Waukesha,WI - RedPrairie Corporation, a leading provider of real-time, end-to-end logistics solutions, articulated its strategy for helping customers implement and benefit from emerging RFID technology. As part of this strategy, RedPrairie announced availability of RFID Accelerator, a new application that will enable companies running virtually any distribution technology, including all versions of RedPrairie's DLx® Warehouse and other packaged or legacy systems, to become compliant with the RFID information-sharing requirements of major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target.
"Together with the Center of Excellence, we have been monitoring RFID standards and technology advancements to develop strategic product enhancements and innovations that meet the present and future needs of our customers. The result has been real solutions like the RFID Accelerator that enable customers to take advantage of RFID opportunities today while moving them closer to a scan-free environment." Jim Hoefflin - RedPrairie Product Management and Strategy Leader
Comments John Jazwiec, RedPrairie Company Leader: "RFID is an emerging technology that has received a lot of attention lately due to the 2005 deadlines issued by Wal-Mart and others. However, RedPrairie has been developing a cohesive strategy for RFID usage since we co-founded the RFID Center of Excellence in 2001 with major Consumer Goods companies Unilever and Kimberly-Clark, and other leading technology partners. The strategy and compliance application we are announcing today are a direct result of the pioneering work of the Center of Excellence and our 28-year history in supply chain execution."
RedPrairie's RFID strategy addresses the three issues companies are facing today as they plan for inevitable RFID adoption -- how to comply with retailer's 2005 requirements, how to transition from current barcode environments, and how to move to the ultimate scan-free environments that will be possible as RFID technology matures.
Compliance
The RFID Accelerator is designed to enable companies to meet the demands of the large retailers without replacing their existing infrastructure. The application provides agents to collect and verify RFID tag information, retrieve related inventory data and pass this combined information to the retailers in advanced shipping notices (ASNs). This will provide the pallet and case RFID-based information that Wal-Mart and Target will require.
Transition
Because taking full advantage of RFID technology will entail a fundamental change to distribution operations, companies will need to transition to this stage over a period of time while continuing to leverage their existing investments in RF and barcode infrastructure. To facilitate this dual mode of operation, RedPrairie has integrated RFID functionality with tradition processing so that distribution operations are independent of the data capture source. This will enable customers to take early advantage of RFID benefits, such as increased inventory visibility and accuracy, reduced labor costs and faster cycle times, without disrupting existing operations.
Scan-Free
As RFID technology matures, it will enable companies to fundamentally redefine distribution operations. Operations currently requiring manual scanning will be replaced by scan-free operations that query, collect, store and transmit inventory information without human intervention. RedPrairie is working with its customers and the RFID Center of Excellence to define these new operational requirements and build support for them into its application suite. This will have positive impact on warehouse efficiency, labor productivity, transportation turnaround times and retail in-stock levels.
Notes Jim Hoefflin, RedPrairie Product Management and Strategy Leader, "Together with the Center of Excellence, we have been monitoring RFID standards and technology advancements to develop strategic product enhancements and innovations that meet the present and future needs of our customers. The result has been real solutions like the RFID Accelerator that enable customers to take advantage of RFID opportunities today while moving them closer to a scan-free environment."
