Since multiple radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be read simultaneously and do not require line-of-sight scanning, data flows can be formidable when this type of data carrier is used. Chances are middleware -- or what Salil Godika, vice president and general manager of TraceGuard Systems at GenuOne ( Boston , MA ) describes as a "shock absorber between hardware and enterprise applications" -- will be needed to separate relevant data from the redundant.
"Filtering ? is essential so you don't read things you're not interested in," says David Douglas, senior vice president, products and strategy at ConnecTerra, Inc. ( Fairfax , VA ). After distilling the data, the middleware passes it along to applications like enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain execution (SCE), customer relationship management (CRM) and warehouse management (WM) systems. Other potential functions include monitoring and managing the RFID reader network. Products like GenuOne's TraceGuard emphasize track-and-trace functionality.
RFID middleware is available for virtually any platform and generally is hardware agnostic. Some companies like GenuOne and Acsis Inc. ( Marlton , NJ ) have built RFID functionality into their barcode middleware. Others like Microsoft Corp.'s Microsoft Business Solutions ( Redmond , WA ) and SAP AG ( Walldorf , Germany ) are just bringing RFID middleware to market.
RFTagAware from ConnecTerra is available in versions for Solaris, Linux and Windows servers. RFTagAware not only sifts through the data, but also manages and monitors RF tag readers and servers to ensure reliable operation.
Senseware RFID from OATSystems, Inc. ( Watertown , MA ), an early participant in MIT's Auto-ID Center (now EPCglobal), also provides device management and monitoring as well as data filtering. This platform has been adopted by SCE specialist, MARC Global ( Dulles , VA ), as the basis for its MARC RFID Compliance Kit and MARC RFID Enterprise Edition. The former helps manufacturers comply with RFID mandates from customers. The latter provides added functionality to help manufacturers use the technology in-house to reduce inventory, manual handling, stock-outs, shipping errors, counterfeiting, theft and diversion and improve visibility, profits and decision making.
Working on Microsoft's .NET platform, iMotion 4.0 from GlobeRanger Corp. ( Richardson , TX ) transforms device data into business events, enabling alerts, decision support and real-time response. It also can simplify the design, configuration and management of an RFID reader network through Visual Workflow Editor and Visual Reader Emulator as well as pre-built component libraries.
Microsoft Business Solutions currently is piloting RFID technology at KiMs ( Funen , Denmark ), a snack food producer, which ships about 10,000 pallets of product per year. The pilot project went live in December 2003 and monitors finished goods as pallets move from production to a third-party warehouse. The system relies on read/write tags and delivers data to KiMs's Axapta warehouse management system, also from Microsoft. Knowledge gained from the pilot work will enable Microsoft Business Solutions to RFID-enable its Axapta warehouse management system starting in 2005.
For users of SAP systems, Acsis offers DataPass, which takes data captured from RFID or barcode scanners, checks it for accuracy and then passes it to the ERP system in real-time. It's been implemented by Bayer CropScience ( Dormagen , Germany ) at 13 warehouse facilities.
SAP launched its own RFID middleware in January 2004. Based on its work for the METRO Group Future Store, which opened in April 2003 in Rheinberg, Germany, the Java-based solution packages the new SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure with SAP Event Management and SAP Enterprise Portal and is compatible with SAP and non-SAP IT environments. Key functions include management and communication of RFID data and tracking and tracing capability. "Our packaged RFID solution merges the virtual world of data with the real world of RFID-tagged assets," says Claus Heinrich, executive board member, SAP. He concludes, "By providing accurate, real-world, real-time data and information, the solution enables companies to close the loop between capturing data, converting it to meaningful information and automating all associated transactions and processes."
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