Dress for Success is a Charity organization located in South Central PA that aims to work within the community to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. This year, Dress for Success decided to begin a project that would improve product availability and client services using RFID technology within its three stores, mobile unit and warehouse.

Although Dress for Success is a charity, it does not differ from any organization that they must still meet all of the tax requirements and guidelines. In order to properly comply, while also improving operational efficiencies, Dress for Success partnered with Motorola, Avery Dennison, and a company specializing in RFID retail applications to create a solution that worked.

The RFID solution consisted of the Motorola MC9090-G RFID handheld reader, AN series RFID antennas, AD-224 RFID tags from Avery, and a software solution called Tracker Mobile. The right combination of hardware, labels, and software, allowed Dress for Success to tag their clothing and accessories as donated in order to track inventory more efficiently. In addition to better inventory tracking, Dress for Success was also able to use the Motorola 9090-G to find inventory and quickly perform once arduous annual physical counts.

Dress for Success plans to implement their new RFID solution across all of their locations by the fourth quarter of 2009 and looks forward to operating more efficiently.

If you look around, no matter what the environment may be, chances are there’s at least one barcode nearby. They are on everything from computers, to food products, to driver’s licenses, and just about any manufactured good.

Barcodes add brand value because they help companies consistently deliver their brand expectations. Since technology plays a key role in how companies and brands market to customers, barcode technology can play a vital role in customer preference, differentiating a company from its competitors by dramatically improving customer service and satisfaction level. This becomes crucial since barcodes eliminate slow, costly manual errors and help companies to streamline.

Since barcodes are ever increasing in usage, costs of barcodes have dramatically decreased since early implementations. Today, most small and medium sized business can easily afford barcode solutions that help manage inventory levels, accurately capture customer information, improve invoicing, track assets, and monitor things in real time.

Barcode technology can also enable organizations to rapidly gain valuable customer insights since data can be captured and analyzed to identify trends, reveal customer behaviors, and measure the effectiveness of sales and marketing activities. In addition to traditional 1D barcodes, 2D barcodes are particularly great tools for tracking marketing campaigns and activity.

Barcodes also help to protect a brand. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) has found that in the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in counterfeit automotive parts and medicine. Barcode technology is fighting against counterfeit drugs and parts with the use of 2D barcodes that are applied directly to the drug packaging by the manufacturer. The packaging can then be easily checked and verified at every point throughout the supply chain, making counterfeiting virtually impossible.

Barcodes not only help to differentiate brands in the marketplace, but also ensure improve accuracy in business. As barcode technology continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see other uses for them in the future.

Based loosely on a Datalogic White Paper

Route accounting is an industry in which goods and services are bought and sold in a mobile environment. A Route Account system allows a representative to efficiently serve the customer, accept purchase orders, issue invoices, and collect payments.

Real Time Location Systems, or RTLS, are often used in route accounting because they allow managers to easily keep track of drivers and choose the most efficient route of travel. By maintaining accurate real-time visibility of shipping containers between distribution hubs, efficiency and delivery can be greatly improved. This is particularly relevant with time sensitive products that need to be monitored throughout the supply chain in order to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

AeroScout offers Unified Asset Visibility solutions in order to enable logistics and transportation operations that maintain visibility in any environment within the enterprise by combining sources of location, status, and condition data. Such sources include Active RFID, Passive RFID, GPS, and advanced sensors, whose data can be transported over standard Wi-Fi networks into a single platform.

For more information on advanced route accounting solutions like Unified Asset Visibility from Aeroscout, you can learn more here.

Recently, a team of Spanish researchers developed a system using RFID technology to remind elderly and special needs persons to perform necessary tasks, such as taking medication. The system was designed by researchers at the University of Granada in Southern Spain and recognizes everyday actions by using RFID labels. The labels themselves can be easily placed on objects that the individual uses and needs most often and then they can communicate with a computer or mobile device in the house or care center.

Activities are assessed using artificial intelligence techniques to compile a list of actions before leaving the house. The system also monitors movements by analyzing when users touch an object, which can then sound an alarm followed by a reminder on a mobile device to take action.

In order to test this prototype, researchers designed a simulation of the rooms in a house with sensors embedded in them to recognize the behavior of its occupants. The researchers monitored the users individually and then created an individual database. After that, participants were asked to verify the reliability of the system and also rate the degree of intrusion that they felt.

They concluded that the system is most beneficial to those who do not like the aid of others in order to keep their independence. By having a system such as the RFID alert system, people who need care can still perform all of their daily tasks with less intrusion than that of a constant caregiver.

The new Motorola MK4000 is a small, multi-functional kiosk that enables enterprise businesses to provide their customers with powerful self-service tools. Ideal for service-driven industries, the Motorola MK4000 allows customers on the retail floor to check pricing, verify gift card balances, print out personalized coupons, and even order from the online store. The MK4000 could also be the perfect addition to airports, car rental offices, stadiums, and theme parks, helping to speed up check-n processes without having to wait in a long line. In addition, think about how much time could be saved in a hotel lobby, where the kiosk could serve as a personal concierge, helping you to check-in/check-out, make restaurant reservations, turndown services and more. The Motorola MK4000 would also be a great addition to hospitals and clinics, allowing patients to easily check in and or schedule and appointment.

In addition to customer service applications, the Motorola MK4000 is also a great workforce management tool. Employees can easily view training videos and presentations on new products and policies, punch in and out, and access information in order to assist customers. The kiosk could also be positioned toward customers, playing videos that promote company branding, advertise upcoming events, and offer valuable information.

The Motorola MK4000 Micro Kiosk creates a great user experience due to its extensive features, including:

• Advanced imaging engine for 1D, 2D, and PDF barcodes
• Laser engine for accurate capture of 1D barcodes
• 12.1 inch touch screen
• High performance architecture
• Stereo speakers
• Microphone and headset jack supports
• Easily mountable
• 802.11a/b/g connectivity

In addition to the above features, the MK4000 is compatible with Motorola’s new Mobility Service Platform (MSP) to further lower the cost of ownership.