AAFA to Host RFID Summit
The American Apparel & Footwear Association and RFID Journalwill host the first major conference and exhibition on radio frequency identification for the apparel industry Aug. 15–16 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
RFID is a wireless technology that allows retailers and manufacturers to track shipments and merchandise through scanners and microchips. Retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores and Target Corp. have implemented the technology in their warehouses.
James Stafford, head of RFID at the United Kingdom retailer Marks & Spencer, will deliver the keynote address. Marks & Spencer is an acknowledged global leader in using RFID technology. After a successful in-store trial in 2005, it began scanning individual clothing items in 42 stores in Britain earlier this year. Stafford will explain how his company is benefiting from using RFID, where the savings are, the deployment challenges his team overcame and how M&S plans to move forward.
Other sessions include a leadership forum, hosted by Avery Dennison, at which apparel and footwear executives will discuss other benefits of RFID, as well as issues such as costs and privacy.
“The apparel and footwear industry is keenly interested in the benefits that RFID technology can provide,” said Mary Howell, vice president of industry relations for the AAFA. “This event will highlight case studies and real-world examples of how companies are benefiting from using RFID in the supply chain and the retail environment.”
Among the companies expected to appear are Levi Strauss, Liz Claiborne, VF Corp., Perry Ellis and Dillard’s.
For more information, e-mail mhowell@apparelandfootwear.org. —Robert McAllister
