Both Sun and Capgemini claim that the RFID solution is unique because it has been designed from the ground up to optimise the full supply chain. The solution addresses business justification and supply chain modelling, as well as expertise in the application landscape at both the enterprise and middleware levels.
"RFID adds a new level of granularity to supply chain data and has great potential to optimise inventory management across enterprises," said Christopher Boone, program manager with IDC. "To take advantage of RFID, retailers and CPG companies will have to re-evaluate and reengineer supply chain processes as well as the applications and databases that support these processes."
Sun and Capgemini RFID solutions are based on the Sun Java Enterprise System software, an open and integrated software system, and Sun's RFID infrastructure software that features self-healing and provisioning and works with leading EPC-enabled readers. Sun's EPC-compliant RFID software is supported on a full range of systems available from Sun, including Solaris x86 or Linux -based Operating Systems through high-end SMP environments leveraging UltraSPARC processors and Solaris OS.
"Capgemini and Sun are working together with customers to build collaborative RFID solutions that allow organizations of all shapes and sizes to go 'beyond compliance' to seek competitive advantage in their supply chain," said Mal Postings, global Mobility leader, Capgemini. "We provide companies with an expertise based on first-hand experience and real-world implementations."
Julie Sarbacker, director of the Auto-ID Business Unit at Sun Microsystems said: "Our co-developed solution is part of an ongoing effort to deliver the most secure, RFID solutions to the market. We understand the pain points in the transition and process for retailers and distributors, and we're designing end-to-end solutions with our partners to reduce the complexity and costs from the equation."
Sun Microsystems' standards-based, RFID solution is a comprehensive end-to-end offering that includes hardware, software, services and best-in-class partnerships. The company has been working to make RFID technology an extension of web services and an integral part of software infrastructure such as the Sun Java Enterprise System.
Comprehensive RFID-enabling software to help manufacturers achieve RFID compliance has also been launched by RedPrairie The new RFID 360SM suite operates from printing and reading tag-embedded labels to filtering and aggregating data.
"Companies face totally new challenges meeting the RFID shipment requirements of major retailers while also attempting to leverage RFID investments to improve operations and generate ROI," said RedPrairie company leader John Jazwiec.
" It takes expert guidance in software integration, hardware selection, placement and tuning, and thorough testing to make sure customers can drive real value. RFID 360 covers all of these services bundled with the right choice of software for any environment."
Stringent legislation, consumer concerns about food safety and growing pressure from retailers have forced food manufacturers to look at every possible means of ensuring traceability and efficiency throughout the supply chain. RFID is increasingly being seen as the most viable solution.
The importance of the concept is that it recognises the interconnectness of the food industry. It suggests that that closer collaboration between every aspect of the food supply chain is inevitable.
Legislation has been a significant driver. The recent US Bioterrorism Act and forthcoming EU legislation on traceability have added to the pressure on manufacturers to get their house in order and be able to trace products right through the chain. The problem traditionally has been a lack of investment in the food production sector.
This is now beginning to happen on the manufacturing side, through tracking and tracing and through closer collaboration with retailers. Industry experts believe that over the next few years, manufacturers will have achieved significantly tighter control over their processing and packaging operations.
Ultimately, it is in the manufacturer's long-term interest to invest in a system that can trace and organise operations from start to finish. The cost of compensation or a product recall means that the cost of installing an RFID system is less of a factor than it ever was.