Metro Group rolls out RFID

The Metro Group is deploying RFID at approximately 200 locations of Metro Cash & Carry, Real stores, and Metro Group distribution centres. Using Reva's Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) products, the rollout entails installing the technology at each location.

Metro's IT managing director, Gerd Wolfram, said by using this technology the company is moving RFID out of the innovation labs and into working retail stores. For the initial phase of the rollout, Metro Group is primarily using RFID to enhance its distribution and store receiving processes.

The Metro Group has one of the most sophisticated RFID research and testing organizations in the world, and their criteria are stringent for moving from RFID pilots to production. Reva Systems CEO, Tom Schuster, said Metro's decision to rollout RFID validates that standards-based capabilities will reduce RFID operational and infrastructure costs while increasing service levels.

"The efficiency, manageability and performance improvement we've demonstrated with Reva's technology as part of our RFID architecture allows us to realize our plan for utilizing RFID technology to optimize the supply chain. The elimination of duplicate tag observations and the refinement of tag relevance are critical," stated Wolfram.

"Many RFID pilots have lacked the infrastructure necessary to successfully transition from pilot to production. For Metro, critical requirements include the Reva TAP capability to control all RFID readers, to processing raw tag data into accurate information, and to determine real tag locations in difficult environments."