An innovative new tracking technology may not be able to match RFID's blazing-fast scanning speeds, but it does promise to transform the retail shopping experience.
John Johnson joined the DC Velocity team in March 2004. A veteran business journalist, John has over a dozen years of experience covering the supply chain field, including time as chief editor of Warehousing Management. In addition, he has covered the venture capital community and previously was a sports reporter covering professional and collegiate sports in the Boston area. John served as senior editor and chief editor of DC Velocity until April 2008.
Imagine walking into Best Buy to pick out a digital camera. As you enter the camera aisle, you swipe your customer loyalty card through a nearby reader and don a set of headphones. Instantly, an in-aisle monitor leaps to life, displaying a wealth of product information—everything from customer reviews and information on rebates and product availability to recommendations for accessories—all in your language of choice.
It may sound far-fetched, but that day could be closer than you think—perhaps just 18 months away. Right now, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' P1902.1 Working Group is investigating an exciting new auto ID technology that could make it all possible. We're not talking RFID, but about a gem of a technology called RuBee that's attracting plenty of buzz in the auto ID world. Some even say RuBee stands to give RFID a run for its money— although promoters of the technology say it's meant to complement RFID, not replace it.
RuBee vs. RFID
What differentiates RuBee from RFID is its composition. While a traditional 900MHz RFID tag is 99.99 percent radio signal and 0.01 magnetic/inductive, RuBee is just the opposite. And because it doesn't rely on radio signals, RuBee is unaffected by the liquids and metals that bedevil RFID tags (RuBee tags can be used underwater and underground). Their ability to function in the presence of steel makes them suitable for use on store shelves and shopping carts, which explains why many believe they'll prove ideal for item-level tagging. It's easy to see why retailers and manufacturers of high-end goods like electronics have high hopes for the technology.
Still, RuBee's promoters insist that it's not intended to supplant RFID. In fact, they see very little overlap in applications for the two technologies. In their view, RFID would still be the technology of choice where high-volume scanning is required. (RuBee can only handle about 10 reads per second. RFID UHF, by comparison, can handle 150 to 200 reads.) RuBee, on the other hand, might prove to be the ideal solution for tagging individual items of high-end merchandise.
"RuBee is a visibility tool, whereas RFID is a tracking tool," says John Stevens, chair of the IEEE's P1902.1 Working Group and chairman of Visible Assets Inc., which is marketing RuBee technology. "If you've got 50 items on a conveyor that need to be read in under a second, RFID will work," he says. "But if you have a product where you want access to internal records inside a warehouse and [want to] find out about its history from the day it was born ... that's visibility."
As for pricing, Stevens says there is no significant price difference between RuBee and traditional RFID. While RuBee's infrastructure costs can be significantly lower than RFID's, tag costs can be higher, depending on how much intelligence is built into the tag.
Interactive shopping
Though potential applications range from implantable medical devices to tracking exotic animals, many believe the real promise of RuBee technology lies in its ability to help create the ultimate "smart store"—a store where there is rarely an out-of-stock, where associates have electronic access to products under "lock and key," and where consumer loyalty cards allow customers to interact with products in a way that's not possible today. Smart stores would provide a perfect setting for RuBee, says Tim Baldwin, CEO of Visible Retail, a division of Visible Assets. "Not only does the retailer know that somebody is interacting with that product, but the customer interacting with it will be able to get information that is more context-relevant to them."
Thepossibilities haven't been lost on retailers. Already, companies like Best Buy and U.K.-based Tesco are examining the technology, with the hope of launching truly interactive "future stores" within the next 18 months, says Pete Abell, a veteran RFID analyst with IDC's Manufacturing Insights.
Asidefrom its ability to boost customer loyalty, RuBee may benefit manufacturers and retailers by reducing the likelihood of lost sales due to stock-outs. It may also play a big role in loss prevention efforts. For example, with RuBee, stores would no longer use the traditional locks and keys to control access to highvalue items. Instead, store associates would use smart badges to gain electronic access to secure storage areas. Those smart badges would provide retailers with a precise record of when the storage area was opened, the exact time a product left the secured area, and which associate pulled it out.
Goods studded with RuBees
Manufacturers are beginning to show some interest too. This summer, a major appliance manufacturer began to embed RuBee chips into one of its product lines to assure cradle-to-grave visibility for its products. Abell reports that technology providers like Hewlett-Packard, Intel, IBM, Sony, Panasonic, Motorola and NCR are all actively testing RuBee.
Epson Electronics America has signed on to produce silicon for Visible Assets' RuBee tags. But the manufacturer has much more planned than just producing tags. The company could very well end up embedding RuBee in its own products, such as watches and printers.
"Our other divisions are very excited about the technology," says David Lamar, general manager of the IC Business Unit at Epson Electronics. "I don't want to limit our enthusiasm and our participation by saying we're just going to be the silicon supplier."
Although HP has no immediate plans to embed RuBee tags into its products, it is actively studying the technology. "We are in the very early stages of our investigation and we're interested in many different forms of RF technologies for different applications, and RuBee is one of them," says Salil Pradhan, chief technologist for RFID at HP. However, he stopped short of saying that HP would put RuBee chips in its products, saying it is "way too early" to talk of such decisions.
Not everyone agrees that it's too early to think about RuBee. RuBee networks are already being deployed in commercial applications, including smart shelves for high-value medical devices in hospitals and operating rooms, in-store and warehouse shelves for inventory tracking, and a variety of agricultural visibility networks. But it appears that the market potential has barely been tapped.
"I see it obviously doing very well in the healthcare market," says Abell. "And when you think about retailers like Best Buy, it is ideal for all of the product categories they carry."
So the next time you shop for an iPod, a cell phone, a printer or a plasma TV, you might not need to flag down a clerk. You may be able to get all the information you want from a tiny RuBee chip ... and it won't pressure you to buy an extended care warranty.
Most of the apparel sold in North America is manufactured in Asia, meaning the finished goods travel long distances to reach end markets, with all the associated greenhouse gas emissions. On top of that, apparel manufacturing itself requires a significant amount of energy, water, and raw materials like cotton. Overall, the production of apparel is responsible for about 2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report titled
Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zeroby the Apparel Impact Institute. Founded in 2017, the Apparel Impact Institute is an organization dedicated to identifying, funding, and then scaling solutions aimed at reducing the carbon emissions and other environmental impacts of the apparel and textile industries.
The author of this annual study is researcher and consultant Michael Sadowski. He wrote the first report in 2021 as well as the latest edition, which was released earlier this year. Sadowski, who is also executive director of the environmental nonprofit
The Circulate Initiative, recently joined DC Velocity Group Editorial Director David Maloney on an episode of the “Logistics Matters” podcast to discuss the key findings of the research, what companies are doing to reduce emissions, and the progress they’ve made since the first report was issued.
A: While companies in the apparel industry can set their own sustainability targets, we realized there was a need to give them a blueprint for actually reducing emissions. And so, we produced the first report back in 2021, where we laid out the emissions from the sector, based on the best estimates [we could make using] data from various sources. It gives companies and the sector a blueprint for what we collectively need to do to drive toward the ambitious reduction [target] of staying within a 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway. That was the first report, and then we committed to refresh the analysis on an annual basis. The second report was published last year, and the third report came out in May of this year.
Q: What were some of the key findings of your research?
A: We found that about half of the emissions in the sector come from Tier Two, which is essentially textile production. That includes the knitting, weaving, dyeing, and finishing of fabric, which together account for over half of the total emissions. That was a really important finding, and it allows us to focus our attention on the interventions that can drive those emissions down.
Raw material production accounts for another quarter of emissions. That includes cotton farming, extracting gas and oil from the ground to make synthetics, and things like that. So we now have a really keen understanding of the source of our industry’s emissions.
Q: Your report mentions that the apparel industry is responsible for about 2% of global emissions. Is that an accurate statistic?
A: That’s our best estimate of the total emissions [generated by] the apparel sector. Some other reports on the industry have apparel at up to 8% of global emissions. And there is a commonly misquoted number in the media that it’s 10%. From my perspective, I think the best estimate is somewhere under 2%.
We know that globally, humankind needs to reduce emissions by roughly half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to hit international goals. [Reaching that target will require the involvement of] every facet of the global economy and every aspect of the apparel sector—transportation, material production, manufacturing, cotton farming. Through our work and that of others, I think the apparel sector understands what has to happen. We have highlighted examples of how companies are taking action to reduce emissions in the roadmap reports.
Q: What are some of those actions the industry can take to reduce emissions?
A: I think one of the positive developments since we wrote the first report is that we’re seeing companies really focus on the most impactful areas. We see companies diving deep on thermal energy, for example. With respect to Tier Two, we [focus] a lot of attention on things like ocean freight versus air. There’s a rule of thumb I’ve heard that indicates air freight is about 10 times the cost [of ocean] and also produces 10 times more greenhouse gas emissions.
There is money available to invest in sustainability efforts. It’s really exciting to see the funding that’s coming through for AI [artificial intelligence] and to see that individual companies, such as H&M and Lululemon, are investing in real solutions in their supply chains. I think a lot of concrete actions are being taken.
And yet we know that reducing emissions by half on an absolute basis by 2030 is a monumental undertaking. So I don’t want to be overly optimistic, because I think we have a lot of work to do. But I do think we’ve got some amazing progress happening.
Q: You mentioned several companies that are starting to address their emissions. Is that a result of their being more aware of the emissions they generate? Have you seen progress made since the first report came out in 2021?
A: Yes. When we published the first roadmap back in 2021, our statistics showed that only about 12 companies had met the criteria [for setting] science-based targets. In 2024, the number of apparel, textile, and footwear companies that have set targets or have commitments to set targets is close to 500. It’s an enormous increase. I think they see the urgency more than other sectors do.
We have companies that have been working at sustainability for quite a long time. I think the apparel sector has developed a keen understanding of the impacts of climate change. You can see the impacts of flooding, drought, heat, and other things happening in places like Bangladesh and Pakistan and India. If you’re a brand or a manufacturer and you have operations and supply chains in these places, I think you understand what the future will look like if we don’t significantly reduce emissions.
Q: There are different categories of emission levels, depending on the role within the supply chain. Scope 1 are “direct” emissions under the reporting company’s control. For apparel, this might be the production of raw materials or the manufacturing of the finished product. Scope 2 covers “indirect” emissions from purchased energy, such as electricity used in these processes. Scope 3 emissions are harder to track, as they include emissions from supply chain partners both upstream and downstream.
Now companies are finding there are legislative efforts around the world that could soon require them to track and report on all these emissions, including emissions produced by their partners’ supply chains. Does this mean that companies now need to be more aware of not only what greenhouse gas emissions they produce, but also what their partners produce?
A: That’s right. Just to put this into context, if you’re a brand like an Adidas or a Gap, you still have to consider the Scope 3 emissions. In particular, there are the so-called “purchased goods and services,” which refers to all of the embedded emissions in your products, from farming cotton to knitting yarn to making fabric. Those “purchased goods and services” generally account for well above 80% of the total emissions associated with a product. It’s by far the most significant portion of your emissions.
Leading companies have begun measuring and taking action on Scope 3 emissions because of regulatory developments in Europe and, to some extent now, in California. I do think this is just a further tailwind for the work that the industry is doing.
I also think it will definitely ratchet up the quality requirements of Scope 3 data, which is not yet where we’d all like it to be. Companies are working to improve that data, but I think the regulatory push will make the quality side increasingly important.
Q: Overall, do you think the work being done by the Apparel Impact Institute will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the industry?
A: When we started this back in 2020, we were at a place where companies were setting targets and knew their intended destination, but what they needed was a blueprint for how to get there. And so, the roadmap [provided] this blueprint and identified six key things that the sector needed to do—from using more sustainable materials to deploying renewable electricity in the supply chain.
Decarbonizing any sector, whether it’s transportation, chemicals, or automotive, requires investment. The Apparel Impact Institute is bringing collective investment, which is so critical. I’m really optimistic about what they’re doing. They have taken a data-driven, evidence-based approach, so they know where the emissions are and they know what the needed interventions are. And they’ve got the industry behind them in doing that.
The global air cargo market’s hot summer of double-digit demand growth continued in August with average spot rates showing their largest year-on-year jump with a 24% increase, according to the latest weekly analysis by Xeneta.
Xeneta cited two reasons to explain the increase. First, Global average air cargo spot rates reached $2.68 per kg in August due to continuing supply and demand imbalance. That came as August's global cargo supply grew at its slowest ratio in 2024 to-date at 2% year-on-year, while global cargo demand continued its double-digit growth, rising +11%.
The second reason for higher rates was an ocean-to-air shift in freight volumes due to Red Sea disruptions and e-commerce demand.
Those factors could soon be amplified as e-commerce shows continued strong growth approaching the hotly anticipated winter peak season. E-commerce and low-value goods exports from China in the first seven months of 2024 increased 30% year-on-year, including shipments to Europe and the US rising 38% and 30% growth respectively, Xeneta said.
“Typically, air cargo market performance in August tends to follow the July trend. But another month of double-digit demand growth and the strongest rate growths of the year means there was definitely no summer slack season in 2024,” Niall van de Wouw, Xeneta’s chief airfreight officer, said in a release.
“Rates we saw bottoming out in late July started picking up again in mid-August. This is too short a period to call a season. This has been a busy summer, and now we’re at the threshold of Q4, it will be interesting to see what will happen and if all the anticipation of a red-hot peak season materializes,” van de Wouw said.
The report cites data showing that there are approximately 1.7 million workers missing from the post-pandemic workforce and that 38% of small firms are unable to fill open positions. At the same time, the “skills gap” in the workforce is accelerating as automation and AI create significant shifts in how work is performed.
That information comes from the “2024 Labor Day Report” released by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), the firm’s government relations and public policy arm.
“We continue to see a labor shortage and an urgent need to upskill the current workforce to adapt to the new world of work,” said Michael Lotito, Littler shareholder and co-chair of WPI. “As corporate executives and business leaders look to the future, they are focused on realizing the many benefits of AI to streamline operations and guide strategic decision-making, while cultivating a talent pipeline that can support this growth.”
But while the need is clear, solutions may be complicated by public policy changes such as the upcoming U.S. general election and the proliferation of employment-related legislation at the state and local levels amid Congressional gridlock.
“We are heading into a contentious election that has already proven to be unpredictable and is poised to create even more uncertainty for employers, no matter the outcome,” Shannon Meade, WPI’s executive director, said in a release. “At the same time, the growing patchwork of state and local requirements across the U.S. is exacerbating compliance challenges for companies. That, coupled with looming changes following several Supreme Court decisions that have the potential to upend rulemaking, gives C-suite executives much to contend with in planning their workforce-related strategies.”
Stax Engineering, the venture-backed startup that provides smokestack emissions reduction services for maritime ships, will service all vessels from Toyota Motor North America Inc. visiting the Toyota Berth at the Port of Long Beach, according to a new five-year deal announced today.
Beginning in 2025 to coincide with new California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards, STAX will become the first and only emissions control provider to service roll-on/roll-off (ro-ros) vessels in the state of California, the company said.
Stax has rapidly grown since its launch in the first quarter of this year, supported in part by a $40 million funding round from investors, announced in July. It now holds exclusive service agreements at California ports including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hueneme, Benicia, Richmond, and Oakland. The firm has also partnered with individual companies like NYK Line, Hyundai GLOVIS, Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US (Shell), and now Toyota.
Stax says it offers an alternative to shore power with land- and barge-based, mobile emissions capture and control technology for shipping terminal and fleet operators without the need for retrofits.
In the case of this latest deal, the Toyota Long Beach Vehicle Distribution Center imports about 200,000 vehicles each year on ro-ro vessels. Stax will keep those ships green with its flexible exhaust capture system, which attaches to all vessel classes without modification to remove 99% of emitted particulate matter (PM) and 95% of emitted oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Over the lifetime of this new agreement with Toyota, Stax estimated the service will account for approximately 3,700 hours and more than 47 tons of emissions controlled.
“We set out to provide an emissions capture and control solution that was reliable, easily accessible, and cost-effective. As we begin to service Toyota, we’re confident that we can meet the needs of the full breadth of the maritime industry, furthering our impact on the local air quality, public health, and environment,” Mike Walker, CEO of Stax, said in a release. “Continuing to establish strong partnerships will help build momentum for and trust in our technology as we expand beyond the state of California.”
That result showed that driver wages across the industry continue to increase post-pandemic, despite a challenging freight market for motor carriers. The data comes from ATA’s “Driver Compensation Study,” which asked 120 fleets, more than 150,000 employee drivers, and 14,000 independent contractors about their wage and benefit information.
Drilling into specific categories, linehaul less-than-truckload (LTL) drivers earned a median annual amount of $94,525 in 2023, while local LTL drivers earned a median of $80,680. The median annual compensation for drivers at private carriers has risen 12% since 2021, reaching $95,114 in 2023. And leased-on independent contractors for truckload carriers were paid an annual median amount of $186,016 in 2023.
The results also showed how the demographics of the industry are changing, as carriers offered smaller referral and fewer sign-on bonuses for new drivers in 2023 compared to 2021 but more frequently offered tenure bonuses to their current drivers and with a greater median value.
"While our last study, conducted in 2021, illustrated how drivers benefitted from the strongest freight environment in a generation, this latest report shows professional drivers' earnings are still rising—even in a weaker freight economy," ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said in a release. "By offering greater tenure bonuses to their current driver force, many fleets appear to be shifting their workforce priorities from recruitment to retention."