Enterprise application software specialist PeopleSoft has announced additional RFID capabilities for its EnterpriseOne enterprise management software that will enable its customers to collect and manage RFID data from inbound as well as outbound shipments.
“We view RFID as another way to collect data and a fundamental component of a demand-driven manufacturing framework that takes latency out of the manufacturing process,” says Les Wyatt, group vice president and general manager for PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne.
The new PeopleSoft RFID Processor is one of a number of the company’s preintegrated business software modules for its EnterpriseOne application. RFID Processor is set to start shipping in December alongside the next release of EnterpriseOne—version 8.11. The module will only operate with the 8.11 version of EnterpriseOne.
RFID Processor extends the initial support for RFID in EnterpriseOne launched in June this year in PeopleSoft’s EnterpriseOne version 8.10, which provided support for the RFID tagging of outbound shipments—primarily to help its current customers meet retailer and DOD mandates. RFID Processor will enable inbound RFID tagged shipments to be processed and used to provide immediate visibility into inventory—whether it is in-transit, in a warehouse, or at the manufacturing plant. The software will make finished goods visible to the sales organization. Improved visibility and accuracy will enable organizations to reduce handling costs, gain instant access to shipment information and increase inventory flow throughout the supply chain.
The company says that many of the 5,000 small and midsize manufacturing companies that use EnterpriseOne are still looking at RFID deployment mandates that will affect them well after the initial mandate deadlines impact their larger rivals. “We have customers in a broad range of manufacturing sectors including automotive, CPG and life sciences. Some of medium- and smaller-sized customers are looking at what they need to do to support compliance with mandates in 2006,” says Wyatt.
PeopleSoft says, however, it is already working with a handful of its customers who have started to investigate how RFID can help them track the inbound delivery of materials into their operations.
“We had requests from our customers directly asking for capabilities to meet RFID shipping mandates in EnterpriseOne version 8.10, but by enabling inbound RFID-tagged shipments, we feel we are ahead of our customers’ current requirements,” says Wyatt.