UPM Raflatac Joins University of Arkansas RFID Research Center

TAMPERE, Finland—UPM Raflatac has been invited to join the advisory board of the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center, an academic laboratory conducting seminal research on the use of RFID in inventory management. Working closely with Wal-Mart, the Center has demonstrated RFID's ability to automate and enhance critical inventory management processes by providing the real-time, highly accurate data retailers need to optimize product ordering, replenish goods, and reduce out-of-stocks.

The Center, a vendor-neutral, third-party research and testing facility, is
the first academic laboratory to be accredited by EPCglobal. It houses a
10,000-foot RFID laboratory that models a production warehouse and retail store environment that the Center's staff and sponsors use to test the performance of new RFID products and applications.

UPM Raflatac has sponsored the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center since July 2005 by supplying tags, inlays and other equipment. "UPM Raflatac's partnership has been invaluable to the RFID Research Center as we have sought to make the business case for how RFID can transform inventory management," says Bill Hardgrave, director, RFID Research Center. "We are pleased to be working with a very reputable company that makes a great product."

As a strategic partner, UPM Raflatac will help shape the future direction of the Center's research and provide global perspective on the development of the RFID market. The partnership will also enable UPM Raflatac to share insights with other advisory board members and leverage Center resources to test products or assist customers with new projects.

"UPM Raflatac is pleased to join the RFID Research Center," says Jan Svoboda, sales and marketing director, Americas, RFID, UPM Raflatac. "Our participation will allow us to take part in valuable projects, such as verifying the feasibility of item-level RFID tagging for diverse applications, demonstrating the cost-effectiveness, versatility, and ease-of-use of this important technology."