Horizon Lines (Charlotte, N.C.) establishes the ocean container shipping industry's first fully-functional intermodal active radio frequency identification (RFID) solution providing customers real-time shipment visibility during all phases of transit.
The system was engineered and implemented by Horizon Services Group, the information technology subsidiary of Horizon Lines, Inc.
The active RFID-based real-time tracking system when matched with Horizon's industry-Web-based event management system, offers shippers unparalleled shipment visibility and supply chain efficiencies by providing real-time detailed shipment information throughout the container's transit from origin loading facility through to final destination.
Horizon Lines is in the process of tagging its entire fleet of containers serving the Alaskan trade with RFID tags provided by hardware manufacturer Identec Solutions Inc. The program will also include the installation of RFID readers at distribution centers, terminals, and key Alaska highway routes.
Safeway, the leading grocery retailer in the Alaska market, has joined the carrier's effort by participating in a pilot testing program, currently underway, with the new RFID-enabled visibility solution to monitor shipments from its Pacific Northwest distribution centers to stores across Alaska.
Ken Privratsky, v.p. and general manager, Alaska Division for Horizon Lines said, "Just-in-time delivery is a fact of life in Alaska, just as it is in many other places. RFID offers significant advantages to shippers who seek greater visibility of their deliveries and more efficiency in supply chain operations."
Source: Horizon Lines Inc.
