Avery Dennison Corp. to Join RFID Research Center

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas has appointed Avery Dennison Corp. to its advisory board. The center, which is widely regarded as the global RFID industry’s most authoritative research center and proving ground for radio-frequency identification, is housed in the Information Technology Research Institute in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

“Avery Dennison is a great addition to the RFID Research Center as it represents new perspectives on the use of RFID in the apparel and retail industries,” said Bill Hardgrave, director of the RFID Research Center.

Avery Dennison’s Rose Depoe, global director of RFID strategic solutions and alliances, sees a productive synergy taking place between the two organizations.

“We have enjoyed a close relationship with the university’s RFID Research Center and worked with its members on recent retail initiatives, such as the university-sponsored item-level RFID project at Bloomingdale’s,” she says.

“We are delighted now to be named to the center’s board, which oversees the creation of RFID standards, conducts critical testing and aids in the development of RFID technology. As a board member, Avery Dennison will partner with the university to offer intelligent in-store solutions to retailers and brand owners. Our efforts will deliver a host of business benefits ranging from improved in-store inventory management and loss prevention to simplified stocking and greater loss visibility.”

Depoe adds that RFID solutions reduce in-store labor requirements even as retailers enjoy greater assurances that popular items are available on store shelves and can eliminate the need to apply and remove conventional security hard tags.

“We will put our RFID experience and resources to work in ways that enable businesses to enrich their customers’ shopping experience, cultivate loyalty and ultimately improve sales and gross margins,” she says.

Avery Dennison is a recognized industry leader that develops innovative identification and decorative solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. The company’s products include pressure-sensitive labeling materials; graphics imaging media; retail apparel ticketing and branding systems; RFID inlays and tags; office products; specialty tapes; and a variety of specialized labels for automotive, industrial and durable goods applications. A Fortune 500 company with sales of $6 billion in 2009, Avery Dennison is based in Pasadena, Calif., and has employees in more than 60 countries.

Hardgrave, who is also a professor and holder of the Edwin and Karlee Bradberry Endowed Chair in Information Systems, said, “We are continually seeking ways to help businesses find the value in the use of RFID and other RF technologies so we are very pleased to have Avery Dennison as a part of our advisory board.”

The RFID Research Center officially opened its laboratory in the Fayetteville Industrial Park in June 2005. It currently has 56 business and industry sponsors and several academic collaborators. The facility, strategically positioned in the epicenter of retail RFID activity, primarily conducts research on the most efficient use of RFID and other wireless and sensor technologies throughout the supply chain, with special interest on the retail supply chain. 

In September 2005, the laboratory became the first academic EPC/RFID research laboratory worldwide to receive the EPCglobal Performance Test Center accreditation. EPCglobal Inc. is a global not-for-profit standards organization commercializing the trademarked Electronic Product Code and RFID worldwide.

In 2007, the University of Arkansas RFID Research Center — along with research centers in Germany and Italy — founded the Global RF Lab Alliance, a confederation of radio-frequency-focused laboratories from around the globe. The alliance’s objective is to provide a mechanism for communication and research collaboration among the radio-frequency labs. It recently established an academic journal, International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications.