TAGSYS' RFID Solution Deployed By Fashion Retailer Serge Blanco To Manage Clothing Throughout The Supply Chain

TAGSYS, the global leader in item-level RFID infrastructure, recently announced the deployment of its complete ‘RFID for Fashion' solution by a well known European Fashion retailer Serge Blanco to optimize its supply chain and improve item level tracking from factory, through distribution, to the Point of Sale.

With over one million items of clothing moving through the supply chain each year and a growing business, Serge Blanco was determined to optimize its operating efficiency at its distribution center and retail stores. After considering enlarging its distribution center and docks, Serge Blanco, always at the forefront of new technologies, opted for the deployment of the TAGSYS RFID solution. Serge Blanco deployed the TAGSYS RFID solution in early 2009 and plans to expand it over its entire retail network throughout 2010.

"After having conducted a study among other clothing retailers, such as Boboli and Throttleman, two endusers of the TAGSYS RFID system, we decided to go for the same solution," explains Mathieu Pradier, VP Operations at Serge Blanco. "We found the TAGSYS solutions to be the most complete, most mature and easiest to integrate with our existing processes".

The flagship of the TAGSYS UHF RFID solution is the UHF RFID Tunnel which inventories in a few seconds the entire contents of each box containing clothing previously labelled by Serge Blanco's suppliers, without the need to open each one. The tunnel is able to process an average of 18,000 items per hour at an unsurpassed read accuracy of 99.99%. Data collected through the e-connectware software solution is automatically sent to the server to manage merchandise in real time. At the distribution center, items are then stored or shipped directly to point of sale at Serge Blanco's retail outlets. RFID control stations are used to ease and optimize cross docking operations by automatically validating shipments with orders. Through an improved and faster management of inbound and outbound items, Serge Blanco expects to free up a considerable amount of space in its distribution center to increase its volume rotation.

"We plan to reduce by 10 the time allocated to monitor items upon receipt and shipping at our Toulouse distribution center», adds Mathieu Pradier. "By using the TAGSYS RFID Solution, We are going to optimize our work flows to consolidate our growth, improve our supply chain and reduce our operational costs."

The TAGSYS RFID solution features printable UHF RFID tags fixed to existing apparel labels, RFID printers to program and print data, RFID tunnels to quickly and precisely control inbound and outbound merchandise, portable RFID readers to perform rapid inventories, and fixed RFID stations to prepare and verify orders. The entire RFID infrastructure is integrated into the existing IT system through econnectware , TAGSYS' RFID administration tool to seamlessly manage and monitor RFID devices and data. Because different verticals have unique requirements, the TAGSYS e-connectware solution has been especially adapted to the Fashion industry to enable the management of the data gathered through the RFID stations to provide the retailer actionable information in real time.

"Thanks to our e-connectware platform, integrating RFID infrastructure is made simpler and more cost effective," explains Alain Fanet, TAGSYS' CEO. "Our complete RFID solution has now reached a superior level of performance and scalability to accelerate RFID deployments in the Fashion industry and enable a rapid ROI as well as significant productivity gains."

About Serge Blanco
Serge Blanco was founded in 1992 in the southwest of France. The retailer's unique collections are made of the finest materials. Serge Blanco is known for the creative designs based on rugby sporting styles. With revenues of 30 million Euros in 2008, Serge Blanco has 180 employees and 360 stores, 60 of which are franchises.

About TAGSYS
TAGSYS designs and manufactures a comprehensive RFID infrastructure for item-level tracking in a variety of industries. This universal infrastructure includes purpose-built readers and tags, as well as RFID management software, all designed to work together seamlessly in the most demanding environments. With a proven track record of delivering reliable, high performance production systems, TAGSYS has deployed over 200 million tags and 90,000 reader systems to over 500 customers in more than 40 countries. For more information, visit: www.tagsysrfid.com.

SOURCE: TAGSYS