RFID Retail: METRO Group Deploys Reva Systems' RFID Network Infrastructure For Europe's Largest Retail RFID Rollout

Reva Systems, one of the leading radio frequency identification (RFID) network infrastructure provider, recently announced that METRO Group, one of the most important international retailing companies, is deploying Reva's Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) products in the largest productionscale RFID rollout in Europe. Initially encompassing about 200 locations of the sales brands Metro Cash & Carry, Real stores, and the METRO Group distribution centers, the rollout entails installing Reva's technology at each location. Reva's RFID network infrastructure provides a key component that enables Metro's RFID architecture to support current and future RFID initiatives.

METRO Group has one of the most sophisticated RFID research and testing organizations in the world. Their process for evaluating innovative technologies is thorough, their requirements for standards based performance are exacting, and their criteria are stringent for moving from RFID pilots to production. Reva's TAP products will be used to manage the distributed network of RFID installations, to produce accurate data from each site, and to provide rapid operator feedback. For the initial phase of the rollout, METRO Group is primarily using RFID to enhance its distribution and store receiving processes by using accurately located tag data for more efficient operations, better customer service and improved inventory management.

"Reva offers a high performance RFID infrastructure product that could satisfy our rollout requirements. By using this technology, we are moving RFID out of the innovation labs and into working retail stores," said Dr. Gerd Wolfram, managing director of MGI METRO Group Information Technology. "The efficiency, manageability and performance improvement we've demonstrated with Reva's technology as part of our RFID architecture allows us to realize our plan for utilizing RFID technology to optimize the supply chain."

Reva's products were selected mainly because they provide the standards-based RFID network infrastructure layer that METRO Group requires for its production deployments. Many RFID pilots have lacked the infrastructure necessary to successfully transition from pilot to production. For METRO Group, critical requirements include the Reva TAP capability to control all RFID readers in METRO's facilities, to process raw tag data into accurate information, and to determine real tag locations in difficult environments. The elimination of duplicate tag observations and the refinement of tag relevance are also critical infrastructure requirements. At METRO Group, this is necessary in operations areas such as loading docks in order to rapidly provide operators with feedback validating goods shipped and received.

"Metro's decision to rollout RFID using Reva's products validates that standards-based RFID network infrastructure is critical to production-scale implementations," said Tom Schuster, chief executive officer of Reva Systems. "Reva's RFID network infrastructure is built for accuracy, scale, and ease of deployment. By delivering these capabilities, we enable METRO Group to reduce RFID operational and infrastructure costs while increasing service levels. This allows them to move forward with broad RFID implementations and to lay the foundation for future use cases."

About METRO Group
METRO Group is one of the most important international retailing companies. In 2006 the group reached sales of about € 60 billion. The company has a headcount of some 270,000 employees and operates about 2,400 outlets in 30 countries. The operating business is performed by the sales brands which operate independently in the market: Metro/Makro Cash & Carry – world market leader in cash & carry wholesale, Real hypermarkets and Extra supermarkets, Media Markt and Saturn – market leader in consumer electronics centers in Europe, and Galeria Kaufhof department stores. More information at: www.metrogroup.de.

About Reva Systems
Reva Systems develops RFID network infrastructure products that enable customers to rapidly deploy scalable solutions in any environment. Reva's standards-based Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) products facilitate improved system performance, manageability and accuracy while significantly lessening implementation time and complexity. Reva products are delivered by a global network of partners and deployed worldwide by enterprises leveraging innovative RFID applications to generate value in diverse industries. Reva was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Mass. For more information, visit www.revasystems.com

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