chrispeng [ad_1]
1. Japan’s “U-Japan” plan and its development status of the Internet of Things
Japan proposed a national informatization strategy based on the Internet of Things in 2004, called “U-Japan”. “U” refers to the English word “Ubiquitous”, which means “ubiquitous and ubiquitous”. The concept of U-Japan strategy is people-oriented, to realize the connection between all people and people, things and things, and people and things, which is the so-called 4U (Ubiquitous, Universal, User-oriented, Unique). This strategy hopes to give birth to a new generation of information technology revolution and realize a ubiquitous and convenient society, and the Internet of Things technology is an important part of the realization of the “U-Japan” strategy.
In Japan, the Internet of Things technology has penetrated into people’s clothing, food, housing, and transportation. For example, the home appliance network system launched by Panasonic allows owners to download recipes through their mobile phones, view the stored food situation through the built-in lens of the refrigerator to determine which dishes to buy, and even let the rice cooker automatically cook rice through the network. Japan advocates digital housing. Through the wired communication network, the digital TV network of satellite TV stations, and the mobile communication network, people can freely enjoy various information services whether in the house, outside the house or in the car. The clothing industry is no exception. RFID-based Internet of Things technology has been widely used in the clothing industry’s raw material collection, design and processing, logistics distribution and market sales. This article focuses on the application of RFID Internet of Things technology in the Japanese apparel industry.
2. Application mode of RFID Internet of Things technology in Japanese clothing industry
(1) Basic concepts of RFID
RFID is a non-contact automatic identification technology, which mainly uses radio frequency signals to automatically identify target objects and obtain related information without manual intervention. It can accurately identify moving objects in various states such as stationary, moving or even harsh environments. RFID technology has the characteristics of small size, large capacity, long life, strong penetration, reusability, support for fast reading and writing, locating and long-term tracking of items, etc. It is used in food safety, quality management, manufacturing supply chain management, and intelligent transportation. And so on, it has great application potential.
The function of RFID tag is far more powerful than barcode function, the reading speed is faster, and the reading quality is more accurate. RFID technology is widely used in the field of manufacturing management.
In this workflow, RFID technology is used from manufacturing, distribution to retail, and the information of each item can be reflected in the information database in a timely manner. This information transmission mode greatly improves the operational efficiency of the enterprise’s supply chain.
(2) RFID implementation plan promoted by METI of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
1. The new situation facing the development of the Japanese apparel industry
Under the new situation of increasing import volume, expanding retail store space and increasingly diversified customer preferences, the Japanese apparel industry is facing more new challenges, and how to manage a thriving industry has become a primary issue. First of all, the trend of industrial globalization has made the management of the clothing supply chain more and more complicated. To some extent, it is almost impossible for us to know where a particular piece of clothing is produced; secondly, with the continuous expansion of retail stores, the share of goods The probability of poor management of the land area has greatly increased; again, the fashion elements of the Japanese clothing industry are changing rapidly, and the demand for diversification and individualization continues to increase. All these are destined to be very unstable and challenging in the development of the apparel industry.
2. METI’s idea to promote the application of RFID in the apparel industry
Facing the new international economic situation, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) vigorously promotes the application of RFID technology in the apparel industry. It unites with Sumikin Bussan to appoint it to conduct RFID application experiments and improve the IT of the textile industry through standardized RFID systems. efficient. In addition, METI will also promote RFID solutions to multiple industries. Sumikin Bussan participated in a large-scale Internet of Things technology application test in Japan’s apparel and textile industries.
Sumikin Bussan has suitable environmental conditions for running RFID systems. It is a large-scale enterprise with millions of dollars in assets. It is committed to importing and exporting steel, machinery, metals, textiles and food. It has multiple sales channels, including branch warehouses, specialized warehouses and multiple retailers. Sumikin Products strives to find a better RFID solution that can integrate the company’s existing information systems installed in distribution centers, stores, and corporate headquarters. Through the RFID application experiment, Sumikin Products finally chose Sybase’s “RFIDAnywhere” because it can integrate the company’s existing systems and will not change the existing application functions during the process of connecting with various RFID devices.
3. SPA solution based on RFID
The SPA (SpecialtyStoreRetailPrivateLabelApparel) model-the “clothing industry operating a unique brand store” model is an integrated approach in which companies have their own brands and the head office is responsible for product planning, design, production, and retail. The end consumer directly trades and grasps the characteristics of market demand information in real time. It was proposed by the American GAP company, and then successfully used and promoted in Japan World Co., Ltd. (a well-known clothing company in Japan). The key to the SPA model is to “have a complete information and logistics network.” Therefore, the IT system is an indispensable technical support for the development of SPA, and the information system based on RFID Internet of Things technology is also becoming an important support and key to the clothing industry SPA Technology.
2. Global supply chain management of apparel companies based on RFID IoT technology
(1) Analysis of the characteristics of logistics services of different commodities
Different commodities have different characteristics of logistics services. According to the specific characteristics of the products to be supplied and the scale of demand, Japanese apparel companies select different supply modes to better improve the visibility of supply chain management and on-time delivery rate. Generally speaking, according to the quantity of supplied goods and the visibility of the supply chain, the main daily commodities can be divided into 4 categories. For example, electronic products, watches, jewelry and other commodities have the characteristics of high value, small size, and low delivery time. The supply service of such commodities can adopt the “stock replenishment model”; while clothing, popular items, vegetables and other commodities , With the characteristics of large quantity and high delivery time requirements, the supply service of such commodities can adopt the “distribution center direct replenishment mode” to better ensure timely and accurate delivery.
(2) The global supply chain structure of Japanese apparel companies
The supply chain structure is an open-loop structure, from “foreign factories-customs inspection-domestic distribution centers-various stores or branches” throughout the process, each link of the supply chain, RFID technology is applied. Each piece of clothing in overseas factories in Japan is affixed with a single-piece label when it leaves the factory, packaged into a box and then affixed with a package-level label. After various customs inspections, it passes through transportation, warehousing, sorting, distribution, distribution, Logistics activities such as sales finally reach consumers in Japan.
In the entire operation process of the supply chain, companies can collect a large amount of relevant information about clothing circulation, which is processed through the process of “piece-level RFID tag information-RFID database-data mining-retrieval”. First, a large number of collected RFID tag information of a single piece of clothing is stored in the RFID database, and then through data mining, various effective status information of the clothing is obtained to provide help and support for business intelligence. In addition, it can also be efficiently retrieved and obtained. Rich information resources.
Third, the IT system architecture diagram of Japanese clothing companies
Through IT equipment, customers can complete the cashier payment process by themselves, obtain coupons in real time, and automatically accumulate points to the membership card. In addition, the invoice printer can automatically identify the customer’s shopping receipt, and automatically complete the printing of the invoice service. This greatly reduces the waiting time of customers in line, improves customer satisfaction, reduces the labor intensity of staff, and improves work efficiency. This self-service payment method is a win-win development model for merchants and customers.
(1) The visibility of the supply chain and maintenance efficiency have been greatly improved
RFID technology plays a huge role in the integrated management of the clothing supply chain, product inventory management, location tracking, and rapid calculation of POS machines. Through RFID Internet of Things technology, important nodes in the entire clothing supply chain can quickly and timely obtain effective information about clothing, realize “visual management” of all links in the supply chain, and better improve production efficiency and reduce logistics costs. And realize the optimal allocation of resources. After the implementation of RFID technology, all member companies of the supply chain, such as suppliers and retailers, can benefit from it. They have closer cooperation with each other and continued to improve their operational efficiency.
In recent years, RFID has brought great benefits and significant performance improvements to the Japanese apparel industry, mainly in the following aspects.
1. For raw material manufacturers, it means faster inventory turnover and better supply capacity;
2. For manufacturers, it means efficient processing, faster capital flow, faster transportation, and better service for customers;
3. For distributors, it means higher transportation efficiency, more accurate delivery capability, stronger cargo tracking level and great cost savings;
4. For retailers, it means faster processing procedures, fewer out-of-stock phenomena, smarter and succinct operation processes, and better customer service levels. Especially in response to price reductions caused by the backlog of goods, they will negotiate with suppliers to take measures such as returning the goods.
5. For enterprise staff, regardless of the color and size of the product, the status information of the product can be obtained immediately by using RFID, which can reduce labor intensity and greatly save time.
Now, the application of RFID technology is ubiquitous. It is used to process and distribute the data between the “internal distribution management system” and the “store management system” in the clothing operation management system.
Each piece of clothing in the distribution center is affixed with an RFID tag. The transportation inspector scans and inspects each part of the clothing according to the replenishment order sent from the distribution management system. The shipment inspector uses a touch screen computer and a special reading device to scan For batches of clothes, an average of 5 pieces of clothes are scanned at a time, and he mainly focuses on which clothes are in the box. Print the packing list and put it in the garment box. The box is again attached with a new RFID tag, and then it is transported and distributed. Through the RFID devices distributed in various places, the enterprise information management system will receive data information of tens of thousands of pieces of clothing every day, and these information will be transmitted to the information management subsystem of the relevant store. Therefore, in stores, distribution centers, and RFID tag systems equipped with RFID devices, no matter where the clothing is currently in the supply chain, it can be quickly and accurately located. The application of RFID technology in the clothing industry is continuously improving the logistics and efficient management capabilities of clothing.
(2) The goal of enterprise business intelligent management has been achieved
RFID Internet of Things technology can help companies achieve intelligent business management, thereby maximizing corporate profits. The warehouse management system can automatically obtain information such as the utilization rate and operation cycle of different warehouses to help warehouse managers formulate the best inventory-supply plan.
A professional store sensor is often placed between the front and back of the store to track the activity information of each piece of clothing. The sales system can automatically obtain when the clothing is on the shelf, where it has arrived, what state it is in, and when it is replenishing, etc., and automatically send out early warnings according to the sales situation; at the same time, the sales manager can count the different hanging positions of the clothing in the shopping mall to tell customers Attention, the impact of trying on and buying, and the resulting different sales situations, can make a clothing placement plan that is conducive to better sales, so that the clerk can adjust the location and spatial level of the clothing in a timely manner.
In addition, through the RFID system, manufacturers and designers can understand the user experience effects of clothing, count the actual sales of popular styles; count the chances of customers trying on and purchase a certain clothing; analyze a certain clothing that the subject wears but fails in the end. The reason for the purchase helps the designer understand the customer’s psychology and design clothing that is more suitable for market needs.
(3) The efficiency and satisfaction of customers in choosing clothing continues to increase
For customers, it is more convenient to try on clothes in the smart fitting room. When the customer is not satisfied with the style or size of the clothes they are trying on, they can search for more suitable styles, sizes or inventory information through the smart display in the fitting room, and can communicate with the outside clerk to choose and try on. Satisfactory clothing improves the efficiency of purchasing.
For example, the fitting room of the Flandre store in Japan’s high-end clothing store makes all customers feel fresh and exciting. Its four sides are surrounded by glass curtain walls. In fact, these glass curtain walls are all electronic display screens. When a customer enters this virtual fitting room, a virtual designer will appear on the electronic screen wall to greet him. The designer helps the customer analyze the characteristics of body, skin color and temperament, and provide matching clothes, which are displayed on the electronic screen wall in real time . After the customer selects on the curtain wall, the overall image of the customer wearing matching clothes will appear on the electronic screen, so that the customer can see the overall effect after trying on the clothes without the trouble of undressing and dressing. Such smart fitting rooms have attracted many brand owners to join to improve customer satisfaction.
(4) The accuracy and efficiency of inventory management have been significantly improved
Having high accuracy and efficiency is the key to improving inventory management capabilities and corporate decision-making. So far, some examples show that RFID has indeed played an important role in promoting the accuracy and efficiency of enterprise inventory management. RFID technology promotes the continuous improvement of inventory accuracy of enterprises, the phenomenon of out-of-stock or slow-sales is greatly reduced, the amount of buffer inventory is reduced, the critical value of repeated orders is continuously optimized, and a lot of shelf space is saved. Compared with warehouses that do not implement RFID technology, the sales volume of warehouses that implement RFID technology has increased by 3-8%, the inventory inventory speed of retailers has increased by more than 20 times, and the accuracy of inventory data has increased by more than 30%. The implementation of RFID technology has greatly improved the accuracy of enterprise inventory management, and also improved the punctuality, efficiency and accuracy of the enterprise’s customer service.
At the same time, a good inventory management level directly drives the growth of sales, which has a positive impact on the development of the company. Whether it is a spot store or an online store, they are faced with the important problem of how to control inventory. In terms of replenishment, the warehouse can obtain various RFID coding information in real time, grasp accurate market demand information, and forecast through scientific methods to obtain reliable data support. When the inventory level is low, the warehouse can automatically generate replenishment orders to ensure the efficient operation of the warehouse, which provides the possibility of dynamic adjustment of the warehouse’s inventory control according to market demand.
(5) The full tracking of single-piece and package-level clothing is more convenient
The electronic chip is installed on each piece of clothing during the production process with clothing tags as the carrier, and the tags of each piece of clothing can be tracked by the RFID system. Therefore, the clothing is either on the store display rack or in the packing box of the warehouse. , Can be queried quickly and timely. As long as the customer needs it, the sales staff can quickly learn the color, style, size, location of the target clothing and other information through the electronic code reader, so as to provide customers with more thoughtful services. Various product related information can be obtained conveniently and timely through RFID technology, which greatly improves the operational efficiency of enterprises and their global branches in terms of production, distribution, circulation, and inventory control.
For example, Japan’s Sanjing Group uses RFID technology to automatically track the location of clothing, speeding up the clothing manufacturing process and avoiding stock-outs. The FlexNet system was installed and integrated by Toyo Business Engineering Co., Ltd. for Sanjing Group in 2007. Garment foreign manufacturing factory-Japanese store-warehousing and receiving, the RFID coding information of the whole process is scanned by the reader and transmitted to the computer connected to the FlexNet platform. After the customer places an order, the garment goes through a series of work processes such as ironing, buttoning, checking, and scanning the code again, and then enters the delivery area. If the clothes are checked for problems, they will be returned to the return area and the code information will be eliminated. When the clothing is loaded from the shipping area to the transport vehicle, the code must be scanned again to obtain the status information of the clothing. The entire logistics process of clothing is monitored and tracked by the RFID system. Retailers can directly place orders and directly check the status of the goods. This system saves a lot of time for Sanjing Group employees.
(6) Further expansion of diversified and personalized service capabilities
In modern sales, members, points, discounts, promotions, discounts and various methods are changing day by day, and there are many types. When a customer enters the periphery of a retail store, it indicates that the purchase probability is greatly increased. The latest information about the product can be sent to the customer in a timely manner, which can quickly increase the order rate. When a customer intends to try on clothes, the system can prompt the customer’s consumption history, such as brand, favorite style (sports and occupation), personal basic information such as suitable clothing size, etc., to help sales staff better serve customers. After the customer leaves, the shopping mall system can continue to communicate effectively with the customer, and promptly notify the customer to come when the goods of the right customer arrives. For example, when a customer wears Prada clothes and passes by their store, the RFID system will control the display in the store to show the model showing the same clothes on the T-shaped stage. The use of this technology greatly increases consumers’ sense of accomplishment after purchasing Prada products. When department stores provide these services, they will also consider customer experience. If customers do not need this information, they can choose their own configuration and turn off these prompts.
[ad_2]
