In the wake of Wal-Mart's mandate that requires its top 100 suppliers to place RFID tags on all cases and pallet loads by January 2005, Arlington Hts., IL-based Weber Marking Systems establishes its Initiative 2004, a program aimed at providing the systems and supplies to help packagers meet these RFID-compliance standards.

"Wal-Mart was the first to set a deadline for RFID compliance," says Brad Weber, president. "The US Department of Defense was next (also for 2005), and we feel that many other retailers and supply-chain operations are bound to follow suit."

Much of the initial growth of RFID is expected to be linked to "smart label" technology, which combines the benefits of bar-code labeling with the functionality of RFID by embedding an ultra-thin RFID chip into tags to transmit a range of product data.

According to Weber, the company will ensure that its equipment such as label printers and printer-applicators will be able to encode data on RFID tags, as well as produce printed bar codes, text and graphics on the same smart labels.

"RFID sounds complicated, but it's very exciting, too," adds Weber. "It promises to provide a multi-functional means of capturing data and managing inventories throughout the supply chain."