On a "road map" of a data stream, the data encrypted in the RFID tag will pass long but route clear journey, in a small chip than needles, thousands of miles, from the manufacturer's warehouse to retail Business distribution center. However, when data is in various intermediates, and eventually, the data will become more complicated when they walk in various applications in the retail supply chain.
Gillette is the top supplier of Wal-Mart, as well as a pioneer user of RFID technology, and its distributed technical architecture designer Leo Burstein believes that all obstacles will be cleared. Burstein is now responsible for solving some of the most difficult issues of standard organization EPCGLOBAL architecture review committee members. Burstein said that because of many things in development, Ji Lee is facing the following balance: How to develop some flexibility to maintain long-term projects while developing some tactical benefits that can be supported in the short term Frame structure.
In Gillette, travel from the software system from the software system, these software systems will specify a unique electronic product code (EPC) for each packing and pallets. The EPC will inject the chip built into the label, and the inner lower side of the tag has a flat thin, such as a coil of the shaving blade. When the label enters the radio frequency identification range of the reader, it will respond to a signal containing the code, so that the data is sent to the EPC middleware for processing.
Once Wal-Mart promotes its RFID efforts and other retailers have followed them, the data will pour the waterfall into the company's IT system. However, the current amount of data is more like a thin stream. Therefore, so far, only several retailers who can be numbered require their suppliers to post the RFID tag package and pallets to the designated distribution center, so that the technical manufacturer can not obtain the required cost. The number of crops.
Since the RFID tag and related system are very expensive and the recent effect is not very clear, there is no big need to put the RFID label for all products now. Retailers only need to know when to send the box and the pallet and what is it inside. As a result, most suppliers can put the merchandise as the RFID tag in this process as soon as possible.
Gillette is no exception, it is one of the eight suppliers involved in the Pilot project of Wal-Mart. Most of the company sent to Wal-Mart's shaving knives, shaving creams and toothpaste packages are labeled in its Illinois distribution center. However, because Ji Lee believes that the sooner is put on this label in this process, the more benefits, the company also launches a pilot project, which is set in the package in Massachusetts. The label ", that is, put the EPC label on the box of the Venus shaving knife.
Like the license sign on the car, EPC can identify the packing or pallet in a unique way. It uses five key parts of information: company code, product code, can uniquely identify the serial number of the item, which can determine the title of different types of labels similar to the consumer goods, and filtering values, this value allows company to read only pickup disk Level label, ignore the packaging tag, and vice versa.
By labeling labels in packaging, Gillette can reduce labor costs related to manual scanning each packing, and control errors
Ji Jie Company is responsible for the director of Auto-ID technology, Jamshed Dubash, said: Today, employees only need to enter 5 key terms for each pallet on the keyboard and 3 code scans. A business process analysis shows that once all the packaging boxes are labeled in the packaging point instead of the distribution center, the company will save 25% of operating costs each year. However, Dubash is immediately added: "Despite the huge benefits from operating cost savings, this is the benefits of collaboration, which is the result of co-work with our retailer partner. Our analysis shows Our 90% of the benefits of retailers is from collaboration results. "Walking in the system
Burstein said that Gillette's EPC data wore thousands of miles on a small chip to the Texas Distribution Center of Wal-Mart and some shopping plazas. If everything goes well, when the label on the packing box and pallet, the arrival of the data will be automatically recorded when the retailer's distribution center or the strategic position of the shopping square is read. Burstein said that Gillette has access to data from Wal-Mart, and works together with the retailer to understand the best use of data.
A spokesperson of Wal-Mart said that the supplier can access the relevant data through its Retail Link website, and a dashboard in the website will provide customization options. It is said that the system has been used during pilot projects, and many suppliers will continue to use it. In addition, Wal-Mart has also launched a description specification for electronic data exchange documents, which allows vendors to receive "all data they read every day on the device based on the device."
Gartner's analyst Jeff Woods said that the data that the supplier can see can not only display the product to the Wal-Mart distribution center and shopping plaza, but also show that the product is moved from the back of the shopping square to the sales In the lobby, because the reader on the garbage crusher will record the box when it is crushed. According to WOODS, the challenge that the supplier will face will be how to obtain the structural access to the data, as this is the most effective way they have returned from RFID. Woods said: "Capture data from Wal-Mart is a very effective process like people think. Many suppliers use some hand-made processes to complete this." At the same time, he pointed out that their supplementary programs, forecasts and directory management systems are also These data is required. However, Woods insisted that even if the supplier can get RFID data, most of them do not know how to handle this data. He said: "Most of them are not ready to use this existence of data in this existence."
When Gillette starts designing its architecture, the starting point is the application of business needs and post office. From this place, the company will go back, first go to the integrated layer, then go to the EPC drive type middleware, finally reach the reader and label containing data. This idea is designed to minimize changes to existing commercial applications, protect the company during the RFID technology conversion, and generate a parsed layer, which will be connected via a series of complex interfaces.
By taking a service-oriented manner, each application is similar to a LEGO block, while the interface is linked to the pin they connect. Any piece of block block can be moved and inserted into another. Burstein said: "You can use the block block that best meet your needs, if you need to replace one, you don't need to change the other building blocks." The current editor of Gillette's architecture has an application layer, This application layer is made from its data warehouse, from the warehouse management system of ProvIA software, and other applications that can handle data.
Integrated and middleware
The integrated layer is located between the enterprise application layer and its EPC drive type middleware from OatSystems. The integrated layer based on Sun Microsystems is responsible for processing data routes between middleware and enterprise systems, safeguarding information transfer, and performing any required protocol or data format conversion. OatSystems's middleware is responsible for collecting data from the reader. Each reader may take a few hundred times per second, then, then filter the data into a separate information, from the perspective of the business process, these The information has an identifiable meaning.
Burstein said that Gillette is currently testing a device concept, which will combine the readers, middleware features, and physical infrastructure to simplify its system.
Burstein said, at the same time, Gillett also strive to standardize the interface through Epcglobal, the most important interface is the interface between the intermediate parts and the enterprise application. The only interface close to the completed interface is the interface between the label and the reader. Burstein admitted: "It's really easy to do!"
Burstein said: "As a terminal user, we encourage the technical provider to open its system, so we don't have to build the 'big chimney' who cannot exchange information between them." But Woods believes that the biggest obstacle to overcome One is how to determine the context of the data being collected. For example, he said that the delivery of the readers need to figure out which labels are installed on the truck and which is just in the way to storage.
At least in the near future, many suppliers simply put the label to the wallet and pallets that need to be sent to Wal-Mart, without considering the adjustment of their systems and business processes to utilize data. Even if Gillette has "very advanced and very defective architecture" said by Woods, it is still a long way to go in a very meaningful use of data.
However, Woods is then said: "If which supplier can figure out how to use data, then it must be Gillette."
The software in the reader detects and interprets the RFID tag of the packing, and then sent the data to the computer system. By using tag data, the system issues a query application to the target naming service (ONS). Ons is part of EPCGlobal's Electronic Product Code (EPC) network, its working principle is very similar to the Internet domain name system for web URL.
Depending on the manufacturer code and product code within the label, the ONS server returns the Internet URL of the EPC information service, which has other data on the package and its content. In this special case, the data about the VENUS shaving knife packing is collected by using the network of readers and EPC middleware, after using Gillette's packaging, after the data is transmitted to Gillette. Business application.
The retailer's system issues a query application by Internet-based security channels, requiring additional information, which can transmit data and confirm the identity of the retailer query system. Gillette's information service receives the query application through security channels, confirming the identity of the retailer's system, and generates a reply based on the access control regulations applicable to the special retailer. Gillette's EPC information service uses the established security channel to send this information to the query system. The retailer's system receives information about the package and its content, and can use this data in its own business system.
