RFID Journal LIVE! 2016

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 12:15 pm

Lunch

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 2:30 pm

Break

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 4:15 pm

Preconference Ends

05 May, 2016 2:00 pm

An Overview of RFID Today

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

05 May, 2016 2:45 pm

Taking a Strategic Approach to RFID

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

05 May, 2016 3:45 pm

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

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

05 May, 2016 4:30 pm

RFID and Change Management

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

05 May, 2016 5:15 pm

Next Steps

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

05 May, 2016 6:00 pm

Post-conference workshop concludes

05 May, 2016 3:30 pm

Break

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 3:30 pm

Building Your RFID Business Case

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

05 May, 2016 2:00 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF RFID Tags: Part 1

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

05 May, 2016 2:45 pm

Benchmarking Passive UHF RFID Tags: Part 2

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

05 May, 2016 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.

05 May, 2016 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.

05 May, 2016 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.

05 May, 2016 6:00 pm

Master Class: Benchmarking UHF RFID Hardware Concludes

05 May, 2016 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.

05 May, 2016 2:45 pm

Creating the Proper IT Infrastructure for Serialization

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

05 May, 2016 3:45 pm

Choosing the Right RFID Equipment

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

05 May, 2016 4:30 pm

Testing and Quality Control

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

05 May, 2016 5:15 pm

Post-conference workshop concludes

05 May, 2016 2:00 pm

Introduction to NFC Terms and Concepts

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

05 May, 2016 2:30 pm

Developing NFC Applications

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

05 May, 2016 2:45 pm

NFC Standards and Applications

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

05 May, 2016 3:45 pm

NFC Lab Demo

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

05 May, 2016 5:15 pm

Developing NFC Applications: Part 2

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

05 May, 2016 6:00 pm

Master Class: NFC Application Developers Concludes

03 May, 2016 4:45 pm

Welcome and Introduction

04 May, 2016 10:00 am

Delta Improves Maintenance Efficiencies With RFID

Many large companies struggle to manage maintenance of their fleets, manufacturing machines and other complex assets. Delta Air Lines, which operates more than 5,000 flights daily across an extensive domestic and international network, is no exception. Five years ago, Delta began using RFID in its maintenance operations, tagging onboard aircraft equipment that must be managed for both presence and expiration date. Learn how the firm is deploying RFID technology to better serve its internal and external customers. Gain an understanding of the additional RFID projects that are underway, including internal logistics, tool management, equipment security checks and maintenance support equipment tracking.

03 May, 2016 5:45 pm

Oracle Uses RFID in Data Centers to Improve Operations

Managing IT assets in a data center effectively requires accurate data at the beginning of the lifecycle. Hardware received at the data center without financial and product details leads to delays in provisioning and missed deadlines. Missing data can also result in assets aging on the warehouse shelf until becoming end-of-life (EOL). Learn how Oracle, a global technology corporation, is using RFID technology to track IT assets delivered to its data centers. The firm will discuss how it has successfully deployed the project at data centers in Texas, Colorado and Scotland; share the results of how RFID has provided Oracle with real business benefits; and outline future plans.

03 May, 2016 6:30 pm

Opening Reception Begins

03 May, 2016 8:15 pm

Opening Reception Ends

04 May, 2016 7:30 am

Morning Coffee

04 May, 2016 8:00 am

Welcome and Introduction

03 May, 2016 5:00 pm

RFID Drives Customer Experience and Improves Inventory Accuracy at Lululemon

RFID is not just for department stores and big box retailers. Specialty chains are also using the technology to achieve critical benefits. In the crowded athletic apparel space, lululemon athletica is using RFID to give customers better access to the items they seek, and to provide an optimum in-store experience. Lululemon operates more than 350 stores in North America and Asia. In the space of one year, it successfully deployed RFID at all of those stores, as well as in its distribution centers. The firm provided hands-on training to team members to support the roll out, incorporating leadership development into the process. Learn how RFID has improved inventory intelligence and enabled lululemon to create a seamless, personalized shopping experience for its customers.

04 May, 2016 9:15 am

RFID Journal Awards Panel: What Leaders Have Learned in the Past 10 Years

To commemorate the 10th year of the prestigious RFID Journal Awards, RFID Journal has invited past winners from across a variety of industries to discuss how the technology has evolved throughout the past decade, how they view radio frequency identification and the Internet of Things today, and how their forward-thinking organizations are planning to use RFID in the future to achieve even bigger benefits. Join these thought leaders for an insightful discussion of RFID and big data, sensors, robots and much more.

04 May, 2016 11:50 am

Solution Provider Session: Enhanced Security for Vicinity

NXP Semiconductors N.V. enables secure connections for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better and safer. Following the successful release of UCODE DNA for long-range security last year, NXP, as the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, is driving innovation in vicinity applications as well. Today, emerging technology has continued to shift the RFID landscape. As interactive consumer engagements and the need for track-and-trace transform the overall customer experience, the business cases for cloud connectivity in RFID have also been expanded. This speech will discuss how a secure vicinity solution for retailers, brand owners, supply chain partners and customers will benefit alike. Additionally, the benefits of track-and-trace solutions combined with NFC will be discussed, as well as how the technologies can be rolled out and how they add value to the complete supply chain. Join NXP to find out how NFC brings value to smart items and track-and-trace solutions.

04 May, 2016 10:45 am

Exhibit Hall Opens

03 May, 2016 11:30 am

RFID Automates Tool and Equipment Rental Trailers

Speedy Services, a provider of rental tools and equipment to the construction and industrial services industry within the United Kingdom, 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 ePod offers customers full visibility regarding its current usage and incurred charges, and how Speedy is pushing the technology through the rest of its network to transform its business and make full use of the Internet of Things.

03 May, 2016 1:00 pm

PKN Orlen Uses RFID-Powered Fuel Tanks to Improve Rail Yard Logistics

PKN Orlen, a major Polish oil refiner and petrol retailer, is using RFID to track fuel tanks in rail yards. The firm has tagged more than 5,000 tanks, utilizing 100 fixed readers and 70 mobile readers, using GS1 standards. The project also includes equipping 100 gates with RFID, enabling direction recognition. Learn how PKN Orlen is successfully using the solution to provide transparency into logistics and improve its planning processes.

03 May, 2016 2:45 pm

Smart Marking Utility Infrastructure with RFID

Accidental damage hits to underground utility lines cause delays, resulting in exposure to dangerous and possibly life-threatening situations, in addition to increased costs. Berntsen International, a manufacturer and supplier of survey markers, survey monuments, utility markers and related accessories, is using RFID technology to provide a more reliable method of marking and locating these underground utilities. Berntsen developed the InfraMarker System, which integrates UHF RFID and precision GPS magnetic and locating technologies with smartphone-based asset-management software, enabling users to locate and identify underground utility points. Learn how the firm is employing RFID technology in a system that benefits users by saving time workers otherwise spend locating utilities, and by providing better data, while increasing safety.

03 May, 2016 1:45 pm

Tracking Radioactive Sources In-Transit

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

03 May, 2016 3:30 pm

Improving Access Mat Visibility and Reducing Costs With RFID

Asset tracking in construction, oil and gas, and other energy-related industries is time-consuming, inaccurate and very costly. The digital world is just beginning to break into the tough industry. Access mats, the portable platforms used to support equipment and provide temporary roadways, are among those assets that are costing energy and construction companies millions of dollars per year. Learn how matting services firm GEM Services is using RFID and GPS tracking in its SmartMat to digitize industrial assets. Automated data capture, coupled with analytical information platforms, will pinpoint each asset’s exact location. Hear how the technology is increasing asset utilization and reducing costs, and how it is improving decision-making and project information.

03 May, 2016 1:45 pm

Decathlon Uses RFID to Increase Sales and Reduce Shrinkage

Sporting goods retailer Decathlon, one of the largest sporting goods and sportswear retailers worldwide, increased sales last year, attributing part of that growth to an ambitious RFID deployment at all of its 951 stores worldwide, as well as at approximately 43 warehouses. During the same time period, Decathlon experienced a 9 percent reduction in shrinkage. Most of the stores are now using RFID technology for inventory checks at the point of sale and at security gates. Learn how the technology has not only improved stores’ inventory accuracy, but also reduced labor on the part of workers who track inventory. Most stores can now conduct inventory checks five times faster than they did manually, and these locations are performing checks about twice as often.

03 May, 2016 2:45 pm

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

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

03 May, 2016 3:30 pm

Diffusione Tessile Leverages RFID to Improve Service and Sales

Diffusione Tessile, the outlet company of a major Italian retailer, has long deployed item-level RFID in its stores to streamline logistics and better manage replenishment, thereby increasing sales. In partnership with the University of Parma’s RFID Lab, the firm is currently participating in an EU-funded sensor-enabled, real-world awareness for management information systems (SERAMIS) project, dedicated to exploring innovative use cases for RFID at the store level. Learn how Diffusione Tessile is leveraging “always on” RTLS RFID data to better serve its customers, and how that data is enabling innovative replenishment from back-room processes.

03 May, 2016 11:30 am

RFID Makes Guns Smarter and Safer

Accidental discharge of guns causes 12,000 injuries and 700 deaths annually. Seventy percent are children under the age of 18. Every year, there are approximately 19,000 suicides by gun. Half of these occur using other people’s weapons. TriggerSmart has developed a smart gun that utilizes RFID technology to ensure that only an authorized user can fire the weapon, rendering it harmless for children or intruders. Learn how the process can also be used by law-enforcement agencies, as well as by the military.

03 May, 2016 1:00 pm

Unlocking the Future With NFC Ring

Imagine having the ability to open doors at both home and work with nothing more than a wave of your hand, or to secure your digital self in a transparent manner, using complex tokens that require you only to reach for your phone, tablet or computer. NFC Ring has eliminated the technical obstacles and is creating products that redefine everyday experiences, making simple the complexities of modern tasks. Learn how the firm teamed up with House of Holland, Visa and Flomio to reframe the retail environment, crafting a unique and engaging shopping experience.

03 May, 2016 1:45 pm

How to Make Products Smarter

How are industry leaders using RFID and IoT technologies to make their products smarter and thus more valuable? This session will focus on the key strategies companies are using for both consumer and business-to-business products. Examples of successful uses of RFID technologies in products will be used to illustrate the strategies that are achieving success today.

03 May, 2016 2:45 pm

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

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

03 May, 2016 3:30 pm

RFID-Enabled Implants Give Physicians and Patients Improved Visibility

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

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

OR Monitors Supplies, Safety Via RFID

The University of Tennessee (UT) Medical Center is expanding its use of RFID for monitoring equipment trays and consumables within all of its 36 operating rooms. Five ORs are already employing the technology to track every item used for each surgery. Learn how the RFID system is enabling the staff to leave off items that are never utilized for specific procedures, thereby reducing the number of times that an asset is taken out of storage and returned. Hear how the hospital plans to expand the system to perform OR inventory counts.

04 May, 2016 11:50 am

Solution-Provider Session: Omni-ID and OATSystems, a division of Checkpoint Systems

Open to all conference attendees, these sponsor-led sessions feature some of the industry’s most innovative solutions. Hear real-life examples of successful deployments, including in-depth discussions of both time-tested and emerging solutions.

04 May, 2016 12:30 pm

Lunch in RFID Journal LIVE! Exhibit Hall

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

Agilent Improves Inventory Management With RFID

Agilent Technologies is using RFID to provide high-value management services to manage its customer’s laboratory equipment. The Cross Lab Inventory Management Services automatically and accurately tracks and manages lab equipment, while reducing labor hours required for periodic inventory audits. Learn how this solution enables scheduled, accurate and auditable lab equipment inventories with minimum impact on the customer’s staff and lab operations, and cuts inventory costs.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

Medical Center Employs RFID to Track Staff Training

Each month, a 280-bed hospital holds 100 training sessions for its employees. The facility is using a mobile solution with an Android-based app loaded onto a tablet or smartphone fitted with a dongle reader to collect and manage the large volume of attendance records. When an employee arrives onsite for a training session, that individual taps his or her ID badge next to the dongle reader connected to a tablet device that is in the possession of onsite personnel. The reader captures the badge’s ID number and stores it along with the session information. Learn how the system works with the staff’s existing RFID badges and, due to its close read range—1 or 2 inches, at most—eliminates stray reads of badges that are in the vicinity but not actually entering a session room.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

Using RFID to Track Surgical Instruments

Hospital Ixtapaluca is employing an RFID solution to improve the efficiency of its surgical tool management and reduce the incidence of lost instruments. Up to 11,000 surgical instruments are being tagged and tracked at the facility. The hospital is monitoring the tools before, during and after surgery, as well as identifying when they require maintenance, such as sharpening or replacement. Learn how RFID is helping the hospital to reduce staff time, deter theft, and improve inventory control and instrument management.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

Colombian Pharmacies Improve Traceability With RFID

Copidrogas, a non-profit organization comprising 6,000 independent pharmacies in Colombia, has implemented RFID technology for tracking pharmaceuticals from warehouse and distribution center to pharmacy. The organization tagged approximately 100 products and is monitoring each item via batch code and expiration date. Copidrogas plans to expand the program to identify all products delivered to member pharmacies. Learn how the use of RFID helps the warehouse to efficiently control products and reliably validate information, in order to benefit pharmacies and consumers.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

Case Study: Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (formerly known as Miami Children’s Hospital) has deployed Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to track assets and some personnel within its emergency department, as well as Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tags—used with Android-based tablets or smartphones—to conduct daily inventory counts to ensure that 34 crash carts are properly loaded. The technology has helped the medical facility to reduce the amount of time its employees spend inspecting crash carts each day, from several hours to merely a few minutes. Learn how the system enables the locating of wheelchairs, pumps and other equipment throughout the emergency department, and how it might be used in the future.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

Using RFID to Authenticate, Track and Trace Pharmaceuticals and Assets

Integrated Liner Technologies (ILT), a provider of caps and septa for life-sciences, is using RFID to enable customers to read tags embedded in cap liners and to prove that an item is authentic, as well as create and track the history of that product. Learn how the firm implemented a system that allows users to track and customize data points for any type of asset. Both solutions are being offered as SAAS systems, and this session will outline key implementations, including how firearms dealers are using it to track inventory and reconcile it for the ATF.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

RFID Automates Tool and Equipment Trailers in Remote Locations

Armored Diesel Repair & Services, which provides mechanic services, fabrication, part sales and inventory control, has developed an RFID-enabled onsite trailer that offers 24/7 accessibility for workers to obtain equipment they need. The system authenticates each user and reports his arrival and departure using video streaming. Items leaving or returning to the trailer are tracked, and customers are automatically invoiced. The system also notifies inventory personnel when items need to be replenished.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

RFID Enables Remote Inventory Visibility

Endries International Inc. (a Wolseley Industrial Group company) is using an RFID-enabled tracking system to automate self-service, remote inventory visibility for its customers. The firm distributes fasteners to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Each customer has between 50 and 5,000+ parts bins, depending on its size, and customers consume parts from one bin at a time until the bin is empty. The RFID-based tracking system has resulted in labor savings, as well as faster replenishment response times and improved customer satisfaction. Learn how the firm is using RFID technology to allow customers to utilize the system with no training or any additional steps required.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

RFID-Enhanced Robots Reach Hard-to-Access Objects

Mounting RFID readers to mobile robots or drones permits them to opportunistically relocate antennas to a virtually infinite number of unique vantage points—including hard-to-reach locations. Robotics researchers are employing mobile readers in unstructured environments (offices, homes and outdoors) to make great strides in robotics, strides which would otherwise be extremely difficult or impossible without the use of long-range RFID tags. Examples include: taking inventory counts and locating tagged assets in homes, in lieu of perfect visual object recognition; fetching and retrieving tagged objects for older adults; and using drones to obtain remote sensor measurements from “sensorized” tags, as well as performing tasks such as soil moisture sensing, remote crop monitoring, water quality monitoring, remote sensor deployment, and infrastructure monitoring of buildings, bridges and dams.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

Music Festival Uses NFC for Connected, Interactive Experience

Evenko, a large-scale concert promoter and a major festival producer, successfully used Near Field Communication technology to create a heightened, connected, interactive and social media-worthy environment at Osheaga, Canada’s largest music festival. The firm created Osheaga Play, a program that included an online registration platform where festival goers could connect their social-media accounts via multiple touch points onsite, including photo, contesting and sponsor kiosks. Hear how the company integrated the technology into its ticketing system to provide faster access control and significantly reduce fraud, and how it used a cashless pass to provide a seamless experience.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

RFID Turns Fundraising Into a Game

Nearly one in ten people worldwide live without access to clean water. Charity: water is a nonprofit organization working to bring clean drinking water to everyone around the globe. The organization employs cutting-edge technology in the field and its everyday operations, and collaborated with Empire Entertainment in 2012 to develop an RFID-enabled solution for its fundraising efforts. Learn how charity: water is using the technology to track pledges in real time.

04 May, 2016 11:50 am

Solution-Provider Sessions – GlobeRanger-Fujitsu and Tyco Retail Solutions

Open to all conference attendees, these sponsor-led sessions feature some of the industry’s most innovative solutions. Hear real-life examples of successful deployments, including in-depth discussions of both time-tested and emerging solutions.

04 May, 2016 11:50 am

Solution Provider Sessions

Open to all conference attendees, these sponsor-led sessions feature some of the industry’s most innovative solutions. Hear real-life examples of successful deployments, including in-depth discussions of both time-tested and emerging solutions.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

Increasing Passive UHF RFID Read Speed

The efficiency of an RFID system can be measured by the amount of time required to read all available tags in the application environment. When multiple tags try to communicate with an RFID reader at the same time, tag collision occurs, which leads to failed communications and reduced system efficiency. In high-tag-density settings, such as in apparel stores, this creates a challenges. Hear how a new approach, which can be used with any Gen 2-compliant reader and tags, can increase overall system efficiency by as much as 7.5 percent.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

RFID Shipping Solution Delivers Improved Efficiency for Online Retailer

Extra Optical, a discount eyewear provider that sells eyeglasses manufactured in Asia, is using an RFID-based shipping solution to automatically track every pair of glasses it ships to customers, and to trigger a notification to each customer when his or her shipment is about to be delivered to that person’s home or office. Based in Norway, the firm sells as many as 2,500 to 3,000 pair of glasses during a busy month, with each pair typically shipped in a small package. Learn how the solution enables Extra Optical to track each item without the exorbitant cost of a tracking service employing bar codes.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

Preventing Data Breaches With RFID

Many data breaches begin when hard drives are not properly destroyed, and the data is stolen. TechR2, a provider of onsite data-destruction and IT asset-retirement services, is placing metal tags on the data-bearing devices in the data center, capturing the device’s serial number and location. When the hard drive is replaced, the RFID-tagged unit is placed within the locked TechR2 TAB Appliance for safe containment within the data center. The TAB Appliance has an RFID reader that captures the deposit and e-mails alerts regarding the movement of a data-bearing device, enabling customers to immediately become aware of any discrepancies.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

Building a Flexible RFID Data Infrastructure

Many businesses launch an RFID implementation with the aim of realizing significant cost savings, as well as supply chain visibility and efficiency gains. But achieving those goals sometimes proves to be difficult, because there are many application-development, integration and deployment challenges, and companies often don’t spend enough time developing a good plan. This session will provide the practical knowledge you need to move ahead with a realistic and practical approach to developing an RFID infrastructure.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

U.S. Air Force Improves Aircraft Maintenance With AIT

The Air Force Sustainment Center is using RFID and automatic identification technology (AIT) to reduce man-hours for aircraft locations, and to locate and track parts removed for maintenance. The Air Force Global Enterprise Tracking (AFGET) system decreases sustainment costs for five Air Force bases by providing metrics and locations of parts and ground support equipment in real time. The solution also dramatically reduces the amount of time it takes to gather information when re-assembling aircraft, and to track the kits that support the aircraft maintenance process. Learn how the program has improved record-keeping accuracy, as well as provided real-time metrics for senior leadership, resulting in reduced overall costs for the military.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

Bluetooth Low Energy: Simple Low-Cost RTLS Replacement or Complex Problem?

With the ratification of the current Bluetooth Low Energy standards back in 2010, a rapidly expanding number of BLE components (tags and transceivers) have been released for use with microprocessors, such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. The presenter of this session will discuss lessons learned, false starts and observations from the attempts at using low-cost BLE hardware. Gain an understanding of the advantages of BLE, the various pieces of hardware encountered, and what ultimately worked and failed.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

Herman Kay Uses RFID to Track and Improve Garment Production

The manufacturer of coats and outerwear for women and men has deployed an RFID-based tracking system that is leading to measurable improvements in its operations. The company markets its products under Michael Kors, Anne Klein and other brand names. Learn how the data characterizing each garment is associated with its electronic RFID tag, enabling the firm to make sure orders are correctly packaged and shipped to customers. Hear how the technology can be used in the future, from warehouse to shipping dock.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

RFID and Inventory Control in the Cloud

White Pine Trading, one of the world’s leading recycled diamond and fine jewelry companies, is using RFID to more efficiently process inventory while reducing data-entry errors. With more than 30,000 items in stock represented by 9,000 SKUs, the firm is using the technology to create shipments containing hundreds of items in a few minutes and perform stock counts of its entire inventory within a single day. Hear how White Pine is continuing to develop new use cases for the system, including several that enable business processes that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

River Island Uses RFID to Improve Visibility and Combat Loss

Fashion brand River Island operates more than 350 stores throughout Europe, the Philippines and the Middle East, as well as a website that ships to more than 100 countries worldwide. This session will cover River Island’s use of RFID from its initial trial to its rollout. Hear how the trials have been implemented, the benefits and learnings the company has obtained, and how the technology is delivering value today.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

Denimwall Leverages RFID at G-Star RAW Store

Denimwall Inc. is using RFID at the G-Star RAW clothing store that it owns and operates in New York City’s Union Square to manage store operations and engage customers. The firm, which owns and operates seven G-Star RAW stores on a franchise basis, began offering omnichannel sales to its customers in 2015, shining a spotlight on the need for inventory accuracy and the ability to quickly locate items. The  RFID system tracks inventory availability and location in real time via overhead readers, and also allows sales associates to use their own smartphones to locate goods and facilitate routine merchandising tasks. Learn how Denimwall has benefited from the use of RFID and how it is using the technology to engage customers.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

Solution Provider Session: Giving Brick-and-Mortar Retail the Edge of Digital Insight

Intel recently launched the Retail Sensor Platform, which allows retailers to increase inventory accuracy and ensure on-shelf availability. This end-to-end solution offers a simple, affordable way for retailers to gather actionable, near-real-time intelligence—saving money and converting more sales. Intel is focused on providing technology that enables the industry with a solution that addresses retailer issues. The company has redesigned the fixed reader, allowing retailers to track items through RFID tags and preserve customer privacy, while keeping sales staff informed about inventory, stocking and customer traffic. By combining RFID tags with a smart Intel-based platform, brick-and-mortar retail stores can revolutionize inventory tracking, collect in-depth intelligence on customer behavior and preferences, and dramatically reduce losses from misplaced items and inventory shrinkage. Intel’s Retail Sensor Platform is secure, in addition to being easy to manage and integrate with existing store systems. All this helps retailers deliver the best customer experiences and convert sales.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

Sport Zone Uses RFID For Higher Stock Accuracy

Sport Zone, a prominent sporting goods retailer with more than 100 stores throughout Portugal and Spain, is using RFID to reduce out-of-stocks and improve sales. The firm successfully implemented the program at two pilot stores, resulting in increased sales and higher stock accuracy. Learn how the sales floor replenishment process has been improved, and how Sport Zone plans to use item-level RFID inventory management to support its future omnichannel supply chain initiatives.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

Boeing Uses RFID to Improve Visibility into Production Process

Boeing is using a software solution to bring real-time data into its factories, dramatically reducing the amount of time it takes to gather information when assembling aircraft and other products. The system brings together data captured by various RFID systems, on which factory employees rely to ensure smooth production and overall accountability during the assembly process. Learn how Boeing is experiencing dramatic results, including estimated monetary and resource-hour savings.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

DOD Enhances Asset Visibility for Warfighters

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

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

FAA Perspective and Regulatory Update on Aircraft RFID Applications

The benefits of radio frequency identification in the aerospace and defense sector are well known. The ultimate objective for all players in these sectors is continued air safety. In this session, hear current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy regarding the use of RFID systems, including methods for an acceptable way to use RFID tags installed on aircraft. Learn the regulations on the design and use of portable RFID tags on planes. Gain an understanding of certification of installed RFIDs and operational allowance of RFID technology.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

OrbitalATK Uses RFID to Manufacture Composite Aerostructures

OrbitalATK’s Aircraft Commercial Center of Excellence (ACCE) is dedicated to high-rate composite structures manufacturing for the Airbus A350 XWB and Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Learn how the use of RFID in the ACCE is enabling a “visual factory” where each step of the composite manufacturing process can be monitored automatically, from raw material receipt through component production through eventual shipment to the end customer. Learn why RFID serves as a critical enabler for ramping up production for the company’s OEM contracts.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

NASA Monitors Launch Environment With RFID

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is employing RFID to capture data regarding vibration, as well as gauge acoustic emissions, during rocket launches at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Hear 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. Learn how NASA is using the technology on the International Space Station (ISS), and how a similar system can help companies reduce defects.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

DARPA SHIELD Improves Traceability and Deters Counterfeiting

The security and integrity of the U.S. Department of Defense’s electronic systems are challenged by the presence of counterfeit integrated circuits. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has created the Supply Chain Hardware Integrity for Electronics Defense (SHIELD) program to enhance supply chain traceability and discourage counterfeiting. Northrop Grumman is leading a team to develop tiny RFID chips to enable traceability. Learn how the program has a significant ROI, as well as profound security implications.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

American Woodmark Boosts Manufacturing Efficiency With RFID

The manufacturer and distributer of high-quality, built-to-order kitchen cabinets and vanities has implemented RFID across seven of its supply chain facilities to improve inventory accuracy and enhance visibility throughout the manufacturing process. RFID is providing a return on investment by successfully reducing cycle count labor and significantly increasing the accuracy of the inventory counts. Learn how American Woodmark constructed a system that delivers real value.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

RFID Reduces Inventory Time and Improves Visibility for Tile Maker

Maruhachi Ceramics of America (MCA) is employing a radio frequency identification solution to track the locations of 50,000 pallets loaded with products, and has thereby reduced the amount of time needed to take inventory of its clay roofing tiles by 98 percent. The system also ensures that personnel know where a specific product is located when they need to load it onto a truck. Learn how the firm has expanded the deployment to include supplies and tools, to better ensure that components and materials required for manufacturing can be found when needed.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

Reichhold Uses RFID to Increase Composite Pipe Production

Reichhold, one of the world’s largest suppliers of unsaturated polyester resins for composites, is using RFID to monitor the surface temperature of a fiberglass pipe assembly during the curing process inside its customer’s oven. Learn how the system successfully tracked the composite cure profile and increased production at one of the first sites at which it was used. Hear how the firm plans to use the technology to provide the same benefits to additional customers in the future.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

Developing an RFID Strategy for Manufacturing

RFID can deliver a great deal of benefits to manufacturers in many different areas, but without coherent strategies, companies often wind up deploying the technology piecemeal, only to find that it fails to meet their longer-term needs. This session will explain how to create a long-term strategy that can enable businesses to choose technologies that will best meet their ongoing needs across a wide variety of applications, as well as how to prioritize projects in the near term.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

RFID Speeds Vehicles Through Assembly

Troy Design & Manufacturing (TDM), a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., is using an RFID-based solution to reduce the amount of labor time employees spend manually tracking work-in-progress (WIP) on paper. Three years after installing the system at the new plant—which converts various vehicles from Ford Motor Co. into Police Interceptor models—TDM has managed to outperform its expected production rates. Hear how RFID is being used to improve WIP data accuracy, reduce labor times and increase production output rates.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

RFID Reduces Shipping Time for Manufacturer

Biomecanica, a Brazilian manufacturer of biometric orthopedic prosthetics, has improved its shipping efficiency by implementing radio frequency identification, making it possible to significantly reduce the process times for four stages (separation, conference, billing and shipping). Before the RFID-enabled solution was deployed, it took approximately three hours from shipment to shipping for 200 pieces. Learn how RFID has reduced the process time for the same amount of products down to 20 minutes.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

Nonprofit Organization Uses RFID to Track Inventory

Dress for Success (DFS) South Central PA affiliate is employing RFID to track the apparel it provides to its clients free of charge. The RFID system enables DFS to track each tagged garment and accessory throughout its three boutiques, as well as a large van with suits stored within, that can be delivered to those unable to reach the outlets. Learn how RFID has enabled the organization’s paid and volunteer staff members to know what they have in stock and which items are available at which location.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

DePuy Synthes Improves Efficiency With RFID

The DePuy Synthes Companies, part of Johnson & Johnson, provides orthopaedic and neurological products and services. An early adopter of UHF RFID technology, the firm has used the technology to efficiently manage its large-scale loaner processes, as well as within its distribution centers for shipping, receiving, auditing and replenishment. Learn how RFID is currently being used, and how DePuy Synthes plans to move toward cloud computing and big data analytics to help improve operational visibility in the future.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

RFID Helps DOE Monitor Hazardous Material in Real Time

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed several active RFID solutions for the tracking of radioactive materials, other hazardous materials, personnel and local environmental conditions. The system can also be used to optimize chain-of-custody monitoring for packaged nuclear materials as they are being stored, processed and transported. The DOE will share how several of its national laboratories are working on additional projects and provide insights into RFID’s business benefits.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

KLM Maintenance Cuts Parts’ Packaging Costs With RFID

Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) arm of Air France KLM, is using a Web-based Aviation Packaging Information System (APIS) to manage the inbound and outbound flow of packaging between its packaging supplier and KLM. The system uses fixed RFID equipment installed in buildings and in trucks, as well as mobile handhelds for repair and exception-handling. RFID is used throughout the entire supply chain and is easily expandable. Learn how the firm is tracking cases and boxes used to transport airplane parts to and from customers, lowering packaging costs by 50 percent. Packaging has been the starting point for implementing RFID at KLM. Hear how the firm may expand the program to include equipment, tooling, inspection of life vests onboard, warehouse management and components.

04 May, 2016 8:30 am

Johnson Controls Improves Visibility of Returnable Containers via RFID

Johnson Controls’ Automotive Experience business unit, which supplies automotive seating, interiors and electronics to automakers, is using RFID to provide real-time visibility of returnable containers within its North America manufacturing network. The solution provides visibility into container locations, loop balancing, real-time asset distribution, and container asset inventory reports and cycle times. Learn how Johnson Controls achieved an ROI in less than one year, and how it can now cycle-count all of its tagged fleets within minutes, verses days.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

GS1 UK Supply Chain Update

The existence and promotion of the GS1 EPC RFID standard since 2005 has, in no small way, contributed to the wider adoption of RFID, particularly in the retail industry in the apparel and general merchandise sectors. In this presentation, GS1 UK’s Andy Robson will review the industry trends driving RFID’s adoption in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, and discuss key lessons learned. He will also share the latest GS1 standards developments, including tools for supporting new implementations.

04 May, 2016 11:00 am

The Art and Implications of Innovation: Draft Day or DNA Tag?

What do Draft Day and DNA tagging have in common? The NFL has been conducting a draft since 1936. What are some of the factors involved in each team’s decision on whom to draft? How do these same choices relate to the beef industry? How does RFID enable this to happen? This session will explain how decision-making criteria that any football fan finds commonplace can be used in other industries, and how DNA, RFID and their data capabilities are about to transform the beef industry.

04 May, 2016 3:00 pm

Reading the Waves: Using RFID for Human Object Interaction Detection

Disney Research, a part of The Walt Disney Co. focused on technical innovation, has developed a low-cost, unobtrusive method of using RFID to understand how humans interact with objects. By monitoring changes in the low-level radio channel parameters, a real-time classification engine is able to simultaneously track more than 20 objects and identify four types of interaction events with 93% accuracy. Learn how this system can be used for interactive gaming, activity inferencing in smart homes and the identification of customer browsing habits in retail environments.

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

RFID Blood Test Saves Time and Improves Results

Blood tests required to diagnose anemia are either expensive or time-consuming, or the results are prone to misinterpretation. A newly developed RFID-based anemia test is being used to determine the number of red cells in the blood and to transmit that information to the doctor treating that patient, while freeing up the worker using the test. Learn how the blood test results are more accurate since there is no subjective interpretation by a health-care worker, and how the test can be used to report the results automatically.

05 May, 2016 9:00 am

Linking RFID to High-Speed Cameras

Innovative Timing Systems (ITS), a leader in race-timing solutions, mobile apps and race registration, recently integrated high-resolution and high-speed cameras, precision lasers and a live database feed, with information being fed to a broadcast system in less than a quarter of a second for live updates to a worldwide audience. Learn how ITS provided live updates to Twitter and Facebook during the race, while filtering unwanted tag reads and capturing high-speed, high-res photos. Hear about this system’s ability to read tags at a success rate of nearly 100 percent, and how it might transform all race timing.

05 May, 2016 9:45 am

RTLS Helps Manage Training Programs

Momentum Aerospace Group (MAG) has incorporated an ultra-wideband-based real-time location system to help law-enforcement organizations measure and analyze trainees’ performance. MAG, a provider of real-time situational-awareness technologies and services, is using the RTLS to help manage training programs, such as active-shooter drills and shoot-houses (live ammunition shooting ranges). The technology consists of UWB tags and readers to identify an individual’s location during training, as well as to capture sensor-based data, such as that person’s heart rate and speed as he or she moves through training. Learn how police and military operators could benefit from the tracking technology and utilize the system.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

Cashless on the Catwalk: Visa’s Reinvented Retail Experience

Fashion label House of Holland teamed up with Visa, Flomio and the makers of the NFC Ring to create a buying experience in 100 days that has taken fashion and retail by storm. What would your shopping experience be like if you could check out with your favorite ring? Better yet, what if you could skip checkout altogether and purchase right from the rack? Learn how this team of innovators is reimagining the retail journey by using proximity ID technology to enhance the customer experience and increase sales.

03 May, 2016 11:30 am

RFID Visibility Data for Business Applications

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

03 May, 2016 1:00 pm

RFID Data-Capture Software

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

03 May, 2016 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.

03 May, 2016 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).

03 May, 2016 3:30 pm

RFID Data-Capture Standards: LLRP and ALE

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

04 May, 2016 4:40 pm

Beacons Boost Ridership, Adjust Service for Blacksburg Transit

Bus passengers in Blacksburg, Va., are locating their bus stops and buses using an app called BT4U (Blacksburg Transit for You) in conjunction with beacons attached to buses and bus stops. The agency also employs the system to collect ridership data and modify bus dispatching accordingly. The system helps BT better understand how many riders there are at specific days, times and locations, as well as when queues might develop at bus stops. BLE-enabled Wi-Fi access points may soon be used to locate buses in the garage.

03 May, 2016 11:30 am

GS1 US Item Level RFID Industry Update

Join GS1 US for a discussion about the current state of RFID deployment in the retail industry and GS1 US’s Item Level RFID workgroup. During this session, you will hear about the community’s role in helping the retail industry deliver the inventory accuracy needed to support a unified omnichannel consumer experience. The Item Level RFID workgroup gathers together the leading retailers and brands that are currently deploying and/or investigating RFID technology. The workgroup provides a forum for peer-to-peer outreach and implementation lesson sharing, to develop guidelines and best practices, ensure investment sustainability, demonstrate the technology’s ongoing benefits across business processes and reinforce the technology’s responsible use. Learn where leading retailers are headed and better understand the categories in which RFID is being deployed.

03 May, 2016 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 at stores. This session will cover the key uses of RFID that drive benefits, as identified by major research conducted by the RFID Research Center, as well as insight from early adopters. Leading brand owners and researchers will discuss potential and real-world deployments, and how RFID can be used to achieve cost savings and improve operations.

04 May, 2016 11:50 am

Solution Provider Session: Capturing ROI for Global Leading Retailers and Brand Owners

SML will share case studies and real return on investment (ROI) results that show the best methods to go about deploying RFID solutions in retail. What is the best way to implement an RFID solution in retail for use at the manufacturing site, during distribution and/or in the store? The ROI can differ dramatically depending on how a company deploys RFID infrastructure, and on the use case in the supply chain and/or in the store. Learn how SML is helping retailers create retail 3.0 and fulfill omnichannel strategies, as well as improving go-to-market velocity, increasing sourcing flexibility and reducing the risk of changing over to RFID tags.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

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 finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation. The finalists are: Decathlon, for its use of RFID tags on 90 percent of the products it sells, and for adopting RFID technology in every one of its 43 DCs and 1,030 stores to improve on-shelf availability and reduce shrink; Delta Air Lines, for its pioneering use of RFID to streamline aircraft maintenance and reduce the time required to ensure every seat on every plane has an oxygen canister and that none have reached their expiration dates; Shimane University Hospital – for its use of RFID to reduce the cost of managing 20,000 surgical instruments.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

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 finalists are: Agilent, for its Cross Lab Inventory Management Services, which helps its employees track and manage its customers lab equipment; Innovative Timing Systems, for an RFID race timing solution that is integrated with high-definition video and television broadcast systems to ensure accurate race results and enable the sharing of data with a large audience; TrackCore, for its tissue and implant tracking software integrated with RFID enclosures.

05 May, 2016 10:30 am

Solution Provider Session: How NFC and Cashless Payments Are Changing the Way We Experience Brands and Events

Based on real industry experience with numerous large-scale music and food festivals, sports stadiums, pop-up shops and conferences, this session will focus on the 4D customer experience. Learn how RFID technology is powering payment processing and creating onsite and in-store connected environments, in order to engage consumers and empower marketers with real-time business intelligence.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

Most Innovative Use of RFID

The finalists for this award, given to the end-user company with the most novel use of RFID technology, are: Berntsen International, for its innovative InfraMarker System, which integrates UHF RFID, precision GPS and magnetic locating technologies with a smartphone-based asset management software for tracking buried assets; Florida Hospital, for its use visualization of data from its real-time location system to improve its processes, including the reduction of a surgical patient’s time in recovery by 10 to 24 minutes; Reichhold, for its use of RFID temperature sensors to enable customers to reduce the time or energy required to cure products made with Reichhold resins.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

RFID Green Award

This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of RFID technology to improve the environment, increase recycling or enhance sustainability. The three finalists, selected by an independent panel of judges, will each have 15 minutes to make a presentation. The finalists are: Anilhas Capri, for the RFID solution it developed to reduce the trafficking of wild birds in Brazil; Golden Environmental Mat Services, for its use of RFID to manage construction mats and to track the sterilization of contaminated mats to reduce environmental impact before deploying back into the field; Zempleni Z.H.K, for its use of RFID technology to track 35,000 waste bins and promote recycling within Hungary.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

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. They are: CBRE, for its use of NFC tags in London’s CityPoint office building to track keys, monitor security patrols and secure entrances and exits to the building; Evenko, for its use of NFC to create a heightened, connected, interactive and social-media worthy experience for patrons during Canada’s largest music festival; Target, for its use of NFC in its Target Wonderland popup store to transform the in-store shopping experience.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

Best Internet of Things Deployment

This award will be given to the end-user company that has demonstrated the best use of Internet of Things technologies to improve the way they do business, enhance a product or engage customers. The three finalists, selected by a group of independent judges, are: Hospital de la Vega, for its use of Bluetooth Low Energy beacons and an IOT platform to track the locations of patients, staff and assets and share that data with hospital administrators and relatives; Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, for its use of passive UHF RFID to track 7,000 workers and ensure their safe evacuation in case of an emergency; LAMSAC, for its use of RFID technology to track traffic congestion and share it in real time with drivers.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

Best New Product, Group 1

This award will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! 2016. An independent panel of judges has selected 10 finalists, which have been divided into three groups. Each finalist will speak for a few minutes about its product. The finalists in Group 1 are: EM Microelectronic, for is EM4423 Dual Frequency RFID Chip, which combines passive HF and passive UHF technologies; Graphene Security, for its Graphene Security Light system, which includes passive UHF tags with printed antennas made of graphene ink, and reader antennas that can printed on paper to fit any geometry and can be embedded into commercial LED light panels; MetraLabs, for TORY, its fully automated mobile inventory robot, which can navigate a store and take inventory more reliably than store associates.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

Best New Product, Group 2

This award will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! 2016. An independent panel of judges has selected 10 finalists, which have been divided into three groups. Each finalist will speak for a few minutes about its product. The finalists in Group 2 are: Monsoon RF, for its “Lantern”: All-In-One RFID Reader, which aims to make installing an RFID reader as easy as replacing a light bulb; Phase IV Engineering, for its RFID Sensor Reader, which is designed to collect accurate data from passive RFID sensor tags; and SMARTRAC Technologies, for its Sensor Tadpole, a passive UHF sensor that can detect the presence of moisture and send that information to an ordinary RFID reader.

04 May, 2016 3:50 pm

Best New Product, Group 3

This award will be given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! 2016. An independent panel of judges has selected 10 finalists, which have been divided into three groups. Each finalist will speak for a few minutes about its product. The finalists in Group 3 are: SML, for its Clarity 3.x retail software platform, which is designed to be flexible, scalable and cover virtually all retail business processes; Tyco Retail Solutions, for its Sensormatic Synergy Series, an intelligent, modular, and network-enabled loss prevention system that combines acousto-magnetic/RFID detection and video; View Technologies, for its View Echo Smart Antennas and Platform, which read tags at up to 150 feet and locate tagged items in a three-dimensional space; and Zebra Technologies for its RFD8500 Handheld Sled Reader, which links to almost any smartphone, to enable quick and easy cycle counting.