Radio Frequency Identification Technology for Logistics, Tagging and EPC

Wal-Mart gets into item-level tagging

Friday, July 23, 2010

Starting next month, Wal-Mart will begin the roll out an electronic ID tag scheme to track individual pairs of jeans and underwear, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Removable RFID smart tags on each of the individual garments will enable employees to gain quick access to inventory counts - know how many garments and what sizes should be out on the floor and also know what is still available in the back room.


Wal-Mart has demanded that suppliers add these electronic tags to removable labels or packaging instead of embedding them in clothes, to minimize fears that they could be used to track people’s movements. It also is posting signs informing customers about the tags.

If all goes as planned, the store says other products may eventually be equipped with RFID tags for better inventory management.

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SML Group Ltd announced the launch of its new “ViziT” RFID item visibility solutions for the retail apparel and item tracking applications.

The ViziT solutions include a range of RFID/EAS enabled paper and woven labels, as well as tickets and sticker that can be attached to garments and stacked items. Using the SML ViziT IT cloud based data management software also provides for semi automated inventory control, as well as improved loss prevention by triggering alarms and item identification at the store exit.

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Proclaiming its entrance into the RFID space, Honeywell introduced part of a new product portfolio designed to bring efficiency to the retail industry, the Optimus 5900 RFID mobile computer.

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Leo InnoTech (LIT) and UPM RFID have carried out a large-scale item-level RFID implementation for a Chinese apparel company focusing primarily on warehouse logistics optimization.

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Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a pair of encapsulated RFID mini-transponders designed for applications in animal tagging and asset tracking.

The 12mm TRPGR30TGC and TRPGP40TGC mini-transponders were developed to enable users a battery-free solution for embedding RFID tags into smaller objects across a broader range of applications. These transponders come ready-to-use and are 100 percent backwards compatible with all of TI’s RFID software and readers including power modules, control modules and micro readers.

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Vaughan Public Libraries in Ontario, Ca. are in the final stages of implementing the Fastrac RFID system.

The Fastrac RFID will provide greater convenience to patrons, time savings for the staff and additional security for the library itself. Provided by the partnership between VTLS and mk Sorting Systems, the installation will include several self-checkout kiosks, staff stations, RFID gates, tagging stations, tagging wands and tags.

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2012 is predicted to become a “tipping point” for RFID technology in the retail sector, according to a new study from the VICS Item-Level RFID Initiative (VILRI).

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