SAP Unveils Supply-Chain Apps With RFID CapabilitiesSAP Unveils Supply-Chain Apps With RFID Capabilities

For most companies, real value from radio-frequency identification technology will come when business applications, such as forecasting or inventory management, can intelligently use information pulled from RFID tags in real time or near real time.

To that end, SAP on Monday unveiled a suite of supply-chain-management applications built from the ground up with RFID capabilities. The applications were developed in two projects: one with German retailer Metro Group, another with consumer packaged-goods company Procter & Gamble Co.

The new apps are designed to help companies manage and share RFID data within their business processes and to integrate RFID data into their existing IT systems via connectors to SAP R/3 version 4.6 or higher and mySAP ERP.

The suite includes SAP Auto-ID Infrastructure, which provides the links between RFID and back-end systems; SAP Event Management, software within SAP Supply Chain Management that helps companies monitor and filter exceptions to their processes that could be triggered by RFID or other data; and SAP Enterprise Portal.

SAP and its consulting and technology partners will help customers build RFID business cases, integrate RFID hardware into their IT environments, and develop and implement RFID projects, the company says.

The Java-based RFID applications are built on SAP's Web Application Server, which uses SAP's NetWeaver Web-services integration and application platform. They're available now to customers who want to test them, and SAP says they'll be commercially available by midyear.