IBM's upgraded RFID technology allows users to set up an alert to watch for such potential problems as duplicate serial numbers, late shipments or products that are found to be past their expiration dates, the company said. The application then alerts the appropriate personnel when such irregularities are flagged.
eMarketer Whitepaper: Optimizing the E-Commerce Experience
From the Web to the Contact Center, are you prepared to proactively engage and keep your savvy customers? Read how e-commerce leaders are optimizing their sites with ratings, reviews, live help, Web analytics, mobile and more.
IBM (NYSE: IBM) upgraded the functionality in its RFID (radio frequency identification) technology tailored for the pharmaceutical industry that it introduced in December.
The company's WebSphere RFID Information Center version 1.1 will now help pharma companies comply with the ePedigree laws going into effect in California and elsewhere. The application also has new alert functionality that can help identify counterfeit products.
Both issues have risen to the top of pharma executives' list of industry concerns, according to product manager Jennifer Kahn. At the same time, since the application was first introduced, it has become clear it can be deployed in other industries or for other uses.
"For instance, we are looking at using it to track shipping containers for international firms," she told CRM Buyer. It can also be used to track airline parts and retail 
items, she added.
Of immediate concern to users is California's forthcoming 2009 law requiring electronic pedigrees to be developed and kept updated for every drug that passes through the supply chain -- from manufacturers to distributors, pharmacies and hospitals. These labels will be attached to individual bottles or packages of medicine.
The WebSphere RFID Information Center's ePedigree feature is a data repository that allows clients to share information with trading partners to authenticate pharmaceuticals using either RFID, 2D barcodes, or a combination of barcodes and RFID.
It generates the ePedigrees through a track-and-trace framework that is based on the EPCglobal Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) standard.
The product also allows users to set up an alert to watch for such potential problems as duplicate serial numbers or late shipments or products that are found to be past their expiration dates, Kahn said. The application then alerts the appropriate personnel when such irregularities are flagged.
IBM also enhanced its reporting tools in this version, allowing clients to access and analyze data using browser-based reports for faster decision making. The report data can be used for such activities as reverse logistics and inventory management.
The application provides minimal disruption to the overall business operations, according to one early adopter.
"IBM's approach to ePedigree is unique in that it enables ePedigree compliance without significant impact to the existing business processes and legacy IT systems," said Shay Reid, vice president of integrated solutions at AmerisourceBergen. The pharmaceutical distributor is using the product in a Sacramento, Calif., pilot.
"This system will be a helpful tool in our industry to comply with mandates, various trading partner requirements, and enable new business use cases," he added.
Print Version
E-Mail Article
Reprints
More by Erika Morphy
Next Article in RFID
|
Survey: RFID Development Outpacing Demand June 25, 2007 
A workforce skills shortage and the still-unclear return on investment for supply chain applications have been barriers to RFID adoption, according to David Sommer, vice president of e-business and software solutions at CompTIA. However, the organization's latest survey indicates that vendors are still bullish on the space.
|
Related News Alerts
More by Erika Morphy
|
Ballmer Gives Shareholders - and Dell - Cause for Optimism November 20, 2009 
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was all smiles at the company's shareholders meeting, as he touted the early success of Windows 7. Ballmer's cheer may have been contagious; after posting a massive earnings decline for the third quarter, Dell needed some good news to latch onto, and the prospect of broad enterprise adoption of Windows 7 could spur PC sales.
|
AA.com Sucks the Fun Out of Trip-Planning November 20, 2009 
Using AA.com to book a flight was a painful experience. Densely packed, disorganized information was displayed in an unattractive format. On the plus side, it did seem as though the deals American Airlines advertised were real and not mere bait-and-switch lures. For anyone who wants a travel-planning Web site to inject a little pleasure into the experience, though, I say look elsewhere.
|
Salesforce.com Pumps Up Volume of Workplace Chatter November 19, 2009 
Salesforce.com has developed a collaboration platform that puts social networking to work. Salesforce Chatter facilitates employee collaboration on projects through Facebook-like profiles, status updates, feeds and groups. The question remains whether employees will be as open to social networking in the workplace as they are in their personal lives.
|
Get Business and Technology News Alerts
Most Popular | Spotlight Features | Exclusives
This Week on ECT News Network | Podcasts
Online Retail Transaction Performance Indices
Inside E-Commerce Times
|
Reader Services
|
Corporate
|
Headline Feeds
Talkback: 
