By Aaron Tan, ZDNet Asia
06/07/2006
URL: http://www.zdnetasia.com/smart50/2006/0,3800012822,39372215,00.htm

Company Neptune Orient Lines is a global transportation company, with core businesses in container transportation and supply chain management. Project NOL-SUN Advanced Technology Centre Objectives To provide a one-stop shop for RFID training and services for customers interested in piloting or testing the latest logistics technologies. Budget S$2.7 million (US$1.6 million) Timeline About one year (Aug. 2004 to Jul. 2005) Tech partners About 16 hardware and software companies including Sun Microsystems, Symbol Technologies, Savi Technology, Intermec, Sato, Sybase and BEA Systems. Key learnings With extensive testing at the RFID facility, the company learnt that there is no single RFID solution that fits all, because each business requirement is different. RFID implementations may not work out as well as expected without a deep understanding of business processes and operating environments. Deserves the award because... The center is now one of the leading RFID technology centers in the region, attracting government and industry visitors throughout Southeast Asia. NOL has also expanded its products and services, made possible with the help of the center's expertise and services. The center's collaboration with institutions such as The Logistics Institute and the NTU Positioning and Wireless Technology Centre, also makes it one of the thought-leaders in the RFID industry.

NOL provides the material handling equipment and warehouse facility for the center's activities, while Sun contributes hardware, RFID applications and middleware.

Since its inception, the center has also contributed to several international standards pertaining to RFID. For instance, it led the first pilot for the draft ISO 18185 Electronic Seal standard, to ensure the technical feasibility of the standard in a shipping port environment. The center is also an active member of the EPCglobal applied tag performance standard, where new RFID applications are being developed.

More than just a service to the industry, the center has also provided NOL with new business opportunities by developing upcoming RFID-related products and services. It has allowed the company to build deeper relationships with existing customers, and reach out to new customers which it previously had no access to.

NOL conducts regular tours of the center to demonstrate how RFID can be applied to different logistics processes. Since the center's launch in July 2005, over 550 visitors from around the world have toured the facility.

Some of its customers, who are major players in their industries, have used the center's testing and pilot services to further explore the capabilities of RFID together with their products.

According to NOL, by providing a wide variety of hardware and software for pilot projects in one place, the center plays a key role in enabling customers to lower the cost of implementing RFID.

Chng Ken-Wei, senior manager of NOL's RFID program in Asia, said the company will continue to use IT to help differentiate its container shipping business.

For instance, NOL is already counting on RFID to manage the seamless movement of goods across borders. So far, it has implemented a global system that manages transport carriers such as truckers, barge operators, rail companies, feeder operators, airlines and other ocean carriers, while analyzing transportation costs. It also has Web portals for customers to track trucking shipments, and for carriers to retrieve cargo delivery information.

''In a global organization, there are always ways we can streamline or automate internal processes which enable us to focus more on the needs of our customers. We have an excellent reputation for customer service, and we will continue to examine how technology can further enhance our customer experience without us losing the 'personal touch' that they value so much," Chng said.

Victor Lim, one of the ZDNet Asia Smart50 judges, gave NOL the thumbs-up for the technology center's efforts in enhancing the company's operational capabilities while increasing the market knowledge of RFID.

He said: "Their advocacy and implementation of this technology makes them a showcase for RFID. [This project] has impacted not only their own business but also helped educate industry on the usage and adoption of RFID. The impact was felt in the company as well as with their clients and other industry players including competing firms."