Metro RFID
Apr 27, 2003—April 28, 2003 - Metro AG, Germany's largest retailer, today will open what it calls the "store of the future." The concept store is designed to test RFID and other technologies under real-world conditions to see how they perform and how consumers respond to them.
"We are not just building up a store," says Albrecht von Truchsess, a Metro spokesperson. "It's about developing visions for retail in the future."
Shoppers will find a little extra technology at the Rheinberg store
One of Metro's Extra stores in Rheinberg, Germany, has been outfitted with smart shelves, RFID self-checkout systems, kiosks, smart scales and other leading-edge technologies. The store is open to customers who can either chose to use the new systems or shop the old-fashioned way.
The store boasts a wide variety of advanced technologies. Among the major vendors involved in the project are Cisco Systems, IBM, Intel, Intermec, Philips Semiconductors and SAP. But RFID is the most important technology being tested because it is being used to track goods from suppliers to distribution centers to the back of the store and finally to the shelves. The aim is to see if the system can reduce out of stocks.
At the DC, RFID readers from Intermec scan tags on cases as pallets are being loaded with product. The tags can be programmed at the manufacturer with a Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) and a serial number. This information then is read as the tagged items pass through dock doors and at transshipment points. Pallets and cases are scanned to provide accurate shipment and inventory data, which is transmitted to the project's SAP system.
Suppliers, including Gillette, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble are working with Metro to tag goods. Gillette is tagging its razors, which are tracked using smart shelves that were developed by OAT Systems. The shelves monitor the number of items on it, and alert staff when more product needs to be brought out from the back room
"We are not just building up a store," says Albrecht von Truchsess, a Metro spokesperson. "It's about developing visions for retail in the future."
Shoppers will find a little extra technology at the Rheinberg store
One of Metro's Extra stores in Rheinberg, Germany, has been outfitted with smart shelves, RFID self-checkout systems, kiosks, smart scales and other leading-edge technologies. The store is open to customers who can either chose to use the new systems or shop the old-fashioned way.
The store boasts a wide variety of advanced technologies. Among the major vendors involved in the project are Cisco Systems, IBM, Intel, Intermec, Philips Semiconductors and SAP. But RFID is the most important technology being tested because it is being used to track goods from suppliers to distribution centers to the back of the store and finally to the shelves. The aim is to see if the system can reduce out of stocks.
At the DC, RFID readers from Intermec scan tags on cases as pallets are being loaded with product. The tags can be programmed at the manufacturer with a Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) and a serial number. This information then is read as the tagged items pass through dock doors and at transshipment points. Pallets and cases are scanned to provide accurate shipment and inventory data, which is transmitted to the project's SAP system.
Suppliers, including Gillette, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble are working with Metro to tag goods. Gillette is tagging its razors, which are tracked using smart shelves that were developed by OAT Systems. The shelves monitor the number of items on it, and alert staff when more product needs to be brought out from the back room