Reduces Costs and Fraud

A North Dakota State University spinoff is commercializing technology to embed ultrathin RFID NFC chips within flexible substrates, such as paper. This will enable secure, zero-profile, integrated solutions that will reduce RFID implementation costs and fraud in labels, tags, packaging materials and various types of paper documents.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Tracking Sound and Vibration Levels Via Active RFID

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is employing RFID to capture data regarding vibration, as well as gauge the acoustic emissions, during space shuttle and rocket launches at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, located at Patrick Air Force Base. Active RFID sensor tags are being used to transmit data to a reader and a PC, where the information can be reviewed in order to determine the sound and vibration levels generated by a rocket launch. The solution consists of active 2.4 GHz RFID tags with built-in sensors that capture the vibrations resulting at different areas surrounding a launch pad during liftoff. Learn how NASA uses the data to gain a greater understanding of the sound waves emitted from launches, and to better predict any potential damage that the waves might cause to equipment and structures within the area. Gain an understanding of how the technology may be used in the future to improve mission safety.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Using RFID to Improve Identification and Maintenance

Gear motors are installed in conveyor systems, roller coasters and other large equipment, and users must regularly maintain them in order to ensure their proper operation. The gear motors can be difficult to access, and personnel often must shut down a belt or other equipment, and then crawl under or into machinery to examine the unit’s housing and its printed serial number or bar code, in order to identify that item and then order a replacement. A global electronics company is installing RFID-enabled technology into a series of electric gear motors that will enable users to more easily track the units, as well as their maintenance history and order replacements. Learn how the firm is using an RFID label in the nameplate of each electric gear motor it produces, so that customers can quickly identify a motor even when it is installed in a hard-to-access location

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 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.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Tracking Automotive Components in the Assembly Process With RFID

One automotive components manufacturer has automated its work-in-process (WIP) tracking with an RFID system. The company manufactures aluminum power-train components, including cylinder heads, engine blocks and transmission parts. When the molds used to manufacture aluminum engine blocks are built, visibility into the entire assembly process can help ensure that any defects are caught before the finished block is shipped to a customer. The company required a complex network of sensors, as well as RFID readers, for an assembly line on which it manufactures the molds that it needs to create aluminum engine blocks. At each work station, the manufacturer writes sensor data to passive HF RFID tags, to record the results of each step of its automated assembly process. At the final station, the RFID data recorded on the carrier’s tag is stored in the firm’s back-end system, and is linked to the individual mold’s serial number. The tag is then erased, and the carrier is reused to manufacture another engine-block mold. Learn how the system provides an automated record regarding the assembly of each block’s mold, so that in the event of a recall, the company could ascertain what occurred during assembly, as well as which other items were assembled simultaneously.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Building Your RFID Business Case

RFID can provide several advantages over existing automated-identification technologies within supply chain and inventory management. In order to build a realistic business cases 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.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Equipment Company Improves Customer Service Via RFID

Fluid-dispensing equipment company is offering an RFID-enabled version of its jet fluid-dispensing cartridge, enabling customers to automatically track and store the number of cycles that each cartridge has undergone. The technology, which uses a passive high-frequency 13.56 MHz RFID tag embedded in each cartridge, also enables users to ensure that the correct cartridge is being used for a particular job. The cartridge’s tag is read by an RFID reader incorporated into the dispenser machinery (or robot), to ensure that the cartridge has sufficient remaining use life for the job at hand, and that it is the cartridge designed for that process. The dispensing robot includes a reservoir filled with whichever fluid needs to be dispensed, along with a pump-like mechanism for delivering that fluid to the cartridge. Learn how the system not only ensures that the correct cartridge is always in use during a specific product’s manufacture, but also provides the manufacturer with an electronic record of which cartridges were used during that job.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Parts Maker Uses RFID to Increase Efficiencies

An automotive electrical parts manufacturer has added RFID functionality to test equipment that customers, such as vehicle manufacturers, can utilize to gain an automated electronic record of maintenance and repair to components. The system includes a single passive high-frequency (HF) RFID tag attached to a truck, to store the maintenance history of that vehicle’s electrical system, as well as tags attached to the parts maker’s components. Tags attached to components would have sufficient memory to allow each tag to store a more detailed maintenance history of the individual component to which it was attached. Dealers often return parts to the manufacturer that they claim are inoperable, but that are actually still functioning, having simply been misdiagnosed. As a result, the firm charges the dealership for these unnecessary repairs. Learn how the system can be used to provide the manufacturer with an automated method of receiving warranty information.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

Food Company Uses NFC RFID to Market Its Products at Concert

A cereal company recently tested an NFC RFID solution at a concert so that it could learn more about its customers, as well as provide them with access to music and videos. The marketing campaign, offered to every attendee at the event, gained a response via NFC technology from 14 percent of the 700 attendees who received NFC-enabled cards along with cereal samples. During the concert, samples of the cereal were handed out to interested attendees. Accompanying those boxes of cereal were cards printed with the words "Discover More!", similar in size and dimension to a playing card, with a built-in NFC RFID tag. Instructions were printed on the card, explaining the four-step process involved in using the technology. The solution did not require users of NFC-enabled phones to download an app. Instead, they simply tapped their phone against the card, and the phone’s reader captured that card’s unique identifier and accessed the URL associated with the concert. Learn how the cereal company intends to test the NFC solution at another location, and how it eventually hopes to include payment options as well.

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

Security Firm Gains Visibility Via NFC

A security firm is employing passive NFC RFID tags and mobile phones to provide visibility into the movements of its security officers at clients’ sites. The solution enables officers to tap a smartphone against tags installed throughout the buildings they monitor, thereby creating a digital record of where they go and when, in addition to issuing alerts to be sent if they fail to complete expected tasks. The system allows the company to provide data regarding the officers’ movements to clients. What’s more, it is low-cost, since there is no need to purchase readers or other hardware. Instead, security guards simply utilize RFID-enabled mobile phones and pay a monthly fee to access hosted data. Find out why the company chose NFC technology as a preferable alternative to QR codes, which can be copied by staff members (enabling them to read the codes without actually visiting the site), while NFC RFID tags cannot be easily duplicated.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

NFC Enhances Events, 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.

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Barcelona Uses NFC to Provide Mobile Services

Barcelona is recognized as one of the leaders in mobile services, due to its long-term strong support of mobile technologies and ecosystem. The new challenge facing the city is to lead the charge of the contactless revolution through various initiatives under a unique name, "Barcelona Contactless." Learn how the city is using NFC technology to facilitate contactless payment and ticketing, as well as undergoing a massive deployment to provide citizens and visitors with a digital experience of the city.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Hospital Tests NFC RFID for Patient Bedsides

The teaching affiliate of a regional hospital is testing an NFC RFID system it developed that enables health-care personnel to manage the administration of medication at a patient’s bedside. The solution consists of a Google Nexus 7 tablet and a software app that interprets RFID tag data regarding patients and the medications they receive. The system works with passive NFC RFID tags attached to medications, to patients’ wristbands and to staff members’ ID badges, thereby enabling a user to read the tags and link the patient, caretaker and medication in the app. Learn how the system could provide more than just verification of which medications are administered—it could also enable personnel to enter information into the software while at a patient’s bedside, thereby opening up a host of future uses.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Can Online Retailers Be Disrupted?

Amazon.com was founded in 1994, in the very early days of the World Wide Web. Since then, the company has had a major impact on the global retail landscape, paving the way for other online retailers and disrupting the business models of conventional “brick-and-mortar” retailers. Radio frequency identification gives companies with brick-and-mortar stores a chance to use technology to disrupt online retailers, by providing them with the inventory visibility necessary to become true omni-channel retailers, and to use stores as warehouses for same-day deliveries. But this can only be achieved if companies are using RFID for what it truly is—a disruptive technology. Learn how RFID should be properly viewed and deployed.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Purse Company Uses RFID to Discourage Gray Market

When inspectors working for a leather goods manufacturer enter a store searching for gray-market products, they cannot afford to attract attention. The firm sells its merchandise worldwide at brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online. It makes an effort to uncover products being sold at unauthorized venues, and then researches where those goods were diverted to, and by whom. But the unauthorized stores’ management is often not very receptive to such efforts, so the inspectors must be discreet. The inspectors approach a purse or wallet on a store shelf, quickly passing a tiny RFID reader over that item’s tag before the store’s staff can notice what they are doing, after which they make a hasty retreat. Learn how the firm is using UHF RFID readers to interrogate tags sewn into the goods, and then forwards that data to a server via a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 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.

10 Apr, 2014 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. The 2014 finalists are:

• Marks & Spencer, for its use of item-level RFID to improve on-shelf availability at all of its stores
• Bechtel, , for its use of thousands of active RFID tags to manage materials for the construction of three mega-size industrial projects off the coast of Western Australia
• BP International, for its use of passive RFID and hybrid GPS tags to track construction materials globally for a major capital project
• Colcafé, for an RFID system that provides increased visibility—from raw materials through production and storage to shipping

10 Apr, 2014 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. The 2014 finalists are:

• Bombardier Transportation, for its PlatformSafe RFID solution that alerts personnel working near a railroad’s platforms to oncoming trains
• City of Dayton, Ohio, for its use of RFID to identify which utility companies dug up and replaced asphalt in the city’s streets
• Hy-Vee, for its RFID sensors that monitors all temperature-sensitive goods, enabling the retailer to deliver the highest-quality products to its customers, RFID

10 Apr, 2014 10:30 am

Most Innovative Use of RFID

This award will be given to the end-user company with the most novel use of RFID technology. The winner will be the company that best demonstrates how it is using RFID in a new or unusual way to solve a business problem, deliver a return on investment to shareholders or improve customer service. The three finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation. The 2014 finalists are:

• Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory, for its system of authenticating pearls by embedding an RFID transponder in each gemstone’s nucleus
• Skyview High School, for its use of a real-time location system and location-based messaging to improve the safety of school children in the event of an emergency
• Snapsportz Media, for its use of RFID to link images with individual zipline customers in harsh outdoor environments

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

Supermarket Uses RFID System to Track Shopper Flow

Following a pilot of an RFID-based solution to temporarily track customers’ movements via tagged shopping carts moving through a supermarket, a marketing and advertising firm is now preparing the solution for two additional pilots. The company plans to install the technology to cycle through two stores for another national supermarket chain, as well as at 10 locations for a third retail firm. Learn how RFID technology is being used to monitor consumer movements based on RFID tags on carts and shopping baskets, rather than on loyalty cards, thereby tracking only the locations of the baskets and carts, and not the shoppers themselves.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Lessons From the Field: Understanding RF Performance in a Retail Store Deployment

The success of an RFID implementation 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. The University of Arkansas’ RFID Research Center will share the results of a recently published white paper that studied how well a variety of retailers and suppliers have been able to maintain proper execution of RFID tasks and tagging. Additionally, the speaker will present an in-depth analysis of the real-world performance of readers and tags.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Using RFID to Improve the In-Store Customer Experience

An athletic apparel store is using an automated system to attract customers to its products by means of an RFID-enabled video display and hotspot, and RFID-enabled prize cards distributed on the streets. The solution uses wireless technology to trigger content for shoppers, and it also collects data about the popularity of the displayed shoes, based on the number of times each one is moved. The firm installed a 9-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling wall display, with shelving on which a dozen shoes were placed. If a shopper picks up a shoe of interest on the display, the system updates the server regarding the action that has taken place. The software collects each read event indicating movements of the products throughout the day, and enables the store to then compare that data with actual purchases at the point of sale. It also triggers a large image of the shoe to be shown on a 42-inch touch screen next to the display. Text on the screen instructs the shopper to place the shoe on the RFID hotspot—the counter beneath the screen—to learn more about that model

10 Apr, 2014 2:00 pm

The IoT in the World: An Update on What and Where

In this session, you will get a brief summary of the status of the Internet of Things. Hear some examples of the IoT in use today, the impact of the technology, and a discussion of privacy and security.

10 Apr, 2014 3:45 pm

The Technology Powering IoT

RFID has transformed operations throughout the last decade, and this session will help you understand the technologies and options available. From bar codes to RFID and beyond, learn how to choose the best technology to meet your particular needs, and how to use the correct technology for your applications. This session will also describe the technologies used for implementing RFID, as well as the data needs involved.

10 Apr, 2014 4:15 pm

AIM, IoT and the World

There are many organizations looking into the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. From definitions to standards, from markets to standards, numerous groups are currently working on these issues. Hear about AIM’s progress, and receive an update on other work being done regarding the IoT.

08 Apr, 2014 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 result is an agile architecture in which a company can effectively respond to changing business-information needs, and exploit ever-improving RFID hardware. 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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 developing or customizing 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. Such understanding is essential to selecting and deploying the many commercially available data-capture hardware and software products currently on the market. The presenter will also introduce several data-capture standards, including LLRP, ALE, RM and DCI.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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).

08 Apr, 2014 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, and 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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

08 Apr, 2014 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

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

Improving Productivity and Materials Control at Offshore Locations With RFID

A leading engineering, procurement, construction and installation company recently completed a pilot project at one of its key fabrication facilities, utilizing RFID technology to help improve planning, work execution, progress reporting and materials management. The initiative focused on the entire work process for fabricating carbon steel spools from warehouse issue, fabrication, external laydown and final installation. The system enables personnel to generate customized RFID labels in-house that are not only weather-resistant, but also metal-friendly. Learn how the tagging process allows labels to be attached to metal, while still maintaining readability

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

Using RFID to Track Tools and Locate Parts

A company that inspects and finishes steel pipes used at oil-drilling sites is employing radio frequency identification technology to track personnel and tools at its facility. The firm offers two services: the inspection of steel pipes—also known as tubes—and other oil country tubular goods (OCTG) manufactured by its customers (steel mills) to meet American Petroleum Institute (API) standards, and the threading of those tubes as requested by oil companies prior to their shipment to drilling sites. The firm recently completed a trial deployment of various RFID, real-time location system (RTLS) and GPS solutions to track the tubes it inspects and threads, as along with tools and personnel. Learn how the system’s tool-tracking function has improved efficiency and reduced the incidence of lost tools. In addition, hear how the firm is putting RFID tags on cement racks where some parts are stored, enabling forklift operators to ascertain where a particular part is located upon approaching the appropriate tag.

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 pm

Enhancing Downhole Drilling Operations Via RFID

Oil and gas drilling requires RFID systems that are operable in the harshest environments and can overcome such issues as frequent extreme vibration, high pressure and temperature, harsh downhole fluids, and extended use and run times. Learn how a drilling reamer that employs RFID technology to enable multiple, on-demand activations or deactivations any time during the drilling or tripping processes is being used at a remote oil field. Gain an understanding of how the drilling reamer reduces operating time and risk, how overall drilling efficiency is increased and how development economics are improved.

08 Apr, 2014 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. In this case, the device is installed in a truck or on a forklift, and personnel simply drive the vehicle around a construction site, warehouse or storage yard. The reader captures the ID numbers of all tags within the vicinity, couples that data with the vehicle’s GPS location and forwards that information via a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, or stores it until the vehicle comes within range of a wireless network connection. Learn how the software 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.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

RFID Lowers Costs—and Risks—in Port Operations

A provider of integrated supply-management solutions for drilling, production and construction projects is using RFID at one of its facilities to improve customer service delivery and processing times, as well as inventory accuracy for vendor staging areas. Learn how RFID is helping to reduce expenses and solve the critical issues of staging, manpower, space, loading, scheduling and logistics for oil drilling and production operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

10 Apr, 2014 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.

10 Apr, 2014 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 need, and how to deploy it in a way that will keep your line humming.

10 Apr, 2014 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 data to existing back-end systems or create an API and send the data directly from the reader? How should you manage serialized data across multiple manufacturing locations? Get answers to these critical questions and more.

10 Apr, 2014 4:30 pm

Integrating RFID With PLCs and Manufacturing Systems

An RFID system cannot simply be bolted onto an existing manufacturing or packaging line. It must be integrated with that line. Tags must be applied inline, and there must be a system for checking that each tag is functioning, and for rejecting items with malfunctioning tags. This requires integrating RFID systems with programmable logic controllers (PLCs). RFID readers also need to be integrated with back-end databases, so tag IDs can be linked to products. This session will explain successful integration strategies and how to implement them.

10 Apr, 2014 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 disruptions to 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.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

RFID’s Role in Food Safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed two new rules for the food and beverage sector. The new rules are part of the agency’s implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which was signed into law in January 2011, following several serious outbreaks of food-borne illnesses in the United States. The regulations proposed by the agency require importers to take greater responsibility for the food they bring into the country, essentially shifting the burden of inspection from the FDA to private companies. Learn what the FSMA means for the food industry, and how RFID can be used to provide greater traceability along the supply chain.

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

Using RFID to Establish a Secure Chain of Custody in the Meat Industry

Two universities have joined forces to develop a tamper-proof, cloud-based RFID traceability system, tailored toward the food industry. Initial pilot projects are focused on the poultry industry, and cover production from processing plant to consumer. The system is based on a combination of RFID temperature-logging and geo-locationary systems, cloud-based decision-support systems and smartphone technology. Researchers are now testing epi-biometrics on chicken fillets. Learn how the solution relies on a combination of RFID and smartphone technologies to facilitate the provision of temperature and location details at the batch level, thereby establishing a secure chain of custody from processing plant to consumer.

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 pm

Using RFID to Identify and Track Livestock

Costa View Farms, located in Madera, Calif., first began employing RFID approximately ten years ago, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began investigating the technology to monitor poultry and livestock populations so it could more quickly and effectively trace animal diseases to the source in the event of a breakout. Although the USDA has not yet mandated the use of an animal-identification system, Costa View Farms has tagged more than 15,000 dairy cows with passive RFID transponders encoded with unique ID numbers. Learn how the identification system has saved the farm’s workers countless hours previously spent searching for and treating cows, while also improving its animal records and boosting milk production.

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Monitoring Livestock Feeding Behavior With RFID

USDA researchers have developed an animal feeding behavior-monitoring system that employs radio frequency identification readers, antennas and multiplexers to gauge the health of livestock. The system has been in operation for several years at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), located in Clay Center, Neb. It is intended to capture the unique tag ID number of each animal that puts its head into a feed bunk or trough, and to do so without altering or restricting the way in which the animals feed. Learn how the system uses standards-based LF RFID technology, enabling it to read the ear tags of 128 to 240 animals within seconds, identifying when and for how long cattle or pigs eat, as well as what that means about their health and environmental conditions.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Grower Uses RFID Temperature Sensors to Reduce Losses Due to Spoilage

A fruit grower is deploying an RFID solution enabling the company to view the temperature of the fruit packed at its processing facility, as well as record temperature fluctuations in a truck while the products are transported, and monitor the temperature in real time once more at a retailer’s distribution center. Trays of fruit are loaded onto pallets and shipped on the same day they are picked. Before the pallets are loaded onto trucks, tags are placed on top of the trays of fruit, which are then moved through a precooling process before being shipped on the same afternoon. Find out how the firm was able to catch temperature problems as they occur and thus reduce spoilage.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

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.

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 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.

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 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.

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 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.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Open Dialogue with an RFID Thought Leader

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

The RFID-Enabled Smart Factory

Airbus is revolutionizing manufacturing by using passive and active RFID technologies and other intelligent technologies to provide real-time visibility into the tracking of work-in-progress, parts, kits, tools and more. Real-time data flows through a single platform, offering operators and plant managers the ability to view a virtual representation of what is occurring on the shop floor. Learn how Airbus is bringing together these different systems to create an integrated, seamless, smart factory.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

RTLS Technology Helps Company Streamline Warehouse Operations

A technology company wanted to streamline operations at its North American warehouse, and initiated systems and processes to support its overall business transformation. After identifying opportunities at the warehouse to enhance operations, the firm deployed a real-time locating system (RTLS) to inform associates picking items of the proper staging area, thereby allowing for greater flexibility in staging, as well as a reduction in labor costs. The solution saves time that employees previously spent locating the proper place for loads of picked goods (approximately three minutes per load), while also reducing the amount of space required to stage each load by about 40 percent. Without an RTLS solution, the company reports, the process of locating a shipment in the staging area could take the staff from one to eight minutes—approximately three minutes, on average. Since the warehouse averages 1,000 drops daily, that time adds up quickly, though the RTLS cuts about a minute off each drop time.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Freight Specialist Tracks Goods With RFID Temperature Tag

A global air and ocean freight specialist is utilizing an RFID-based air-freight service allowing customers to track the temperatures of their goods throughout the shipping process, for such temperature-sensitive products as pharmaceuticals or biomedical items. The solution, employing UHF RFID tags with built-in temperature sensors applied to containers, enables customers to maintain a record of shipping temperatures, and to receive an alert if an exception occurs. When a package is delivered to the designated recipient, that information becomes available to the customer that originated the shipment, and that company can then log into the system, input a password and view all of the temperature readings. Learn how the system is being utilized by businesses ranging in size from a small biotech firm to a global pharmaceutical company.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Railroad Streamlines Operations With RFID

A railroad operator is employing EPC Gen 2 RFID technology to track 10,000 rail-freight wagons, locomotives and passenger cars, thereby helping the company and its subsidiary to manage rail cars and work processes within its rail yards. The use of RFID-enabled technology has improved the efficiency of its rail-yard processes, better managed its rail-car inventory and maintenance orders, and improved customer service, by delivering detailed information to customers regarding which shipments have arrived, and when. Learn how personnel can identify wagons automatically and at a distance, by using handheld readers while walking alongside a train and utilizing the devices to interrogate each rail car’s tags. Additionally, hear how employees can confirm that the cars are located behind the correct locomotive, and in the intended order, even after wagons have been shifted and a new train has been assembled within the yard.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

RFID Delivers Supply Chain Management Benefits

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

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Improving Accuracy and Customer Service Via RFID-Enabled Delivery Documentation and Notification Services

A transportation company is employing RFID to deliver value-added services to its clients. The firm is utilizing RFID-equipped pallets to create added-value services for partners within the supply chain, as well as deploying an RFID-enabled infrastructure inside distribution trucks, in order to document incoming and delivered pallets. This session will provide new insights and detailed experiences from distribution center to store.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Moving to an RFID Diverse World: Zonal Monitoring, Handhelds, Portals, Shelf Readers and POS Systems

There are currently many different types of RFID data-capture systems implemented in the field. With increasing frequency, tagged items experience multiple diverse read environments to fulfill the technology’s value. This session will explain the differences in how RFID is collected in such environments, as well as the pros and cons of employing various types of data capture for building an RFID business case. Gain an understanding of how these systems can work together, as well as the conflicts that can occur, and how to tag and handle products to achieve successful results.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

How to Choose an RFID Asset-Tracking Solution

Real-time visibility can dramatically reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies for the vast majority of enterprises. This session will explain how companies can cut costs with an RFID tracking solution, and how businesses should go about choosing the proper RFID system. Learn the differences between passive and active RFID systems, ultra-wideband technologies and real-time location systems. The speaker will explain the steps that companies should take to select the most appropriate system for their needs.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Security and Privacy in RFID

RFID systems and applications consistently gain in maturity, becoming increasingly automated and continually enabling new heights of process sophistication. The result is an improved and more convenient world in which logistical streams of goods are transparent, people and objects can be uniquely identified and transactions take place at lighting speeds. With these new and innovative capabilities, however, come threats to privacy, denial-of-service and replay attacks specifically designed for RFID, to name just a few. In this presentation, the speaker will discuss this new environment and its ever-changing landscape of vulnerabilities in light of specific applications to deduct a classification of solutions and subsequent security needs, and present specific technologies, both proprietary and open, focused on securing RFID systems.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

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.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

Building a Flexible RFID Data Infrastructure

Many businesses enter into an RFID implementation plan hoping to realize significant cost savings, 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.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

RFID as a Lean Tool in Manufacturing

For many people, RFID is still considered an emerging technology. The reality is that RFID is a stable technology that can make a real impact for businesses today, not just 10 years down the road. The key to using RFID as a lean tool is the education and buy-in of operations-level IT technicians and the production support staff. Learn how to introduce operations staff to the uses, constraints and applications of RFID.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Manufacturer Saves $120,000 Annually in Reduced Labor Costs Via RFID

A manufacturer of heating and air-conditioning systems uses a kanban (just-in-time-ordering) system to ensure the efficient movement of components from a third-party warehouse to the plant. The firm has boosted efficiency by adding RFID technology to automate the process of identifying when supplies are received at its plant. A process that previously lasted approximately 30 minutes—the receiving of goods at the factory’s warehouse, and the scanning of those products’ bar codes—now takes only about five minutes to complete, as workers pass the RFID-tagged goods through a fixed RFID reader. The system notifies the factory’s workers and management when goods are onsite, and can thus be expected on the assembly line. Learn how the software can also issue alerts indicating that something has not been received when expected—such as components for which tags were printed at the warehouse, but that did not arrive at the plant within the anticipated span of time.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

RFID Tracks Chemical Inventory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), one of the largest science and energy national laboratories in the United States, is monitoring its inventory of chemicals within 1,200 individual storage areas via RFID technology. The solution, consisting of passive ultrahigh-frequency RFID tags, handheld readers, printers and software, allows laboratory managers and technicians to accomplish inventory checks within a matter of hours, as opposed to the days required to track the same materials via bar-code labels and scanners. As each new chemical is received, data is input into the system, after which staff members print an RFID tag with a unique ID number encoded to it, and that same number is printed on the front, both in text format and as a 2-D bar code. The adhesive tag is then applied either to the container itself, such as a bottle or canister, or to a zip-lock bag in which the vial or container is placed. Learn how the system saves time by about 80 percent. And hear about other uses for the technology, including the management of construction materials coming from multiple countries for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a fusion energy project funded by seven member entities: the European Union, India, Japan, China, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Using RFID to Track Critical Assets

A government agency is employing an RFID asset-tracking solution to monitor approximately 6,000 items and 44 vehicles, including its mobile command center. The RFID system enables the department to electronically scan and catalog inventory, and to obtain real-time visibility into critical assets, ranging from weapons and uniforms to radar systems and cell phones. Learn how the solution has enabled the department to minimize the use of conventional paper records and time-consuming manual entries, while also improving accuracy.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

Achieving Visibility, Traceability and Authentication

Many pharmaceutical manufacturers looked at RFID a few years ago as a potential tool for tracking drugs from the point of manufacture to the point of sale. But the technology was still immature, and tag costs, performance issues and the lack of an infrastructure to share data in a standardized way left many questions unanswered. There have been many changes since those days. Learn how RFID technology and standards have evolved to make it possible to capture serialized product information.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Improving Efficiency and Reducing Errors With RFID

A manufacturer of glass containers used by the food and agriculture industries is employing an RFID system—with EPC Gen 2 readers installed on forklifts, and tags affixed to loaded pallets—at three of its factories, in order to improve efficiency by tracking products from the point of production to when the goods are loaded onto trucks destined for customers. The company has been expanding its operations throughout the past decade, with the addition of three production centers. After introducing a SAP software system at all of its facilities, the firm began seeking other technology solutions that could tie into that warehouse-management system, in order to improve efficiency and be able to track every pallet. After the company completed its installation of the RFID system, management has been able to reduce the amount of time required for moving product, and to receive alerts in the event that errors occur.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

RFID Automates Tool and Equipment Rental Trailers

A provider of rental tools and equipment to the construction and industrial services industry has created a self-service equipment storage and rental solution. The RFID-enabled onsite mobile equipment pod offers flexible hours to accommodate customers, and enables workers to rent the equipment they need, while unused tools remain in the trailer. Tools leaving or returning to the pod are automatically tracked, and rental fees are assessed by means of embedded RFID tags and a fixed UHF RFID reader integrated into the pod. Learn how the pod’s tracking systems automatically update a customer’s account on the firm’s extranet system, thereby offering the customer full visibility regarding its current usage and incurred charges.

10 Apr, 2014 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 The three finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation. The 2014 finalists are:

• Kentfa Advanced Technology, for an RFID system that enables scooter owners to exchange spent batteries for fully recharged ones
• Lassila & Tikanoja, for an RFID system that collects data about recycled glass volumes and enables it to be shared with stakeholders
• Taiwan Fiscal Information Agency, for an RFID-based solution that eliminated more than 4 billion paper invoices in 2013 alone

10 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

2014 RFID Journal Awards

Each year, RFID Journal selects a panel of independent judges to choose the best RFID projects. In this session, which takes place in the Awards Theater, located in the Exhibit Hall, the finalists will be announced, and each end-user company or organization will present a case study explaining the project chosen for the award. In addition, the winner of the Best in Show award, given to the best new product exhibited at the conference, will be unveiled.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Leveraging RTLS to Increase Benefits

When a newly constructed hospital opened its doors for the first time, it already had a real-time location system (RTLS) up and running. The facility has 58 inpatient beds and 15 more in the ER, which treats approximately 70 to 80 patients daily. Its goal was to improve efficiency, regulatory compliance, and patient satisfaction and care. The RTLS solution employs RFID tags and readers to identify the locations of assets, patients and personnel, as well as software for managing the collected location data. To date, the RTLS has ensured that no asset has ended up missing. More importantly, the solution is helping workers locate assets quickly, thereby enabling them to spend more time serving patients. Learn how the patient-tracking function makes it possible to automate the discharge process, as well as find patients for friends and family, while the personnel-tracking capability enables the system to identify which staff members have been within the vicinity of an infectious patient.

Improving 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 should 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 the technology enables staff members to find colleagues in real time.

A Technology and ROI Roadmap for RFID in Pharmaceuticals

This presentation will explore the latest developments about the world’s first completely automated RFID test system for the unit- and case-level serialization of pharmaceuticals. Researchers at the University of South Florida’s RFID Lab for Applied Research designed a closed-loop conveyor system that requires no human supervision to accurately simulate the actual packaging line’s product separation and flow speed. The system also includes a modular and adaptable RFID station that can be modified based on an individual company’s requirements. Uniquely developed test software has the capability of cycling through and analyzing the complete range of parameters for the most commonly used RFID standards, such as Electronic Product Code (EPC) Class 1 Gen 2. Hear the results of a comprehensive return-on-investment (ROI) study, undertaken to create a well-defined roadmap for cost analysis for both the pharmaceutical and perishable industries.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

A Technology and ROI Roadmap for RFID in Pharmaceuticals

This presentation will explore the latest developments about the world’s first completely automated RFID test system for the unit- and case-level serialization of pharmaceuticals. Researchers at the University of South Florida’s RFID Lab for Applied Research designed a closed-loop conveyor system that requires no human supervision to accurately simulate the actual packaging line’s product separation and flow speed. The system also includes a modular and adaptable RFID station that can be modified based on an individual company’s requirements. Uniquely developed test software has the capability of cycling through and analyzing the complete range of parameters for the most commonly used RFID standards, such as Electronic Product Code (EPC) Class 1 Gen 2. Hear the results of a comprehensive return-on-investment (ROI) study, undertaken to create a well-defined roadmap for cost analysis for both the pharmaceutical and perishable industries.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

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 constant dissatisfaction. Past solutions required leasing, buying or renting additional pumps. While this provided a short-term relief, the latent root 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.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Using RFID for Adaptive and Dynamic Shelf-Life Estimation

First Strike Rations (FSRs), designed by the U.S. Army for highly mobile and high-intensity combat situations, have a two-year shelf life at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is critical to quantify a decrease in FSR quality after exposure to extended periods of high temperatures during transit and storage, in order to ensure a combatant’s safety and security. In this session, learn how researchers at the University of South Florida Polytechnic are utilizing novel statistical tools to help the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) identify the most accurate and reliable RFID temperature sensors and technologies in a state-of-the-art test environment. In addition, hear about a smart, adaptive mathematical procedure developed to avoid some of the technology’s well-known limitations, such as its susceptibility to the presence of metals and liquids, while accurately estimating an FSR’s remaining shelf life.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Manufacturer Replaces Paper Build Books With E-Paper-Based Visual RFID Tags and System

As a manufacturer of large diesel engines, axles and transmissions for the trucking industry, Detroit produces a new engine every 2.5 minutes. To ensure quality and accuracy, when a new engine block is placed into the manufacturing process for the first time, a worker must match it to a build book. These 8.5″ x 11″ sheets of paper, containing 42 to 60 pages of instructions and checklists, are created specifically for each engine. An RFID system, including a 10″ e-paper-based tag and tracking software, has been implemented to replace the manual build book process, resulting in a number of cost and labor efficiencies. Learn how the system provides cost savings through complete paper replacement, as well as ensuring quality by providing accurate sequencing and matching of build books to engines through automation. Hear how the system is providing asset-tracking capability via the 55 to 60 assembly stations to which each engine travels.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Improving Hospital-Based Medication Administration Using NFC

Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is testing a Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID system it developed that enables health-care staff members to manage the administration of medication at a patient’s bedside. Nurses currently use a computer and a bar-code scanner to administer medications to patients in the hospital. Using this bar-code-based electronic medication administration and reconciliation (e-MAR) system has been shown to reduce medication errors and potential adverse drug events, and is now a requirement for hospitals to qualify for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services health information technology (HIT) incentive payments. However, current e-MAR systems use computers on wheels that can be cumbersome, as well as bar-code scanners that often require multiple scans. Therefore, the firm developed a solution consisting of a Google Nexus 7 tablet and a software application that interprets NFC tag data regarding medications, patients’ wristbands and nurses ID badges, confirming the correct medication and the right dose is administered to the proper patient, through the correct route, at the right time. Learn the results of a pilot study evaluating the efficiency and usability of the NFC e-MAR system compared with a traditional bar-code-based e-MAR solution. And hear the challenges that must be overcome for NFC technology to be broadly applied to e-MAR.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Using RFID to Enhance Worker Safety

Track inspections are one of the most hazardous jobs in the rail industry, because the integrity of the rail and track conditions plays a significant role in ensuring that trains are able to move people safely. Inspections of the rail and track area are often conducted at all hours of the day and night, due to the frequency of required inspections, and the job presents hazards as track inspectors often walk along tracks while trains are in revenue service. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has partnered with Bombardier Transportation to utilize RFID to improve safety for railway workers and track-side workers. MARTA is using passive high-frequency (HF) RFID tags embedded in wristbands worn by employees, as well as readers installed along the tracks and motion sensors to detect oncoming trains to alert workers about those trains. Learn how the system is being used to enable the automated setup of safety zones for workers, and to provide timely alerts for train operators, thereby reducing the risk of accidents.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Smarter Operations in High Tech With RFID

Applied Materials (AMAT) is a provider of equipment, services and software to the semiconductor, flat-panel display, solar photovoltaic products and related industries. AMAT’s Metal Deposition Products (MDP) group has transformed its lab operations by deploying an RFID-based asset-visibility solution. The company has optimized the utilization of its assets, reduced unnecessary purchases, improved productivity and minimized compliance risks, by effectively tracking the identity, location, movement, status, ownership and service-management parameters of its equipment, components and consumables. Learn more about MDP’s experiences with deploying an enterprise-class asset-visibility solution for smarter engineering operations.

08 Apr, 2014 4:45 pm

Welcome and Introduction

09 Apr, 2014 8:00 am

Welcome Back and Introduction

09 Apr, 2014 7:30 am

Morning Coffee

08 Apr, 2014 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.

08 Apr, 2014 12:15 pm

Lunch

09 Apr, 2014 12:00 pm

Lunch in Exhibit Hall

10 Apr, 2014 12:00 pm

Lunch in Exhibit Hall

10 Apr, 2014 2:00 pm

Post-conference Seminars Continue in Breakout Rooms

10 Apr, 2014 6:00 pm

Post-Conference Workshop Ends

08 Apr, 2014 6:30 pm

Opening Reception Starts

08 Apr, 2014 8:15 pm

Opening Reception Ends

08 Apr, 2014 2:30 pm

Break

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

Preconference Seminars Continue in Breakout Rooms

08 Apr, 2014 5:00 pm

Marks & Spencer Expands RFID to All Its Stores

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 between its suppliers and distribution centers. In 2004, the company launched a major RFID effort, deploying a solution to tag and track some men’s clothing items at several locations, and eventually expanding the deployment to 550 U.K. stores and additional types of apparel. Last year, Marks and Spencer upgraded its early RFID implementation and expanded the technology’s use to include home goods. The firm is rolling out the new system throughout its store operations this year, with plans to have all of the new Gen 2 readers in place—and all of its apparel and home goods RFID-tagged—by spring 2014. Learn why the company expects the technology’s future potential benefits to provide greater visibility and accuracy of all stock at the item level, from leaving a supplier through the distribution chain and into stores, as well as an opportunity to reduce the costs of annual stock-taking—plus, the loss of margin associated with excessive markdowns, theft and fraud.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Hospital Expands RTLS Usage Beyond Asset Management

The Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, a 420,000-square-foot hospital that houses 186 beds, employs 1,200 workers and is part of the Louisiana-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, recently expanded its use of a real-time location system (RTLS) by adding RTLS staff badges. By tracking both employees and equipment, the facility has improved its ability to manage equipment, locate and contact staff members, and understand how and when it serves patients. Learn how the asset-management solution enables the facility to easily conduct asset recalls, issue alerts in the event that items are discovered missing from a specific area, locate crash carts and other equipment, and know when assets on those carts are due to expire. In addition, hear how the system can track staff responsiveness (by identifying employees’ locations) and send messages to personnel via a bedside nurse-call system (by knowing in which room each worker is located).

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Improving the Guest Experience With RFID

Since 2011, guests at water parks have been able to queue using a system that utilizes a RFID wristband with display. The system allows them to book a ride from a kiosk with a prescheduled time slot. They may then enjoy other elements of the water park until the appointed time, without having to wait in line. Learn how the kiosk and wristband use dynamic RFID tagging to communicate, generating a display that enables guests to view a countdown timer to their ride.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Improving Patient Outcomes and ROI With RFID

In September 2012, the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance (Texas Health Alliance), in Fort Worth, Texas, opened its doors with a vision for using real-time location system (RTLS) technology throughout the organization. One of Texas Health Alliance’s sister hospitals had been using a similar solution, and Texas Health Alliance’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, opted to install a similar, but expanded RTLS solution at the Fort Worth site. Coupled with innovative operational models, the RTLS was integrated with other hospital systems in order to maximize technology capabilities. The hospital has 58 inpatient beds, 15 rooms in the emergency department, and various other outpatient services, including an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). One of the solution’s greatest benefits is that it helps caregivers locate and allocate assets quickly, thereby enabling them to spend more time serving patients. In addition, the patient-locating function makes it possible to automate the discharge process, as well as find patients for friends and family, while the personnel-locating capability enables the system to identify which staff members have been within the vicinity of an infectious patient, as well as utilizing location data to automate communications important to patient care. Learn how the system is being used to optimize equipment utilization, automate non-value-added tasks, and improve the patient experience.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

Tracking Tools Via RTLS

CribMaster, a division of Stanley Black and Decker, has combined its existing passive RFID tracking technology for the industrial market with Wi-Fi-based active RFID tags and real-time location system (RTLS) software. The Live Tracking solution enables product manufacturers, mine operators and other users of CribMaster’s storage cabinets to identify the real-time location of assets and personnel. Learn how a staff member can wear an active badge indicating his or her identity, as well as authorized activities linked to the badge’s unique ID number. The worker could then check out a tool from a CribMaster cabinet using the badge ID. CribMaster software would be updated to indicate the worker had removed that item. If it was not returned, management could access the CribMaster software to identify who had that asset, use the RTLS data from the badge to determine where the employee was located, and proceed to that location to retrieve the tool.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Evolving Use Cases and Business Models for RFID in Retail

The use of RFID technology has been widespread in apparel and fashion for the past decade. However, use cases and business models for RFID deployments are rapidly changing and shifting, from cost-cutting solutions to use-case studies aimed at increasing turnover and the customer experience. Supply chain models are also changing, since traditional retailers are leveraging RFID data to enable new models borrowed from online stores. Learn how RFID is being used, and hear the latest case studies from Europe.

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

Reducing Costs in the Fresh Food Supply Chain With RFID

Researchers at the University of Parma’s RFID Lab have been examining the impact of pallet- and case-level RFID deployments in the fresh food supply chain, with a focus on retail stores. While tracking the flow of highly perishable fresh foods from different manufacturers through the distribution channel to three supercenters of a major retailer, researchers discovered that out-of-stocks are an element of a wider issue: a store’s overall stock-management policy. Some store managers keep low stocks on store shelves and in the back room, while others maintain high inventory levels. Neither policy is optimal, and as a result, customers often find a quantity of perishable foods but not necessarily the quality—or freshness—they would like. Learn how the use of RFID can reduce product shrinkage, which can impact as much as 5 percent of store turnover for fresh products.

10 Apr, 2014 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. The 2014 finalists are:

• Post Foods, for its use of NFC cards to engage customers and generate brand loyalty at a summer concert series
• RPH Engineering, for a system of locking firearms for safety and allowing owners to open the box using an NFC tag
• Zebra Technologies, for a solution that employs NFC technology to enable printer buyers to quickly access technical support documents

10 Apr, 2014 10:30 am

Best in Show

This award will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE!. An indpendent panel of judges, has selected 10 finalists. Each will speak for a few minutes about their product. The 2014 finalists are:

• HID Global, for its HID Trusted Tag platform, which can be embedded into a mobile phone, enabling authentication for “proof of presence”
• Farsens, for its Pyros UHF battery-free sensor that can record the temperatures of tagged products or assets
• Hewlett-Packard Center of Excellence, for its automated rotating RFID portal that uploads data to the cloud
• Information Mediary Corp., for its Med-ic Smart Label, which addresses the problem of patient non-compliance with prescription medication
• Kathrein RFID, for its Kathrein Reader Antenna Interface (KRAI) technology and Smart Shelf system that can link 32 antennas to a single KRAI reader without a multiplexer
• Mojix, for its OmniSenseRF wide-area fixed RFID infrastructure for retail inventory tracking and management
• NXP Semiconductors, for its NTAG I2C (NFC Connected Tag), which offers both an NFC interface and a I2C connected interface, allowing the tag to communicate with the microcontrollers of other electronic devices
• Omni-ID, for its View 10 visual RFID tag, which stores a manufacturer’s build books and uses RFID location data to trigger instructions
• ThingMagic, for its Mercury xPRESS Platform, a complete hardware, software and reference design platform for the rapid development of low-cost, high-performance application-specific UHF RFID readers and embedded solutions
• Zebra Technologies, for its ZD500R compact UHF RFID printing and encoding solution

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 pm

Applying User-Centered Design to NFC-Enabled Experiences

Near Field Communication can solve problems and create unique user experiences, but a strong understanding of users and their needs is important to ensure that an application brings value. W.illi.am/, a leading digital firm in Montréal, Canada, was mandated to create a compelling brand experience at OFF 2012, MTL Infopresse’s conference on business and creativity. The solution that w.illi.am/ developed was an ecosystem consisting of NFC bracelets, NFC-enabled kiosks, a responsive Web application and social-media integration. This presentation will describe how a user-centered design process can be applied to designing online and offline experiences, how the solution solved real problems for conference attendees, and the learnings that the w.illi.am/ team took away from this successful project.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

Creating an Integrated and Dynamic Control System Using RFID

TINE SA, Norway’s largest producer, distributor and exporter of dairy goods, manufactures 200 different products at 40 locations. TINE’s most famous product is its Jarlsberg cheese, which is sold worldwide. Hear how RFID technology will create the event data for a new planning and control system. Learn how the firm expects to use key RFID infrastructure projects to cut costs and improve asset management, by automating processes associated with the flow of pallets through the supply chain, and by tracking transportation assets. Find out how key RFID infrastructure projects are being implemented to form the foundation of TINE’s integrated and dynamic planning and control system, based on real-time information—and how TINE is using GS1’s standards.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Aston Martin Optimizes Manufacturing Processes With RFID

Luxury Automaker Aston Martin is using active RFID tags to monitor the locations of vehicles as they progress through the post-assembly test and verification stages of the manufacturing process. By capturing information like location and process dwell times, the movement of vehicles through the process becomes fully traceable, and location-driven business analytics can be used to enhance process performance and efficiency. Aston Martin uses battery-powered 6-8 GHz ultra-wideband (UWB) RFID tags to inject location information into its Smart Factory Offline application. Tags are attached to each vehicle’s windshield at the end of the assembly line before they enter the offline process. Each tag’s ID is then linked to the vehicle’s specific production information, including VIN, model and a logical process map specific to that vehicle. The location system then generates frequent and granular new locations for the vehicle, recording both its physical and logical progression through the area. Learn how employees access this data through a single online portal, and how they use this information to gain new insights into process performance.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

RFID Center of Excellence: HP and Flextronics Drive End-to-End RFID Developments in Brazil

HP outsources its manufacturing and distribution processes all over the world, with Flextronics International as its partner in Brazil. Jointly, HP and Flextronics developed the RFID Center of Excellence (RFID CoE), exclusively dedicated to the development and application of RFID technology. During this session, the presenter will share what has been done in terms of R&D at the RFID CoE, as well as review current projects and discuss what lies ahead regarding RFID implementation trends, perspectives and challenges.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Improving Traceability Via UHF RFID Tags

In June of 2011, the RFID Application Development Lab (RADLab), at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), was contracted by the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) to conduct a proof of concept and field trial of UHF RFID technology in Alberta’s beef industry. The current LF technology faces some distinct challenges, and the opportunities and use cases for UHF RFID in this industry were ripe for harvest. At that time the project began, there was interest but almost no activity with UHF in this sector. 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.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

Hospital Identifies Recalled Drugs Via RFID

The CaroMont Regional Medical Center is a 435-bed hospital with 96 crash carts containing emergency medical kits, as well as several dozen independent kits at stationary locations, each filled with 20 to 50 medications or other emergency items required by patients in urgent need of treatment for a stroke or some other condition. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) averages between 350 and 375 medication recalls annually. With each recall, the hospital’s pharmacy must determine if it uses that medicine, and then locate and remove the drug in order to ensure that it is not administered to a patient. In some cases, the medications are stored on crash carts distributed throughout a hospital. Pharmacy personnel must search for those carts, open each sealed kit and then return those kits to the pharmacy to be restocked, resealed and placed back on the cart. The hospital has eliminated much of that manual process, thanks to the May 2013 installation of a radio frequency identification-based solution. Learn how the firm has reduced the amount of time employees spend locating and replacing recalled medications on crash carts, as well as replacing drugs and resealing kits, from more than 20 hours down to about two hours.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

RFID Saves Time By Automating the Littoral Combat Ship Support Container Inventory Process

Speed in responding to threats is vital to a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), which must be able to quickly replenish an existing mission package or swap out for a new one. The presence of a critical maintenance item for a required piece of equipment within a container can mean the difference between a mission’s success or failure. Learn how the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) is automating is using RFID to conduct fast and accurate inventories of mission package equipment containers. Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Mine Countermeasures Systems for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Advanced Flight Mission Package Program, the Mission Package Automated Inventory Information System (MPAIIS) uses government-developed software and commercial off-the-shelf hardware and passive RFID tags to form a comprehensive inventory system. MPAIIS offers warfighters an incredible advantage, and provides inventory control, configuration management and asset tracking, with high accuracy and fast response times. By utilizing MPAIIS, a warfighter can be assured that he or she will always have the proper tool in the correct place at the right time.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Establishing a Secure Chain of Custody With RFID

University College Dublin (UCD) and University of South Florida (USF) have joined forces to develop a tamper-proof, cloud-based RFID traceability system, tailored toward the food industry. Initial pilot projects are focused on the poultry industry, and cover production from processing plant to consumer. The system is based on a combination of RFID temperature-logging and geo-locationary systems, cloud-based decision-support systems and smartphone technology, collectively known as CyberBar. Researchers are now testing epi-biometrics on chicken fillets. Learn how the CyberBar solution relies on a combination of RFID and smartphone technologies to facilitate the provision of temperature and location details at the batch level, thereby establishing a secure chain of custody from processing plant to consumer.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Hospital Improves Hand-Hygiene Compliance With RFID

A trial of RFID-enabled hand-washing stations has allowed supervisors at OhioHealth’s Riverside Methodist Hospital to view usage and takes steps to promote compliance, while personnel can view their own performance and that of their colleagues. The system enabled nurse managers to identify whether or not a particular worker has complied with hand-hygiene requirements. To encourage compliance, the hospital posted a list of the rates at which health-care personnel washed their hands as expected, along with the unique ID number of each staff member’s RFID badge, enabling workers to compare their own compliance rates against those of their colleagues. Learn how the firm realized a compliance rate of approximately 94 percent, which contrasts favorably with the national average of only 50 percent.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Delta Air Lines Uses RFID in MRO and Security Operations

Delta Air Lines operates an extensive domestic and international network, with more than 5,000 flights daily and approximately 80,000 employees. The airline has used RFID in its maintenance operation for more than two years, tagging emergency equipment in the cabin that must be on every plane and must not be expired—oxygen generators, life vests, portable oxygen bottles, first-aid kits, medical kits, defibrillators, fire suppression squibs, and so forth. RFID replaces repeated date inspections and allows Delta to get the maximum life out of an asset before removing it from service. Additional projects are planned to use RFID for internal distribution, identifying and tracking tire inventory, and other projects. Learn how Delta is currently testing an RFID application to improve TSA security checks in Atlanta, Detroit and Tokyo, with eventual expansion planned for the entire fleet.

09 Apr, 2014 9:15 am

VA Benefits From Tracking Assets Enterprise-Wide

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is rolling out the world’s largest enterprise-wide real-time location system (RTLS) at its Veterans Health Administration (VHA) division, which runs 152 medical centers and 1,400 community clinics and non-patient VHA facilities. The active RFID-based solution will initially focus on four use cases: asset management, temperature tracking, supply chain management and sterilization process flow management. Get an update on the VA’s progress and the benefits it has seen to date, and learn how the department is managing such a large, complex deployment.

09 Apr, 2014 8:30 am

RFID Takes Airbus to New Heights of Efficiency

Airbus, a winner of the RFID Journal Award for best implementation, has been pioneering best practices in the adoption of RFID by deploying the technology as “business radar” across all aspects of its business, including supply chain logistics, transportation, manufacturing and aircraft in-flight operations. This approach, which leverages a passive and active RFID reader infrastructure for multiple applications operating on a common software platform, has yielded significant cost savings as well as improvements in operational efficiencies. During the past three years, the company has significantly expanded these capabilities to new areas of operations across its value chain. Hear how Airbus is benefiting from these systems, as well as its latest plans for the next few years.

09 Apr, 2014 10:45 am

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. Learn how businesses are leveraging these new capabilities.

09 Apr, 2014 10:45 am

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. Learn how leading companies in many industries are already gaining that advantage from RFID, and how other businesses can do the same.

10 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Break

10 Apr, 2014 2:00 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF RFID Tags: Part 1

Understanding how passive UHF tags perform and why some tags perform 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.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Fulfilling Air Transport Association Customer Mandates to Commission High-Memory Tags

Rockwell Collins has implemented a wireless, enterprise resource planning (ERP)-integrated solution to write multiple birth-record data elements to high-memory passive tags for avionics installed on the Airbus A350 platform, along with subsequent requirements for OEMs, airlines and MROs to record service events. Learn about the background leading up to the project, and how the firm chose the correct approach. Find out how Rockwell Collins managed RFID integrator engagement, as well as hardware and data integration.

10 Apr, 2014 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 identify improperly tagged items.

10 Apr, 2014 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.

10 Apr, 2014 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.

10 Apr, 2014 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.

10 Apr, 2014 2:00 pm

Introduction to NFC Terms and Concepts

Near-Field Communication (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 introduces 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.

10 Apr, 2014 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 they are used. The presenter will also discuss different NFC applications and why NFC is preferable for certain application than other types of RFID technology.

10 Apr, 2014 3:45 pm

NFC Lab Demo

During this live demo, 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.

10 Apr, 2014 4:30 pm

Developing NFC Applications

This module discuss requirements for Android application development, development tools, application structure, NFC APIs in Android, the tag intent dispatch system, foreground dispatch system as well as Android Application.

10 Apr, 2014 5:15 pm

Master Class Ends

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Transforming Retail With RFID and Big Data

The convergence of RFID, social media, proximity awareness and omni-channel selling is changing retailing in profound and unexpected ways. This session will cover case studies from several retailers that have combined RFID data with information from social media, proximity beacons, brick-and-mortar store sales and and online sales to develop deep and predictive insights for the organizations, using Big Data techniques. The convergence of this data provides information that enables marketing groups to measure the effectiveness of their messaging and campaigns, operations teams to optimize staffing, buyers to understand trends and improve product sales forecasts, merchandising teams to have the necessary visibility to improve product placement effectiveness, and business executives to have e-commerce style statistics for their brick-and-mortar stores. Learn how your company can leverage these strategies to grow the bottom line.

10 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Internet of Things and RFID: An Enabling Technology

Gain a high-level insight into the Internet of Things as a concept, and the potential changes it will have on enterprises. The presenter will discuss what role RFID will play, and how it is one of the key foundations in IoT.

10 Apr, 2014 5:15 pm

Developing NFC Applications: Part 2

Continuing the in-depth information on developing an Android application for an 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.

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

How to Tag Items and Manage Serialized Data

There are many different types of EPC RFID tags and options for applying them to items. Tags can be placed in hangtags, within existing labels or in new labels. They can also be applied at different times during the manufacturing process. And there are many different ways of encoding the tags. This session will explain the various factors that brand owners and retailers with private-label goods should consider when choosing the best option for their particular needs.

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Beyond the Basics: Where Item-Level RFID Provides Competitive Advantage

In addition to the applications discussed during the previous session, RFID can also be used for loss prevention, improving the customer shopping experience, reducing lines at the point of sale, managing returns, reverse logistics and more. Learn how retailers that have solved their basic inventory issues and have achieved item-level visibility can take RFID to the next level with these additional applications—and gain a competitive advantage in the market.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Industry Standards and Next Steps

GS1 has been leading the effort to address how EPC RFID technology will be deployed at the item level, ensuring that brand-owners can take a unified approach with all of their retail customers. This session will bring retailers and brand owners up to date regarding the GS1 Item Level RFID Initiative’s work. In addition, learn about the resources available to help companies prepare to tag goods for suppliers, or to begin a retail pilot.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

GM Engine Plant Improves Component Machining Processes With RFID

While launching two major engine programs, General Motors has replaced conventional vision- and probe-based track-and-trace and part-type-verification hardware at its Tonawanda engine plant with an RFID system, providing reliable, comprehensive in-process verification and tracking capability. Bolted to engine blocks and heads, an RFID tag travels through dozens of machining and inspection processes, providing prerequisite information and part type verification to each operation before any work is performed. Additional benefits include the implementation of rework and prototype strategies. Learn how the system ensures parts are properly manufactured, provides detailed track-and-trace data, saves GM money and eliminates costly errors—all of which contribute to producing high-quality engines that power award-winning vehicles like the Chevrolet Silverado and Corvette Stingray.

09 Apr, 2014 1:30 pm

Improving Visibility of Road Sensors With RFID

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is employing passive EPC Gen 2 UHF RFID tags to help it better identify the exact locations of the buried sensors it uses to test various road-construction materials and processes. The sensors, which measure strain and pressure levels, are used to test the performance of a variety of roadway materials, mixes and pavement design methods, as part of the agency’s MnROAD project. In the past, to determine the sensors’ exact locations, MnROAD would use a survey crew, as well as measurements from control points along the roadway. The team learned that neither of these methods is foolproof in determining a sensor’s exact location on the pavement’s surface, for a number of reasons. Learn how MnROAD is using RFID tags to accurately locate its roadway sensors, enabling it to better understand the relationship between sensor location and its response to traffic loading.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Supermarket Chain Benefits from Cold-Chain Monitoring Via RFID

Hy-Vee, a chain of 235 supermarkets located throughout the U.S. Midwest, is the first grocery retailer to utilize an all-inclusive, single-source RFID temperature-monitoring network. The system allows 100 percent cold chain monitoring and management capabilities, both inbound and outbound, from multiple suppliers, carriers, subsidiaries, distribution centers, transport carriers and retail stores. Learn how the solution enables Hy-Vee to ensure better-quality products for its customers.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

A New Approach to Long-Range RFID

RFID technology has provided a means of identifying individuals, assets, products and objects at a relatively short range (a few hundred yards, at best). That could be changing. A startup called Iotera has developed an innovative wireless sensing and tracking platform consisting of ultra-long-range active RFID readers and tags that can communicate over a distance of 2 to 4 miles. The new system includes a back-end server engine that manages the network of readers, processes tag data and has a customizable business rules engine. This technology could have big implications for RFID’s use in a wide range of markets, including construction asset tracking, precision agriculture, water meter reading and indoor/outdoor hybrid positioning for tracking personnel in mines, chemical refineries and other dangerous environments.

09 Apr, 2014 10:00 am

Department of Defense Automatic Identification Technology Update

This presentation will discuss topics related to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) use of automatic identification technology (AIT), including radio frequency identification (RFID). The session will highlight DoD’s strategic focus on enhancing asset visibility in a manner that provides the ability to track assets throughout their lifecycle, and to transform asset data into actionable information supporting logistics decisions and improved customer confidence. DoD continues to incorporate passive RFID to enhance business processes, and many of those passive RFID use cases will be addressed. Current and future expectations for active RFID and satellite transponders will also be discussed, including the status of DoD’s migration to the ISO/IEC 18000-7 standard. The presenter will share DoD’s ongoing research, development and testing of long-range passive RFID.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

Welcome to Attendees

A quick note on what the attendees can expect, and the format for the day

Welcome to RFID Journal LIVE!

What to see, what you will hear, and how to get the most out of your days in Orlando

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

RFID and EPC 101

New to RFID? Now is the time to understand the fundamentals of RFID technology.

• RFID history, what RFID is, RFID and GS1 standards (EPC-enabled RFID), the components of an RFID system and the importance of serialization

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 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 in 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.

• Auditing
• Inbound-outbound validation
• Work in progress
• Anti-counterfeiting
• Stock-taking
• Other

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 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 roll of different applications in various retail formats, as well as the categories in which retailers are seeing the greatest benefits today.

• Display compliance
• Stock-taking
• Omnichannel and fulfillment
• Customer experience (dressing room and store floor)
• Loss prevention
• Point of sale
• Other

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Planning Your Deployment

Having the right plans in place is critical to moving a deployment forward. The team will share with you the plans for a successful deployment, based on best practices and early learnings.

• Planning your deployment
• Reviewing the business case
• Defining scope of implementation
• Building a project team
• Implementation—getting your product tagged
• Evaluating tagged item performance
• Forming a merchandise marking plan
• Managing a serialization strategy

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Meeting Wrap-up and Next Steps

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

NFC Case Study: Evenko’s Osheaga Music Festival

Hear a large-scale concert promoter and a major festival producer explain the challenges they faced, as well as how they determined that NFC technology could deliver the benefits they needed. Learn what impact the technology had on their social reach, and the practical uses they were able to gain from their NFC investment. Hear how they have integrated the technology into their ticketing system to provide faster access control and significantly reduce fraud. NFC technology, like a mobile app, is unavoidable in the event-management space, and this is an opportunity to have a great discussion about what’s happening now—and what to expect in the future.

09 Apr, 2014 3:10 pm

Rehrig Pacific Reduces Supply Chain Costs With RFID

Rehrig Pacific Company, a leading manufacturer of reusable transport packaging systems and transportation services provider, has tagged hundreds of thousands of returnable transport items, including pallets, dairy cases, distribution and display crates, beverage crates and more with passive RFID, NFC and other technologies for clients such as Pepsi, Kroger, and C&S Wholesale Grocers. Rehrig captures data, such as dwell time, location, shrinkage, etc., on these assets and shares it with customers. Hear how the systems improves supply chain efficiency and how some customers use business intelligence tools to enable proactive stock balancing and improve product availability.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Automatic Identification Technology Improves the DOD Supply Chain

This presentation builds on Rear Admiral Baucom’s keynote address, delving deeper into various AIT initiatives employed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The presenters will share the details of various RFID uses cases, including the use of passive RFID to track parachutes, and to monitor and inventory equipment moving onto and off of maritime prepositioning ships. In addition, learn how the DOD has migrated active RFID to the ISO 18000-7 standard.

08 Apr, 2014 5:45 pm

Bechtel Deploys RFID to Bring Visibility and Cost Savings to Island Construction Projects

Using RFID technology to track materials as they move through a complex localized supply chain is helping Bechtel shorten cycle times, reduce costs and achieve transactional benefits during material-handling activities for the construction of three mega-sized industrial projects. The engineering, procurement and construction of three liquified natural gas (LNG) plants on Curtis Island, in Queensland, Australia—accessible only by water—represents the greatest concentration of Bechtel projects anywhere in the world. The three LNG projects sit side by side, with three separate owners, and all construction materials for these projects must be loaded onto transport ferries and moved across a harbor before reaching their intended final installation location. Learn how the use of an RFID solution was a key component of meeting the construction schedule. And find out how employing RFID technology for material management increased labor productivity, reduced indirect labor costs and improved work planning, resulting in efficient execution of the required construction work processes.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

3D Printing and RFID: A New Industrial Revolution

As technology advances in capability and quality, traditional manufacturers are turning to 3D 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 in the next decade, as some organizations have been discovering, through the use of rapid prototyping (RP). The growth of 3D 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 3D printing, and how it can expand the horizons of the RFID industry in the future.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Identifying and Tracking Returnable Assets Via RFID

Veiling Holambra is the largest distributor of flowers and plants in Latin America. In this session, hear how the firm is using RFID to identify and track returnable assets. The technology is being utilized throughout the integrated supply chain from the producer, including production delivery, auction flowers and ornamental plants, distribution, customer delivery and return control of the assets, as well as after a customer has made deliveries nationwide, thereby ensuring security, reliability and agility in the customer’s operations. Learn how Veiling Holambra moves 1 million units weekly within the complex, with the help of the RFID portals and collectors. Find out how RFID technology is being used to go beyond simple reading of assets and logistics fulfillment, enabling the firm to achieve high levels of technological innovation.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

RFID on Display Shoes Boosts Sales at Saks and Lord & Taylor

Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, two department store chains owned by the Hudson’s Bay Co., have deployed RFID tags on display shoes to ensure that the correct shoes are on the sales floor at all times. At Saks’ flagship store in New York City, which has more than 4,000 individual shoes on display at any given time, it often took four days to manually check shoes on display. Now, sales associates use handheld RFID readers to collect information about samples in only 15 to 20 minutes. This means Saks can perform a 100 percent audit every day, prior to store opening, and ensure 100 percent representation. Hear how the system helps increase sales by ensuring customers can see all shoes for sale, and learn about Hudson’s Bay’s plans to roll the technology out to additional stores.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Moscow Metro Uses RFID-Enabled Tickets to Improve Customer Experience

Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, may well be one of the world’s 10 most congested cities. The Moscow Metro typically carries 9 million passengers daily and, to help solve the congestion problems, has implemented a universal transportation contactless-payment system that can accommodate more than 50 types of RFID-enabled tickets. The newly introduced universal rechargeable commute RFID card, known as “Troika,” has sold more than 1 million units in just the first 10 months since its introduction. Learn how Moscow Metro incorporates 13.56 MHz paper labels into its paper tickets, which are used once and then discarded by riders at the end of each trip. The ticket’s RFID tag, which complies with the ISO 14443 RFID standard, is read at the gate as each passenger enters a subway platform.

08 Apr, 2014 1:45 pm

Weatherford Enhances Downhole Drilling Operations Via RFID

Oil and gas drilling requires RFID systems that are operable in the harshest environments and can overcome such issues as frequent extreme vibration, high pressure and temperature, harsh downhole fluids, and extended use and run times. Working collaboratively with Marathon Oil and PetroWell, Weatherford developed a drilling reamer that employs RFID technology to enable multiple, on-demand activations or deactivations any time during the drilling or tripping processes. To test activation or deactivation of a drilling reamer, a field trial was conducted on the Casey Edward well, drilled by Marathon Oil in North Dakota. The field trial, including a total of eight successful activations or deactivations, proved the tool operational. Learn how the drilling reamer reduces operating time, as well as risk, and how overall drilling efficiency is increased and development economics are improved.

08 Apr, 2014 2:45 pm

Choosing the Right RFID Tag for Manufacturing and Harsh Environments

Choosing the proper radio frequency identification tag can be a daunting task, and many tags claim to be suitable for harsh environments. In this session, our panel of experts will discuss how to choose rugged, high-performance tags built to withstand harsh environments and challenging surface applications, based on your needs and requirements.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Video Production Company Uses RFID to Save Money and Time

Vital Entertainment Group provides video production services and equipment rental and sales to customers throughout the United States. The company works with very expensive video production equipment and accessories, and the inventory of equipment turns over often. To ensure that the proper equipment was returned at the expected time, as well as speed up the inventory process, the firm installed a low-cost, easy-to-use RFID system. The solution provided an automated response, enabling the real-time tracking of production equipment and products, as well as significantly increasing field security. Learn how Vital Entertainment Group improved efficiency, increased inventory accuracy by more than 50 percent and decreased labor costs.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Chip Maker Uses RFID to Reduce Labor Costs and Improve On-Time Delivery

Silicon chip manufacturer TowerJazz not only produces high-memory radio frequency identification chips, but is now employing Wi-Fi-based RFID technology at one of its own fabrication facilities to track work-in-progress. The solution consists of battery-powered Wi-Fi tags on batches of wafers, exciters to pinpoint a tag’s location, and software to determine at which workstation or on which rack wafers are located during manufacturing. The location data is forwarded to the company’s dispatch software, which then updates the lot’s status. At any time during manufacturing, the firm can review the physical location history for each lot in the process of being manufactured. Learn how accurate, real-time RFID data improved efficiencies and increased on-time delivery.

08 Apr, 2014 11:30 am

Improving Supply Chain Visibility in the Global Oil and Gas Industry

Swire Oilfield Services, a leading provider of cargo-carrying solutions, modular systems, offshore aviation services and fluid management, is using automatic-identification technologies to improve supply chain visibility for the global energy industry. With its products and services being utilized in both onshore and offshore environments, the firm combines technologies enabling customers to improve operational efficiencies while minimizing costs, as well as increasing visibility of high-value and business-critical assets. Learn how the application of a range of auto-ID technologies can achieve high fidelity and automated visibility of equipment and material in the supply chain. In addition, receive insight into some of the many challenges facing supply chain operations in the oil and gas industry, and learn how the application of technology is used to empower operations personnel, by providing access to cloud-based information and delivering qualified alerts in a proactive manner.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

Using RFID To Track Hazardous Materials

The U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory have developed several active RFID technologies for nuclear applications by government and civilian industries. ARG-US is licensed for commercial production, and has been deployed at several DOE sites. The software manages dataflow among tags, readers, secured databases and Web servers for nuclear material containers during transportation and storage, including offsite source recovery for global threat reduction. The system is improving safety, security, accountability, worker and public health, and environmental protection during storage, transportation and disposal. Learn about an additional RFID system being developed into a wireless sensor network (WSN) platform for monitoring critical facilities, such as civilian nuclear power plants and spent nuclear fuel storage sites. The Rapid Deployable Global Sensing Hazard Alert System (SAV-EM), developed at Savannah River National Laboratory, uses Iridium satellite communications for tracking, and is credit-card-sized. Find out how SAV-EM can provide worldwide geo-location without GPS, but has a dual GPS-Iridium receiver that automatically switches to GPS when signal strength is sufficient. In addition, an ultra-high-secure 802.11/WiFi connection is used for high-speed short-range link, and can be employed by the oil and gas industry, as well as various federal government organizations.

10 Apr, 2014 3:45 pm

Markets, Money, Hype and Opportunity: An Analyst’s View of the Internet of Things and RFID

This session’s presenter will report on the market size for RFID, including active RFID, RTLS and the Internet of Things. He will discuss who is making money, who stands to do so and who will be disappointed. The presentation will also cover the drivers for the Internet of Things, as well as assess company strategies.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Case Study: Social Security Administration Manages IT Assets With RFID

In September 2012, an RFID system was installed to track servers at the U.S. Social Security Administration’s 100,000-square-foot Woodlawn data center. Passive UHF hard-cased tags were attached to 15,000 servers, with fixed reader portals located at the data center’s exit, and with handhelds used to capture inventory data from servers and other IT equipment stored in racks. In this session, the leader of that project will explain why the agency decided to deploy RFID, how it chose its technology partner, how the system was rolled out and the business benefits the system has delivered. In addition, hear how the project is being expanded, and how RFID is being used to provide more accurate inventory counts, as well as improved asset utilization and accountability.

09 Apr, 2014 2:20 pm

Retailer Increases Customer Engagement With Bluetooth Beacons

Lifestyle retailer Alex and Ani has deployed Bluetooth beacon technology at all 40 of its branded stores as a means of better reaching out to customers with a “virtual tap on the shoulder.” In so doing, the multi-channel retailer hopes to better engage with customers, by sharing content and sending data directly to their mobile phones while they shop. The solution consists of one to three beacons at each store that transmit a unique ID number to customers’ phones. If a shopper has the In-Store Explorer application running on his or her handset, that individual can receive product information on the phone, based on the in-store location of that beacon (and, thus, that customer), while the store can collect information regarding customer interest and traffic. Learn how the technology enables the retailer to get customers’ attention as soon as they arrive, and to help them find the products they seek.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Authenticating and Identifying Cultured Pearls With RFID

Pearl cultivators, wholesalers and pearl jewelry retailers have long been affected by the lack of traceability in pearls and the inability to distinguish between variations of similar-looking pearls. Fukui Shell Nucleus Factory, a Hong Kong provider of equipment and services to the pearl industry, has successfully developed a solution consisting of a tiny radio frequency identification tag embedded in a pearl’s nucleus that could transmit an ID number to an RFID reader. The tag makes it possible for pearl farmers, wholesalers, retailers and customers to identify and track a pearl 9 millimeters (0.4 inch) or more in diameter, from its origins as a nucleus until a customer’s purchase of the harvested pearl. Learn how the technology is currently being used to prove the pearls’ authenticity, origins and history, as well as future plans to develop a database that would contain information about the tagged pearls and share it with participating supply chain members.

10 Apr, 2014 9:00 am

Wake Forest Baptist Expands RFID RTLS to Increase Benefits

As part of a five-year initiative, the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has deployed a real-time location system (RTLS) infrastructure designed to meet the needs of current use cases (asset management, temperature monitoring, blood bank supply monitoring, patient flow, staff duress, staff assistance nurse call, queue management and more), as well as future uses, to include extended patient workflow in the operating room, in the emergency department and across the enterprise. The RTLS infrastructure is deployed in all clinical areas of the fully integrated academic medical facility,, along with all ancillary support function areas that are part of the patient-flow process. This accounts for approximately 1,000 beds and 4 million square feet of RTLS coverage, in more than 8 multi-story buildings on the main campus. Learn how the firm continues to execute against this five-year initiative, and how the use of RTLS technology has moved well beyond tracking mobile medical assets.

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Going to New Heights With RFID

Princeville Ranch Adventures offers eco-adventures on the north shore of Kauai, in the Hawaiian Islands, and zip-lining has become its most popular attraction. Partnering with Snapsportz, a company specializing in capturing professional action images, Princeville Ranch Adventures is deploying RFID tags to trigger cameras positioned along the zip-line course so they can take photos of guests in action. The solution consists of an automated, outdoor camera system and a custom iPad retail solution that enables zip-liners to capture images of their experience, and to seamlessly share them on Facebook. Each camera on the course has a sensor that can read RFID tags on guests’ helmets. As zip-liners pass by each camera, the RFID technology triggers a series of shots that are instantly relayed to an onsite fulfillment computer. At the conclusion of the course, guests can enter their helmet number on an iPad kiosk to view, purchase and share their photos. Learn how Snapsportz overcame the deployment challenges presented by the course’s rugged conditions to provide a near-flawless image-capture system on the zip-line course.

09 Apr, 2014 10:45 am

Solution Provider Session: Secure Connections for a Smarter World through Trusted Solutions with RFID, NFC and Secure ID

Secure connections for a smarter world, that’s the NXP mantra – In this world of the ‘Internet of Things’, our daily lives are becoming more convenient, mobile and fast-paced; leading to a need for solutions that can provide seamless interaction while also providing unmatched security with each transaction. In the recent months we have learned about several major security breaches, with retailers and online companies compromising the identities of tens of millions of consumers resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud. NXP’s renowned market expertise of world-class security, continual innovation and unmatched contactless performance, provides solutions to retailers and consumers to help overcome these security concerns. NXP’s wide array of leading RFID, NFC and Secure ID solutions are the answer to your ‘Secure Connections for a Smarter World’!

10 Apr, 2014 9:45 am

Manufacturer Tracks Inventory in Real Time Via RFID

Packaging manufacturer Accord Carton delivers quality-finished cartons to companies in a variety of industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and personal care. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the company’s warehouse uses robots to move pallets to conveyors to prepare for distribution. The current system can identify when each pallet is loaded, sized and placed into or taken out of storage. Learn how Accord Carton plans to expand the system’s use by installing an RFID reader at the loading dock, in order to extend that visibility to the shipping of goods and automatically update the finished goods inventory. With the system in place, the firm can now prevent errors and gain a more detailed inventory of where each pallet is located. Hear how it can also share that data with its customers, enabling them to view which products have been manufactured by inputting an order number linked to specific pallet IDs, and thereby learning whether those cartons are in storage or have been shipped.

08 Apr, 2014 1:00 pm

RFID Products That Operate in—and Sense—Harsh Environments

Temperature, chemical exposure, sterilization and physical abuse are just some of the challenging environments in which RFID is being used in the automation, medical, energy and transportation sectors. Just overcoming these harsh conditions to provide RFID data capture might not be enough—the products need to sense these conditions. Passive RFID technology needs to connect with external sensors to meet the needs of companies in future RFID deployments. This will provide the baseline for maintenance-free, self-adjusting processes within many different market fields. Learn how RFID can be used to sense and adjust to harsh environments.

09 Apr, 2014 10:45 am

Solution Provider Session: Automated Identification Technology for Greater Visibility of Aircraft Parts and SCM Optimization

Fujitsu is introducing new RFID tags and related software and services for aircraft parts suppliers worldwide. The offering is in full compliance with the aviation industry’s rigorous environmental resistance standards, as well as ATA’s Spec 2000 Chapter 9-5. Delivering on the promises of RFID, Fujitsu’s offering allows for a more effective management of individual parts, as well as accurate traceability throughout each part’s lifecycle. Learn how the technology enables a faster delivery cycle and a reduction of stock shortages, thanks to greater visibility of parts in the supply chain.

08 Apr, 2014 3:30 pm

NFC vs. BLE: The Pros and Cons of Each for Mobile Marketing

Whether with mobile payments, push notifications, drive-to-app initiatives or loyalty programs, Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies have been fighting to take top position as the standard for consumer interactions between tech-to-tech devices. Most credit cards use NFC, as do most mobile devices (with few exceptions, notably Apple), and NFC m-payments are extremely popular in many Asian and European countries. Hear about the latest player singing a different tune: BLE “beacons.” The presenter will compare NFC and BLE, including the pros and cons, opportunities and limitations of each. Learn how the two technologies compete for applications, and which one is winning over which industries.

09 Apr, 2014 10:45 am

Solution Provider Session: Always Accurate, Always Available: The Value of RFID Technology With Inventory in the Omni-Channel World

In today’s demanding omni-channel retail environment, inventory visibility is critical for success. Join Randy Dunn and discover how RFID technology can ensure inventory accuracy and product availability throughout all channels, for reduced out-of-stocks and a superior customer experience.

09 Apr, 2014 4:00 pm

What’s New, Now and Next for RFID and Related Technologies

Innovation. It’s an often overused term bandied about in technology sectors. But what is innovation’s true meaning in the world of RFID and related technologies? After 15 years following the markets for RFID, contactless technology, NFC, RTLS and the Internet of Things, an analyst shares his thoughts and perspectives about innovation in the RFID sector, and discusses what is new, now and 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 RFID, RTLS, NFC and the IoT 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.

09 Apr, 2014 10:45 am

Solution Provider Session: Transforming Health Care Through Innovative Technologies

Innovative technologies are creating dramatic improvements in patient care, patient safety and operating efficiencies, and are providing health-care workers with real-time visibility of mission-critical data, assets, processes and personnel. RFID technologies are increasingly being adopted in health care to enhance operational processes, facilitate business intelligence and improve health-care outcomes. Learn, through real-world case studies, how smart technologies are being deployed to better manage inventory and the hospital supply chain, and how new technologies are impacting the assisted-living and nursing-home industries.