As part of its continuing commitment to provide practical advice and guidance to the industry, GS1 UK, the UK authority on global cross-sector supply chain standards, has today announced the online launch of two new planning tools for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) implementation. Combined, these offer a complete end-to-end guide to RFID planning, from enabling companies to assess its value through to preparing to implement it in their business.
The return on investment (ROI) calculator is an online tool designed to help companies better understand the impact of RFID. With analyst IDTechEx predicting that the global market for RFID technology will be worth 14.1bn a year by 2015, this tool is designed to provide retailers, manufacturers and distributors with a basic analysis of the cost implications and benefits RFID adoption would bring to their company.
The tool allows companies to experiment with different scenarios for the use of RFID, helping them evaluate which variables will provide optimal ROI. It also calculates approximate costs, potential savings per year and the time it would take to write off the cost of investment.
The EPCglobal UK Implementation Planning Guide has been developed to assist organisations planning pilots or implementations of RFID technology in the UK. Written in accessible, non-technical language, the guide provides an overview of the initial steps that companies need to take in order to prepare for an RFID trial or roll-out, covering subjects such as the relevance of global standards, the importance of field trials, the selection of tags and readers, technical pitfalls to avoid and the data to be held on the tags.
There is a lot of debate surrounding the implementation of RFID, and these new tools are designed to take away the uncertainty. They will enable companies to build a business case and anticipate what could be involved in a trial before making a commitment. It is important that companies are fully prepared both financially and organisationally when they come to implement it, says David Lyon, EPCglobal Line of Business Manager, GS1 UK.
The ROI Calculator and EPCglobal UK Planning and Implementation Guide are available from the GS1 UK website at http://www.gs1uk.org/txt_temp.asp?fid=318
GS1 UK will provide further information on best practice in RFID at the GS1 UK EPCglobal Conference and Exhibition, 7 June 2005, The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. The event will report on the latest in RFID standards with strategic guidance and implementation experience from leading companies including Wal-Mart, Tesco, Gillette, Astra Zeneca, IBM Business Consulting Services, BT Auto-ID Services and Ovum.
For additional information on the conference and exhibition, and to register: Visit www.gs1uk.org/epcglobal
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