RFID Journal

Oct. 3, 2006

Editor’s Note
More Than Just Mayo

Benedicta Group, a French maker of mayonaisse and other sauces, is engaged in a pilot project using EPC Gen 2 tags to track pallet movements, fill customer orders, create advance shipping notices and share supply-chain data.

The pilot, which began about three months ago, is built on what Benedicta calls an event-driven architecture, which relies on events—information related to a transaction or incident—to trigger steps along a supply chain or other operation.

RFID interrogators record when pallets leave the site and when they arrive at EGTN, where bottles of Benedicta's products are packaged, and at FM Logistic, which ships the sauces to Benedicta's customers. But this RFID pilot involves more than just tags and interrogators.

As part of the pilot, Benedicta is using IBM's Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) data repository, a prototype for testing EPCglobal's draft EPCIS standard. This serves as the communication mechanism between applications and data repositories so companies can exchange and query RFID-related data. In addition, Benedicta is using the Object Name Service (ONS), a standard system for looking up unique Electronic Product Codes and for pointing computers to information about the item associated with each specific EPC.

Philippe Gautier, Benedicta's chief information officer, says the pilot has already provided his company with valuable lessons about the importance of standards, and about how common data definitions make it easier for supply-chain partners' information systems to exchange information. Benedicta and its supply-chain partners are working "to create a full EPCglobal networking environment," Gautier says, to address the whole supply chain. That's a tall order, but one Benedicta believes it can fill.

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Top News
French Mayo Maker Finds RFID a Crucial Ingredient
Benedicta is using EPC Gen tags, EPCIS and ONS to track pallet movements, fill customer orders, create advance shipping notices and share supply-chain data.
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NEC wants to make a dent in the typical 10 to 20 percent error rate that occurs when scanning multiple RFID-tagged packages simultaneously.
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RFID Journal Announces Dates for RFID Journal LIVE! 2008
RFID Journal's sixth annual U.S. conference and exhibition, to be held in Las Vegas in 2008, will focus on business benefits, strategy and implementation of RFID.
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RFID Journal LIVE! Europe 2006 • Oct. 25-27, 2006
Hotels van Oranje • Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The RFID Event for the European Community
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RFID Journal LIVE! Europe, the second annual RFID Journal conference and exhibition in Europe, is the only European RFID event addressing critical adoption issues affecting European companies. Like its sister event in North America, RFID Journal LIVE! Europe is the annual RFID event where the European RFID community—end users, leading vendors, systems integrators, consultants and others—gathers to learn, plan strategies, network, buy and sell, and share ideas. Plus, CompTIA RFID+ training and certification.
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Featured Story
The Secrets of Their Success
Companies that are tagging goods for retailers—and Wal-Mart's Simon Langford—reveal how to turn an RFID mandate into a competitive advantage.
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RFID Journal Webinar—Oct. 11, 2006, 2:00-3:00 PM EDT
Join Symbol Technologies, Xterprise and Creative Concepts to learn how mobile computing products can extend the benefits of RFID beyond the warehouse dock doors. From inventory asset management to supply-chain visibility to retail-floor inventory, mobile RFID readers increase the reach of RFID networks for better asset visibility and increased productivity.
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Scaling Beyond Slap-and-Ship: What You Need to Know to be Ready
RFID Journal Webinar—Oct. 12, 2006, 2:00-3:00 PM EDT
SAP and Acsis explain the latest wave of RFID mandates, how they will affect the industry and how to be prepared to meet those requirements in 2007. Together, the companies offer a scalable end-to-end solution that can be implemented within 30 days, incorporating RFID analytics, a multi-location setup, enterprise management and advance shipping notices.
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RFID Journal LIVE! Canada 2006 • Nov. 8-9, 2006
Toronto Congress Centre • Toronto, Canada
The RFID Event for Companies Doing Business in Canada
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RFID Journal LIVE! Canada, in partnership with EPCglobal Canada, is the RFID event for companies doing business in Canada. The conference and exhibition has the educational content, technology solutions and networking opportunities you need to learn how RFID can benefit your company today. Leading end users, including Wal-Mart, Loblaws, Boeing and Staples, will present objective case studies about what works—and what doesn't—as well as the challenges they overcame and the benefits they are achieving. Plus, CompTIA RFID+ training.
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