CHEP (Orlando), the pallet and container pooling solutions provider, announced the development of a worldwide system to provide trading partners in the supply chain, real-time visibility to products shipped on the company’s pallets and containers. The new solution, built on EPC global standards and part of the CHEP PLUS ID offer, is now piloting at several customers in the automotive and consumer package goods industries including Procter & Gamble and Avon in Brazil. It is planned to be extended to other markets in early 2007.
The CHEP Global Track and Trace System provides users with comprehensive visibility of products from the point of processing to the point of consumption using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Real time product tracking throughout distribution center and store environments, as well as with trading partners across the extended supply chain allows companies to reduce out-of-stocks and improve customer service, among other benefits.
"This represents a milestone for the use of automatic identification technology in supply chain operations,” said Dave Mezzanotte, COO. “The system will allow our customers to see exactly where their products are at any given time."
The new solution features the CHEP 3-in-1 tags, which can be read through RFID, bar code, or visually using a human readable identification number. The CHEP PLUS ID offer features 100% performing RFID tags, multi-mode readability that reduces the need for installation of RFID readers in all supply chain locations, total conformance to EPC global standards, and full read-write capability, with two pages of user memory enabling CHEP customers to temporarily write product-related information. This secure application that supports multiple devices also provides users with accurate, granular and real time management reports and sophisticated analytical tools that can be used to monitor key performance metrics.
CHEP is using the Microsoft RFID Platform, the SQL 2005 reporting tool, as well as SAP's Auto ID Infrastructure / Event Manager as the foundation of the system. The Microsoft solution was implemented by Cactus Commerce and the SAP solution was implemented by Infosys Technologies.
Source: CHEP USA
