RFID Hits Retail
Gerry Weber, an international fashion and lifestyle company based in Germany has recently deployed Trimble's ThingMagic M5e and M5e-Compact RFID reader modules as part of an inventory management system.
ThingMagic embedded RFID readers power several components of the system including handheld scanners used for inventory, Point-Of-Sale (POS) devices, and Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) gate antennas. Gerry Webber has implemented the system in 150 "Houses of Gerry Weber" retail stores in Germany and throughout Europe.
To streamline its inventory and order management processes, the company recently began embedding EPC Gen 2 RFID tags from Avery Dennison into the care labels of approximately 25 million garments it manufactures annually. During the receiving process at its retail locations, Gerry Weber staff scan the RFID tags with Nordic ID PL3000 UHF RFID Cross Dipole handhelds powered by ThingMagic M5e-Compact embedded RFID readers. Use of RFID for this inventory activity can save store employees significant amount of time because it eliminate the need for counting items by hand or scaning individual barcodes when orders arrive. The Nordic ID mobile computers are also being used for retail floor inventory, resulting in reduced labor requirements, increased inventory accuracy, and improved product availability.
RFID-enabled point of sale and electronic article surveillance systems designed by RAKO Security-Label GmbH have also been deployed by Gerry Weber to automate purchasing and electronic theft-protection processes. The highly integrated system includes ThingMagic M5e embedded RFID readers to automate the acquisition of sales information at the point of purchase and provide protection against potential shoplifters by detecting items leaving the store. In addition to automating purchase data collection, the system sends an alert when removed items have no record of being scanned at point of sale, indicating a potential theft.
"Gerry Weber has made a commitment to RFID based upon the significant value its extensive testing and business case analysis has proven," said Bernd Schoner, vice president, Business Development of Trimble's ThingMagic Division. "The use of our powerful embedded RFID engines lays the foundation for several applications in retail environments. We are very pleased to be a part of this initiative solution and believe it provides yet another exceptional example of the value of RFID in the retail market."
Companies serving the retail market — like Nordic ID and RAKO Security-Label — choose ThingMagic RFID modules for their small form factor, ease of integration, and superior tag read rate across a variety of operating conditions. The ThingMagic family of embedded RFID readers are designed to enable mobile and stationary devices from battery-powered hand-held readers where small size and low power consumption are essential, to application specific devices like POS terminals and EAS solutions where extended read ranges and rapid tag singulation are required.
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