I have to be honest. It didn’t take much to lure me to Orlando following the Arctic winter which haunted pretty much everybody who lives north of Dallas. And, just as I had hoped, the sunshine was in full force and the bonus was Balluff being at center stage thanks to the Databolt and its recent success at GM.
If you missed this year’s edition of RFID Journal Live then you missed an opportunity to hear first-hand about the famous Databolt. Mark Chiappetta, The manufacturing Engineering Superintendent at GM in Tonawanda, explained to conference attendees how technology has improved overall efficiency in the manufacturing process at the plant. Of course, the Databolt was featured in his presentation which was followed by a wave of interest in the Balluff booth. Read the GM Databolt story: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?11329
Now that I have offended every cat lover on earth, just relax. I can assure you there were no animals harmed in the 2013 edition of the RFID Journal Live show in Orlando. I ‘m just borrowing a phrase from Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” and countless other literary compositions. “There is more than one way to skin a cat” is the idiom I haven’t been able to shake from my thoughts since leaving the show.
Industrial gateway demo at the show
If you missed us, we were the guys displaying the industrial gateway/portal equipped with the ultra-rugged antennas and the 4 channel UHF controller that seemed fit to take on heavy artillery fire. In addition, you missed the flashing smartlight that indicated the presence and identified tagged items as they passed through the RFID portal, which was all powered by Transitionworks Software.
My first “cat skinning” moment came long before the start of the show. We have several elite middleware and application software partners in our RFID arsenal, but my challenge was to choose the best fit for the show demo. I had two basic criteria for selecting a partner: 1. …software partner must have extensive experience installing and deploying full traceability solutions in the industrial arena and is capable of producing an “off the shelf solution” as well as a highly customized, application specific solution. 2. …must be so user-friendly that even a marketing guy (me) can operate it. Transitionworks Software based in High Point, NC was the perfect fit. While performing my due diligence it became apparent that there are dozens if not hundreds of software providers who can design traceability applications. AND, they all have a different way of going about it (they all have a different way of “skinning a cat”…to keep with the theme). Transitionworks understands that conforming the technology around the customer’s process proves successful over time, opposed to interfering with the customer’s process in order to utilize RFID technology. I like the way they skin cats!
I recently attended the RFID Journal Live 2011 trade show and conference in Orlando, FL. I really like this event because it brings together a diverse group of vendors, academics and customers in a setting that promotes open, honest discussions. These discussions are about not only technology, but also the state of the markets RFID serves, including aerospace, medical/heath care, defense, supply chain/retail and manufacturing, the process of RFID, like developing your ROI and even the “how to” parts of it all.
I would highly recommend attending this event to anyone seriously looking to implement RFID, especially at an organizational level. You will gain insight into the advantages of the RFID value proposition and the visibility capability all in one place, at one time. (For future events and to take advantage of RFID Journals offering, go to www.rfidjournal.com)
