STAPLES Business Depot Commits to Next Phase of AbsoluteSKY's RFID Inventory Tracking System from Fujitsu
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Deployment of Item-level Tracking System to Four Additional Stores
TORONTO - Jan. 14, 2008 - Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. has received
an order from STAPLES Business Depot to equip four additional stores with
AbsoluteSKY's (OTC: ABSY) intelliTRACKER(TM) Product Suite in early 2008.
STAPLES' decision follows a highly successful installation of the automated,
long-range inventory tracking system by the Fujitsu/AbsoluteSKY team in
May 2007 that has continued to reliably produce significant results.
"We tested the system on 1,500 SKUs in one store and we are expanding the
project to additional stores," said Joe Soares, the director of process
engineering for Staples Canada and Business Depot. "The results have been
so impressive that we want to validate that they can be replicated
throughout the chain."
Mr. Soares added that the intelliTRACKER(TM) system continuously delivered a
100 percent accurate read-rate and delivered a 21 percent reduction in outof-
stocks for the items that were tracked in a solid closed-loop. His team also
concluded that the cost-per-use of the reusable RFID-enabled intelliTAGs(TM)
over a five-year lifespan was barely eight cents.
Fujitsu and AbsoluteSKY formed their strategic relationship during 2006 to attack the everelusive goal of retailers of "getting the right product, to the right place, at the right time." The feature-rich intelliTRACKER(TM) Product Suite, introduced in 2007, accurately tracks inventory to the item level in real-time while providing 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.
"This project has accomplished everything we set out to do," remarked Peter Sciberras,
general manager and vice president of sales, Canada, Fujitsu Transaction
Solutions. "The system met all the performance markers for our customer
and did so against a very compelling ROI. STAPLES commitment to expand
its RFID project demonstrates the value of RFID technology for the retail
industry."
"We've been exceptionally fortunate to work with such an innovative retailer as STAPLES in introducing our solution and are truly excited at what lies ahead for all involved," added John Frabasile, president and CEO of AbsoluteSKY.
About STAPLES Business Depot
Founded in Toronto in 1991, The Business Depot Ltd., is Canada's largest
supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business
services for the small business and home office customer. The company is an
everyday low price retailer. The chain operates stores in all provinces across
Canada under the banners STAPLES ® Business Depot(TM) and BUREAU EN
GROS(TM). The company has over 13,500 employees serving customers
through more than 280 office superstores, catalogue, and e-commerce.
STAPLES ® Business Depot(TM)/BUREAU EN GROS(TM) is committed to making
shopping easy by offering customers three ways to shop - online, by
catalogue and in-store.
More information is available at www.staples.ca.
About Staples
Staples, Inc. invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today is the
world's largest office products company. With 74,000 talented associates, the
company is committed to making it easy to buy a wide range of office
products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services.
With 2006 sales of $18.2 billion, Staples serves consumers and businesses
ranging from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 companies in 22
countries throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.
Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples operates more than 1,900 office
superstores and also serves its customers through mail order catalog, ecommerce
and contract businesses.
More information is available at www.staples.com.
About AbsoluteSKY, Inc.
AbsoluteSKY, Inc. (OTC: ABSY) specializes in the design, development and
implementation of the intelliTRACKER Product Suite that provides real-time,
long-range, item-level inventory tracking for retail customers. Based in
Montreal, Canada, the Company's business model combines strategic,
creative and technical skills to deliver end-to-end RFID-enabled solutions that
help its clients achieve their business objectives through the use of AbsoluteSKY's breakthrough technology and extensive knowledge of their business operations.
For more information visit: www.absoluteSKY.ca.
About Fujitsu Transaction Solutions
Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu
Limited (TSE: 6702), collaborates with retailing companies to relentlessly
reduce their costs and facilitate consumer interactions that improve their
profitability. Fujitsu's Pervasive Retailing(TM) approach enables companies to
minimize the time; cost and risk of creating interoperability between
disparate applications and devices that support a multitude of consumer
touch points. Fujitsu's offering includes solution software, point-of-sale store
technology, U-Scan self-checkout systems, self-ordering systems and multivendor
lifecycle services. Customers include Canadian Tire, Chevron
Corporation, Hallmark, H-E-B, Kroger, Loblaws, Nordstrom, Payless
ShoeSource, Regal Cinema, Staples, Stop & Shop and The TJX Companies,
among others.
Web site: us.fujitsu.com/retailing.
For sales and product information call 1-800-340-4425.
Press Contacts:
Neil McGlone (Fujitsu)
Michael A. Burns & Associates Inc.
nmcglone@mbapr.com
214-521-8596
Alessandra Saccal
STAPLES Business Depot
alessandra.saccal@staples.ca
905-737-1147 ext. 2363
