Sour cream company deploys GlobeRanger's platform for developing radio frequency identification solution in the warehouse
Richardson, TX March 3, 2006 Sour cream manufacturer Daisy Brand has implemented a platform from GlobeRanger for developing radio frequency identification solution for its warehouse operations as the company looks to gain operational efficiencies through new RFID technology.
With the latest round of retail mandates for radio frequency ID, Daisy Brand wanted to deploy RFID technology not just to satisfy upcoming compliance mandates but also to gain efficiencies to offset the cost of deployment. This move is part of a larger trend among companies looking beyond compliance to gain lasting business value out of their RFID investments.
One improvement area that Daisy Brand identified where RFID would make a significant impact was tracking finished goods inventory to the staging area and then to a truck for delivery. For the project, the company looks to improve the accuracy of fulfilling orders and increase efficiency in tracking finished goods, while improving productivity of forklift drivers.
Orchestrating Multiple Devices
Daisy Brand's IS team looked for an RFID development toolkit that would let them create the solution without extensive software development yet allow flexibility to easily reconfigure solution components for future applications. The capability to deliver reliable performance and to integrate with Daisy Brand's existing warehouse management system is also critical. After extensive evaluations, Daisy Brand selected GlobeRanger's iMotion Edgeware platform as the foundation for developing their solution.
The solution involves the tagging of finished goods, tracking finished goods movement via RFID readers installed on a forklift and real-time integration of tracking information with Daisy Brand's warehouse management system. GlobeRanger's iMotion platform gave the IS team the ability to orchestrate multiple edge devices integrated with operational processes.
Types of devices controlled and managed by the iMotion platform include: RFID forklift and portal readers, RFID printers, in-line barcode scanners, and a pallet tag applicator. Additionally, iMotion's event workflow and process management capabilities enables the Daisy Brand team to establish multiple data integration points with existing systems and execute business rules.
Building on Compliance
"Daisy Brand runs an efficient warehouse operation, and we are always looking for ways to provide continuous improvement without increasing manufacturing cost," said Kevin Brown, director of information systems at Daisy Brand. "For this project, we wanted to take advantage of what we learned from our compliance experience and extend it to other areas of operations. GlobeRanger's iMotion platform gave us the flexible foundation that we needed to evolve our solutions."
At the start of the project, Daisy Brand's IS team participated in GlobeRanger's three-day training program to learn iMotion's features/functionality and to develop solutions using iMotion's software development kit. The training program also provided a hands-on environment where the team learned to leverage iMotion in setting up an RFID device network, configuring the device network to capture the appropriate RFID data, designing a dataflow that supports a specific business process, and testing the solution in an emulated environment.
In addition to the standard training program, the team spent an extra day working with GlobeRanger's development team in an interactive session to design new RFID-enabled processes and solution components.
"Daisy Brand is a great example of how a company can leverage its RFID investment to continuously gain operational efficiencies," said Larry Chandler, vice president of business development for GlobeRanger. "With GlobeRanger's comprehensive training, Daisy Brand will be able to use iMotion to deliver the most cost-effective, flexible and extensible solutions to meet short-term and long-term needs."
Additional Articles of Interest
As market conditions continue to change, manufacturers are looking for any extra advantage against their competitors. Could a manufacturing execution system be the solution? Read more in "Extending Supply Chain Execution in Production to Improve Fulfillment," an SDCExec.com exclusive.
Got reverse logistics? Learn how one company's high-velocity "reverse logistics" operation put its ERP system to the test by making pre-owned network equipment available globally. Read more in the SDCExec.com exclusive "5 Principles for a Better Reverse Logistics Operation."
Richardson, TX March 3, 2006 Sour cream manufacturer Daisy Brand has implemented a platform from GlobeRanger for developing radio frequency identification solution for its warehouse operations as the company looks to gain operational efficiencies through new RFID technology.
With the latest round of retail mandates for radio frequency ID, Daisy Brand wanted to deploy RFID technology not just to satisfy upcoming compliance mandates but also to gain efficiencies to offset the cost of deployment. This move is part of a larger trend among companies looking beyond compliance to gain lasting business value out of their RFID investments.
One improvement area that Daisy Brand identified where RFID would make a significant impact was tracking finished goods inventory to the staging area and then to a truck for delivery. For the project, the company looks to improve the accuracy of fulfilling orders and increase efficiency in tracking finished goods, while improving productivity of forklift drivers.
Orchestrating Multiple Devices
Daisy Brand's IS team looked for an RFID development toolkit that would let them create the solution without extensive software development yet allow flexibility to easily reconfigure solution components for future applications. The capability to deliver reliable performance and to integrate with Daisy Brand's existing warehouse management system is also critical. After extensive evaluations, Daisy Brand selected GlobeRanger's iMotion Edgeware platform as the foundation for developing their solution.
The solution involves the tagging of finished goods, tracking finished goods movement via RFID readers installed on a forklift and real-time integration of tracking information with Daisy Brand's warehouse management system. GlobeRanger's iMotion platform gave the IS team the ability to orchestrate multiple edge devices integrated with operational processes.
Types of devices controlled and managed by the iMotion platform include: RFID forklift and portal readers, RFID printers, in-line barcode scanners, and a pallet tag applicator. Additionally, iMotion's event workflow and process management capabilities enables the Daisy Brand team to establish multiple data integration points with existing systems and execute business rules.
Building on Compliance
"Daisy Brand runs an efficient warehouse operation, and we are always looking for ways to provide continuous improvement without increasing manufacturing cost," said Kevin Brown, director of information systems at Daisy Brand. "For this project, we wanted to take advantage of what we learned from our compliance experience and extend it to other areas of operations. GlobeRanger's iMotion platform gave us the flexible foundation that we needed to evolve our solutions."
At the start of the project, Daisy Brand's IS team participated in GlobeRanger's three-day training program to learn iMotion's features/functionality and to develop solutions using iMotion's software development kit. The training program also provided a hands-on environment where the team learned to leverage iMotion in setting up an RFID device network, configuring the device network to capture the appropriate RFID data, designing a dataflow that supports a specific business process, and testing the solution in an emulated environment.
In addition to the standard training program, the team spent an extra day working with GlobeRanger's development team in an interactive session to design new RFID-enabled processes and solution components.
"Daisy Brand is a great example of how a company can leverage its RFID investment to continuously gain operational efficiencies," said Larry Chandler, vice president of business development for GlobeRanger. "With GlobeRanger's comprehensive training, Daisy Brand will be able to use iMotion to deliver the most cost-effective, flexible and extensible solutions to meet short-term and long-term needs."
Additional Articles of Interest
As market conditions continue to change, manufacturers are looking for any extra advantage against their competitors. Could a manufacturing execution system be the solution? Read more in "Extending Supply Chain Execution in Production to Improve Fulfillment," an SDCExec.com exclusive.
Got reverse logistics? Learn how one company's high-velocity "reverse logistics" operation put its ERP system to the test by making pre-owned network equipment available globally. Read more in the SDCExec.com exclusive "5 Principles for a Better Reverse Logistics Operation."
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