UPM Raflatac's RFID Tags Revolutionize Warehouse Management at TOSHIBA Europe
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(UPM Raflatac, Tampere, October 19, 2006) - UPM Raflatac, a leading RFID tag and inlay manufacturer, announces today that it has been selected by high-tech computer manufacturer TOSHIBA to develop one of the largest Gen2 RFID supply chain solutions in Europe. The integrated solution combines the expertise of UPM Raflatac and leading business partners TOSHIBA TEC, vendors of RFID label printers and ADT Security/Tyco, supplier of RFID reader hardware.
TOSHIBA Europe, which handles the customer-specific configuration of every TOSHIBA laptop destined for the EMEA region, will implement an RFID system using Rafsec tags by UPM Raflatac that will unblock warehouse bottlenecks and increase worker productivity at its plant in Regensburg, Germany, by an estimated 57 per cent.
Previously, when the pallets with 36 laptop PCs arrived at TOSHIBA's warehouse for storage, handling staff would book in the delivery by scanning the barcodes on each box individually. Only then could the pallet move on. Now that each boxed laptop is fitted with a Rafsec G2 ShortDipole tag from UPM Raflatac, the entire pallet can be processed instantly by passing it through an RFID reader gate at the entrance.
When the implementation will be up to speed, TOSHIBA expects its warehouse to handle 15,000 PCs a day compared with the current 9,500, with an expected peak capacity of up to 30,000 units a day. With one RFID label per laptop, that means nearly 4 million RFID tags per year.
"We're extremely proud to play a key role in this exciting new project which is one of the biggest RFID-based supply chain systems in Europe," comments Christer Härkönen, Senior Vice President at UPM Raflatac. "The success of this roll-out underlines not only the advantages RFID can bring manufacturers in terms of streamlining operations and increasing transparency in the delivery process, but also our expertise in the design and manufacture of UHF RFID tags."
For further information please contact:
Mr. Christer Härkönen,
Senior Vice President, RFID, UPM Raflatac,
mobile +358 50 569 3342
About UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac is a world-leading supplier of pressure sensitive labelstock for a wide variety of needs in prime and VIP labeling. In addition, the company is at the global forefront in the development and high-volume production of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and inlays. UPM Raflatac has around 2,300 employees and annual sales of around 1 billion USD. The company has a global service network consisting of 11 factories on five continents and a broad network of terminals and sales offices worldwide. UPM Raflatac is part of UPM, a leading global forest products company with stocks listed on the Helsinki and New York stock exchanges. Further information is available at www.upmraflatac.com.
