As a vital part of the supply chain, today's warehouses need to be efficient, tightly integrated profit centers. Making this happen relies on the warehouse employees' efficiency as they go about shipping and receiving, fulfilling and picking orders, and doing inventory. All these functions rely on warehouse computer terminals that are designed for the job they are doing, whether that's a computer mounted on a forklift or a handheld tablet device. The problem is, sometimes the design of these terminals prevents workers from operating as efficiently as they otherwise could.
German clothing chain Adler Modemärkte is among a handful of retailers using an RFID-enabled robot called Tory to count inventory and identify the locations of merchandise on store shelves each day. The robot and the software that manages the data it collects are provided by German technology firm MetraLabs.
RFID technology company eAgile is marketing a solution known as eSeal that aims to enable the automatic tracking of containers of medication from the point of manufacture to the drugstore counter or a patient's hospital bedside.
PAL Robotics plans to launch its first large-scale pilot of its motorized RFID-reading robot in Europe during the second half of this year. The newest version of the Spanish company's StockBot will be tested for its ability to read the RFID tags attached to products, while software will identify where those tagged items are located within stores.
Macy's has taken live a new program that employs radio frequency identification to allow omnichannel fulfillment of consumer purchases, right down to its last available unit of in-store merchandise. The program, which Macy's has named Pick to the Last Unit (P2LU), enables the retailer to list goods for sale online even when there is only one such item available at the store.
Approximately one million steel plates are rented out for construction projects each year in the Netherlands, and keeping tabs on them is made easier by an alternative to RFID technology.
Macy's is turning to RFID to support omnichannel initiatives, specifically its "Pick to the Last Unit" (P2LU) program. The retailer will use Tyco Retail Solutions' inventory visibility platform to access its full inventory throughout its entire store base.
Denimwall Inc. has launched a radio frequency identification solution at the G-Star RAW clothing store that it owns and operates in New York City's Union Square, to do everything from tracking inventory, managing sales transactions and providing electronic article surveillance to letting shoppers view product information on a touchscreen.
Managers are increasingly nervous about the lack of progress in their digital initiatives. Too often, organizations merely add digital "pixie dust" to traditional processes or engage in a frenzy of digital experiments and ventures. Rather than drive competitive advantage, these efforts leave companies more vulnerable.
Next time you're at the mall, take a closer look at the paper price tag dangling from the clothes you take into the dressing room. If you hold the tag up to a light, you might see a dark, salt-grain-sized speck in it. Or, if you run your thumb over the tag, you might feel an almost imperceptible bump.