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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Aethon announced recently that it’s automated tracking and chain-of-custody system - MedEx - is now operational at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

The MedEx System serves as enhancement to the TUG robot, also developed by Aethon, and allows hospital pharmacies to know the real-time location and status of medications throughout the facility. Combining passive RFID technology and biometrics capabilities built into the TUG secure carts, MedEx automatically creates an electronic chain-of-custody receipt including the person, location, and date/time indicating when an item is placed in and removed from the TUG.

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Canadian reader and tag provider GAO RFID Asset Tracking has rolled out a long range active RFID UHF beacon tag appropriate for tracking mobile assets, controlling access or online inventory, and locating assets or personnel in designated areas.

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TJS, a provider in item level tracking for jewelers, announced the availability of the ZeroShrink Starter Kit, an affordable solution for store owners who seek to automate daily inventories and reduce shrink.

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Zebra, a provider in specialty printing and automatic identification solutions, announced its high performance RFID printer/encoder for high-volume item-level tagging: the R110Xi4.

With Zebra’s patent-pending Adaptive Encoding technology, the RXi4 can detect the RFID inlay position within the label and automatically configure the printer/encoder without having to manually calibrate for the inlay, thus ensuring tag accuracy and saving time and money.

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German studies are under way to show the effects of RFID tagging and how it can improve the tracking and verification of pharmaceutical products throughout the supply chain, even down to the individual packs, according to a Securing Pharma report.

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MovieQ, an automated movie and game rental chain, is using UPM Raflatac RFID tags, along with a proprietary, RFID-enabled robotic solution to streamline entertainment selection and rental processes for California consumers.

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