Avery Dennison Corporation to Join University of Arkansas RFID Research Center Advisory Board

The RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas has appointed Avery Dennison Corporation to its advisory board. The center, which is widely regarded as the global RFID industry’s most authoritative research center and proving ground for radio-frequency identification, is housed in the Information Technology Research Institute in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

“Avery Dennison is a great addition to the RFID Research Center as it represents new perspectives on the use of RFID in the apparel and retail industries,” said Bill Hardgrave, director of the RFID Research Center.

Avery Dennison’s Rose Depoe, global director of RFID Strategic Solutions and Alliances for the Retail Information Services Division, sees a productive synergy taking place between the two organizations.

“We have enjoyed a close relationship with the university’s RFID Research Center and worked with its members on recent retail initiatives, such as the university-sponsored item-level RFID project at Bloomingdale’s,” she says.

“We are delighted now to be named to othe center’s board, which oversees the creation of RFID standards, conducts critical testing and aids in the development of RFID technology. As a board member, Avery Dennison will partner with the university to offer intelligent in-store solutions to retailers and brand owners. Our efforts will deliver a host of business benefits ranging from improved in-store inventory management and loss prevention to simplified stocking and greater loss visibility.”

Depoe adds that RFID solutions reduce in-store labor requirements even as retailers enjoy greater assurances that popular items are available on store shelves and can eliminate the need to apply and remove conventional security hard tags.

“We will put our RFID experience and resources to work in ways that enable businesses to enrich their customers’ shopping experience, cultivate loyalty and ultimately improve sales and gross margins,” she says.

Hardgrave, who is also a professor and holder of the Edwin and Karlee Bradberry Endowed Chair in Information Systems, said, “We are continually seeking ways to help businesses find the value in the use of RFID and other RF technologies so we are very pleased to have Avery Dennison as part of our advisory board.”