The German retailer Metro Group and Intermec Technologies successfully demonstrated an interoperable EPC Generation 2 RFID system at the ''2005 ECR Europe Conference and Marketplace''. During the demonstration, Gen 2 smart labels with Gen 2 chips from Impinj and Royal Philips Electronics were read by an Intermec Intellitag IF5 reader.

     During a keynote presentation, an RFID-tagged pallet of RFID-tagged cases was pushed through a portal, simulating a typical supply chain application. "Generation 2 RFID is here now," said Dr Gerd Wolfram, executive project manager for the Metro Group''s Future Store Initiative. "We wanted to ensure that our existing RFID systems would seamlessly migrate forward to the ISO-based Gen 2 solution."

Next step
     The demonstration of the interoperable power of Generation 2 follows the first successful use of an EPC Generation 2 RFID system at METRO Group''s RFID Innovation Centre in Neuss, Germany, in April 2005. The next step will be to equip Metro''s RFID Innovation Centre with Generation 2 technology to test system performance. The companies also plan to update Metro''s Future Store supply chain with Gen 2 capabilities. 116.30.151.81 This article is copyright 2005 UsingRFID.com.

     "The demonstration of Gen 2 tags from two chip providers being read by an Intermec IF5 reader, in production since September 2004, is a significant step forward," said Intermec''s

     vice president Scott Medford, who represented Intermec at ECR. "It dispels the myth that Gen 2 is somewhere in the distant future. It proves that properly designed products can be deployed and then upgraded via software to accommodate new features, standards or regulations. And it clearly demonstrates that several technology companies can work together to create interoperable products that comply with international standards in order to satisfy the requirements of a global economy."

Progress to date
     By the end of 2005, more than 100 Metro Group suppliers are expected to migrate to Generation 2 RFID technology for improved asset tracking and inventory control. METRO Group, which has 2,300 stores in 30 countries around the world, launched its first RFID pilot project in November 2004 and - so far - more than 100,000 pallets have already been read using Metro''s current RFID system.

 

 

 

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