ObjectStore RFID Accelerator Chosen by German Forestry Company For RFID Implementation
First-of-its-Kind Log Tracking System to Significantly Reduce Shrinkage and Payment Reconciliation
BEDFORD, Mass. (BUSINESS WIRE)
20-Sep-2004
ObjectStore, a leader in products for real-time data services, and an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS), today announced that DABAC, a leading German software development company, has selected ObjectStore(R) RFID Accelerator(TM), an easy-to-use, real-time data management solution, for its Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) pilot program. German forestry company Cambium-Forstbetriebe will use DABAC's ObjectStore RFID Accelerator-based technology to track trees from Germany's independent forestries through the supply chain and to the saw mills. The new system is being developed to improve inventory management and streamline the financial reconciliation process. (In a separate announcement today ObjectStore unveiled its ObjectStore RFID Accelerator. For more information please see http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86919&p=IROL-news.)
The German forestry industry is one of the largest in the world. With almost one-third of the country's total land area forested, Germany produces 50 million cubic meters of timber every year, satisfying two-thirds of domestic demand. However, transporting timber from Germany's forests to sawmills can be a disruptive, multi-party process with many steps, companies and regulations involved. As a result, Cambium-Forstbetriebe found that not only was it suffering from inventory shrinkage, but the payment process was inefficient and time consuming.
To solve these problems, Cambium-Forstbetriebe turned to software provider DABAC, which has developed a specific software application for sawmill operators and forestry companies. DABAC integrated ObjectStore RFID Accelerator with its forestry application so that Cambium-Forstbetriebe can tag individual trees and store the RFID data collected from those logs as they are transported to its sawmills.
"Because of the significant data volumes involved in rolling the application out across Europe, DABAC and Cambium-Forstbetriebe required an alternative to a traditional database and middleware solution," said Dr. Michael Gross, managing director, DABAC. "We turned to ObjectStore RFID Accelerator to harness the real-time data generated by the RFID implementation, and it has proven to be the most reliable and stable system available for this task."
When deployed, a unique nail-shaped RFID tag will be inserted into each tree that will be tracked as it moves through the supply chain, from the skidder that removes the tree from the forest, to the truck transportation to the rail car, etc. Using a handheld device, the information will be uploaded through GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) technology to a central location where ObjectStore RFID Accelerator takes over, aggregating, normalizing and propagating the data into DABAC's application.
"By creating this new system, we expect much greater visibility into our raw materials pipeline and efficient management of our suppliers and customers," said Gerhard Friemel, owner of Cambium-Forstbetriebe. "Cambium-Forstbetriebe anticipates that ObjectStore RFID Accelerator will reduce the current inventory shrinkage by up to 70 percent and reduce the payment reconciliation process by more than 50 percent. This will drive efficiencies for the independent forest owners, the sawmills and our company."
About ObjectStore
ObjectStore is a global provider of real-time data management products. Its products enable corporate data caching and complex event processing, and its leading object database is renowned for performance and scalability. ObjectStore(R) products are supporting RFID implementations, and are deployed in industries such as finance, telecommunications and travel, where companies rely on them to complement their corporate data management infrastructure.
ObjectStore is an operating company of Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS), a $300+ million global software industry leader. Headquartered in Bedford, Mass., ObjectStore can be reached on the Web at http://www.objectstore.net or by phone at +1-781-280-4000.
About Progress Software Corporation
Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS) is a $300+ million global software industry leader. PSC supplies technologies for all aspects of the development, deployment, integration and management of business applications through its operating companies: Progress Software, Sonic Software Corporation, DataDirect Technologies, ObjectStore and PeerDirect. Headquartered in Bedford, Mass., PSC can be reached on the Web at http://www.progress.com or by phone at +1-781-280-4000.
ObjectStore and ObjectStore RFID Accelerator are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Progress Software Corporation
Candace Clemens, 781-280-4101
cclemens@progress.com
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
Avi Dines, 781-684-0770
progress@schwartz-pr.com
