App provides data synchronization services, acts as back-end EPC code and product information repository
Wayne, PA January 20, 2005 FullTilt Solutions this week rolled out the latest version of its product information management (PIM) and data synchronization solution for consumer goods manufacturers, retailers and other companies involved in radio frequency identification (RFID) implementations.
Version 5.0 of FullTilt's Perfect Product Suite provides the internal and external data synchronization services necessary to eliminate conflicting item definitions, outdated item information and other product information errors that can limit the return on an organization's RFID investment, the solution provider said.
It also functions as the back-end reference database required to maintain detailed specifications about the product an electronic product code (EPC) RFID code represents, such as color, dimensions and other attributes needed to translate RFID product movement data into actionable supply chain information, according to FullTilt.
"Deploying RFID without first synchronizing, standardizing and storing your product data in a central repository that is continually updated for accuracy is like building a house without architectural plans," said Bob Moyer, president of FullTilt Solutions. "That's why analysts have named product information management and data synchronization as essential prerequisites for RFID projects."
Moyer said that while RFID systems can provide information on where a product is and when it got there, they don't indicate what the product is or what attributes it has because RFID tags don't have room to store that data. "To make RFID information useful for purposes like inventory management and market basket analysis, you need to know that product 12345 is a blouse, the style, the material, the color and so on," Moyer said. "Our Perfect Product Suite provides both the synchronization capabilities and the product information database that are necessary to reap the full benefits of RFID."
FullTilt said that Perfect Product Suite automates the internal and external data synchronization processes necessary to eliminate duplicates, discrepancies and outdated product information contained in multiple enterprise databases and applications.
The software aggregates product information from enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other systems, adjusts disparate definitions to conform to a uniform standard, dynamically updates and synchronizes information as it changes and provides automated workflow. It maintains all product information and links in a central repository to ensure a single source of "product truth," and outputs data in any format required to synchronize with internal enterprise systems as well as users or external trading partners, according to the solution provider.
Perfect Product Suite supports both manufacturer and retail data synchronization with UCCnet, ECCnet, Transora, WWRE, GHX, IDEA and others in unlimited user-defined custom formats. In addition to supporting RFID implementations, it lays the foundation for companies to comply with data standardization requirements mandated by major retailers and to successfully implement other collaborative initiatives such as collaborative planning forecasting and replenishment, GTIN compliance, data synchronization, scan-based trading and vendor-managed inventory, FullTilt said.
For a look at how Canadian company McCain Foods is overcoming data synchronization challenges in its supply and demand chain, see the article "Building a 'Trusted Source'" in the April/May 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
For more information on trends relating to radio frequency identification, follow this link for an extensive listing of SDCExec.com articles, featuring the latest research findings on the RFID, including adoption, return on investment and barriers to implementation.
For a contrary view of the future of the RFID market, see the article "The O'RFID Factor: A 'No Spin' Look at Where Radio Frequency Identification Is Headed," in the October/November 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
Wayne, PA January 20, 2005 FullTilt Solutions this week rolled out the latest version of its product information management (PIM) and data synchronization solution for consumer goods manufacturers, retailers and other companies involved in radio frequency identification (RFID) implementations.
Version 5.0 of FullTilt's Perfect Product Suite provides the internal and external data synchronization services necessary to eliminate conflicting item definitions, outdated item information and other product information errors that can limit the return on an organization's RFID investment, the solution provider said.
It also functions as the back-end reference database required to maintain detailed specifications about the product an electronic product code (EPC) RFID code represents, such as color, dimensions and other attributes needed to translate RFID product movement data into actionable supply chain information, according to FullTilt.
"Deploying RFID without first synchronizing, standardizing and storing your product data in a central repository that is continually updated for accuracy is like building a house without architectural plans," said Bob Moyer, president of FullTilt Solutions. "That's why analysts have named product information management and data synchronization as essential prerequisites for RFID projects."
Moyer said that while RFID systems can provide information on where a product is and when it got there, they don't indicate what the product is or what attributes it has because RFID tags don't have room to store that data. "To make RFID information useful for purposes like inventory management and market basket analysis, you need to know that product 12345 is a blouse, the style, the material, the color and so on," Moyer said. "Our Perfect Product Suite provides both the synchronization capabilities and the product information database that are necessary to reap the full benefits of RFID."
FullTilt said that Perfect Product Suite automates the internal and external data synchronization processes necessary to eliminate duplicates, discrepancies and outdated product information contained in multiple enterprise databases and applications.
The software aggregates product information from enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other systems, adjusts disparate definitions to conform to a uniform standard, dynamically updates and synchronizes information as it changes and provides automated workflow. It maintains all product information and links in a central repository to ensure a single source of "product truth," and outputs data in any format required to synchronize with internal enterprise systems as well as users or external trading partners, according to the solution provider.
Perfect Product Suite supports both manufacturer and retail data synchronization with UCCnet, ECCnet, Transora, WWRE, GHX, IDEA and others in unlimited user-defined custom formats. In addition to supporting RFID implementations, it lays the foundation for companies to comply with data standardization requirements mandated by major retailers and to successfully implement other collaborative initiatives such as collaborative planning forecasting and replenishment, GTIN compliance, data synchronization, scan-based trading and vendor-managed inventory, FullTilt said.
For a look at how Canadian company McCain Foods is overcoming data synchronization challenges in its supply and demand chain, see the article "Building a 'Trusted Source'" in the April/May 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
For more information on trends relating to radio frequency identification, follow this link for an extensive listing of SDCExec.com articles, featuring the latest research findings on the RFID, including adoption, return on investment and barriers to implementation.
For a contrary view of the future of the RFID market, see the article "The O'RFID Factor: A 'No Spin' Look at Where Radio Frequency Identification Is Headed," in the October/November 2004 issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
