Menlo Worldwide to Use Provia's Software for 3PL RFID Solution

Global 3PL to use warehouse management system as part of RFID compliance solution for customers

Global 3PL to use warehouse management system as part of RFID compliance solution for customers

Grand Rapids, MI and Redwood City, CA — July 2, 2004 — supply chain execution software solutions provider Provia Software and its partner Menlo Worldwide, a global supply chain management, transportation and logistics company, announced today that Menlo will use Provia Software's warehouse management system with radio frequency identification (RFID) capabilities, as part of Menlo's Full RFID offering to the company's customers.

A growing number of major retail industry leaders, including Wal-Mart and Target, as well as the Department of Defense, have announced RFID/electronic product code (EPC) mandates beginning January 2005 to begin receiving cases and pallets delivered to them to be RFID compliant. Menlo Worldwide said it will use its partnership with Provia to offer supply chain solutions with RFID/EPC features.

"Many companies that supply these retail giants are struggling with how to deal with RFID compliance issues, and many others are running out of time to implement a compliant solution of their own," said Paul Crist, Provia's vice president of global sales and marketing. "Outsourcing to a third-party logistics provider is a logical option. For companies like that, being able to offload a portion of their distribution to a company like Menlo Worldwide can offer a supplier some peace of mind."

Menlo Worldwide Logistics has already completed one pilot RFID warehouse project and is currently working on two more. These pilots are focused on RFID, enabling the receiving of tagged material from contract manufacturers and the shipping of RFID-compliant products to key retail customers.

Richard Carroll, vice president of information technology at Menlo Worldwide Technologies, commented, "Using Provia's RFID-enabled WMS solution enables our customers to achieve the benefits of RFID compliance with a minimum investment and risk. As RFID technology and standards evolve, our customers can keep up without having to bear continuing development and implementation costs on their own."

Menlo Worldwide now offers numerous RFID solutions that can increase supply chain performance and reduce supply chain costs. These range from basic RFID tag application services and facility-enablement, to strategic consulting services. Menlo Worldwide said it can RFID-enable cases, cartons or pallets, as well as shipping and receiving operations, warehouses and full factories.

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