Avery Dennison Exhibits "Dock-to-Stock" RFID Item-level Processing

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-- August 8, 2007 -- A walkthrough exhibit that demonstrates item-level RFID from a simulated manufacturer's loading dock to a retail store will highlight the Avery Dennison presentation at the 2nd Annual RFID Journal/AAFA Apparel & Footwear Summit, August 20 -- 22, 2007, The Metropolitan Pavilion, NYC. The "dock-to-stock" demonstration will take place at Booth 116 and will run continuously during show hours. Included in the demonstration will be RFID infrastructure components and software from Vue Technology, and RFID readers and handheld devices from Motorola.

"Our dock-to-stock demonstration will show leaders in the apparel and footwear sector how intelligent labels with item-level RFID can speed supply chain throughput, enhance brand protection and increase on-shelf inventory accuracy," reports Philip Calderbank, Director Global Marketing RFID & Security for Avery Dennison. "Both retailers and garment manufacturers naturally seek evidence for a return on investment before committing to RFID. We will show how every step in the item-level RFID process can yield a benefit that directly links to improved store sales and order uplift to the manufacturer."

Avery Dennison is the show's Cornerstone Sponsor. Calderbank will address a  Leadership Forum audience with a presentation titled "Source Tagging & Implementing Item-level RFID at the Point of Manufacture." 

A second Avery Dennison exhibit, at Booth 101, presents a marketing theme that embodies the company's recent acquisition of Paxar and the resulting business advantages that the newly merged organization brings to the apparel and footwear industry. The theme is:  "Avery Dennison + Paxar The Perfect Fit."  Business advantages include enhanced speed across the value chain, improved product quality, greater global scale, presence and resources, and increased responsiveness.

Dock-to-Stock RFID Item-level Processing

During the "dock-to-stock" RFID item-level demonstration, visitors will see up close how individual apparel and footwear items can be monitored for shipment accuracy from any point on the globe all the way through to retail stores.

The walkthrough demonstration begins at a simulated offshore apparel manufacturing location with the production of RFID tags and their easy application via Avery Dennison Swiftach fasteners to jeans, T-shirts, dress shirts and shoeboxes. The tagged items are then packaged and a data capture process electronically associates the tags with the shipping cartons. The process facilitates the creation of an advanced shipping notice (ASN). Items are then tracked as they leave the manufacturing area and enter a distribution center, and again from the distribution center to a retail store's receiving location.
 
At the store level, the exhibit will show how inventory is tracked on smart shelves, and how cycle counts for inventory are achieved with the use of hand-held readers and a mobile cart.

At the exhibit's retail store, visitors will witness the functionality of Magicmirror, a consumer-facing solution developed by thebigspace, an Avery Dennison partner. Magicmirror creates an emotional experience for customers, providing a combination of branding, style-guides, fitting room customer service, cross-sell and loss prevention applications. The "magic" in Magicmirror comes from built-in RFID technology.  When a visitor carrying or wearing RFID-tagged items steps in front of Magicmirror, the mirror presents information such as color, size and the total dollar amount of items identified by the tags. Among Magicmirror's many capabilities, it can present promotional messages, provide recommendations for matching accessories, and prompt assistance by store personnel. It can also record the items for inventory management.