Fujitsu Installation of AbsoluteSKY RFID System Succesful
17 October, 2007
category: RFID
One year into their “strategic” relationship, biz partners Fijitsu Transaction Solutinos and AbsoluteSKY are reporting success.
“Our intelliTRACKER system is now performing the tasks and delivering the sizeable benefits that everyone had hoped for when RFID technology first made its big splash in the retail market a few years ago,” stated John Frabasile, president and CEO of AbsoluteSKY Solutions.
Fujitsu announced today that the three-month installation of AbsoluteSKY’s RFID-based intelliTRACKER product suite in STAPLES Business Depot’s first store was successful.
STAPLES Business Depot, Canada’s largest supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business services, worked with Fujitsu to install AbsoluteSKY’s real-time, long-range inventory tracking system in a 37,000 square foot STAPLES Business Depot store in May 2007 as a test pilot.
Fujitsu and AbsoluteSKY formed their strategic relationship in 2006 to respond to the growing need for item-level inventory tracking in the retail industry.
Fujitsu Installation of AbsoluteSKY RFID System is Successful at STAPLES Business Depot
TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. announced today that the three-month installation of AbsoluteSKY’s (OTC: ABSY) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based intelliTRACKER™ product suite in STAPLES Business Depot’s first store was successful.
STAPLES Business Depot, Canada’s largest supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business services, worked with Fujitsu to install AbsoluteSKY’s real-time, long range inventory tracking system in a 37,000 sq. ft. STAPLES Business Depot store in May 2007 as a test pilot. To date, roughly 1,500 SKUs have been tagged, and the system has been dynamically reporting inventory status and changes on a minute-to-minute basis as merchandise travels from receiving to store shelves, across retailer-defined zones and through the point-of-sale process. The results achieved illustrate a fully automated and highly accurate business system for item-level inventory tracking.
Key benefits achieved include:
100 percent read rate with no system issues
21 percent reduction in out-of-stock merchandise
Increased comparative sales for the tagged inventory categories
Increased gross margin on tagged inventory classes
Low cost per use of approximately eight cents (intelliTRACKER tags are re-useable over a 5-year lifespan)
Significant return on investment (ROI)
“The clear and measurable gains we experienced with intelliTRACKER™ have exceeded our expectations,” said Joe Soares, director, process engineering at STAPLES Business Depot. “The system was easy to install and has consistently delivered inventory visibility with 100 percent accuracy since we went live.”
The intelliTRACKER system eliminates the need for STAPLES to conduct physical cycle counts on the RFID tagged inventory. In an audit, the intelliTRACKER system proved to be more accurate than physical counts, and shrinkage for the tagged inventory was completely eradicated. The system has quickly balanced STAPLES’ master inventory system, and has provided a critical tool for locating merchandise, managing returns, feeding the replenishment system and preventing out-of-stock situations.
The installation and tagging process was quick and efficient and the system operation and user interaction was intuitive and easy to learn. Establishing RFID zones in the store has made it easy for employees to locate merchandise and set business rules and conditions relative to particular zones. The browser-based intelliTRACKER™ application enables STAPLES’ staff to interact with the system directly, remotely or via mobile devices (laptop, PDA, etc).
“The flawless execution of item-level RFID tags at STAPLES Business Depot is a profound achievement for this emerging technology,” said Peter Sciberras, general manager and vice president of sales, Canada, Fujitsu Transaction Solutions. “In the hands of an innovator like STAPLES, this new technology becomes an incredible tool for increasing efficiency and improving the retail shopping experience.”
“Our intelliTRACKER system is now performing the tasks and delivering the sizeable benefits that everyone had hoped for when RFID technology first made its big splash in the retail market a few years ago,” stated John Frabasile, president and CEO of AbsoluteSKY Solutions.
Fujitsu and AbsoluteSKY formed their strategic relationship in 2006 to respond to the growing need for item-level inventory tracking in the retail industry. Delivering accurate, long-range tracking in real-time, intelliTRACKER™ provides an extensive range of customer benefits that includes: increased inventory turns, virtual elimination of missed sales as a result of out-of-stocks and extensive control over loss prevention.