Dairy Farmers of America Puts RFID into Production with OATSystems and Rush Tracking Systems

Largest Dairy Cooperative Implements Automated tag@source Solution

WALTHAM, Mass., LENEXA, Kan., Oct. 12, 2006 – OATSystems®, Inc., the recognized RFID framework leader, and Rush Tracking Systems, a leading RFID systems integrator, today announced that Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has successfully deployed and integrated the OAT tag@sourceTM solution with end-to-end RFID systems integration from Rush Tracking Systems. The OAT tag@source solution is a complete, automated RFID tagging solution that allows DFA to cost effectively apply and verify EPC tags to support expanding RFID rollouts from Wal-Mart as well as other retailers.

DFA is one of America’s largest, most progressive and diversified dairy cooperatives with membership of more than 20,000 family-owned dairy farms in 49 states. DFA markets 34 percent of U.S. milk production, supplying cheese, butter and other dairy products through brands such as Borden and Keller’s Creamery. “OAT’s architecture was the most robust and expandable of all the vendors we evaluated,” says Bob Tiede, IS Director, DFA. “From WebSphere support to automated failover, it provides the features we were looking for, and handles all EPC and RFID requirements from one end to the other. We now have a flexible platform in place to handle future RFID initiatives from Wal-Mart and other retailers.”

DFA commissioned Rush Tracking Systems to deploy and integrate the OAT tag@source solution into multiple production lines and plants. OAT’s tag@source solution manages all automated tagging operations from DFA’s data center in Springfield, Missouri. From this central location, it scales readily to handle additional production lines and plants, using customizable templates that minimize deployment time. The solution also includes OATaxiom’s analytics package to identify emerging trends and potential ROI opportunities.

“DFA wanted to minimize the cost of applying RFID tags and ensure high quality data to be used for downstream value-based analytics,” said Toby Rush, president of Rush Tracking Systems. “OAT’s tag@source solution was selected due to its market-leading number of automated RFID tagging deployments and its consultant-friendly, configurable approach.”

Automated Tagging Process Flow
The system greatly reduces operating costs compared to traditional slap and ship solutions, as Josh Drake, RFID Systems Engineer, explains. “We’re very satisfied with the automated tagging because we don’t have to hire workers to stand at the end of the line slapping on labels. We are saving the cost of at least three people per line.”

The OAT tag@source solution also eliminates reliability problems and error rates that bedeviled previous automated tagging systems. “Once you get it set up and calibrated, it keeps on rolling,” says Drake. “We’ve had no hardware downtime since the equipment was deployed in late 2005. The system is very easy for line operators to use and requires minimal training. To start a tagging job, the operator accesses the OAT system from their PC using a web interface, enters the product number and production order number, and clicks Start.”

About OAT
OATSystems, Inc. is the recognized RFID framework leader with software that empowers businesses to achieve competitive advantage from radio-frequency identification (RFID). As a pioneer in the development of RFID technology, OAT has been setting the standards in RFID for over half a decade and is responsible for industry firsts that include; the largest scale and largest scope of deployments, as well as the most innovative approaches to providing enterprise-wide RFID solutions. OAT’s multinational client base consists of over 70 customers in retail, CPG, consumer electronics, manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense. Headquartered in Waltham, MA, OAT has offices in Austin, Chicago, London, and Bangalore and is on the Web at www.oatsystems.com.

About Rush Tracking Systems
Rush Tracking Systems is a leading end-to-end RFID systems integrator offering turnkey solutions through a proven, repeatable process based on years of real-world implementation. As RFID innovators, implementers and partners, we have used our expertise and real-world experience to generate rapid results for major companies in a wide range of industries. Rush serves as trusted advisor and systems integrator to numerous Fortune 100 companies in CPG, aerospace and defense, manufacturing life sciences and government sectors. For more information on Rush Tracking Systems, visit us as www.RushTrackingSystems.com.