Get Ready… Get Set… GO!

From Evaluation to ActionMoving RFID Projects Beyond the Pilot Phase

Professor Bill Hardgrave,Director RFID Research Center,University of Arkansas

Joe WhiteVice President, RFIDMotorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions

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RFID Evolution

• Closed Loop

• In-Company Value

• Beyond UHF, Beyond HF. . .

• Value Beyond Middleware

• Horizontal Asset Management

• Item-Level Benefits Before Supply Chain

• RFID Sensing Technology

Technologies

Value Beyond The Supply Chain

• Closed Loop Defining Factor• Proven Business Value/ROI• Unplanned, New Applications

• Gen 2 Success• Proliferation of Locationing

Technologies• Multi-Technology Integration

Industries & Applications

Where It’s At . . .

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Asset Management

Here and Now

2009 and Beyond

Aggressive Growth in Defined Markets

Retail Item Level Visibility

Supply Chain Management

Cold Chain - Perishables

Aviation/Baggage Tracking

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Leading Adoption

From Evaluation to Action

• Getting Ready• Education | Evaluation

• Getting Set• Deployment Definition

• GO!• When? How Deep?

Getting Ready

Education

Technology Evaluation

Management/Stakeholder Buy-In• Data Ownership

Business Process Analysis

GettingReady

The Technology Works!

• Validating the Application, Not the Technology

• Buying Solutions / Solution Sets, Not a Product

At The End of The Day, A Better Way To Count!

Business Process Analysis

•Will identify:• Needed Read Points• Data Flow• Low Hanging Fruit

•Output:• Determine Technologies• Identify Stakeholders• Target Areas of Benefit

Its a mandatory process that will determine your success or failure!

High Number of SKU’s

High Valued Items

High Velocity Items

Closed Loop

Reusable

Traceable

Tagging Logistics

Is RFID the Right Fit?

Technology Evaluation

Data Capacity

Capability

Asset Requirements

Range

Geography

Costs

Security

Environment

Industry Traction

Innovation Curve

The Right Identification Technology may be a combination of technologies

Range

Cost

EAS

UWB

UHF RFID

WIFI

Proxim

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Battery Assisted UHF

HF/NFC

Barcodes

Getting Set

Communicate Out

Clearly Defined Pilot

Set Measureable Goals

Avoid Scope-Creep

Site Surveys

Technology Selection• 100% Science, 0% Art

Ecosystem Build Out• SW, HW, Integration• Complete Solution vs. Ad Hoc• Industry/Deployment Expertise

GettingSet

Start Somewhere. . .

GO!

Validation• Expectations/Assumptions

Evaluate Lessons Learned

Adjustments

When to go Open Loop?

Prepare/Espouse Consumer Privacy Objections

Follow the Early Leaders . . .

GO !

RFID at AA

Overview

• In the beginning:• Wholesale clothing (t-shirts) began in 1998• Emphasize vertical integration, sweatshop-free, American made

products • Pro-labor philosophy• First retail store in Montreal in 2003

• Today:• Retail is composed of 240 stores

and growing• AA employs over 9000• Wholesale represents half of

revenue - approx. 65% of sales• One manufacturing facility located

in downtown L.A.

Getting Ready - Environment

• Closed-loop system

• Made in U.S.A.

• Quick Inventory turnover

• 26,000+ SKU’s

• Boutique sales floor

• Inventory management labor intensive

• Young, enthusiastic employees

Getting Ready

Pilot Goals

• Test RFID capabilities for accuracy, performance and adaptability.

• Increase visibility thru item level tagging• Effective management of inventory

• Improve accuracy/reliability• Decrease labor and margin for human error• Keep sales floor @ 100%

• Keep it simple• Low Impact

Getting Ready

Hardware

• Matching the appropriate hardware to solution.• Motorola/Symbol 9090 handhelds

for “cycle counting”• Motorola/Symbol XR440 Readers

w/ AN400 antenna’s @ Portals• IntelliPads @ Commissioning

Station

Software

• TrueVUE Essentials• Out of box functionality to address RFID goals• Test hardware• U.S. company• Location near factory

RFID Tags

• Avery Dennison AD222 hang tag and sticker tag

• Performance vs. form factor• Durable/reliable• Attach with existing price tag• Reusable

Location for Pilot

• Columbia University store in NYC

• Average sales comparably• Large stockroom• Dedicated staff• Location/resources• Exit strategy

Getting Set

Getting Set - Installation

• Hardware• Network• Portals/stairwells• Commissioning stations• Black boxes for POS/transfers• 2 Handhelds• Insulate metal shelving

• Software• Server• Commissioning• Handheld

• Testing• Accurate reads• Speed• Reliability• Staff acceptance

Getting Set - Preparation

• Remove unnecessary inventory

• Tagging• 100% of inventory

• Commissioning

• 4 stations consisting of:• IntelliPad• Barcode scanner• PC w/ VUE commissioning software

Getting Set

Inventory Management

• Scanning/counting• Sales floor – 1 Zone• Stockroom – 22 Zones

• Movement of product• Stairwell portals

• Between front and backroom

• Receiving new product/incoming transfers• Tag/commission• Cycle count to inventory

• Maintain 100% sales floor occupancy• Using all capture points w/ VUE

software• Real-time reporting

Results

Counting inventory using 2 handhelds

• Sales floor• 2 people, 2 hours

• Approx. 12,000 items

• Validations proved 99+% accuracy

• Stockroom• 2 people 3.5 hours

• Approx. 28,000 items

• Item counts proved 99% accuracy

Moving inventory through portals• Capturing items moving between backroom and front

• 80+% accuracy using traditional carrying methods

• 90+% accuracy with modified methods

GO !

Lessons Learned

Handhelds• Performance

• 90 degree rule• Lag/hesitation• Long range reads• Shadowing of tags

• Folded items: fluff tags with free hand• Hanging items: separate and shake

hangers

• Metal• Contact interference• RF barrier

• Hangers: orient handheld below hangers

• Fixtures on wall: spacers

Lessons Learned

Captures at portals• More product = lower accuracy

• Carry less items• Shake items in-front of antenna to expose tags

• Reads through walls and RF reflection• Create shielding• Adjust attenuation and angle of projection

Operations• Wrongly encoded tags• Flawed inventory data• Handheld misuse

It’s Going

• Enterprise system up and running• Source tagging at L.A. factory• Santa Monica Store

• Immediate sales increase of 15%• Removed over 60 hours of labor/week

• 20 stores in NYC RFID ready• Tagging At Manufacture

• Challenge: tagging store’s current stock• 700,000+ items in NYC alone• Store level tagging when receiving transfers

GO !

Toward Better Counting

• READY• Commitment• Definition

• SET• 1 Store• 40K Items

• GO!• 20 Store Roll-Out• 800K Items

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

National Rollout => NOV• 225 Stores

Get Ready… Get Set… GO!

From Evaluation to ActionMoving RFID Projects Beyond the Pilot Phase

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Thank You!