RFID is working, says Wal-Mart

With five Dallas-area distribution centres, nearly 500 Wal-Mart stores, and 140 suppliers equipped to handle radio frequency identification- (RFID) tagged shipments as of last October, Wal-Mart says it has reduced the number of product out-of-stocks on store shelves by 16%, reports the Internet Retailer.

A study by the University of Arkansas shows the process of ordering and receiving RFID-tagged shipments is three times faster than for non-tagged shipments and RFID has helped eliminate excess store inventory due to unnecessary replenishment by suppliers.

As the price of RFID tags continues to drop, Wal-Mart expects the RFID project to expand more quickly. The retailer expects to have more than 300 suppliers live with RFID soon and more than 1 000 stores live by year-end.

iAnywhere Solutions has announced software that manufacturers can embed in their RFID readers to make them smarter.

The RFID Anywhere Appliance solution includes support for several communications protocols including TCP/IP, HTTP and the EPC reader protocol, ARN Net says. It also adds security functions, software for configuring the readers remotely from a Web browser for executing business logic on the reader itself.

British Telecom`s (BT) RFID unit has introduced its first off-the-shelf product that offers customers an active tag system to help track and manage reusable business assets, reports the RFID Journal.

The offering, called Asset Intelligence, is a managed service involving active RFID tags to enable companies to track and manage their reusable business assets without investing in their own RFID systems.

Asset Intelligence bundles together RFID equipment and tags, system design and deployment and the software and server hardware needed to collect and distribute the data.

IT trade body Comptia is set to introduce a qualification for RFID in anticipation of a shortage of experts in the wireless tag technology, reports ITWeek.

According to the report, observers predict demand for RFID skills will soar as large retailers undertake wider roll-outs. The RFID+ qualification, introduced in beta form last year, will have its formal launch in March.

The qualification has already attracted enquiries from a major UK supermarket interested in putting 800 staff through the exam, Comptia says. Topics covered include standards, network design and testing.

Bangkok Hospital has been studying a plan to implement RFID technology to enhance the level of safety for its patients, reports The Nation.

The report says the hospital plans to fully implement RFID this year before expanding it to 13 hospitals in its group in Bangkok and provinces countrywide within three years.

As RFID matures and becomes highly accurate, it is a potential tool to ensure that no medical errors occur during treatment, the hospital says. It is expected that an RFID-based wristband will be issued to patients to carry information about drugs to be used and the correct dosages to be administered.