UPM Rafsec, a leading RFID tag manufacturer and member of the UPM Group, has participated in the Metro Group’s RFID roll-out and creation of the first automatic pallet labelling device for UHF RFID tags for Nestlé. The solution, facilitated by Nestlé, was created in collaboration with SATO Deutschland, which manufactures label and barcode printers and specialises in data collection systems and RFID.
Metro, one of Europe’s most progressive retailers, started its RFID roll-out in November. Since then, 20 of Metro’s leading suppliers have delivered many of their product pallets with RFID tags.
“Through its partner network UPM Rafsec has been able to supply the tags utilised by the majority of the 20 Metro Group suppliers,” comments Samuli Strömberg, business development director at UPM Rafsec. “One big factor of success is that UPM Rafsec’s product development team was able to participate in the first site tests and gain precious application knowledge to support its solutions provider partners. The UPM Rafsec Flag Tag we supply with our partners to the FMCG [fast moving consumer goods] industry is a one-of-a-kind, printer-friendly solution for tagging all pallets with just one type of tag. It is the only shipping label compatible tagging solution available on the market today that functions virtually for all applications.”
Nestlé is participating in Metro’s broad-based RFID initiative. It can now automatically label pallets of goods intended for Metro with fully functional UHF RFID tags, as one of the retailer’s first suppliers.
UPM Rafsec supported SATO’s specialists that have succeeded in creating, after thoroughly intensive practical tests at Nestlé distribution centres in Lüdinghausen, the first functional solution for UHF RFID labelling. The new automatic labelling unit went into operation at the Nestlé distribution centre in Rangsdorf in January 2005.
