Wal-Mart Extends RFID Roll Out

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will bring another 500 stores and clubs online with its RFID initiative by the end of this fiscal year, bringing the total number of its retail locations using the technology to more than 1,000. The retail giant will continue to work with its next 300 largest suppliers, which are expected to begin shipping test cases this month. These suppliers will go live with their shipments in January 2007, bringing to more than 600 the number of supplier companies using RFID technology in concert with Wal-Mart. All Wal-Mart installations moving forward would only read Gen 2 tags. As the remaining pallets and cases with Gen 1 tags make their way through the distribution network, Wal-Mart will convert all of its systems to only read Gen 2 tags. "Recent internal analysis of our ongoing efforts, along with the launch of EPCglobal Generation 2 tags, reinforces the value of this technology for Wal-Mart, our suppliers and ultimately our customers," says Rollin Ford, executive vice president and chief information officer for Wal-Mart. "We're aggressively moving forward with the expansion of RFID-enabled facilities."