Nordic IDea Customer Magazine 2010
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Transcript of Nordic IDea Customer Magazine 2010
NORDIC ID’S CUSTOMER NEWSLETTER 2010
CASE STUDIES
RETAIL- Kaiser’s Tengelmann- Euronics Friesoythe
LOGISTICS- Assistor- Tuko Logistics
OTHERS- London Underground - Martela- Premio Reifen + Autoservice
We in Nordic ID have a strong faith in
the future of RFID technology. Although
RFID is still crawling up from the Trough
of Disillusionment of Gartner’s hype cycle,
RFID’s share of our revenue has increased
rapidly, even during the economic down-
turn. Th at is why we are and want to remain
the pacesetter in mobile RFID technology.
By introducing a new version of Morphic RFID, Nordic ID has taken a big step ahead. We have developed technology which makes it possible to utilize RFID extensively inside and outside storage areas. WLAN communications combined with GPS and identifi cation makes the way for completely new powerful applications in supply chain control.
Our customers have a great number of suc-
cessful RFID implementations. And more,
they are serious with their future plans with
RFID. Also in this paper we explain how,
for example, Assistor Car Logistics and the
London Underground have utilized RFID
technology in their own logistics and main-
tenance activities. Nordic ID provides mo-
bile devices for professional use enabling
customers to improve their inventory man-
agement, customer service, communication
and supply chain control.
To be successful, RFID must be made easy,
understandable, and aff ordable. Made easy
means ergonomics and ease of integration
and ease of use. Th e fi rst mobile phones re-
in mobile RFID
RFID must be made easy, understandable, and aff ordable.
sembled house bricks and could be used only
in a limited area – pretty much like mobile
RFID readers today. Look where the devel-
opment has taken the phones.
When engineers try to push mysterious technology to the market, they will meet resistance. In the worst case, the new tech-nology is seen as a threat, because new and unknown always contains the risk of failure. In addition, in many countries the govern-ment sees RFID as violating people’s privacy rather than increasing productivity. All this, because the benefi ts of RFID, among them speed and cost effi ciency, are not yet known to any great extent.
For the time being, the small and under-developed RFID market keeps prices high. However, compared to barcode readers RFID readers have, generally speaking, lower manufacturing costs. Aff ordable but high performance readers will soon penetrate the market.
Today car immobilizers represent almost
half of the whole RFID business. Th e next
big bang in two years will be NFC. People
carry their mobile phones everywhere so
it’s natural that it will also function as your
wallet and user interface for many services.
A payment with a debit/credit card takes
seconds while touching NFC partner device
takes only a fraction of that. Convenience is
the word for today’s consumers!
Jorma Lalla, CEO, Nordic ID
A European
LEADER
2 • Nordic IDea
EDITORIAL
NORDIC IDEA 2010Contents
2 EDITORIAL
4 RFID OVERTAKES THE BARCODE
6 Nordic ID Morphic
RFID CASE STUDIES
10 Furniture Inventory in Few Seconds Martela & Vilant
12 Assistor Car Logistics
14 London Underground’s Escalators Get an RFID Facelift
NEWS16 Product and Partner News
20 Container Centralen is Optimizing Horticultural Logistics
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION22 Nordic ID Monitor: Automated Self Monitoring for Food Retail
NORDIC ID SUPPORT
24 Nordic ID RFID Demos
CASE STUDIES
25 Handheld Solution Improves Effi ciency at Tuko Warehouses
28 Looking Forward to a Peak Season Without Stress
30 Into the Future in Real-Time Kaiser’s Tengelmann Opts for Nordic ID Mobile Computers in all its Branches
32 A Sleek, Versatile Handset. Electronics giant Euronics’ Friesoythe
FINNISH WAYS34 Art from Snow and Ice
36 LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN
Nordic IDea • 3
Nordic IDea 2010
Editor-in-chief: Jorma Lalla, CEO
Editor: Katja Kettunen
Layout: Katja Kettunen
Nordic ID Headquarters
Myllyojankatu 2 A
24100 SALO
FINLAND
tel. +358 2 727 7700
fax + 358 2 727 7720
Printed at Finepress Oy, Finland
Cover image: Kimmo Metsäranta. Th e views, opinions or positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily refl ect the views, opinions or positions of Nordic ID or any employee thereof. Nordic ID does not assume any liability or warranty for the provided information being up-to-date, accurate, complete or appropriate. All off ers are without engagement. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Nordic ID and Nordic ID Morphic are registered trademarks of Nordic ID Oy.
NORDIC ECOLABEL
441 678
Printed Matter
“You will soon be able to read prod-
uct information, service records and more by touching
a tag with your smart phone.”
RFID OVERTAKES the Barcode4
NORDIC ID MORPHICTwo-in-one: a true un-
ion of data collection and
voice communication
NORDIC ID MONITORAutomated self monitoring for food retail
goods within a few years. As we all know,” he
continues, “this didn’t happen. Th at’s because
retailers had invested huge amounts of dol-
lars in barcode technology. No one’s going to
reinvest just because there’s a new technol-
ogy available.”
BENEFITS AND STANDARDS: THE DRIVING FORCES OF ADOPTION
Like any technology, the more RFID is used,
the more valuable it becomes. In an open
supply chain environment, RFID can play a
major role in tightening inventory and ship-
ping logistics along the entire
chain. Because
tags can store
item-level
information
– from site
and date of
manu-
facture
to stock
keeping
unit (SKU) to transportation and logistics
information – every item carries a complete,
individual history of its journey from manu-
facture (or harvest) to sale. Taking it a step
further, tags can have sensors built in to log
moisture, temperature and other parameters
over the course of their journey. And because
of the robustness of RFID tags and the ac-
curacy and ease of reading them, items can
be scanned in bulk, while goods are still in
boxes, greatly improving inventory awareness
and timing. Security is also a plus, says Lalla.
“Th e FDA is having problems with coun-
terfeit pharmaceuticals. RFID tags can have
encryption built in – an easy way to fi nd the
fakes. And if you’re looking for a needle in
a haystack, try high frequency RFID. Th ink
libraries and music stores.”
A sticking point for any technology is the
development of universal standards. We now
have standards for many facets of RFID, in-
cluding near fi eld communication for pay-
ment cards and many industrial applications.
Although RFID is currently used to track
goods in open supply chains, however, there
are still various standards at play. Th e RFID
ecosystem has not yet undergone a VHS/
Betamax-style battle royale, but the Interna-
tional Standards Organization (ISO) is tak-
ing a leading role in developing conclusive,
comprehensive RFID standards across the
board.
BEYOND INVENTORY
Heikki Seppä, known in European cir-
cles as ‘Mr. RFID’, believes that we have
reached a point of suffi ciency in terms
of standards. A professor with the VTT
Technical Research Centre of Finland,
Seppä envisioned RFID technology 20
years ago and helped to bring it into
existence. He thinks that
In some industries, RFID is a must-have
technology. In retail, for example, it has taken
the clothing industry by storm because the
return on investment for that vertical is just
so good: reducing stock-outs from double
digits to less than one percent and tak-
ing store inventory counts from 90 hours
to three, as examples. Wal-Mart and other
mega-retailers are also driving RFID adop-
tion, but for the great majority of retailers
RFID hovers somewhere off in the future.
So the short answer, according to two opinion
leaders in Finland, is yes, RFID will eventu-
ally replace the barcode, but not quickly.
Jorma Lalla, CEO of Nordic ID, a manu-
facturer of mobile data collection handsets,
explains that the slow pace of adoption is
not due the cost of tags: “Early in the mil-
lennium, research institutes and universities
forecasted a revolution in identifi cation of
Text: Carl Michener / ID BBNPhotos: Katja Kettunen
Every year, RFID
adoption picks
up the pace,
moving into dif-
ferent verticals
and fi nding new
applications.
The burning
question is: will
RFID replace the
barcode, and if
so when?
“Where you see a barcode today, in the near future you will see an RFID tag.”
Jorma Lalla is the CEO
of Nordic ID. And the
oranges? See the video!
existing data content and air interface proto-
col standards for tag-reader communication
are robust and ready for the open market,
and he’s taking bets on RFID becoming a
fi xture of the consumer world within 5 years.
“RFID is the Internet of things,” he says. You
will soon be able to read product informa-
tion, service records and more by touching
a tag with your smart
phone. So much infor-
mation can be stored
on these tags that ap-
plications are virtually
endless. Take, for example, car maintenance.
Th e vehicle’s tag shows the details of all pre-
vious service, as well as information from the
car’s own diagnostic system showing what’s
wrong.” Th is scenario may not yet have made
it to the consumer world, but it currently
plays out daily in the airline industry, where
high-memory tags allow maintenance crews
to work eff ectively even if no WiFi connec-
tivity is available.
CONSUMERS WILL DRIVE ADOPTION
Retailer demand is currently leading adop-
tion of RFID throughout the supply chain,
but Lalla thinks that consumer demand will
soon drive signifi cant adoption. “People are
curious, they demand to be informed. Th ere’s
already signifi cant interest in knowing the
Heikki Seppä is a senior research
professor with VTT Technical Re-
search Centre of Finland, a non-
profi t organization and the larg-
est multi-technological applied
research organization in Northern
Europe. The fi sh is a pike.
Nordic IDea • 5
“RFID is going to become a big part of the consumer shopping experience.”
life cycle of goods. In the grocery store, con-
sumers will be able to scan RFID electronic
product codes with their mobile phones and
fi nd out about allergens, where and when the
product was produced or grown, and more.
RFID is going to become a big part of the
consumer shopping experience.” Staying in-
formed is one driver, but convenience could
be an-
other.
Shop-
p e r s
might
simply walk past a scanner at the exit; the
scanner would read all items in the cart at
once and charge the customer’s account
while adjusting the store’s inventory.
And the homely barcode? Lalla believes
it will die a slow death as barcode reading
equipment reaches end of life and the cost
of RFID tags continues to fall. “Let’s say
I’m the retailer, my barcode reader is old and
RFID is part of the items. Effi ciencies are
such that I will not reinvest in barcode.” Sep-
pä agrees, but thinks that the barcode may
be around for some time. “Industries will
self-select. Some won’t fi nd good reasons
to replace the bar code for years and years.
RFID tags can carry a barcode, and many
stores will adopt combined readers – in fact they already exist.”
PRICE GAP NARROWS
But many more industries may soon be self-
selecting out of barcodes and into RFID as
chips increase in functionality while they
shrink in price and size. “When I worked
at Nokia in the 80s, we were making mo-
bile phones that weighed up to ten pounds,”
remembers Lalla. “We thought we were at
the peak of development, but our visionary
director said that one day they would be
very small, quite cheap and everyone would
have one. We thought he’d gone mad, but
of course it happened, and the same thing
has happened with RFID chip technology
in the past 10 years. Where you see a bar-
code today, in the near future you will see an
RFID tag.”
Many RFID readers are less expensive than
barcode readers, and new manufacturing
processes have driven costs down to pennies
per tag. But inexpensive as the technology
might become, it’s more the growing busi-
ness case that will justify adoption. Five
years ago the majority of manufacturers, lo-
gistics suppliers and retailers adopted a ‘wait
and see’ attitude. Th e question, now that the
technology has proven it’s here to stay, is:
have they waited long enough?
www.nordicid.com
SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW AT
The popular Nordic ID Mor-
phic will appeal to a wider
audience as new features,
such as RFID and voice com-
munication have been added
to the device. The unit offers
a price effective data collec-
tion solution for even the
smallest retail outlets and
kiosks. Even more excitingly,
it opens up competitive up-
date path from barcoding
to RFID for all retailers. The
voice communication feature
makes any Nordic ID Morphic
a phone and data collection
device at the same time.
NORDIC ID MORPHICTwo-in-one: a true union of data collection and voice communication
Nordic ID has completed an updated ver-sion of its popular Nordic ID Morphic. Th e fi rst Morphic version was released two years ago at a time when the recession hit hard. Even so, Nordic ID’s faith in the future was strong, and the development work on Mor-phic’s next version was launched. Nordic ID is Europe’s leading RFID equipment manu-facturer and leadership has its obligations.
Th e project group of Nordic ID rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job. Th e team included, among others, Jessica Säilä, who brought the customer and market per-spective to the team; Viktor Candolin, who represented software expertise; and Toni Heijari, one of the group’s hardware ex-perts.
ON THE LEADING EDGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Th e Nordic ID Morphic and its latest new features have been developed to support the most recent technologies, thereby ensuring its users a safe investment. Nordic ID Mor-phic eliminates the need for two separate devices: it is a mobile computer for data col-lection and voice communication purposes which off ers a full range of wireless commu-nication options, such as CCX4-approved WLAN/WWAN, Bluetooth and GPRS/Edge.
“If the device is operated within the phone network, its use is naturally subject to charg-es, but, on the other hand, building a WLAN costs far more. For example, store chains are not especially willing to build expensive in-ternal networks in their stores, because there are quite aff ordable service providers to be found on the highly competitive telephone network market,” notes Viktor Candolin.
As an alternative to the laser scanner or RFID reader, the new version of Nordic ID Morphic can also be equipped with a 2D imager capable of reading two-dimensional barcodes. Th is allows for using the hand-held device in bookstores, pharmacies and in the health care and automotive industry. “Th e reader can be chosen according to its intended use,” says Candolin.
Moreover, the new device off ers a Micro-SDHC slot in addition to the SIM card slot, providing users with additional memory space to cope with large amounts of added data or even multimedia requirements.
EASY TO USE, EASY TO UPDATE
”Nordic ID Morphic is fi rst and foremost a working tool. Th at’s why we‘ve designed it to be small enough to fi t comfortably in the hand. Shaped like a mobile phone, the unit
Text: Kaisa Riikilä / OSGPhotos: Katja Kettunen
“For the first time, an EPC G2 compatible RFID reader is more economical to obtain than a mere barcoding device,” Jessica Säilä says.
Nordic IDea • 7
“Because we developed and optimized this unit for our own requirements, we managed to leave all the unnecessary components out from the design. And because of that, the power ef-
fi ciency is good,” Heijari emphasizes.
drops to the user’s palm and off ers straight-forward operating logic. It will win favor with users across a range of industries and will prove rugged enough to withstand the working conditions no matter what the ap-plication environment”, Jessica Säilä points out.
Candolin mentions that the strengths of Morphic also include the ease of software updating for the device. With the optional software emulator, applications that have al-ready been developed for the Nordic ID RF series can also be used for the new Morphic without changes. Th e remote management system of Nordic ID Morphic enables cen-trally launched software upgrades for devices already in use. Updating is swift and no user intervention is required.
COMPACT AND COST EFFECTIVE
“For the fi rst time, an EPC G2 compatible RFID reader is more economical to obtain than a mere barcoding device. Customers
requiring both devices have an easy transi-tion path from barcodes to RFID, as both readers can be embedded in the same unit.”
Jessica Säilä says.
Jessica Säilä points out that an item-level RFID revolution has occurred with the
launching of the new Nordic ID Morphic.
“Previous RFID readers were impractical due to their size. Th e central goal of the de-velopment work was to actually bring about a device, which is small and easy to both use and carry. Th e new Morphic is really the smallest RFID reader available on the mar-ket where you can fi nd all these features,” she
declares.
Working with the new unit is eff ective. Th e RFID UHF reader off ers an output power of 100 mW, which allows it to read tags from a distance of up to 70 cm. Th e new Nordic ID Morphic versions have a larger mass memory, thus eliminating the need to empty data in the middle of the workday to make space for new data.
8 • Nordic IDea
UHF READER SHAPED TO FIT
“Th e Morphic is only slightly larger in size than your regular cell phone. For this unit size class, there wasn’t any UHF RFID reader module available that was even close to being small enough, so the task fell to us. Heijari estimates that the new reader devel-oped by Nordic ID is only about one-fourth the size of corresponding units found earlier on the market. “Because we developed and optimized this unit for our own requirements, we managed to leave all the unnecessary components out from the design. And because of that the power effi ciency is good,” Heijari empha-sizes.
Th is small size otherwise put real challenges to the product development team, however. For example, the placement of the antenna required an inventive approach.
“Th e unit has a total of fi ve separate antennas for instance, Bluetooth, GPRS and WLAN.
Jessica Säilä, Head of Product Manage-ment and Viktor Candolin, Software De-signer at Nordic ID, are more than satisfi ed with the new fl agship product of Nordic ID. All the hard work lead to a device that will win favour among its users across dif-ferent industries.
Nordic IDea • 9
Installing them so that all worked well and almost simultaneously was a big job from the perspective of radio technology,” Hei-jari relates.
RFID uses virtually the same frequency as GSM. Th ese two frequencies operate very close to each other and therefore eas-ily cause mutual disturbance. As a result, transmissions can easily cross over into the other frequency as outputs increase. A so-lution has been sought to the problem by, for instance, RFID radio fi ltering. In other words, an interfering signal is fi ltered out so that the RFID signal passes through. Isolation of the antennas has also been in-creased, which slightly reduces the reading distance.
Due to the antenna solutions, the Mor-phic RFID is excellently suited for read-ing individual tags and writing in places where WLAN or GPRS, for example, can be utilised.
TAILOR-MADE SOLU-TIONS FROM THE WIN-DOWS® CE OPERATING SYSTEM
“We chose Windows® CE 6.0 for the operating system because it’s totally cus-tomisable. It can be adapted for use with all possible devices and doesn’t force you to use a standard interface. Windows® CE 6.0 represents a major step up. It’s now much closer to desktop Windows com-puters: It can multitask more programs, it’s technologically revolutionary and it can be used for even the heaviest applications,” Candolin explains.
“Th e primary benefi t of Windows® CE 6.0 is its enduring technology. It won’t be obsolete in about fi ve years and will be able to run applications introduced at that time. Th e lifecycle for its competitor, Windows® Mobile, won’t be as long,” says Candolin.
According to him, the other reason why Nordic ID did not use Windows® Mobile as the operating system for the new Mor-phic is that the new version is no longer compatible with the old Mobiles. It is entirely new, with a fully redesigned user interface.
“In other words, the update path doesn’t exist anymore. Th e new Mobile is intended for consumer use – Facebook messaging and those kinds of features aren’t really suited for professional use,” Candolin em-phasizes.
Windows• ® CE operating system and a standard browser2 year warranty• multiple communication options• ergonomic design• one hand operation •
Charging time 1,5 hours from 0 to 90%3 hours from 0 to 100% on average
Processor ARM11 532 MHz
Operating platform Microsoft® Windows® Embedded CE 6.0
Memory 128 MB DDR RAM / 288 MB Flash Micro SD card slot (SDHC)
Display 2,2”, 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) touch screenadjustable backlight, energy saving function
Keyboard 21 keys, adjustable key backlight
Battery LiPo >1100 mAh
Colour black or grey
Dimensions 147 x 54 x 24 mm or 147 x 54 x 28 mm
Weight 170 g - 190 g (incl. battery)
Protection IP54
Drop resistance 1,5 m onto concrete
All information is subject to change without notice.
Audio integrated receiver, microphone, speaker
Notifi cation vibration alert, battery status indicator (LED)
COMMUNICATION
Bluetooth Class 2 + EDR
WLAN 802.11 b/g/i/e, WPA2 (optional)
GSM / GPRS EDGE 900/1800 (optional)
IDENTIFICATION
RFID UHF RFID (optional)Frequency 868 MHzOutput power up to 100 mW Reading range 0-100 cmTypical inventory distance 15 cmTypical inventory speed 800-1200 tags/minuteSupported standard ISO 18000-6C (EPC Class 1 Gen 2)
Barcode Laser, GS1 DataBar (optional)104 scans/second
USB via charger
Ethernet via charger
Imager 2D Imager (optional)
back up battery and real time clock
compact size • very light • robust • sharp and bright colour display• future proof technologies • available in custom colours•
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
NORDIC ID MORPHIC
FURNITURE INVENTORY Interior solutions provider Martela uses RFID technology to improve its new-
est service product. Thanks to the new technology, customers can outsource
the management of their fi xed facility assets to Martela. Practical inventory
work is done using Nordic ID mobile handheld computers.
Martela is using RFID technology in the develop-
ment of its service. To control fi xed facility assets
each and every piece of furniture is marked with
RFID tag. On new furniture the tag is affi xed dur-
ing the production phase and on old furniture tags
can be added during the fi rst inventory. Martela
employees visit their customers’ locations to take
inventory using Nordic ID mobile handheld ter-
minals.
Th e new technology signifi cantly facilitates and
speeds up the inventory management of Martela´s
customers. It is exceptionally helpful in planning,
for example, workspace alterations or moves. It also
makes it easy to keep accounting up-to-date.
RFID CASE STUDY
10 • Nordic IDea
Text: Kaisa Riikilä / OSG ViestintäPhotos: Martela & Vilant
“Because the eff ective reading distance for a
handheld reader is approximately 2.5 me-
tres, all the inventory taker has to do is walk
quickly through the room and point it in dif-
ferent directions.“
in few seconds
FROM TEN MINUTES TO TEN SECONDS
“Taking inventory used to be diffi cult, be-
cause there were often many of the same
types of furniture at a location and the per-
son taking the inventory had to constantly
keep track of all the diff erent colour and
model codes in order to itemise them. Now,
the code data is attached to the furniture it-
self,” explains Ville Lukkari, Business De-
velopment Manager of Vilant Systems Oy,
which provided the inventory management
software for Martela.
“Because the eff ective reading distance for
a handheld reader is approximately 2.5 me-
tres, all the inventory taker has to do is walk
quickly through the room and point it in dif-
ferent directions. Th e item data for furniture
in a given space is immediately stored in the
reader.”
According to Lukkari, this also results in
considerable time savings. “Th e work that
takes around ten seconds using RFID tech-
nology takes 10 minutes with the conven-
tional method,” says Lukkari, assessing the
improvement in effi ciency.
Th e system not only accelerates the work
process, it also reduces human error in taking
inventory. RFID numbers make it easy to lo-
cate pieces of furniture, even when personnel
may have moved them from time to time.
Designing new workspaces is also made
easy, when there is up-to-date information
on existing furniture. Th e owner of the fur-
niture can also easily ascertain the functional
value of its furniture holdings using inven-
tory lists.
“Th anks to our new service, customers can outsource the management of all its fi xed facility assets to Martela, thus allowing them to focus their resources on their core areas or operation,” explains Erkki Forsström, Service and New Business Manager at Martela.
Vilant offers its custom-ers turn-key RFID
solutions which result in faster stock turnover, a lower inventory level and a more effi cient supply chain proc-ess. The Vilant RFID solution includes Vilant’s own software and hardware or hardware supplied through a trusted partner network and services such as installation, consultation and support. Vilant uses Nordic ID handheld readers as part of its standard hardware range. Vilant has seven years of solid expe-rience in providing handheld-based RFID systems to its customers. “The partnership between Nordic ID and Vilant has been fruitful and Vilant is especially pleased with Nordic ID’s ability to serve market needs in terms of product development much more quickly than many larger handheld reader manufacturers. Examples of product development include intro-
CUSTOMERS SURPRISED
According to Forsström, the system will rev-
olutionise the entire furniture service sector.
“Our customers won´t believe their eyes
when they see the speed of the inventory
process.”
Th e Vilant RFID software transfers inven-
tory data to Martela’s information systems.
Martela’s system is based on Vilant Server 5
RFID software products.
“We chose Nordic ID handhelds together
with the people over at Martela. We com-
pared devices and wound up going with
Nordic ID due to the user-friendliness of
their handhelds. We’re using the Nordic
ID PL3000 UHF RFID and Nordic ID
PL3000 Cross Dipole terminals. Th ey’re so
easy to use and you can even operate them
using just one hand,” says Lukkari.
Nordic IDea • 11
Product: Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole
ducing UHF RFID to handheld readers and modular antenna variants to the PL3000 and demanding GPRS, 3G or WLAN connectivity options. Nordic ID has been ahead of the market trends time and again”, says Antti Virkkunen, Managing Director at Vilant. “Also, the geographical presence of Nordic ID has been benefi cial in many global implementation projects sup-plied by Vilant. Support is always read-ily available for problem solving situa-tions”, continues Virkkunen.
Vilant Systems is one of Europe’s lead-ing suppliers of supply chain and asset tracking RFID systems. Most of Vilant’s customers come from the electronics, automotive or machinery manufactur-ing industry or operate in logistics. Since its founding in 2002, Vilant has received numerous growth and inno-vation awards and has delivered instal-lations to 20 countries on four different continents.
www.martela.com • www.vilant.com
GROWING PAINS
Assistor is a provider of complete logistics for vehicles and spare parts to the Baltic region via
its ports and service centres in Hanko, Paldiski, Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa. Around 350 000
vehicles move through their facilities yearly including the brands of BMW, Mercedes, Chrys-
ler, Citroen, Honda, Jaguar, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche and Toyota. Assistor offers services
such as sea transportation, forwarding, storage inspection, PDI, installation of extras, cus-
toms clearance, taxation, pre-registration, vehicle invoicing, on-line vehicle information, and
ground transportation to Finland, Russia and the Baltic Rim.
RFID CASE STUDY
CAR LOGISTICS
12 • Nordic IDea
Text: Darby Thomas / VerdaPhoto: Shutterstock
Improved accuracy and effi ciency of opera-
tions were needed to match their growing
volume of operations and service off erings.
Updating their IT systems and processing
methods was the logical place to begin. In
consultation with Digia, the Helsinki based
provider of ICT systems, Assistor chose
a mobile RFID platform to allow effi cient
real-time tracking of operations. Now two
years since its launch, Assistor’s experience
can be seen as a textbook example of a suc-
cessful RFID implementation.
LEGACY SYSTEM
Prior to Assistor’s use of RFID they relied
on a legacy bar-code and paper-based track-
ing system that functioned by the employees
manually scanning the bar-coded label at-
tached to the vehicle upon receipt to identify
the 17-digit vehicle identifi cation number
(VIN). Additionally, the process was made
more diffi cult by some manufacturers not
providing bar codes that would require
manual entry of the VIN number into the
system. Combine that with the tough win-
ter conditions found in Finland where ve-
hicles can sometimes be completely covered
with snow and ice and multiply the process
by over 350,000 vehicles. Th e result was an
ideal area for RFID application.
RFID ADVANTAGES
Assistor recognized the VIN receipt and
processing area as a possible competitive
advantage and consulted with Digia to de-
velop an appropriate ICT system to match
the demands. Digia responded with a mobile
RFID solution that includes ERP, forward-
ing, vehicle taxation, web portal for car resel-
lers, 170 Nordic ID PL3000 UHF handheld
terminals and integrations between all sys-
tems and networks. Implementation began
in the summer of 2007 and the system is
now operating smoothly.
IN PRACTICE
Beginning when vehicles are offl oaded from
the ferry, passive UHF RFID Gen2 tags
manufactured by UPM Rafl atac, are hung
from the vehicles rear view mirror. Each
tag contains a 6-digit number in RFID and
print format, which is associated to the VIN
number in the ERP system.
When each vehicle is transferred to the
warehouse area, the event information
(warehouse and lot number) is recorded by
PL3000 via RFID. Th e read range of PL3000
RFID handheld is 1,6 meters, which allows
users to quickly pass by a vehicle and read
its’ information no matter the condition. If
the RFID tag is unreadable for some reason,
the bar code is then utilized to update the
information quickly.
Later in the process when the vehicle is
needed to move from the warehouse to the
inspection area, it is easy to locate with infor-
mation available on the PL3000. During the
transfer, the information is updated to the
ERP system with a quick scan of the RFID
tag. Any additional operations like adding
accessories for the fi nal customer such as
upgraded stereo, are easily updated in real
time with the handheld by workers as they
go about their duties. Th e PL3000 links to
the back-end system via WLAN, GPRS, or
GSM to allow real time functionality.
Th e RFID
tag is re-
moved when
the vehicle
is processed
for depar-
ture to the
next opera-
tor. Th e tag
is then cleared of the previous car’s VIN as-
sociation and made reusable for the future
vehicles in the Assistor logistics service.
THE LEARNING CURVE
No implementation of such a wide-scope
system goes without small hiccups and the
Assistor RFID system was no exception.
However, the problems encountered were
easily fi xed and generally due to the user’s
unfamiliarity with such technology. Many
workers were nervous about using a new sys-
tem that could be too technical or with the
use of handheld devices that would be easily
lost. After only brief training the problems
never materialized as the users found it was
virtually impossible to forget the handhelds
as they would not know which car to go to
next.
Tom Suvanto, deputy managing director of
Assistor explains one of problem situations
they did encounter: “When the vehicles ar-
rived we added the recyclable RFID tags. In
the beginning we did not understand how
sensitive the tags were, so we put the wrong
RFID tag in the wrong vehicle. Now we have
only one RFID tag in our hand when we
combine it to the vehicle’s chassis number.” Suvanto also off ers this advice to companies
interested in applying RFID technology to
their operations: “If you plan to use RFID technology, put aside your current way to operate and start from scratch.”
RESULTS
Assistor’s system now accurately identifi es
and tracks their vehicles throughout process-
ing. All information is available in real-time at the hands of workers via the Nordic
ID PL3000 and Digia’s Enterprise ERP sys-
tem. Processing time has been reduced and
most importantly errors have been virtually
eliminated. Assistor is now able to handle
more cars with the same amount of person-
nel and a reduced margin of error. Utilizing
the handhelds, users move about their daily
routines faster and more effi ciently to proc-
ess vehicles utilizing the
handhelds. Tom Suvanto
explains: “While it is dif-
fi cult to assign a number,
effi ciency has increased a
lot. With our old system
we could not handle the
amount of cars we do to-
day.”
Th e RFID system implemented in Assistor
car logistics was intended to simplify opera-
tions and allow for greater capacity. Th at goal
was readily met and others were realized in
addition. One such side benefi t came about
because of the adverse economic conditions
felt especially by the auto industry. Th e use
of RFID by Assistor has given the company
the ability to recover more quickly from the
poor economy encountered since the origi-
nal implementation. Suvanto explains “We
are now more fl exible and agile compared to
our old system, giving us the tool needed to
quickly respond to economic situations.”
While the benefi ts of this RFID imple-
mentation are readily visible, the future of
expanding the RFID system to include the
entire car supply chain from manufacturer
to sales fl oor represents an exciting prospect.
Suvanto explains, “We are waiting that car
manufactures will add RFID to each vehicle
and in this way simplify the follow up from
plant to dealer.”
Product: Nordic ID PL3000 UHF RFID
Nordic IDea • 13
www.assistor.com • www.digia.com
The escalators of London’s underground
railway system carry 3 million passengers
from the street to the platforms and back
every day. To ensure that the escalators
on the London Underground system
continue to operate safely and reliably,
London Underground operates a care-
fully managed maintenance routine.
With over 30,000 individual escalator steps
across the network, the challenge of ensuring
that each step is tested, repaired when faulty,
and then monitored when it is returned to
use is a formidable one.
Millions of passengers use the escalators on
the London Underground every day. Th e
steps that make up these escalators are sub-
ject to constant wear from the feet of pas-
sengers and from the mechanical movement
on the escalator track. A failure could cause
serious injury. If an escalator step were to
fail during the rush hour, lives could be put
at risk and serious disruption to travellers
would result.
To prevent such an event, London Under-
ground has an inspection and maintenance
regime that ensures the structural integrity
of every step is checked at least once dur-
ing the course of every year but, with over
30,000 separate escalator steps needing to be
checked, this maintenance approach requires
signifi cant eff ort by their engineering staff .
Th e problem is complicated by the time
needed to carry out tests. Because of the ef-
fort involved, only a small number of steps
can be removed from the escalator to be
tested during an overnight maintenance
shift. Th ese steps are exchanged for already
tested ones. Any one escalator consists of an
ever changing set of steps. Knowing when
each step was tested and replaced is a ma-
jor challenge. On some occasions steps were
removed from escalators simply in order to
identify them.
THE SOLUTION
London Underground needed a system that
would collect data automatically from indi-
vidual steps, that could cope with the prob-
lems of dirt and grease and that would be
robust enough to stand up to the constraints
LONDON UNDERGROUND’S ESCALATORS GET
AN RFID FACELIFT
RFID CASE STUDY
of one of the world’s most heavily used
mass-transit systems. Th ey turned to RFID
as a technology to help them and after care-
ful consideration they selected a system de-
livered by CoreRFID utilising a Nordic ID
PL3000 mobile handheld RFID computer
and Confi dex tags.
PROCESS
After having tried a number of alternative
approaches, London Underground was de-
termined to prove the suitability of RFID
with a trial application. Th e assessment was
designed to show that tags could be attached
reliably to steps so that they would not be-
come dislodged while in use and that tag
data could be read from the steps while the
escalator was running at its normal opera-
tional speed.
CoreRFID provided a solution based on the
use of Confi dex Ironside® UHF RFID tags,
Nordic ID PL3000 readers and application
software developed by CoreRFID. Th e Iron-
side tags have a read range of up to 8 metres,
are designed for use in demanding environ-
ments and for successful use when attached
to metal. Th e Nordic ID PL3000 readers
are compact, rugged, hand-held computing
devices running the Windows CE operating
system. Th e backlit keyboard is also perfectly
suited to the dark conditions found under
BENEFITS
Th e successful implementation of the RFID system into the London Underground’s escalators has given not only the maintenance staff a massive boast in their effi ciency but the users of the Underground gain better service through less disruptions from escalator down time. Additionally, the safety of the escalator system is improved by accurate track-ing of maintenance activities.
Massive boost in effi ciency of escalator maintenance• Signifi cant reduction in escalator downtime – better user experience• Improved safety through accurate tracking of maintenance•
the escalators. Th e data collected from the
PL3000 is then transferred to the backend
system while docked using CSV format for
easy integration.
CoreRFID worked with London Under-
ground to determine the best method of
fi xing tags to steps for the trial and to deter-
mine the best location for fi xing the tags on
each steps as well as the best way to mount
the Nordic ID PL3000 reader. CoreRFID
also helped to develop a method of packing
data into the 64 bits available on the tag as a
way of ensuring that maximum read speeds
could be achieved.
Tags were installed on each of the 92 steps
of the St Paul’s Number One escalator. Data,
including the step number, its year of manu-
facture and elements of its service history,
was then written to each tag. Encoding the
data on step tags proved that the work could
be done well within the time available dur-
ing a normal out-hours service shift.
RESULTS
Following the installation of the tags, the
escalator was run at normal speed to test
how successfully data could be read from
the steps of a moving escalator. In the trials,
data was successfully read with the Nordic
ID PL3000 from 100% of the steps with one
14 • Nordic IDea
Text: Darby Thomas / Verda & CoreRFIDPhoto: Shutterstock
CoreRFID is a solution integrator special-
ising in mobile applications using RFID.
Th ey have implemented systems for health
and safety management, asset manage-
ment, and tool tracking as well as for work-
in progress checking in manufacturing.
SOLUTION
Nordic ID PL3000 RFID handheld •
interrogator
Confi dex Ironside® UHF RFID tags•
CoreRFID software•
User’s experience•
Rapid on-site access to individual •
escalator step’s records
Easily locate required step •
Nordic IDea • 15
www.corerfi d.com
www.confi dex.com
or at the most two complete rotations of the
escalator a very substantial improvement on
previous systems which required the escala-
tor to be inched forward a few steps at a time
and involved the escalator being out of serv-
ice for 45 minutes or more. Th e diffi cult tag
reading conditions found in the escalators
such as dirt, grease, various angles and the
moving speed of the tags, were all handled
well by the Nordic ID PL3000 devices.
Following the success of the trial, Lon-
don Underground are now in the process
of implementing the solution across their
network, working with their escalator sup-
pliers to have new steps tagged at the point
of manufacture and with CoreRFID to help
develop and implement the operational sys-
tem and to train London Underground en-
gineering staff in its use.
Th e London Underground experience shows
how a complex RFID project can be given a
greater chance of success with careful plan-
ning, a well-executed pilot and the right
equipment.
Th e Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole UHF RFID was tested for
the following criteria: transmission power, receiver sensitivity, antenna
radiation pattern and suitability for daily use. Th e test results were
very good in all categories. Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole achieved
the best value ever measured in an EECC test procedure for “receiver
sensitivity”. It got excellent values in practical tests of reading per-
formance and speed.
Due to the cross-polarizing antenna developed by Nordic
ID, the device is capable of reading the tags horizontally and verti-
cally. Th e direction of the tags therefore does not have to be checked
separately, so working succeeds quite smoothly. Th e reader is well
suited for item level tagging with barcode reading when needed. Th is
functionality is particularly useful in the processing of garments or
pallet logistics. Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole achieved full ten
points in run-time test proving the unit’s eff ective operating time that
allows for continuous work without needing to charge or change the
battery.
“Feedback from the clients has been highly encouraging.
Th is device has been rigorously tested and developed to the point
where we can be confi dent of its ability to perform under even the
most demanding conditions,” Hannu Heino, Technical Director at
Nordic ID, explained.
In addition to superior RFID performance, the Nordic ID
PL3000 Cross Dipole UHF RFID is also fully ready for commercial
applications. Th e device’s latest Windows Embedded CE 6.0© op-
erating system allows for integration with all back-end systems and
provides tremendous speed. State-of-the-art remote management
and a number of easy-to-use functionalities are available or included
with the device.
As with all other Nordic ID devices, the PL3000 Cross
Dipole can be equipped with several communication options and oth-
er functionalities. Technologies such as GPRS, WLAN, Bluetooth,
USB and a barcode reader all combine to ensure seamless connectivity
with back-offi ce systems.
“Th e Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole UHF
RFID truly represents a major step forward in pro-
fessional RFID handheld technology. We believe the
device will be well-received by our customers in their
daily operations and set the bar for our competitors,” Mr
Heino concluded.
GS1 Germany, Deutsche Post World Net,
Karstadt and METRO GROUP jointly founded the
EECC with the aim to confi rm RFID technology and
the Electronic Product Code (EPC) as an international,
cross-sector standard in Europe. To render the con-
stantly growing RFID market more transparent, various
RFID hardware solutions are tested and certifi ed by the
EECC. A particular focus is on practical use.
NEWS
Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole
CERTIFIED BY THE EECCThe European EPC Competence Center (EECC) has tested and cer-
tifi ed the Nordic ID PL3000 Cross Dipole UHF RFID interrogator.
www.eecc.info • www.nordicid.com
16 • Nordic IDea
MARKET-LEADING WI-FI ON NORDIC ID HANDHELDSA strategic alliance with Summit Data Communications,
the leading provider of embedded Wi-Fi® solutions for
business-critical mobile devices, provides the next level of
better performance for Nordic ID PL3000 and Morphic
computers with Summit solutions inside.
“Our strategic alliance with Summit ensures that Nordic
ID will be at the forefront of Summit technological in-
novations and Summit service. Summit WLAN ensures
secure and reliable connection in all conditions, ” said
Hannu Heino, Technical Director of Nordic ID.
Summit Wi-Fi solutions are certifi ed for Version 4 of
Cisco Compatible Extensions, or CCX, and support all
key Wi-Fi industry standards, including the top security
standard, known as the Enterprise version of Wi-Fi Pro-
tected Access™ 2, or WPA2-Enterprise. With Summit
Wi-Fi inside, the security on Nordic ID computers is also
suffi cient for the retail industry security standard known
as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
(PCI DSS).
www.summitdatacom.com
Gerry Weber International AG, a fashion
and lifestyle company, recently chose Nordic
ID as their handheld RFID supplier. Th e in-
ternational, chain-wide RFID project stipu-
lated high mobility requirements, which
Nordic ID’s PL3000 Cross Dipole UHF
RFID computers fulfi ll.
Th e RFID handhelds will be most heavily
used in goods receiving and inventory man-
agement at about 150 stores.
“Nowadays it takes us about two days to
complete the inventory on a 200-square-
foot retail space,” says Christian von Grone,
CIO at Gerry Weber. “After the rollout, this
process will take only about ten minutes“.
Nordic ID handsets were chosen after a
meticulous selection process, including ex-
tensive testing of diff erent devices. Th e fact
that the PL3000 Cross Dipole is able to read
tags from up to four feet away, even through
closed boxes, was the deciding factor in its
choice. For Gerry Weber, this is especially
important when tagged goods, in individ-
GERRY WEBER CHOOSES NORDIC ID as Their Handheld RFID Supplier
ual boxes, are
transported in
bulk on pallets.
Because of
the innovative
cross-polariz-
ing antenna
the device is
capable of
reading tags
both horizon-
tally and verti-
cally. For the
Gerry Weber
project this
was one of the factors to choose Nordic ID
PL3000 Cross Dipoles, since in the reading
process in rapid succession, the orientation
of the RFID tags are negligible and this
speeds up their processes signifi cantly.
Gerry Weber, an international fashion and
lifestyle company, is listed on the Frankfurt
exchange. With internationally recognized
brands, Gerry Weber’s outlets can be found
RFID technology is a perfect match for
the fashion industry. Th is is one reason why
this industry is taking over a leading role
in implementing RFID projects. Leading
companies in the fashion retail industry al-
ready keep track of the complete value chain
starting at the production line in South-
East-Asia. Improving the fl ow of goods
and increasing sales in the shop and within
staff productivity and customer service is the
unique goal.
Unlike barcodes, RFID handhelds can iden-
tify cargo packages without the necessity to
open boxes. In the shops they can conduct
detailed inventories without removing a sin-
gle item from its shelf. With the sweep of a
single handheld reader, a whole shelf can be
listed and identifi ed. Th is not only allows in-
ventory updates but also identifi es items that
are not in their proper place or which will
run out of stock soon. Nordic ID off ers solu-
tions that combine readers for both RFID
and barcodes.
BENEFITS
Improved customer service •
Enables staff to access additional •
product information to assist in cus-
tomer enquiries
Enables orders for out-of-stock items •
from other stores and solves customer
congestion during rush hour sales
Better shop fl oor management•
Provides info about campaigns direct •
to shopfl oor staff thus enabling more
effi cient merchandising
Smoother inventory management •
Ensures accurate stock takes and •
coordination of stock levels
Facilitates order-making and speeds •
up the processing of goods-in
RFID in fashion?
www.gerryweber-ag.com
Nordic IDea • 17
NEWS
Image: Jörn von Soldenhoff
all over the world. Gerry Weber Interna-
tional AG is a clothing manufacturer that
introduced RFID technology in order to
optimize its logistics and retail processes.
RFID will also improve cost savings through
loss prevention, effi ciency and process trans-
parency.
PARTNER NEWS
BLUESTAR EUROPE is Nordic ID’s New Distribution Partner In Europe
Nordic ID is
A UPM PRO RFID ALLIANCE MEMBER
UPM Pro RFID Alliance is a new global partner network of principal RFID
professionals and companies. As the leading manufacturer of passive HF and
UHF tags UPM Rafl atac has gathered the best and most dynamic group
together with the goal to take the RFID industry further. Partner companies
cover the whole RFID value chain and can off er the end-users RFID solu-
tions to meet and even exceed the most challenging requests and inquiries.
www.upmrfi d.com
Distributor for Auto-ID and POS, Blue-
Star Europe has teamed up with Nordic
ID. Companies have signed a distribution
agreement. BlueStar sells the mobile com-
puter Nordic ID Morphic and RFID hand-
helds by Nordic ID.
Nordic ID Oy with branches in the Ben-
elux countries, Great Britain, Germany and
France aims at increasing its presence in Eu-
rope in the years to come. Plans also include
an ongoing improvement of the support
off ered to resellers. Atte Kaskihalme, Sales
Director at Nordic ID Oy regards the part-
nership with BlueStar as a key component
in strategic focusing: “We were looking for
a reliable partner with know-how in the sec-
tor and the ability to complement our sales
activities in a way that makes sense. Th rough
additional telesales activities and because
BlueStar off ers a broad spectrum of Auto-
ID products all from one source, we can win
more resellers for our equipment in future
- in a very effi cient way. Both concept and
know-how make BlueStar the ideal partner
for us.”
Alexander Stahl, Managing Director at
BlueStar Europe GmbH looks forward
to the cooperation, too: “BlueStar off ers
the complete product range of renowned
manufacturers in the Auto-ID sector. With
Nordic ID’s portfolio, we increase our off er
further. Th eir mobile computers rely on a us-
er-friendly design, low weight, long battery
life and a standard operating system with
Windows CE 6.0– all these are elements
that render Nordic ID very attractive to our
resellers as a manufacturer and partner.”
BlueStar Europe GmbH is the European
headquarters of BlueStar, Inc., the leading
American solutions-based distributor for
Point-of-Sale, Auto-ID and RFID prod-
ucts. Working together with the leading
manufacturers, BlueStar Europe keeps a
substantial range of products and solutions
for Europe-wide shipment in its warehouse
located in the Hessian town of Usingen.
www.bluestarinc.com.
INTERESTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NORDIC ID? Please contact Nordic ID Partner Manager Mrs. Miia Kivelä: [email protected], tel. +358 2 727 7700
Nordic ID joined
RFID LAB FINLANDNordic ID is a member of RFID Lab Finland.
RFID Lab Finland is a publicly registered, non-
profi t association with about 40 member companies
and organizations including all the major players
in the RFID industry in Finland. Th e objective of
RFID Lab Finland is to enhance the business de-
velopment based on Finnish knowhow in the area
of automatic identifi cation and especially in RFID
technology. RFID Lab’s development initiatives fo-
cus currently on RFID/EPC in technical trade, in
health care, and in recycling.
www.rfi dlab.fi
TOSHIBA TEC Europe and Nordic ID have
entered into a European strategic alliance,
providing signifi cant wireless and mobile
telecommunications solutions for retail,
manufacturing, healthcare, and warehous-
ing and security industries. RFID-ready bar-
code printers from TOSHIBA TEC’s Auto
ID & Printer Division are now being jointly
offered with Nordic ID’s barcode and UHF
RFID mobile devices, to optimize the use
of emerging technologies with standard
communication systems.
“We expect this partnership to drive sales
for both companies and produce signifi cant
savings for our joint customers’ business net-
works in retail, industry, healthcare, ware-
housing and security,” said Angel de Juan,
Retail Sales Director, TOSHIBA TEC Eu-
rope Auto ID & Printer Division. “Nordic
NORDIC ID & CISPER ELECTRONICS Signed European Distribution Agreement
Nordic ID and CISPER Electronics BV, a
RFID distribution specialist signed a dis-
tribution agreement for the European
Community. The agreement authorizes
CISPER Electronics BV to offer Nordic ID’s
mobile devices to RFID solution providers
throughout Europe.
“Finding technology partners who are lead-
ers in today’s RFID market is key to our
future success,” says Leon de Ridder, CEO
at CISPER Electronics BV. ”With Nordic
ID we have added high performance RFID
Products to our RFID portfolio, enabling
us to off er customers a one-stop-shop for
RFID products and sub-systems. Combin-
ing Nordic-ID products with Cisper’s ex-
tensive experience in RFID will prove to be
a driver for success.”
Nordic ID aims at increasing its presence in
Europe in the years to come. Developing the
RFID solutions and building good partner-
ships with experienced companies’ essential
in achieving a leading role in mobile RFID.
In regards to the partnership with Cisper a
key component is strategic focusing: Cisper
is a reliable partner with know-how and ex-
perience in the RFID auto-ID products.
Cisper Technologies is the Authorized
Value Added Distributor for Top Players
in the Global RFID market. Cisper is spe-
cialized in providing high-quality/perform-
ance UHF RFID hardware and tags to the
European RFID market. Besides hardware,
company provides professional consulting
services to businesses in the RFID industry.
NORDIC ID AND TOSHIBA TEC Announce Partnership for Mobile Solutions
ID will be getting the expertise of TOSHIBA
TEC as one of the world leaders in RFID and
barcode printing technologies, along with the as-
surance of achieving maximum effi ciency regard-
less of setup.”
“Nordic ID has a long history in the creation of
handheld devices with ergonomic single-handed
operational design and user friendliness. Building
on this experience, and feedback gathered from
retailers, Nordic ID deliver a compact and user
friendly design coupled with a robust and fl ex-
ible platform that can adapt to future technolo-
gies.” Atte Kaskihalme, Sales Director, Nordic
ID said.
With its knowledge of retail, supply chain and
healthcare markets TOSHIBA TEC Europe will
be able to support Nordic ID with customer au-
dits, resulting in further optimization of installa-
tions and operations.
www.toshibatec-eu.com
Nordic IDea • 19
Q–VALUE
Defi nes the number of slots in which the tag randomly places the answer. The bigger the Q value is the less is the prob-ability that more than one tag randomly selects the same slot thus causing a data collision.
DRM/ DENSE READER MODE
The reader can be forced to use only certain channel or channels of the frequency spectrum. DRM is especially suitable if there are multiple RFID interrogators operating in the same area.
SESSION SETTING
There are four different values for session setting (0-3). The session setting defi nes how frequently tags send out their EPC. With session setting 0 tags send the EPC constantly meaning higher probability of data collisions. With session setting 1, 2 and 3 the tags re-main silent for a fi xed amount of time before sending the EPC again. Data collisions are less likely to occur.
What does it mean ...
Operation Chip It
20 • Nordic IDea
Container Centralen is
OPTIMIZING HORTICULTURAL
LOGISTICS
Nordic ID and Container Centralen have
signed a cooperation agreement author-
ising Nordic ID to market and sell Nordic
ID handheld readers and software to the
European horticultural industry. With the
certifi ed readers from Nordic ID, the in-
dustry will be able to take advantage of
the benefi ts that are made possible with
the implementation of RFID, which is
part of Container Centralen’s “Operation
Chip It”. Operation Chip It is the tagging
operation where all 3.5 million CC Con-
tainers in Europe will be RFID tagged be-
fore the cutoff date: November 1, 2010.
Retailers and other parties in the horticultural industry are increas-ingly demanding optimised logistics in general, and RFID is an important step towards servicing them and all others in the future.
Text: CC and Nordic IDImage: Ronald Tilleman & Container Centralen
Nordic IDea • 21
In co-operation with Landgard, FloraHol-
land, VGB and GASA Group, Container
Centralen introduces RFID technology to
the horticultural industry to ensure that all
CC Container users are able to respond to an
increasing demand for optimized transport
and logistics, while at the same time pro-
tecting the CC Container pool. Th e RFID
technology can benefi t all organizations in
the horticultural industry as it makes iden-
tifi cation of the CC Container simple and
quick, while providing a platform for future
integration with IT Management systems.
RFID TAGS – PROVEN EFFICIENCY
In order to introduce a fl awless RFID
identifi cation system, the group behind the
project has already tested RFID tags and
readers (“scanners”) in Denmark, Holland
and Germany. Th e testing was done fi rst as
“lab tests”, and then in closed loops in real
horticultural sector working environments.
RFID tags have already been implemented
in other CC load carriers, such as the CC
Euro Dolly (rolling ¼ pallets) with great
success.
Implementation of RFID in the horticultural
industry is done in co-operation with IBM
as the main technology partner.
RFID READERS FOR THE EUROPEAN HORTICUL-TURAL INDUSTRY
“Th e cooperation with Container Centralen
gives us a head start in delivering RFID scan-
ners to the horticultural industry throughout
all of Europe”, says Atte Kaskihalme, Sales
Director at Nordic ID.
Container Centralen has certifi ed the Nor-
dic ID PL3000 handheld reader with the
horticultural industry software to be mar-
keted and sold to CC Container users so
they can achieve the benefi ts made possible
with RFID.
MOBILERFIDSHOP.COM
Nordic ID recently launched a web shop,
where RFID scanners can be purchased.
Nordic ID also sells RFID products through
a comprehensive partner and reseller net-
work in Europe. If your company is inter-
ested in working locally together with Nor-
dic ID in the horticultural industry, please
contact [email protected].
We will be happy to tell you more about how
you can utilize mobile RFID in your busi-
ness.
BENEFITS WITH RFID
Tagging the CC Containers with RFID
chips opens up a range of opportunities and
benefi ts for all users of CC Containers.
SIMPLE AND PROMPT COUNTING
CC Containers can now be counted and
verifi ed automatically with handheld
scanners, or when passing through the
gates at large depots.
ENABLES DEVELOPMENT OF TRACK & TRACE SYSTEMS
With the RFID technology already
built into the CC Container tag and
implemented into the CC Pool System,
the foundation for future integrated
ICT system developments has been laid.
Th e ability to identify CC Containers
can be utilized for future more complex
systems integrating information fl ows
within your organization. Furthermore,
at a later stage software and hardware
systems can be acquired and developed
to enable the full utilization of the
advantages RFID technology off ers.
EASY TO AUTHENTICATE THE CC CONTAINERS
With a built-in RFID chip, which has
a unique identifi cation code, you can
always check (with a handheld reader
or through an RFID gate) if you receive
genuine high-quality CC Containers.
Only genuine CC Containers will be
accepted at the CC depots and many
other places.
IMPROVES GENERAL QUALITY OF THE CC POOL SYSTEM
Using RFID ensures that only the
original, high-quality CC Containers
circulate in the CC Pool System, which
means fewer damaged and unusable
containers stopping your work fl ow.
CONTAINER CENTRALEN
Container Centralen A/S (CC) has a leading position in transportation equipment pooling
systems within the European fl ower and plant industry. Th e system has been extended to other
continents, making it as simple to export or import goods to and from any country in the
world, as it is within Europe. At the same time, CC serves many customers in the retail food
industry, including a number of the biggest supermarket chains in Europe.
CC uses a concept based on two principles: CC’s well-acknowledged CC Pool System with
1:1 exchange as well as products of standard dimensions: Full trolleys or crates are simply
exchanged for empty ones and vice versa. CC takes care of repair and maintenance. For more
information about Container Centralen, please see www.container-centralen.com
www.mobilerfi dshop.com • www.cc-rfi d.com • www.operation-chip-it.com
CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
A client of a restaurant claimed too warm sandwiches to be a source of a food poisoning. With data collected by the Nordic ID Monitor the restau-rant was able to show that sandwiches as well as all the raw materials were stored continuously in correct tem-peratures. Nordic ID Monitor made handling customer complaint easy.
Food retailers and restaurants are
now required to comply with strin-
gent food safety requirements
that stipulate careful logging and
reporting of storage conditions. A
fl exible tool is needed to record
and coordinated activities involv-
ing the storage of food products
in addition to regular daily tasks
such as inventory management
and customer service.
Th e Nordic ID Monitor system off ers food
retailers and restaurants an easy solution
for fulfi lling the legislative requirements of
food quality control. Th e system includes
a wireless sensor network for temperature
monitoring complete with a handheld com-
puter for managing quality control tasks and
reporting. Th e functionality is ideally suited
for retail and food service environments
where operations must remain simple and
high quality must be maintained. Th e Nor-
dic ID Monitor also improves effi ciency by
delivering valuable reporting and controlling
capabilities to the workers on the fl oor.
Th e concept and functionality of the Nordic
ID Monitor system was created through a
series of customer interviews and researches
that established priorities of operations.
Nordic ID responded with the system of
wireless sensors that measure temperatures
of cold or warm devices such as freezers,
fridges or fresh food sales counters and sends
the temperature information over wireless
network to the Monitor system’s database.
Nordic ID Monitor removes the need to
manually record and monitor temperatures
and archive them. As long as all temperatures
are within set limits everything is automatic.
AUTOMATED SELF MONITORING FOR FOOD RETAIL WITH NORDIC ID’S WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK
PRODUCTS
Text: Darby Thomas / VerdaImages: Jörn von Soldenhoff & Shutterstock
22 • Nordic IDea
ADVANTAGES
Automates self monitoring bureaucracy•
Moves quality tasks from back offi ce to •
the shop or restaurant fl oor
Easy to modify and update•
Extensive reporting•
Data can be used with PC or with hand-•
held regardless of place and time
TECHNOLOGY
Sensor temperature range from -35C to +80C•
Coordinating access point with USB or with •
Ethernet connection
Routing access points require only power •
connection
Automatic networking of sensors and access •
points
System supports multiple sites•
Temperature alerts to handheld, e-mail or SMS•
Temperature measurements and scheduled •
monitoring tasks
SAVING TIME
In a supermarket there is 15 freezers and fridges, temperature of each was measured with manual thermometer every second day. Once a month a sum-mary was collected and archived. Nor-dic ID Monitor automated tempera-ture monitoring and saved monthly 50 hours of working time to customer service.
LOSS PREVENTION
After a short electric break a compres-sor of a freezer failed to start auto-matically. Th e temperature started to rise slowly. Just before closing time of the retail store the Nordic ID Monitor system alerted about the temperature increase. Th e store personnel were able to restart the compressor before any goods were lost and saved estimated 5000€ worth of frozen goods.
Nordic IDea • 23
And when there is a deviation, the
system alerts the user through hand-
held, e-mail or SMS.
Th e Nordic ID Monitor system in-
cludes also tools for scheduling and
reporting tasks and recording notes of
quality deviations.
NORDIC ID MONITOR AUTO-MATES THE BUREAUCRACY
Th e task of quality monitoring is
achieved effi ciently and cost ef-
fectively. Th e system automates the
‘bureaucracy’ of self monitoring, saving
working and management time. Recording
temperatures and reporting tasks is often
seen as something extra to ones work. A
store associate is an expert of customer
service and chef is an expert in food
preparation; fi lling in forms and ar-
chiving papers always takes time
away from their main work.
Th e system also provides a holistic tool
for self monitoring. Th e functionality is
not limited to temperature monitoring
but also includes scheduling and reporting
of quality tasks. When there is something to
be checked the system notifi es the user. Th e
user can then report the task on the spot with
handheld, additional paperwork is avoided.
Everyone can focus on their main tasks.
IMMEDIATE PAYBACK
Th e overall payback on the system is im-
mense when considering benefi ts such as
massive reductions in manual tempera-
ture data logging time and costs, decreased
equipment failure costs thanks to quick
response to problem situations and better
energy effi ciency of machines due to the
precise monitoring of temperatures. Users
are given a valuable tool to coordinate not
only the monitoring of food storage but also
many of their other daily tasks to allow them
to focus on their key duties.
The system consists of a wireless sensor network and server applications. Wireless sensor network consists of a coordinator, routers and the wireless temperature sensors.
RFID CONVERSION
RFID Conversion is a simple application for writing the content of the barcode into the
EPC Class 1 Gen 2 tag’s EPC bank. If preferred, the user may also edit the content of the
barcode or write a new one from scratch.
First the user scans the barcode by pressing the yellow scan button
on the keyboard or the corresponding button on the display. Th e bar-
code content will now appear in the content box. Th e user then needs
to read an RFID tag to which the barcode content will be written.
Th is is done with the circular button. Note: No more than one tag is
allowed to be in the reading zone during this process. After the suc-
cessful reading of the tag, the barcode content can be written to the
EPC bank of the tag’s chip by pressing the rectangular key.
NORDIC ID SUPPORT https://support.nordicid.com/extranet/
NORDIC ID RFID DEMOSThe Nordic ID PL3000 comes with three pre-installed RFID demo applications.
The applications give the user an excellent picture of the RFID performance of
the handheld and a small glimpse of the various settings, which can affect the
performance. All applications were developed with Nordic ID’s MHL abstraction
layer, which means all the features of these applications are also easily available
for anyone who is developing RFID applications for Nordic ID PL3000.
Text: Janne Mäkeläinen
RFID INVENTORY
As the name suggests, RFID Inventory is
meant for taking inventory of multiple Gen
2 RFID tags. Th e application can read up to
2500 individual tags. Th e RFID Inventory
application is simple to use. After the ap-
plication has been launched, press the scan
button to start scanning tags in the range.
Th e scanning can be stopped by pressing the
scan button again.
If the “Show items as they appear” box is
checked when the
scan begins, the
EPC codes of the
scanned tags are
shown in the list. If
the box is left un-
checked, only the
number of scanned
tags are shown.
TAGRW
TagRW is a program intended for testing
maximum reading distances with the hand-
held. With the application the user is able to
adjust the output power of the RFID mod-
ule to see how it aff ects the maximum read-
ing distance. Th e user is also able to change
the session settings which play an important
role, especially when large tag populations
need to be identifi ed as fast as possible. Tag-
RW can also display the current settings of
the module and the fi rmware version, which
is needed on occasion.
Information regarding the current RFID
module settings and driver versions are
shown to the user by pressing the Info but-
ton in the main window.
Depending on the RFID module inside the
PDA, diff erent tag types and bitrates can be
set. If the device is equipped with a Th ing-
Magic RFID module, the RF power can be
toggled between 60mW and 200mW. Th e
RF power cannot be changed during
scanning.
Th e user can access the session settings
in the main window by pressing the 0
button. Session settings defi ne how
frequently tags are sending their EPC
codes to the reader. Th e best session set-
ting depends on the situation, for exam-
ple, session 2 or 3 is best for inventory
purposes where a large number of tags
are simultaneously in the reading range.
In the main window, a scan is initiated
with the circular or
rectangular button
of the keyboard.
Th e circular but-
ton commences a
continuous scan
while the rectan-
gular button be-
gins a single scan.
24 • Nordic IDea
Handheld solution improves eff iciency at
TUKO WARE-
HOUSES
Text: Pirkko SoininenPhotos: Markku Ojala
CASE STUDY
Driver Ville Noroaho picks up a Nordic ID Morphic handheld computer from
the dispatch department at Tuko Logistics’ Kerava terminal and begins loading
goods onto his truck. The new handheld computers have brought more struc-
ture and effi ciency to logistics management.
Tuko Logistics Oy renewed its
entire distribution management
system at the end of last year.
Solteq Oyj delivered a new MerxD
distribution management system
that includes Nordic ID’s Morphic
handheld computers.
“Paperless dispatch department
work and customer-specifi c moni-
toring of identifi ed transport units
is an important competitive edge
for us,” says Kaarlo Svensson, Di-
rector of Distribution and Termi-
nal Services at Tuko Logistics
Nordic IDea • 25
“Th e new system has allowed us to move from
kilogram-based to unit-based charging. Th is
signifi cantly improves cost correlation and
makes invoicing easier as the drivers produce
the invoicing material themselves on their
PDA’s. We also wanted to switch to tracabil-
ity based on barcode scanning. Th e target was
to improve transparency, traceability and cost
correlation throughout the delivery chain,” says
Svensson as he summarises the reasons behind
the new system.
Th e company didn’t want to renew the old sys-
tem because it wanted something completely
new that could be built specifi cally to meet
Tuko’s needs. Solteq’s Merx system provided
the foundation, and a new additional module
was added to meet Tuko’s needs.
”We off er our customers the best possible
handheld solution. Th e MerxMorphic solution
that we developed with Nordic ID is reliable
and good, and it’s continuously being devel-
oped according to customer requests,” says Jan
Salminen, who is responsible for the solution
at Solteq.
“Th e cooperation between us and Nordic ID
has been excellent and functional. We appreci-
ate the good availability, maintenance, service
reliability and development capacity of Nordic
ID devices,” continues Salminen.
EASY TO USE AND RELIABLE
“Th e idea behind renewing the distribution
management system was a vision of how we
wanted the handheld computers to work.
Th e starting point was a new handheld de-
vice that would be easy to use and reliable,”
explains Tuija Landen, Terminal Manager
at Tuko Kerava.
She’s responsible for the dispatch depart-
ment at the Kerava warehouse and ensuring
that goods get to the right place at the right
time.
“User experiences have been positive. Many
of our drivers are using a handheld device
for the fi rst time and they have learned the
operating logic well. Th e handheld computer
is easy to hold, the buttons are set at a good
distance from each other and you can also
use it with gloves on, which is really impor-
tant if the temperature in the department is
only fi ve degrees,” explains Juha Salo, who is
the main user for the new system.
When drivers arrive at the Tuko Logistics
terminal, they pick up a handheld from the
dispatch department. Th en they log in to the
system with the user ID for their transport
company, which are listed on the wall of the
“User experiences have been posi-
tive. Many of our drivers are using
a handheld device for the fi rst time
and they have learned the oper-ating logic well.”
CASE STUDY
Ville Noroaho reads the
preliminary information for
the goods from the Nordic ID
Morphic. After he has loaded
the products onto the truck,
he returns the handheld to
the dispatch department and
receives his delivery lists.
26 • Nordic IDea
MerxMorphic solution
Improves the effi ciency of ware-•
house functions
Th e MerxMorphic device com-•
municates with Solteq Merx
over the company’s WLAN
network or the operator’s GPRS
network using an emulator pro-
gram, which has been confi gured
from the perspective of Solteq
Merx and IBM iSeries.
All the buttons and functions •
necessary for Merx use are avail-
able in the handheld device.
Nordic ID Morphic: Windows® •
CE 6.0, 128MB of memory,
weighs 185 g including the bat-
tery, WLAN or GPRS
TUKO LOGISTICS
Tuko Logistics is a procurement and
logistics company operating in the gro-
cery business. Th e company’s owners
and customers are Wihuri Oy, Suomen
Lähikauppa Oy, Stockmann Oyj Abp and
Heinon Tukku Oy.
Turnover (2008): EUR 835.5 million
Personnel: appr. 800
Items: 25,000
Warehouse items: 16,000
CUSTOMER BASE
Grocery stores: 1,000
Catering customers: 4,500
Express wholesalers: 40
Suppliers: nearly 1,000
Warehouse space: 72,000 m²
Storage locations: 60,000
Collection locations: 19,000
Forklifts: 290
department in barcode format. After that,
the drivers use the handheld terminal to scan
every trolley or pallet loaded onto their vehi-
cle, which ensures that information about all
goods remains in the system.
“Th e traceability of goods has improved sig-
nifi cantly. Th is is also important for custom-
er service if customers call and fi le a claim.
When customer service employees have ac-
cess to the same system, they can easily fi nd
out where a product has gone,” says Kaarlo
Svensson.
Kerava forwards goods to other distribution
terminals elsewhere in Finland and directly
to sales outlets and small wholesalers. Ap-
proximately 500 vehicles load or unload
their goods every day.
“Our goal in the future is to extend the chain
even further. Hopefully, drivers at other dis-
tribution terminals will also have handheld
terminals that will allow the goods to be en-
tered. We want to make the entire delivery
chain transparent,” states Svensson.
CAREFUL CONSIDERA-TION OF EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
Kerava currently has nearly 50 Nordic ID
Morphics and a few dozen more at terminals
run by its partners. All of the computers are
programmed with Naurtech’s CETerm.
“Th e new handheld computers have better
scanning speed, because they utilize diff er-
ent technology than the older versions. Th ey
use the same network as other devices, and
this makes it easier to transfer data. Th e bat-
teries last longer than in the old device and
the devices are also more durable, even when
they are dropped on the fl oor,” states Juha
Salo.
Th e device itself hasn’t received any negative
feedback. Th e Morphics have been reliable –
if a device needs servicing, a replacement has
been available immediately.
“I certainly believe that the new device has
made our work more effi cient. Th e driv-
ers resisted the change to start with, but
we haven’t heard any complaining since we
actually began to use the devices. Th e load
scanning procedure already seems to be a
simple one for the drivers. Th e device is easy
to use and has good functionality. It’s hard to
make a mistake with this device, because it’s
pretty much foolproof,” states Tuija Landen.
“We worked with Nordic ID to optimize
the equipment settings in relation to Merx.
Putting time and eff ort into equipment
confi guration makes the device easy to use,”
concludes Jan Salminen.
Product: Nordic ID MorphicBarcode, WLAN/GPRS
Nordic IDea • 27
Whether in early spring or late autumn: the
picture of booming tyre garages is always
the same. This is the time when conscien-
tious motorists have their tyres changed.
Besides good business, it means above
all on thing for the dealers: non-stop tyre
changes and lots of stress. Peak season is
particularly stressful for dealers who have a
large number of regular customers consist-
ing of fi nal customers and vehicle fl eet op-
erators and who, besides mere tyre chang-
ing, also offer warehousing services. This is
the case with Premio Reifen + Autoservice
franchise companies. To reduce the chaos
and stress in connection with tyre ware-
housing to a minimum, Munich-based
Robert Jäger GmbH, one of the largest
Premio partners in Germany, has decided
to introduce a complete solution including
Nordic ID mobile computers as well as the
tyre warehousing system RESy by MMC.
Premio Reifen + Autoservice was founded in 1996 as a customer focused chain of specialised dealers by Goodyear Dunlop Handelssysteme GmbH (GDHS) and has proved very successful: Th ere are now more than 230 Premio franchise companies and branches in Germany off ering motorists competent help and advice on tyres and complete car service. Th e main characteris-tics of this tyre and car service chain - also strongly expanding on international level - are among others a standardized appear-ance, 100% customer focus as well as bind-ing quality standards. Robert Jäger GmbH in Munich counts among the ten largest Premio partners. Th e company’s warehouse that is located about twenty kilometres from the garage holds more than 25,000 customer tyres. Given the large number of tyres and numerous transport operations, owner Rob-ert Jäger and his staff faced problems when trying to keep track of storage positions and service processes during peak season.
TIME CONSUMING SEARCHES FOR REQUIRED SETS OF TYRES
“Our old software did not provide us with the necessary functions to correctly track down individual sets of tyres and to check what was done to the tyres when and by whom,” explains Robert Jäger, owner of Premio in Munich. “Com-ing to think of it, it was noth-ing but paper chaos - without barcode labels and mobile computers.“
With an increasing volume of
tyres stored in the warehouse,
the warehouse staff spent
more and more time looking
for the required sets of tyres and sometimes
even had problems delivering these tyres on
time. Moreover, the situation was aggravated
by comparatively high error rates in provid-
ing the tyres. In short: something had to be
done. “We aimed for an error-free workfl ow
with optimized, timesaving processes,” says
Jäger. “After all this also serves to improve
customer satisfaction.” Th e Munich-based
Premio dealer took the decision to introduce
a tyre warehousing software that, in connec-
tion with powerful mobile computers, was
intended to cover and clearly document the
complete tyre warehousing process.
THE UPGRADABILITY AND RUGGEDNESS OF PL3000 MOBILE COMPUTERS PROVED CONVINCING
“We fi rst came into contact with the RESy
software by MMC a couple of years ago
and the good impression it made on us has
stayed,“ thus Robert Jäger explains his deci-
sion in favour of the tyre warehousing system
(RESy) by the Dusseldorf-based Michael
Müller Computing GmbH (MMC). Only
the powerful handheld terminals were still
lacking. Jäger came across the Finnish com-
pany Nordic ID via the GDHS holding
company. “We made contact with Nordic ID
via MMC,“ says Jäger. “MMC inspected the
PL3000 mobile computer by Nordic ID and
deemed it very good.“ Th e PL3000 hand-
helds’ upgradability, ruggedness and good
price/performance ratio also accounted for
the decision in favour of Nordic ID. “When
the device was later put to use, we also came
to appreciate the function-related keyboard
illumination,“ Jäger adds. Th e time span be-
tween ordering RESy from MMC and deliv-
ery was only six weeks. MMC painstakingly
adapted its MDE software to the Munich
Premio partner’s requirements and success-
fully integrated the PL3000 device. “We had
no diffi culties whatsoever with the develop-
ment for PL3000,“ says Dirk Jansen, Head
of Software Development at MMC. Th is is
partly due to the fact that PL3000 is conse-
quently based on standards – among others
the operating system Windows CE 6.0.
Looking forward to
A PEAK SEASON WITHOUT STRESS
CASE STUDY Text: Jutta Freisen / Möller Horcher GmbH Images: Bernd Brinkmann
28 • Nordic IDea
THE COMPLETE TYRE WARE-HOUSING PROCESS IS MAPPED
Th e RESy software that is installed on both the host system and the handhelds at Robert Jäger GmbH currently covers the complete tyre warehousing process, enabling clear traceability of the individual tyres from the moment they are taken off to their delivery, via the corresponding transport, storage and service processes. Five employees perma-nently use the PL3000 handhelds by Nordic ID: mainly in the warehouse, but also at in-spection stations and even the drivers of the transport trucks work with them.
When a customer enters the garage today and asks for a tyre change including ware-housing services, a warehousing order is entered in RESy by a service staff member who records the services requested by the customer in the system and starts the bar-code label printing. Having been taken off , the tyres are provided with the labels, loaded in the truck and transported to the distant warehouse, and all the while the individual processes can be precisely recorded with the Nordic ID mobile computers. By means of scanning processes, the tyres are fi rmly as-signed to a defi ned storage location. “Th is way, we can also store tyres belonging to one set in separate locations which enables us to use the warehouse space more effi ciently”, explains Robert Jäger.
JUST-IN-TIME DELIVERY OF THE TYRES
All services processes commissioned by the customer, e.g. washing, compressed air fi ll-ing, tread depth measurement or balancing, are meticulously recorded in RESy via the
PL3000 handheld devices. “Th is history exactly tells us at any time what was done to the tyres when and by whom, along with the services that still have to be per-formed,“ reports Robert Jäger.
When customers call at the change of the season to arrange for a renewed change of their tyres, service staff members can directly view the status of the tyres in the planner connected to RESy via an interface and pro-pose a date and time. Th e warehouse staff is given the information which tyres have to be brought to the garage the other day on
their PL3000 handhelds and can print out a packing list of the orders. Th is allows for optimised routes to prepare the orders.
“Today we deliver all tyres just-in-time, for we know where they are,“ says Jäger. By scanning the barcodes, RESy automatically checks whether the staff really has packed all requested tyres. Th e transport process as well as the arrival of the tyres at the garage is then recorded in the same way as the delivery.
In case of major customers and vehicle pool operators, Robert Jäger GmbH also chang-es the tyres directly at the customer’s site. “Th e next expansion stage will also include providing the drivers of this mobile service with handhelds and putting an end to all the paper chaos,” announces Jäger. “Th e orders will be indicated on the mobile computer displays and can be completed by the driv-ers directly on site by the simple touch of a button.” MMC has specifi cally implemented a software web interface for Jäger’s vehicle pool customers. Using an online access, company car drivers can e.g. use the system
to arrange for a tyre change or vehicle pool managers can retrieve up-to-date informa-tion on the tyre inventory status.
As the Munich Premio partner works with a large number of temporary staff in peak season, ease of use of both the handhelds and the software has been a prerequisite. “We have designed the complete solution as simple and plain as possible,” explains Dirk Jansen from MMC and Robert Jäger adds: “MMC has even enhanced the clarity of the system. Every staff member is only provided with the functions relevant to him or her.“
TIME OPTIMIZATION IN THE RANGE OF 80 PERCENT AND MINIMAL ERROR RATES
“Th e RESy software and PL3000 mobile computers have considerably improved the quality of our processes,“ Jäger resumes. “Th anks to the excellent documentation based on the scanning processes, time-consuming searches for tyres are now fi nally a thing of the past. We have been able to achieve a time optimization in the range of 80 percent and to reduce our error rate to something below two percent. At the same time, we can make much better use of our storing capacities on account of the possi-bility to track down the tyres in the ware-house.”
Th ese results have already convinced other Premio partners, too, who have come to take a look at the combination of Nordic ID mo-bile computers and MMC software. Given the attractive prospect of managing peak season without stress, this is hardly an as-tonishing fact.
www.premiomuenchen.de
www.mmcgmbh.de
The solution comprises three components: Besides the software solution RESy by MMC and the mobile computer Nordic ID PL3000, label printers by TOSHIBA TEC are used. The labels printed by the latter even withstand tyre cleaning. A complete solution from one source - one investment that quickly pays off.
Product: Nordic ID PL3000Barcode
“Today we deliver all tyres just-in-
time, for we know where they are.“
Nordic IDea • 29
Change is upon Kaiser’s Tengelmann
AG. The supermarket chain is just roll-
ing out its new Compex merchandise
management system throughout its
branch network. Thanks to the item-
level real-time inventory management,
Compex will ensure transparent busi-
ness processes. To be able to perform
standard procedures like merchandise
planning and inventories on a paper-
less basis and in real-time – all at item
level – Kaiser’s Tengelmann was in
search of online-capable mobile com-
puters. Kaiser’s Tengelmann found what
it was looking for, Nordic ID. Today the
Nordic ID PL3000 mobile data record-
ing devices are already employed in
hundreds of the company’s stores. As
a multi-functional interface to the mer-
chandise planning and control system,
the mobile computers enable the em-
ployees to spend more time on the
sales fl oor, closer to customers.
SMOOTH TRANSITION
Before introducing its merchandise planning and control system, Kaiser’s Tengel-mann did their research well: All 700 supermarkets were equipped with WLAN for the mobile data recording devices, quick VPN DSL and new POS software. “To familiarise our employees with the new system, we opted for a smooth transition”, states Lutz Endrikat, Head of Organisation at Kaiser’s Tengelmann. “Th erefore the roll-out of our merchandise planning and control system was preceded by a technical roll-out.” Th e employees were also supposed to test the mobile data recording devices and the barcode scanning in the new technical environment. Th e problem was that the existing mobile computers did not meet the following two requirements of Kai-ser’s Tengelmann: “We needed equipment that guaranteed both, high availability with minimum failures and an extremely stable WLAN Roaming performance” explains Endrikat. Kaiser’s Tengelmann decided to introduce new mobile computers to the company. Following an intensive selection and testing process, the Nordic ID PL3000 mobile computers were chosen.
Kaiser’s Tengelmann Opts for Nordic ID Mobile Computers in all its Branches
INTO THE FUTURE IN REAL-TIME
30 • Nordic IDea
CASE STUDY
“The mobile computers ensure that the employees can spend signifi cantly more time on the sales fl oor. That is our objective, because after all our purpose is to sell, not manage goods – trade more goods and adminis-trate less.”
- Lutz Endrikat, Head of Organisation at Kaiser’s Tengelmann
STABLE WLAN ROAMING AND USER FRIENDLINESS
“Besides the outstanding WLAN Roaming behaviour, what really convinced us in the PL3000 were remote maintenance and soft-ware distribution options and the standard Windows CE 6.0 operating system”, says Endrikat explaining their choice. Th e per-sons responsible at Kaiser’s Tengelmann are also pleased with the fast and reliable support that Nordic ID off ers in response to service and confi guration requests. 660 Nordic ID PL3000 mobile computers were introduced at 300 Kaiser’s Tengelmann supermarkets all over Germany, before rolling out 840 more PL3000 devices at the remaining 400 out-lets. “We use the handhelds throughout the company – from sales fl oor to the warehouse and the cold storage”, explains Lutz Endri-kat.
INTEGRATING OLD AND NEW WORLD
Nordic ID mobile data recording devices have a standard web application and through it, the employees communicate by WLAN and VPN with the merchandise planning and control system at the computing centre of Kaiser’s Tengelmann. Since the merchan-dise planning and control system is used for fruit and vegetable products to begin with and then rolled out step by step to the full range of products, the BI capability of the PL3000 was particularly important. “Nordic ID has developed a special software tool for us, the KTAG loader, that recognises upon booting whether or not the range of goods has already been switched to the new sys-tem”, describes Endrikat. “If the range of goods is recognized, the system connects online to Compex. If not, the old processes run.” So Kaiser’s Tengelmann was able to start using the advantages of the PL3000 before the roll-out of the new merchandise planning and control system was fully com-pleted.
NORDIC ID PL3000 AS A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL IN-TERFACE TO COMPEX
In the branches, the Nordic ID PL3000 de-vices represent the multi-functional interface to the merchandise planning and control system: Th e handheld computers enable the employees to spend more time on the sales fl oor – and that means closer to customers. Using barcode scanning and the web appli-cation on site, the employees can plan mate-rial requirements directly for the shop fl oor
THE INITIAL SITUATIONKaiser’s Tengelmann was rolling-out a new merchandise planning and control system in its branches and the system was supposed to ensure transparent business processes through item-level real-time inventory management. In that context Kaiser’s Tengelmann looked for online-capable mobile computers to be able to perform standard procedures like merchandise planning and inven-tories on a paperless basis and in real-time.
THE SOLUTIONNordic ID PL3000 mobile computers represent the multi-functional interface to the merchandise planning and con-trol system. Using barcode scanning and the Web application the employees can plan material requirements directly for the shelves or the warehouse on site, handle incoming and outgoing goods, carry out continuous inventory or inven-tory transfers.
THE RESULTAll article movements are recorded in real-time. Thanks to the handhelds the employees are informed about the current inventory at any time, concentrate on work on a paperless basis and – to the benefi t of the customers – are much more present on the sales fl oor.
Text: Jutta Freisen / Möller Horcher GmbHImages: Sebastian Lasse
shelves or the warehouse, handle incoming and outgoing goods, carry out continuous inventory or inventory transfers. Every article movement is automatically re-corded by the merchandise plan-ning and control system. Th anks to the handhelds, the employees are informed about the branch’s current inventory at any time – including storage, delivery status as well as sales and write-off s for the last four weeks. Online com-munication makes major part of the tedious documenting obsolete.
“Nowadays we work with hand-helds on a paperless basis, as ear-lier we used to have vouchers for everything”, outlines Endrikat with satisfaction. “Th e mobile computers ensure that the em-ployees can spend signifi cantly more time on the sales fl oor. Th at is our objective, because after all our purpose is to sell, not manage goods – trade more goods and administrate less.”
REMOTE MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMISING
To ensure that the work with the PL3000 devices run smoothly right from the start, Nordic ID thoroughly trained the manag-ers of the four service locations at Kaiser’s Tengelmann and also other roll-out manag-ers in handling the PL3000 as well as the re-mote management tool and the customizer. Remote management means that Kaiser’s Tengelmann can administrate the software on the mobile computers from a central service location and update the devices cen-trally. Th e customizer tool enables Kaiser’s Tengelmann to implement specifi c required settings on its own. For support purposes Nordic ID provided Kaiser’s Tengelmann with a customer-specifi c user manual for the Nordic ID PL3000. Th e roll-out managers trained by Nordic ID and Kaiser’s Tengel-mann train the branch managers in their areas in using the handhelds and the Web application.
Lutz Endrikat comments the experiences: “So far we have only got positive feedback from the stores – as far as the handling of the Nordic ID machines, their availability and the stability of WLAN Roaming is secured.” Customers benefi t as well. At the Kaiser’s Tengelmann supermarkets customers do not have to look long for skilled employees, they can be found where the customers are - present at the shelves.
Nordic IDea • 31
Product: Nordic ID PL3000Barcode, WLAN
www.kaisers.de
With more than 11,300 stores in
Europe and 2,000 in Germany
alone, Euronics is Europe’s sec-
ond-largest consumer electron-
ics retailer. Each store carries
tens of thousands of products,
making inventory management
a challenge.
Euronics Friesoythe, an owner-
managed location near Bremen,
Germany decided it was high
time to improve inventory man-
agement, cut back on admin-
istration and get staff back in
front of customers.
STOCK KEEPING: A BIG TIME WASTER
Th e major problem that Euronics Friesoythe was trying to solve was cut-
ting down on time wasted on ineffi cient stock keeping. Although the
retailer had been using mobile stock keeping devices since 1999, staff s
weren’t able to load the master data for stock keeping units (SKUs) onto
existing inventory tracking devices. As a result, serial numbers couldn’t
be matched and employees couldn’t tell whether an article was already
entered in the system or not. Th is led to extensive and time-consuming
manual reconciling.
“Our aim was to make the inventory processes simpler, faster and above
all more accurate,” says Markus Block, Managing Director of Euronics
Friesoythe. “In particular our range of small appliances will be subject
to more frequent intermediate inventories.” To fi nd an answer to their
problem, Euronics Friesoythe consulted their ERP system supplier, High
Quality Software GmbH (HQS), who recommended Nordic ID’s Mor-
phic handsets.
ERP PROVIDER CHOOSES NORDIC ID FOR ITS CUSTOMERS
Dieter Wilke, Head of Technology and Partner at HQS explains why he
chose Nordic ID: “We started looking for a mobile computer featuring
the latest technology and ensuring the best possible interaction with our
software in autumn 2008” he says. “We opted for Nordic ID Morphic be-
cause it has Windows CE 6.0 as operating system, it is clearly laid out and
intuitive in use and the excellent cost-performance ratio is convincing.”
In collaboration with Nordic ID, HQS developed mobility and computer
applications in order to automate processes. “Our ERP system and the
mobile data recording device were matched in the best possible way, ena-
bling data transmission and processing to run in the most parts automati-
cally,” says Wilke. After a thorough testing phase in their own environ-
ment, HQS began off ering Nordic ID handsets to their own customers
in 2008.
A SLEEK, VERSATILE HANDSET:
32 • Nordic IDea
CASE STUDY
EXCEPTIONAL USABILITYfast integration,
Electronics giant Euronics Frie-
soythe location puts staff back
in front of customers thanks to
Nordic ID Morphic stock-keep-
ing handsets.
Text: Jutta Freisen / Möller Horcher GmbH and Carl Michener / ID BBNImage: Jörn von Soldenhoff
RETAILER LOVES IT
“All I can say is that this complete package
fi ts like a glove. Everything runs smoothly,”
says Block, Euronics Friesoythe’s Managing
Director. He was particularly impressed with
ergonomics and usability: “All our 23 em-
ployees working with Nordic ID Morphic
immediately understood how to operate the
device.”
For Euronics Friesoythe, implementation
was a snap. By transferring all SKU master
data onto the Morphic handsets, staff were
able to scan stock keeping codes when a
shipment arrived and to automatically enter
the new inventory into their existing system.
Employees only need to enter the relevant
quantity of a product and perform a scan
to enter information. All other details are
automatically provided by the ERP system,
which means no reconciling and a signifi -
cantly reduced margin of error.
Nordic IDea • 33
Product: Nordic ID Morphic
HIGH ACCURACY + TIME SAVINGS = ROI
When an SKU not entered in the system
is scanned, Nordic ID Morphic sends out
an alert. But if a bar code doesn’t turn up
product details, a text search is another al-
ternative. Th ese features eliminated manual
checks based on reference lists. And when
handsets are docked, data updates arrive via
USB, to be sent on to the server via network
connection.
Th anks to immediate result checking, time-
wasting manual inventories were no longer
necessary, resulting in signifi cant econo-
mies. Automatic matching also increased
inventory accuracy. Another advantage of
the new inventory process was overall time
savings, easily seen during storewide inven-
tory counts. “In the past, we were busy with
inventory from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on average.
When we used Nordic ID Morphic for
the fi rst time in March, the whole process
already took considerably less time,” said
Block. “Altogether this mobile computer in
connection with Profi Soft puts us in a posi-
tion to carry out intermediate inventories for
small appliances more frequently”.
TOP FEATURES: NORDIC ID MORPHIC
• Standard Windows® CE operating system• Standard browser• Many communication interfaces• Compact, lightweight & durable• Ergonomic, single-hand operation• Bright, sharp colour display• Future-proof technologies
www.euronics.de
34 • Nordic IDea
FINNISH WAYS
Text: Kaisa Riikilä, OSG ViestintäImage: Kemi SnowCastle
Kemi SnowCastle is rebuilt every winter
and offers arctic experiences for the
whole family. The area includes the Snow-
Hotel, SnowChapel and SnowRestau-
rant, all of which are made entirely of
snow and ice. Light effects enhance the
charm of the snow structures and ice
sculptures.
Construction of the SnowCastle tradi-tionally begins in December, when there is suffi cient snow and cold temperatures. It usually takes about six weeks to build the castle, with the opening ceremony held at the end of January. Th e castle is open until April. “Foreigners in particular are always amazed that we build the Snow-Castle every year in a diff erent way. Th ey always marvel about the fact that it takes six weeks to build and is only open for two months. It’s an incredible amount of work for just two months,” explains Cas-tle Manager Marika Tomminen. Th e construction phase in-volves spraying snow onto moulds, which are removed once the snow has frozen. Th e ice and snow used for con-struction come from the neighbouring Bothnian Bay. Sea water is used to make artifi cial snow, while the restaurant ta-bles and all the Castle’s ice sculptures are made from ice taken from the sea. To begin with, about 10 people are involved in building the castle, but the team grows to about 50 ice sculpting professionals as the castle nears comple-tion.
104,000 VISITORS
“Th e SnowCastle had 104,000 visitors this season, with about 10% of them coming from 40 diff erent countries out-side Finland. Th is is a particularly popu-lar destination with people from Spain, Germany, Holland and Belgium,” says Marika. Th e temperature inside the SnowCastle is always about -5°C, so visi-tors should dress warmly in, for example, quilted outer wear and thick-soled shoes. A hat and gloves are also a must. Th e SnowHotel has 21 rooms of varying sizes – all made completely from snow. Guests spend the night in warm sleeping bags, and the fresh -5°C air guarantees a great sleep. Th e recom-mended night-time attire includes a hat, socks and long underwear. “Th e majority of Snow Hotel guests are foreigners, who always fi nd this a very exotic and unique experience. Around 1,000 people stay at the Snow-Hotel over a two-month period,” explains Tomminen. Th e SnowRestaurant serves lunch and dinner, with a menu that in-cludes traditional Finnish delicacies like cold-smoked salmon soup, reindeer fi let and blueberry pie. Th e SnowChapel provides an excellent spot for quiet contemplation. Th e chapel is ecumenical and available to groups of all denominations. You can ar-range weddings, christenings and other religious events in the chapel. Th e SnowCastle also has plenty for children to do, including a slide and ice carousel. Every weekend there is a programme designed especially for the smallest members of the family.
www.snowcastle.net
ART FROM SNOW
AND ICE
Nordic IDea • 35
The most innovative
RFID CASE
Nordic ID vision includes becoming the
biggest mobile RFID company in Europe.
Th ere is a need for leadership and trendset-
ting in RFID to bring the technology for-
ward. Nordic ID wants to fulfi ll this need
by being able to answer questions concern-
ing RFID and its benefi ts and by providing
mobile devices for professional use enabling
customers to improve their inventory man-
agement, customer service, communication
and supply chain control.
In accordance with the vision Nordic ID is
pleased to announce a competition on the
most innovative RFID case. Th e competition
is open to all partners, cooperation partners
and interest groups that have an RFID case
where Nordic ID mobile computers are part
of the solution.
THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE MOST INNOVATIVE RFID CASE ARE:
New way of implementing mobile 1.
RFID technology to its full advantage.
Clear and visible value adds and 2.
results.
User friendliness of the solution. 3.
Entries will be critiqued by a panel of emi-
nent judges from Nordic ID and RFID Lab
Finland, the leading Finnish application
center for RFID technology. Th is publicly
registered not for profi t association is en-
hancing business development based on
Finnish know-how in the area of automatic
identifi cation and especially in RFID tech-
nology.
Deadline for submitting your RFID case
study is 30th November 2010 and the de-
scriptions of the RFID implementations
should be send to: [email protected]
Th e most innovative RFID implementa-
tion will be rewarded with a gift certifi cate
worth of 1,000€ for Kemi SnowHotel!
Th e winning entry will be announced by
the end of year 2010 and the award will be
given to the winner in a Nordic ID RFID
seminar held in the beginning of the year
2011.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
please contact:
tel. +358 2 727 7755
LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN!