Defense Department requires Suppliers to use RFID November 14. Philadelphia RFID workshop October 6.

PHILADELPHIA -- In less than 60 days, the Department of Defense (DoD) will require suppliers to affix Radio Frequency Identification tags to cases and pallets shipped to two of its largest Defense Distribution depots, Susquehanna, PA and San Joaquin, CA. The final Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement regarding Radio Frequency Identification (DFARS 2004-D011) adds this requirement to all new contracts for operational rations, clothing, individual equipment, tools, personal demand items, and weapon system repair parts. It takes effect on November 14. The DoD states that the use of RFID technology will improve the visibility of DoD assets, increase the accuracy of shipment and receipt data, and permit more efficient movement of supplies within the DoD supply chain.

The Delaware Industrial Resource Center and Productivity by RFID, a leading RFID Consultant, Integrator and Educator, have joined forces to offer the Mechanics of RFID, a one day workshop focused on Radio Frequency Identification and its implementation in manufacturing and distribution organizations. Top RFID technology providers will present and demonstrate both RFID's benefits and shortcomings including Acsis, Avery Dennison, Lowry, LXE, Productivity by RFID, Red Prairie, RF Code, VanguardID and X-ident. The workshop is on October 6, 2005 at the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center.

The workshop is most timely for DoD suppliers and is designed to help Executive Management, Information Technology and Operations personnel learn more about RFID technology, benefits, costs and deployments. It will also cover how to build a business case to pursue RFID implementation and achieve Return on investment.

"RFID's capabilities make it the productivity tool of the present and future for both manufacturing and distribution," said Rob Steinberg, President of Productivity by RFID, and architect of the workshop. "Today, the U.S. Department of Defense, Wal-Mart, Albertsons, and Target are mandating RFID's use by their suppliers. Others, such as Boeing, Airbus and the FDA are developing similar mandates. Tomorrow, RFID will become the operating norm for manufacturers and distributors in every supply chain. This workshop is designed to teach business leaders what they need to know to begin transitioning to an RFID environment."

Mechanics of RFID will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 6 at the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center, 2905 Southampton Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154. Complete information concerning the event--including the agenda and registration information--is available online at www.mechanicsofrfid.com. The website also contains useful links to tutorials and case studies on effective RFID implementation. Attendees can register via credit card payment online, by fax or by phone at [phone].

Cost for the workshop is $450 per person. Group discounts for multiple attendees from the same company are available.

About RFID: Radio Frequency Identification is a set of wireless technologies using radio waves to transmit information between a silicon chip and a reader. RFID tags can signal their presence, their unique identity, their location and other user-defined information. Objects tagged with RFID can be tracked, sorted, inventoried, picked, distributed and assembled faster and easier than ever before.

About Productivity by RFID: Productivity by RFID is a small business with expertise in RFID for DoD compliance and Industrial productivity. We are vendor agnostic RFID consultants, integrators and educators. We focus upon RFID for Industrial, Distribution and Manufacturing applications. We specify, design, test and install RFID compliance solutions. Our special expertise is in business systems analysis and ROI calculations for harnessing RFID to improve productivity. We were recently awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement from the Department of Defense for Technical Engineering Services related to both passive and active RFID. We also have a very strong education/training competency as demonstrated by our successful Mechanics of RFID workshop series and National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) seminar series. More about our company is at www.productivitybyrfid.com and www.mechanicsofrfid.com.

About DVIRC: The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center is an economic development organization dedicated to providing help and support to manufacturers in the Philadelphia region. We have three main program areas: education and training, consulting services and regional initiative such as workforce development and government affairs. Visit us as www.dvirc.org.