IBM RFID Solutions

What can Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) do for your business? From manufacturing facilities to vehicles, to airport compounds, store shelves and toll booths, RFID technology is steadily (and inevitably) transforming how the world does business. RFID capabilities find broad application cutting across multiple business process areas: Manufacturing | Health Care | Security & Access Control | New Applications

For pharmacists, drug manufacturers and medical personnel, tracking and authenticating shipments isn't just a "supply chain" issue—it's a matter of life and death. That's why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recommended that pharmaceutical companies adopt e-Pedigree, an electronic tracking system that uses RFID to authenticate and trace shipments of medicine from manufacturing plants all the way to individual retail pharmacies and hospitals. The system helps with traditional distribution issues, like out-of-stocks and "shrinkage," but it is primarily concerned with saving lives. It helps to detect counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and provides data that can be used to quickly and efficiently recall drugs with safety problems.

The medical industry is also investigating the use of RFID to track items that might be needed, literally, in a heartbeat—like blood supplies, crash carts and emergency-room equipment—and to help ensure the safe disposal of medical waste.