Vizional Supports Sun's RFID Infrastructure Software

Solution providers aim to let retailers track inventory from distribution center to store shelf

New York — January 29, 2004 — Supply chain solution provider Vizional Technologies is supporting Sun Microsystems' radio frequency identification infrastructure software in a move to let retailers track inventory from distribution center to store shelf.

Vizional says its applications, combined with Sun's RFID hardware and software, which will be available in the second quarter of this year, have the potential to transform the retail supply chain by providing greater visibility of assets and inventory and the ability to react quickly to disruptions in the supply chain.

Tracking cases and pallets as they move through the supply chain will give retailers unique opportunities to be more productive and to minimize the risk of product shrinkage and misplaced product, Vizional asserted.

"Vizional's long standing expertise in providing RFID enabled supply chain solutions is well aligned with Sun Microsystems' new RFID infrastructure software and will allow our customers to get the most out of an RFID implementation and have the competitive edge necessary in today's retail environment," said Eddie Shek, Vizional's chief technology officer.

Sun's RFID infrastructure software, based on Java technology, is designed to provide integration with a variety of RFID devices, such as readers, scanners or other handheld devices, to collect and forward information with minimal supervision and downtime. The Sun platform is also designed to facilitate integration with legacy systems and best-of-breed enterprise applications and solutions, according to Vizional.

Julie Sarbacker, director of the Auto-ID Business Unit at Sun Microsystems, said that retailers will be able to look to Sun and Vizional for a standards-based RFID solution that will synchronize supply with demand, minimize shrinkage and streamline operations.

Two recent additions to Vizional's supply chain software line are Asset RFID and Inventory RFID. Both packages are intended to leverage the potential of RFID tracked items to provide a more visible and productive supply chain. Part of the development of these applications has been the inclusion of support for Sun's RFID infrastructure software that will transmit tag information from reader networks into the Vizional applications.

For more information on trends relating to RFID, see the following articles:

• Auto-ID Could Save Billions (February 6, 2003)


• Benetton: No RFID Tags in Garments...Yet (April 9, 2003)


• Broader RFID Adoption Seen by 2005 (June 16, 2003)


• RFID Picks Up Momentum (July 9, 2003)


• Who's Buying RFID? (August 22, 2003)


• RFID: Beyond Barcodes (September 3, 2003)


• Global RFID Market to be $3 Billion by 2007 (October 1, 2003)


• Retailers to See More RFID Benefits Than Manufacturers  Study (November 12, 2003)


• Retail Spending on RFID Seen Rising in "Fits and Spurts" (January 8, 2004)

i>For more information on the use of RFID solutions in the supply chain, see "Needle in a Supply Chain Haystack," the Net Best Thing column in the January 2002 issue of iSource Business (now Supply & Demand Chain Executive) magazine.