02 September, 2004: Siemens Business Services, SAP and Intel have launched a joint RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) solution. The complete package for first-time users of RFID includes consulting, software, hardware and implementation at a fixed price and is offered in three versions. The new solution makes it easy to enable supply chains for RFID and thus speed up delivery times. The main beneficiaries will be the consumer goods industry and the retail trade, who will be able to uniquely mark and track their products individually and in packing units and to integrate the information that is stored in the RFID tags into their supply chain management (SCM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions.

The Starter Kit contains three preconfigured scenarios which range from equipping delivery batches with RFID tags to integrating the RFID data into the customer's ERP software. The startup scenario already meets the supplier requirements of companies like Wal-Mart, Metro and Target. The package includes RFID tags, RFID printers and defined consulting services for the startup phase. The additional Starter Kit scenarios allow for the step-by-step integration of the RFID data into the company's own delivery processes.

Thanks to the SAP Auto-ID infrastructure - part of the integration platform SAP NetWeaver - included in the second scenario, the RFID data can be scanned when the goods are shipped. The third scenario includes the SAP Exchange Infrastructure (SAP XI), with which the RFID data can be integrated directly into SAP solutions or other applications and be used in real-time processes, thus eliminating slow data entry and formatting procedures. The solution providers will assess the individual potential of RFID technology, analyse the processes and their economic feasibility (ROI), and implement the solution. The solution will accelerate the logistics processes, reduce stock levels and bring the supply network into line with today's technical requirements.