UPM Raflatac Joins the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center
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(UPM Raflatac, Tampere, 29 January 2009 at 16:30) - UPM Raflatac announced that it has been invited to join the advisory board of the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center, an academic laboratory conducting seminal research on the use of RFID in inventory management. Working closely with Wal-Mart, the Center has demonstrated RFID's ability to automate and enhance critical inventory management processes by providing the real-time, highly accurate data retailers need to optimize product ordering, replenish goods and reduce out-of-stocks.
The Center, a vendor-neutral, third-party research and testing facility, is the first academic laboratory to be accredited by EPCglobal. It houses a 10,000-foot, state-of-the-art RFID laboratory that models a production warehouse and retail store environment the Center's staff and sponsors use to test the performance of new RFID products and applications.
UPM Raflatac has sponsored the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center since July 2005 by supplying tags, inlays and other equipment. "UPM Raflatac's partnership has been invaluable to the RFID Research Center as we have sought to make the business case for how RFID can transform inventory management," says Bill Hardgrave, Director, RFID Research Center.
"We are pleased to be working with a very reputable company that makes a great product." UPM Raflatac tags and inlays provide the read rates and performance companies require to take full advantage of RFID's capabilities to streamline critical business processes.
As a strategic partner, UPM Raflatac will help shape the future direction of the Center's research and provide global perspective on the development of the RFID market. As the leading provider of HF and UHF tags, UPM Raflatac is committed to innovating the products its customers use across a wide array of industries worldwide. The partnership will also enable UPM Raflatac to share insights with other advisory board members and leverage Center resources to test products or assist customers with new projects.
"UPM Raflatac is pleased to join the RFID Research Center," says Jan Svoboda, Sales and Marketing Director, Americas, RFID, UPM Raflatac. "Our participation will allow us to take part in valuable projects, such as verifying the feasibility of item-level RFID tagging for diverse applications, demonstrating the cost-effectiveness, versatility, and ease-of-use of this important technology," Svoboda concludes.
About UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac, part of UPM's Engineered Materials business group, is one of the world's leading suppliers of self-adhesive label materials and the world's number one producer of HF and UHF radio frequency identification
(RFID) tags and inlays. UPM Raflatac has a global service network consisting of 14 factories on five continents and a broad network of sales offices and slitting and distribution terminals worldwide. UPM Raflatac employs 2,700 people and made sales of approximately EUR 1 billion (USD 1.4
billion) in 2007. Further information is available at www.upmraflatac.com.
For further information please contact:
Mr Jan Svoboda,
Sales and Marketing Director,
Americas, RFID,
UPM Raflatac,
tel. +1 805 312 4679
Mrs Patricia Lähepelto,
Marketing Communications Manager,
UPM Raflatac,
tel. +1 828 279 6340
