Workshop Covers RFID Essentials

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) launched a web-based training course on radio frequency identification called RFID Essentials. One of three initiatives, the self-paced, eight-hour course consists of nine modules that include best practices content and a technology overview, as well as an optional final exam. The course was developed for end-user organizations exploring or beginning to adopt RFID. Participants work with simulated tag and reader applications in an active learning environment, says CSCMP.

In cooperation with the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) Association, the University of Arkansas, Dillard’s, Inc., and Procter & Gamble, CSCMP has also published a three-part RFID research study. Phase I explores the feasibility of RFID for apparel and footwear item-level tagging. Phase II examines the feasibility of Class 1 Generation 2 UHF RFID as a potential sales floor-level theft deterrent system. The use of item-level RFID at Dillard’s, Inc., a major apparel retailer, is investigated in Phase III.

CSCMP will also host an RFID forum, October 27-28, 2009, in Fayetteville, AR, entitled Item-Level RFID: The Road to ROI. Attendees will be able to hear representatives from major companies discuss their RFID implementation and results. The event will offer participants hands-on, real-time demonstrations in and tours of the University of Arkansas RFID lab.

“In these challenging times, companies still need to provide the necessary training for their staffs in order to improve the performance of their supply chains,” said Burt Blanchard, CSCMP’s manager of education and research. “For organizations that are beginning to implement RFID, our online course will provide supply chain managers with the comprehensive, cost-effective, and flexible training they need. CSCMP is committed to developing world-class educational tools for global companies to help them remain competitive.”

More information is available at www.cscmp.org