RFID Journal LIVE! 2021 Encore
Supply Chain and Logistics On-Demand Sessions
Solve the Pain of Claims Compliance with RFID
While many benefits relating to inventory visibility have been realized with store level use of EPC/RFID, there remains untapped potential benefits in leveraging EPC/RFID for the purpose of aiding in supply chain visibility to support claims compliance and reconciliation, which constitutes an annual industry cost in the tens of billions. Learn about the GS1 US EPC/RFID Claims Compliance workgroup and its relationship with Auburn University’s project CHIP.
Key takeaways:
* Learn about current work to develop industry norms to leverage source RFID tagging for claims compliance.
* Learn about data collection challenges and solution approaches to facilitate claims compliance.
* Opportunity to join the workgroup as it develops this important industry guideline.
Speakers: Jonathan Gregory, Director of Community Engagement, Apparel and General Merchandise, GS1 US; Justin Patton, Director, RFID Center, Auburn University
Award Finalist Session: Increasing Visibility and Production with RFID
Kloekner Metals, one of the largest metals manufacturing, supply, and service companies in North America, is employing RFID to reduce the time spent locating metal in facilities and to increase production. Nominated for an RFID Journal award in the category of Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation, learn how the firm is using the technology to streamline operations and improve overall business efficiency.
Speaker: Jonathan Toler, Head of Product & Innovation, Kloeckner Metals
Cities Use IoT/RFID to Track Solid Waste, Improving Visibility and Reducing Costs
Many cities throughout South America, particularly those located in Argentina, face serious problems in urban solid waste management. These difficulties are due to several factors, including the absence of parameters for measurement, as well as obstacles to tracking usage. One way to collect waste is through containerized routes. These routes have established frequencies, and trucks often pick up containers before they are full. Learn how RFID and Internet of Things technologies are being used to create visibility and traceability, as well as to reduce operating costs by public and private operators.
Speaker: Ernesto Castagnet MSc. IMSE, Associate Professor, AutoID Evangelist, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS)
Centimeter-scale Positioning of Passive UHF RFIDs: A Novel Reader Technology and its Applications to Robotics and Retail
This session will describe a new award-winning MIT technology for locating passive off-the-shelf UHF RFID tags with centimeter-scale accuracy. The technology can read, locate, and track unmodified RFIDs and improve visibility in practical indoor environments. The presenter will also describe a robot that uses this technology with machine learning and computer vision to enable novel tasks that were not possible before.
Key takeaways:
* Learn about the world’s first RFID reader that can locate off-the-shelf passive UHF tags with centimeter-scale accuracy in multipath-rich indoor environments
* Gain insight into how the technology can be used to increase visibility in retail stores and enable efficient processes for search, putaway, and retrieval
* Discover how the team is building new AI tools that combine this reader with computer vision to enable new robotic tasks in warehouses, manufacturing, and micro-logistics
* Hear about how the team is commercializing the technology
Speaker: Fadel Adib, Associate Professor and Founding Director of Signal Kinetics Lab, MIT
Award Finalist Session: Harvard Automates Asset Tracking and Reduces Inventory Time with RFID
Harvard has over 15,000 capital assets located in 160 buildings, spread across multiple campuses at the University. Federal law mandates all federally-funded assets to be physically inventoried every two years. In order to meet those requirements, the University developed a remediation plan which included committing to an inventory schedule and researching technology to improve the inventory process. The project involved four of the twelve schools that make up Harvard University. In this session learn how the technology has enabled the University to conduct more frequent and efficient inventories, while greatly reducing the number of staff previously needed to conduct the manual process. This project is nominated for RFID Journal award in the category of Best RFID Implementation (Other Industry).
Key takeaways:
* Learn how the University has taken a labor intense process and used technology to improve the process
* Hear how Harvard has freed up resources that were and consumed by the manual process has reduced inventory time by more than 75%
Speaker: Jeff DiCiaccio, Director of Strategic Procurement, Harvard Medical School
Improving Distribution Center Operations with RFID
Value-added services (VAS) can create a huge bottleneck when it comes to getting goods shipped. It is where hangers are added or removed, where items are placed in polybags and then removed, and where additional labels are applied to meet customer requests. VAS also adds additional steps and time in completing orders. Industry veteran Doug Harvel has more than 20 years’ experience in manufacturing and distribution environments. In this session he shares how value-added services can make it easier for distribution centers to maintain separate inventories for different customers’ tag requirements.
Speaker: Doug Harvel, Senior IT Distribution Analyst, Kontoor Brands
Award Finalist Session: BAE Systems Improves Chemical Tracking with RFID
Global defense technology company BAE Systems has boosted its chemical tracking capability with a UHF RFID solution. The system moves beyond bar code and automates the capture of data, thereby providing real time awareness of shelf-life material. The firm learned from the previous success of RFID for assets and material, and is leveraging current infrastructure and is using that information to kick start the chemical tracking initiative. This project is nominated for RFID Journal award in the category of Best Manufacturing RFID Implementation.
Key takeaways:
* Hear the results of a pilot was performed in 2020.
* Learn how the system is being deployed into production environments and how it can be used across the enterprise.
Speaker: Philip Whiting, Operations Program Specialists, Sr., BAE SYSTEMS
Award Finalist Session: Logistik Unicorp Leverages RFID to Improve Processes and Inventory Accuracy
Logistik Unicorp, a provider of uniforms for Canadian agencies and companies, built an in-house system that enables it to link raw materials with finished products, and to track those goods as they are received from a manufacturer. Products are stored in its 2220, 000 square foot warehouse and then shipped to individual customers. The company first implemented RFID technology at the item level in 2009-2010. Learn how the firm is leveraging the technology to improve efficiency, reduce time needed to complete annual cycle count and achieve 100% inventory accuracy.
Speaker: Louis Bibeau, President & CEO, Logistik Unicorp
View the conference sessions from other tracks that are available on demand: Retail/Apparel Track, Manufacturing Track, Health Care Track, Internet of Things Track.