IBM sees three key areas appropriate for RFID

IBM recently looked at its 2007 RFID efforts in the automotive and aerospace industries, identifying special value in areas that included reusable container management, yard management, and work-in-process (WIP) tracking.

“We looked at the top 13 cases developed from client requirements in automotive and aerospace—including seven in the value chain and six in manufacturing—and selected these three as having the most benefit,” says Kurt Rindle, IBM global solutions executive for RFID.

Automotive OEMs typically own and manage hundreds of thousands up to several millions of returnable containers.

“We don't see these ending in just pilots,” maintains Rindle. “The ones we're working on now [represent] the first step of full rollouts. The companies want to move forward. We see a lot of traction in these areas, and we also see the same in aerospace and defense, though it starts from a higher level, with the industry wanting greater visibility in the supply chain. They're more of the mind: 'This is what we want; we know you'll make sure it works'.”