METRO Group Taps SAMSys for Future Store InitSaid Gerd Wolfram, executive project manager of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative: "We require a reader that will handle the demands of a portals installation and [that] complies with both the current and future ETSI European RF standards. The SAMSys reader has demonstrated all these to our satisfaction, allowing us to move forward with our RFID plans."
METRO Group Taps SAMSys for Future Store Initiative
By Editorial Staff
International retailer to use provider's readers in RFID supply chain rollout set to begin in November
Toronto, Ontario — July 14, 2004 — The radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions group of international retailer METRO Group's has tapped RFID specialist SAMSys Technologies as a solution provider for the company's Future Store Initiative, with SAMSys set to provide RFID readers for METRO Group's supply chain initiative set to begin in November.
The METRO Group is the world's fourth-largest trading and retailing group, operating at almost 2,400 locations in 28 different countries, with more than 240,000 employees.
The retailer has selected various RFID partners that will provide hardware, software, integration and installation services for its previously announced mandate for its top suppliers to begin using RFID tags when shipping cases and pallets to selected distribution centers and outlets by November of this year.
SAMSys immediately will begin producing the anticipated requirements for this rollout and has already integrated its readers into the METRO Group's RFID Innovation Center located in Neuss, Germany, where the retailer will present its solutions to its top suppliers from this point onwards. METRO Group plans to begin its RFID supply chain rollout in November.
"We have been working with the METRO Group for quite some time and have provided training, consulting and testing of our [electronic product code (EPC)] reader technology as they have explored many alternatives," noted Cliff Horwitz, chairman and CEO of SAMSys. "Clearly, the solution works and it now moves the process forward from planning to implementation."
SAMSys joins other RFID hardware and software companies as a partner on a team that is charged with bringing about the reality of RFID for METRO Group. Other selected companies include Philips Semiconductors, IBM, Checkpoint, Avery Dennison, Intermec and UPM Rafsec. This team is to meet regularly with project managers from METRO Group in order to meet the timetables and guidelines for this November implementation.
Said Gerd Wolfram, executive project manager of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative: "We require a reader that will handle the demands of a portals installation and [that] complies with both the current and future ETSI European RF standards. The SAMSys reader has demonstrated all these to our satisfaction, allowing us to move forward with our RFID plans."
SAMSys will provide METRO Group its MP9329 V2.7 reader, which operates as an "agile multi-frequency, multi-protocol" UHF reader and is approved for frequency and power settings in both the United States and Europe. The reader will be deployed with the Philips Semiconductor EPC 1.19 chip-based tag, as selected by METRO Group.
SAMSys is the originator of the agile multi-frequency, multi-protocol and multi-regional UHF reader architecture, which is becoming accepted as a standard for supply chain solutions.