Crystal Vestimundo, a leading producer and retailer of apparel in Colombia, has concluded a three-month pilot of radio frequency identification technology, in which the firm tagged 5,000 items, comprising 50 different apparel products, and tracked their movements from distribution center to store. The pilot results were positive, the company reports, so it now plans to launch a second, more ambitious pilot in February 2012, which could lead to a full-scale rollout.

The first trial, conducted in conjunction with LOGyCA, a Bogotá-based consulting and services company, ran from June 20 to Oct. 30, 2011. Apparel items manufactured by Crystal Vestimundo were attached to tags based on the ultrahigh-frequency EPC Gen 2 RFID standard. The tags were applied to the garments at Crystal Vestimundo's DC in Medellin and were sent to two stores in the same city. The items were then received into inventory at the store using a handheld reader. The goal was to determine if RFID could reduce labor costs, while also increasing shipping and inventory accuracy.

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