IBM claims it will help companies with drug authentication and e-customs, and, in turn, streamline supply chains.
The WebSphere RFID Info Center links massive amounts of data created from RFID tags into existing business applications and processes, as well as with other companies, such as suppliers or customers, and their information.
The company quoted Unilever North America as one of its early customers for the new middleware.
RFID Info Center receives data from RFID middleware, which aggregates, filters and interprets data directly from the readers. It then stores, manages and enables sharing of all or portions of the data with various business applications and others. IBM said new classes of information-intensive software could be built on new sensor network repositories linked to master data.
It also includes a shipment verification capability, for automated tracking of shipments and confirmation of receipts to help companies reduce losses as a result of errors in the shipment and receipt process. The Info Center also will also provide a data platform for diversion tracking, inventory management, targeted recalls and enable regulatory compliance.
IBM reckons Info Center is the first RFID sharing middleware based on EPCglobal standards, in particular the newly completed EPCIS for sharing RFID data.
