Responding to Wal-Mart's RFID Mandate - ARC Advisory Group

ARC Strategies • December 2003
Consulting
There are several different categories of consultants that will be competing
for business:
• Supply Chain Execution (SCE) companies such as Manhattan Associates,
RedPrairie, Provia, HighJump, ClearOrbit, and Acsis.
• Global consulting firms like IBM, CGEY, Deloitte, and Accenture.
• New best of breed RFID suppliers, both hardware and software, like
Alien Technologies, AWID, GlobeRanger, and Matrics
• Material handling suppliers like Siemens Dematic, SwissLog, HK Systems,
and SK Daifuku.
• ERP suppliers are beginning to devote attention to RFID as well. While
their solutions have yet to take on any real, implemental form, suppliers
such as SAP, Oracle, Peoplesoft, and SSA will be players within a two
year timeframe.
Companies should assign a single consultant to serve as the lead implementer
so that if something goes wrong they know who to hold accountable.
The best-of-breed RFID hardware suppliers have the best EPC RFID expertise,
but these suppliers lack broad deployment teams and project
management expertise. ARC believes SCE suppliers have a strong value
proposition for DC pilots, while global consultants and high-end material
handling firms are best suited for factory pilots.
Different types of consulting expertise are required. Some of these must be
done in sequence, others can be done concurrently.
• Product Readiness – What types of RFID tags will different SKUs need?
Where on the case or pallet should the tag be placed?
• Site Readiness – Does your warehouse use an RF system that operates
in the 900 Mhz range and interferes with the current EPC RFID tags?
Where should gateways be placed so that interference does not occur
• Application Expertise - RFID needs to be integrated with Warehouse
Management, Production Management, ERP, and EDI solutions. How
well do the consultants understand these applications?
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