Solutions News - IBM adds three-pronged RFID integration service

IBM has announced the worldwide launch of an integration service for retailers to use RFID tagging in the supply chain.

The new package saw its debut at the Product Code Symposium in Chicago last week. It comprises consulting expertise and integration software, built on the company's Websphere integration suite.

According to IT newswire CNETNews.com, IBM will offer a three-phase adoption strategy through the service - consulting, a 12-week pilot programme and then full roll-out.

IBM said the launch was driven by the level of maturity of RFID as a supply-chain management tool in retail.

Chris Mason, leader of IBM's EMEA supply chain practice, explained that the standards body for RFID, the Auto ID Centre, has decreed that standards for the technology are now robust enough for it to be deployed in the real world.

'All retailers have a proprietary coding structure they have developed to deal with their stock, down to the level of the pallet or the case,' he said. 'But now they can go down to the item. The problem for them is how they integrate these legacy systems with the new standards set up to deal with RFID.'