Engaged by Tibbett & Britten Americas in a four-way partnership, IconNicholson, the New York-based IT professional services firm, is leading the design and implementation of a "living" RFID lab at Tibbett & Britten’s member company, Connect Logistics Inc., in Edmonton, Alberta.
Connect Logistics is the third-party logistics provider for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and presents a particularly challenging environment. The project will validate the return on investment identified in the business case developed by IconNicholson, demonstrate the power of RFID in a complex operation, illuminate the highest-value application areas and the optimal configuration for warehouse equipment, and uncover any practical limitations in current RFID technology. The lab will be part of the live operation and subjected to the usual conditions and factors in a working distribution center, including equipment shocks and vibrations.
A particular challenge that IconNicholson will resolve on this project is developing configuration and compliance guidelines for tagging cases and pallets containing liquids and metals, which absorb and block radio frequency waves.
Following fast on compliance directives announced by Wal-Mart, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Gillette Co., Tesco, Target Corp. and Albertsons, many companies are assessing and integrating the technology to lower operating costs. When it is operational in May, the lab at Tibbett & Britten’s Connect Logistics warehouse will be one of the first fully compliant with carton and palletizing mandates set by major U.S. retailers.
For more information, visit www.iconnicholson.com.
