Minimum RFID
A recent report by Boston-based AMR Research found that Wal-Mart’s top suppliers have invested only a small portion of what is needed to implement the retail giant’s Radio Frequency Identification requirement. The Bentonville, Ark.–based retailer announced that its top suppliers must be RFID compliant by the beginning of 2005. AMR Research found that the retailer’s top 100 suppliers had invested $250 million, or between $1 million and $3 million each, to cover the purchase of RFID tags, readers and some software. The research firm estimates that to fully integrate RFID systems, Wal-Mart suppliers would have to spend between $14 million and $23 million each.
