October 14-16, 2008 • Donald E. Stephens Convention Center • Chicago, IL

Sam's Club is requiring suppliers to move quickly toward tagging individual selling units. This report, prepared by the writers and editors of RFID Journal, is a practical, step-by-step guide to enabling companies to meet these tagging requirements cost-effectively, and to begin benefiting from the EPC data Sam's Club provides to suppliers.

All EPC Connection 2008 attendees registering for a Conference + Preconference Pass, Conference Pass or CompTIA RFID+ Training & Certification + Conference Pass are eligible to receive the free Complete Guide to Meeting Sam's Club's Tagging Requirements.

Table of Contents:*

The Tagging Requirements
            What Sam's Club wants—and when
            General assumptions about when and where tags will be read

Understanding the Implications of Item-Level Tagging
            Why slap-and-ship isn't viable
What it's going to cost
Benefits you can get in return

Step 1: Assemble a Team
            If you don't have a team, here's who you'll need to include
            If you already have at team, here's who you might need to add

Step 2: Get Outside Help
            Where to turn for help
                        Technology consultants
                                    What they do
                                    Pros and cons
                        Systems integrators
                                    What they do
                                    Pros and cons
                        Independent RFID labs
                                    What they do
                                    Pros and cons
            What to ask your outside advisers

Step 3: Analyze Your Sales to Sam's Club
            What products do you sell to Sam's?
            Categorizing sellable units
            How many units are sold through Sam's?
            Where are units shipped from?
            Where are units shipped to? (Sam's DCs, direct to stores)

Step 4: Create a Plan
            Analyze your operations and business processes
            How to decide when and where to tag
                        What are the options?
                                    Tagging at the source
                                    Tagging at your DC
                                    Outsourcing tagging
                        The factors that will drive your decision about where to tag
            Create a timeline
Choosing hardware, software, services partners
                        Installing hardware, software
                        Testing

Step 5: Start the Deployment in Your Manufacturing Facility
            Tagging on the manufacturing line
            Linking EPC systems to PLCs
            Testing

Chapter 6: Have Contract Manufacturers Tag at the Source
            Encoding tags and putting them on the right product
            Collecting data on shipments from the source
            Receiving tagged goods
Putaway

Step 7: Put the IT Systems in Place
            Strategies for integrating EPC tagging and back-end IT
            Associating EPCs with the right product
            Encoding the tag with the correct information
            Choosing the proper middleware
            Setting up an EPCIS

Step 8: How to Tag Pallets
            Where to place the tag
            What data should be written to the tag
            What bar-code data should be written to the tag
            What human-readable data should be written to the tag

Step 9: How to Tag Cases
            Where to place the tag
            What data should be written to the tag
            What bar-code data should be written to the tag
            What human-readable data should be written to the tag
            Tag placement on cases of various types of products in corrugate (partial list)
                        Appliances
                        Bottles of liquid
                        Cans
                        Ceramic and glass goods
                        Dried goods
                        Electronics
                        Frozen foods
                        Fruit
                        Furniture
                        Jewelry
                        Metal or metallic goods
                        Paper or absorbent goods
                        Plastic containers of liquids and gels
                        Powdered goods
                        Wood and wicker products

Step 10: Tagging Individual Sellable Units
            Where to place the tag
            What data should be written to the tag
            What bar-code data should be written to the tag
            What human-readable data should be written to the tag
Tag placement on individual sellable units by category (partial list)
            Plastic containers
                        Drinks
                        Detergents
                        Dry goods
                        Candy
                        Pills or medicines
                        Powdered products
                        Spreads
            Cans
                        Food
                        Drink
                        Motor oil
            Bottles
                        Drinks
                        Sauces
                        Pickled products
            Bags
                        Foods, such as hamburger buns, bread loaves, chips
                        Cups, paper towels, Styrofoam trays
                        Paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, cups
                        Frozen foods
                        Fruits and vegetables
            Individual Items without packaging
                        Wicker baskets
                        Clothing
                        Books, magazines, DVDs, CDs,
                        Tool kits, wrench sets
                        Brooms
                        Tires
Additional Information
            Tags
            Readers
            High-speed label applicators
            Middleware
            RFID applications
            Systems integrators
            Consultants
            RFID labs

*Contents subject to change.