Garan Inc. Anticipates Positive ROI With Accu-Sort FAST Tag RFID Labeling System

Accu-Sort Systems, Inc., announced today it has installed a FAST Tag In-Motion automated RFID and bar code system for clothing manufacturer Garan Inc.

FAST Tag In-Motion will help the company's distribution center in Jena, Louisiana; meet the RFID compliance standards outlined by Wal-Mart and other retailers. Garan is a leading manufacturer of children's, women's and men's apparel bearing the private labels of its customers as well as several of its own trademarks, including Garanimals.

"FAST Tag In-Motion provides us with a cost-effective automated RFID tagging solution that can scale to meet our future needs," said Ken Smith, manager of MIS Infrastructure at Garan's distribution center in Jena.

Smith said Garan wants to leverage the Accu-Sort system to provide a positive return on its investment in RFID. "We were hand-applying both bar code and RFID labels," he said. "The FAST Tag In-Motion system automated both processes on the same line for us. Now, 100 percent of our pick-pack products run through the FAST Tag system. All get bar code labels and some get RFID labels depending on their destination. The system is able to determine which carton gets which type of tag. We anticipate this system will lead to positive ROI for Garan."

FAST Tag In-Motion automates the process of applying and verifying RFID tags on cartons. At the Louisiana facility, a tag applicator places tags only on cartons that require RFID tags, while all cartons processed on the line receive a retailer-compliant shipping label and an option carrier parcel label. An outbound verification system screens for inaccurate tags and incorrect labels; it sends those boxes to a subsystem for verification and relabeling. On the other side of the line, the cartons are loaded on pallets for shipment.

Accu-Sort's FAST Suite software controls the process and seamlessly provides data aggregation, filtering and reporting to Garan's WMS system.

A key feature of FAST Tag is the system's ability to provide optimal tag placement. "RFID reading performance is influenced by the product in the cartons," said Frank LaBarbera, director of RFID product management for Accu-Sort. "The Accu-Sort system allows the RFID tag to be placed in the best location for the best reading performance, which can be different than the location of the bar code tag. This is particularly important for certain consumer products, which may not be RFID friendly.

"To date, we have installed more than 400 FAST systems that provide customers like Garan with a high level of confidence in managing their RFID data transfers to their WMS system," said LaBarbera.

FAST Tag In-Motion is part of Accu-Sort's FAST Suite, a collection of flexible, configurable applications that can be used as stand-alone products or combined to provide systems solutions to satisfy a company's automation needs. Accu-Sort provides complete solutions from concept to integration, including installation, training, comprehensive service and support designed with the user in mind.

About Garan Inc.
Garan produces the popular Garanimals line of apparel, which encourages children to match shirts and pants themselves by using special animal-themed tags on the clothing. Garan also produces brand apparel for girls and women and sells garments featuring college and university marks and pro-sports emblems for boys and men. In September 2002, Garan was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway.

About Accu-Sort
Accu-Sort Systems is a pioneer in reliable auto ID and high-speed compliance solutions with more than three decades of experience deploying and supporting scanning and tracking solutions in distribution, warehousing, manufacturing, and retailer environments. The company is also an established provider of convergent RFID and bar code systems with more than 50 RFID installations. Contact Accu-Sort by phone at 1-877-ASI-RFID or on the Web at www.accusort.com.