Tests, tips, and tools from experts in planning and execution

Anritsu—a Japanese manufacturer of test & measurement equipment, and devices and components used in telecommunications, including military applications—must contend with significant global trade compliance regulations. In fact, many of these regulations have been made more rigorous in the wake of 9/11. Anritsu turned to TradeBeam and its Global Trade Management (GTM) solution to automate much of the task of checking orders and shipments against frequently updated lists of restricted parties and destinations.

"Our products are controlled under export administration regulations," says Jane Solomon, trade compliance manager for Anritsu. "As our volume grew—and the restricted lists grew as well—it became difficult to maintain compliance on a manual basis. TradeBeam is an invaluable tool. Our error rate declined dramatically, and GTM has been extremely beneficial in reducing exposure to penalties and fines. There are a lot of bad guys out there, but this program will still find them, provided they're on the government's list," she says.

In mid-September, Boeing and FedEx completed a test study of active RFID tags with an extensive read range of 300 feet on a single FedEx aircraft. A prime purpose of the test was to validate that the technology poses no electromagnetic interference hazard to the control of aircraft in flight. The test also was in preparation for making formal application to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval of broader RFID use on aircraft—laying the groundwork for a host of applications, including supply chain, safety, and sensor technology.

The test scenario involved 40 915 MHz active tags from IDENTEC Solutions, broadcasting at less than one milliwatt of power continuously every three seconds for 90 days from every zone of the aircraft. In comparison, cell phones transmit at 500 milliwatts.

"The goal is to use the technology in safety and supply chain management applications," says Cory Pirani, a member of FedEx aircraft engineering support. "The Air Force had them on pallets where they are transmitting continuously, but they had never been permanently attached to the plane. We checked all maintenance logs and avionics that might be associated with electromagnetic interference, and found none."

ClearOrbit, which offers real-time supply chain execution software, says a new release of the Xtended Process Control (X.PC) suite simplifies collaboration among partners via self-administered remote links and connections. The software complements any ERP system, but is optimized for Oracle.

"In a heterogeneous environment, it's been difficult for brand owners to deal with partners with different systems, making it complicated to implement supply chain management practices," says Dan Kubala, a ClearOrbit director. "We've made it possible for partners to continue using their own systems by adding more integration options. A self-service wizard for administration and training of new people as personnel needs change also helps."

RFID is moving out of its "pioneer phase" in terms of enabling supply chain management, and into its "growth phase"—although not yet a broadly essential technology, according to Greg Aimi, a director with Boston-based AMR Research.

"When everybody has it, it will be essential," claims Aimi. "But the early adopters can't spread the value of it because there isn't yet an infrastructure in place to do so. Right now we are seeing the transition from pioneer phase to the beginning of the growth—or 'getting-it-done'—phase, which will last through 2010. At some inflection point, it will go from optional to essential. But the good news is that in the time it takes to ramp up fully, readers will get better, and tag prices will continue to fall. The momentum is building."