Accelerating business processes by using RFID in the Business Integration Platform™ (BIP)
crossgate uses the B.I.P. to create a link between company-wide process applications and RFID solutions
Starnberg, 9 November 2006 – As a recent survey on the subject of RFID has revealed,1 many companies are hesitant about radio frequency identification, mainly due to the lack of uniform standards that are currently in place. This problem is regarded as hindering the widespread use of the new technology, particularly in international value chains. A solution already exists, however
– the Business Integration Platform (BIP) operated by crossgate (formerly indatex SCI GmbH), which can function as a central hub for RFID data. All of the data that RFID readers capture automatically in sectors such as production, transport, procurement and sales are transmitted via BIP, the transaction platform now used widely in a host of sectors. The special thing about BIP is that businesses can transfer their data without having to take the different formats and processes into account that exist in their supply chains.
crossgate’s BIP software links individual components of solutions in the RFID chain (like a transmitter chip or receiver module) with the software used in the respective company, irrespective of whether RFID is employed to trace goods from the production stage to the point when they are sold to customers in other countries or during their long shipment via suppliers, resellers or OEM partners across the world. By being linked up to BIP, even companies with multi-tiered supply chains that differ widely are able to employ RFID technology – at no risk whatsoever.
Cross-media automation as practised by crossgate can be used to exchange unlimited amounts of business data by electronic means and also works for the RFID sector. The data can be provided in any format. BIP also operates regardless of the different business processes that networked companies have. crossgate adapts the data coming from and going to the IT systems and business applications used by the other parties in the supply chain in a certain way. Subsequently, all of the information automatically captured by RFID readers in the fields of production, transport, procurement and sales is able to flow smoothly across BIP. Intelligent filters and sets of rules convert the data into usable information and forward it to linked-up business partners in real time. As a result, businesses can create and maintain their supply chains by means of RFID whatever their multi-tiered structure.
All data records resulting from the status queries made in each case are collected, sorted and put into logical contexts using BIP. Employing the platform considerably widens the range of uses of RFID technology. It also leads to a higher degree of automation and level of information in production and supply chains – even complex international ones. Problems that can arise because of different IT infrastructures being used consequently become a thing of the past, even in very large supply chains spanning the whole world.
Stefan Tittel, CEO of crossgate, puts the benefits of using B.I.P. in a nutshell: “RFID is already of crucial importance to competitiveness in many economic sectors today, but only if the technology can really be fully integrated into the supply chain and everyday business processes. This is precisely the added value that companies can benefit from due to crossgate’s use of RFID on its B.I.P. platform. By linking up to the platform, you can invest in RFID today without putting yourself at any great risk. And you can assure your own supply chain a safe future, too.”
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