Intermec claims the project is the world's first real-life implementation of Gen 2 tags in a retail supply chain application.
Within a tight two-week timescale the companies upgraded Metro's Intermec IF5 RFID reader working with IBM RFID middleware to read multi-vendor Gen 2 smart labels. Core to the project was the upgrade of the existing standard specification IF5 RFID reader and IBM WebSphere Device Infrastructure and Premises Server software to fully functioning Gen 2 specification. Pallets of goods labelled with Gen 2 tags received are scanned at the goods receiving dock portal by an Intermec IF5 reader, which uses the IBM RFID middleware to collect and filter data, execute business processes and integrate the RFID information with software applications for enterprise resource planning and warehouse management applications.
"This completes a further stage in our implementation of Generation 2 RFID," says Gerd Wolfram, managing director of MGI Metro Group Information Technology. "Again it has demonstrated IBM and Intermec's strong leadership in migrating quickly and seamlessly from our existing RFID systems to the ISO-based Gen 2 solution."
"Following this successful Gen 2 implementation, the next stage is to implement Gen 2 in Metro Group's Essen distribution centre," says Dr Bernd Büker, IBM Business Consulting Services, retail industry executive. "Our clients want more intelligent, more sophisticated readers, so they can push processing to the edge of the network. Our software has helped them achieve this."
