RFID is a method of automatically identifying products and information through radio waves, and a wide range of businesses are now seeing the benefit of the technology.
Working alongside Finnish logistics provider Salpomec and garment label supplier UPM Raflatac, the ‘Sensormatic’ makers have taken steps to ease supply chain management and in-store retail operations for garment manufacturers. They believe the new centre, which opened at the beginning of May, will also help brand owners, retailers and logistics providers.
The solution centre came about as a response to brand owners’ requests to stop counterfeiting and to cut down on wasted time and profits. John Smith, Vice President of Retail Sales for ADT Europe, Middle East and Africa explains:
“Optimisation of the supply chain is a vital competitive factor for both apparel manufacturers and retailers alike. The whole supply chain has to be transparent and effectively managed to truly help reduce out-of-stock situations and increase sales.”
The Centre hopes to brings together all the elements of an RFID-enabled apparel supply chain to demonstrate a complete end-to-end solution. This includes automatic goods reception, an RFID-based sorting system and tagging goods at their source.
Jarkko Kuusisto, Chief Executive Officer of Salpomec added: “In increasingly global supply chains, apparel manufacturing often takes place on one continent with the goods being sold in an entirely different location. This increases the demand for up to date and accurate information throughout the entire supply chain. RFID can deliver this by offering increased levels of information and control.”
Of particular interest to retailers is the possibility of enhanced security for their products.
“By hosting customer visits to the Centre, we can demonstrate that the most advantageous point in the supply chain to attach an RFID tag to a garment is the manufacturing stage,” explains Samuli Stromberg, Vice President of Marketing at UPM Raflatac. “In this way, it can include information for the whole supply chain right from the beginning, bringing value to all participants in the chain. In addition to tracking and tracing capabilities, RFID offers a means of brand protection and enhanced marketing opportunities.”
In its first year of operation, it is expected to host visits by up to 100 garment manufacturers, brand owners, retailers and logistics providers.
