A little about RFID:
Paul Saffo, research director for the Institute for the Future, closed this year's RFID Journal LIVE! conference with this comment: “RFID has tremendous potential to transform the business world and impact our personal lives—but not as soon or in the ways that we might expect.” He encouraged the crowd of RFID vendors and early adopters to look for opportunities in the businesses and applications that RFID can enable. Saffo also told attendees that while the benefits that RFID can provide seem close at hand, "most ideas take 20 years to become an overnight success." He cautioned against giving up on RFID's potential impact. "Just when people thought MP3 players were dead," he said, "along came the iPod.

RFID’s promise in the consumer packaged goods sector is to provide real time visibility to products in the supply chain for manufacturers, distributors and retail companies. It will then be possible to ensure that product is in the right place at the right time. Inventory requirements will be reduced, counterfeiting thwarted, internal shrink minimized and promotional programs more closely managed. Because RFID does not require line of sight, innumerable processes will be transformed into highly tuned efficient “hands off” processes. Businesses will mine the data to continuously improve the product pipeline. Data will be shared and companies will become more collaborative. This of course, results in a more satisfied consumer who is better able to get what they want, where they want it at a fair price. Further down the road, RFID will transform the consumer experience, enabling interactive consumer devices for ordering and purchasing of goods. Already, the consumer is using RFID devices like FastLane, EZPass and SpeedPass.

About Our Speaker(s)

MODERATOR:
Kara Romano, AMR Research

SPEAKER:
Lora Cecere
Research Director, AMR Research, Inc.

Lora brings more than 16 years of business and 11 years of software industry experience to her position as research director at AMR Research. With her unique combination of experience, Lora provides vendor research and analysis in supply chain planning, execution, and event management to AMR Research’s clients.

Before joining AMR Research, Lora spent 11 years in the software industry in progressive roles in corporate marketing, product marketing, and sales at Manugistics and Descartes Systems Group. Lora has experience in distribution, engineering project management, new product launch, and manufacturing operations for Procter & Gamble, Kraft General Foods, Clorox, and Dreyer’s Ice Cream. She also spent two years as an analyst focusing on supply chain research for Gartner.

Lora is currently serving a two year term on the SCOR board for the Supply Chain Council. She is a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSMP), APICS, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). She has written numerous articles and been quoted in key industry and business publications such as Supply Chain Management Review and Investor’s Business Daily. Lora is a frequent speaker for the Institute of Supply Management.

Lora received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and her M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also completed post graduate studies in Organizational Development at Georgetown University.


SPEAKER:
Laurie Hall
President and CEO of Martindale Associates
Martindale Associates is a distributor and systems integrator of manufacturing automation and data collection systems.

Laurie graduated from Suffolk University with a BA in Marketing, and began her career as a sales associate with Martindale selling automated control equipment, barcode systems and industrial computers to New England based manufacturers. For the past 10 year, Martindale Associates has been selling RFID products to track vehicles and assets. As a sales executive, she was instrumental in growing Martindale to a multi-million dollar corporation. In 1996 she was promoted to Vice-President and in 1999 Laurie purchased the family business and assumed the presidency of Martindale.

Laurie has expanded the Martindale product line to offer complete turnkey hardware, software and service solutions. Currently, Martindale has over 400 accounts, and has customers in both the US and overseas.

Laurie is a member of WITI. Her hobbies include equestrian sports and skiing.



SPEAKER:
Leslie Hand, Director of Global RFID Strategy,
is the Director of Global RFID Strategy for Ahold, the third largest grocery retailer in the world. Ahold is a Dutch based company with businesses in the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, the Baltic States, Central Europe and the United States. Leslie has worked for Ahold since 1999 where she managed a Y2K remediation project for retail store systems, new application development projects and a GTIN remediation project prior to assuming her current role in April, 2004.

Prior to Ahold, Leslie acted as the Director of Store Systems for the Revlon retail subsidiary, Cosmetic Centers and the Director of Information Systems for the Dart Group subsidiary, Total Beverage. She has spent her entire career in retail, with the past 20 years in Information Technology.

Leslie's primary goal has always been to deliver innovative solutions to the business that allow them to work smarter and more efficiently. In her current role, she is working closely with the business to determine where and when to implement RFID enabled technology to maximize its value. Ahold’s overall short and long term strategies must be accounted for as the groundwork is laid for taking advantage of this transformational technology.

Leslie graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1982, where she played field hockey and track. She still enjoys the outdoors and being active. She participates in numerous charity bike rides and heads for the beach as often as possible.

Event Date and Venue

This event will be held from 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at:

Seaport Hotel, Constitution Room, Mezzanine Level
200 Seaport Boulevard
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Map

6:00 PM - Registration, Networking & Hors d'Oeuvres, Beverages
6:45 PM - Announcements & Introductions
7:00 PM - Panel Discussion
7:45 PM - Q & A
8:00 PM - Adjournment

Pre-registration for this event is closed and on-site registrations will not be accepted.

About Our Sponsor(s)

AMR Research
AMR Research provides independent analysis and actionable advice to more than 5,000 supply chain and technology executives worldwide to help them make better business investment decisions. AMR Research: information and advice that matters.

AMR analysts focus on delivering independent, leading-edge research on both established and emerging technologies. This analysis is supported by daily interaction with the most extensive network of market contacts and the best quantitative data in the industry. http://www.amrresearch.com

Contact Us

For more info regarding registration or event details, please contact Jo-An Thomas ([email protected]).

For more details about pre-registration, contact Tech Support.