SoftMATCH.com (Software Matchmakers, Inc.) 2007 Supply Chain Solutions Conference.

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RFID Workshop / Supply Chain Solutions 2007
"Managing the Global Supply Chain -
Strategies for Conducting Planetary Business in the 21st Century"
Register to attend 3-4th October at
St. Andrew's Club, 150 King Street West,
(at St. Andrew's Subway stop)
Toronto, Canada
(speakers / agenda subject to change without notice)

[Register to attend] 3rd October: RFID Workshop

[Register to attend] 4th October: Supply Chain Agenda

Join us as we celebrate SoftMatch's 25th year in business (18th year producing conferences) with Supply Chain Solutions 2007 - an RFID Workshop and a global supply chain conference, designed for senior and mid level Executive, Logistics, and Information Technology management.

3rd October 2007: RFID Workshop
- Specially designed one-day educational Workshop for busy organizational decision makers -

This is the premier independent workshop in Canada for decision makers who need to understand RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and how to make the right choices about investing in this technology for their organizations and supply chain trading partners.

Get your knowledge about RFID 'up-to-speed' quickly with this information-packed workshop - led by Ann Grackin, 25-year industry veteran and CEO of Cambridge, Mass. based ChainLink Research; Bill McBeath, Chief Research Officer, ChainLink Research, Inc. and Len Shara, 20+ year systems veteran, chemical engineer and CEO of RFID Systems 2001. (see biographies below).

This workshop starts with an introduction to RFID then explains the science of RFID, the hardware and software involved and a discussion of Active RFID systems. Attendees will be provided with the latest information and insightful guidance about RFID technology, mandates and standards so as to determine the suitability of RFID for their organizations and whether to proceed with RFID projects.

This Workshop delivers up-to-date, clear strategic analysis and advice and discusses whether organizations should adopt RFID, and if so, how they should select, implement and integrate RFID with their existing systems.

Who Should Attend ? C-level Executives, Directors, Vice Presidents, Information Technology and Supply Chain / Logistics professionals, IT Solution providers, Packaging Engineers, Wholesalers, Distributors, Re-Packagers; Supply Chain Consultants, Project Managers, Pharmacists; and anyone who needs to know, or is interested in what the experts are predicting for this exciting technology and how it will affect business. Top of Page

3rd October: RFID Workshop Agenda:

8:30 AM: Registration Desk opens for Badge and materials pick-up. Enjoy Continental Breakfast

Ample time will be available during, and at the end of, each session for Q & A.

9:00: Introduction to RFID
This session covers the basics of RFID -- components, technology and terminology. It is designed for those who have no background in RFID and are looking for basic terminology and principles. Topics include:

- What is RFID?
- What is a total RFID solution?
- Hardware and Software
- Different types of Tags, Readers and Middleware
- Why is RFID different than other data collection approaches?
- What are the different frequencies and what are the benefits and challenges in each?
- What is the difference between Active and Passive?
- Typical use case for RFID: Logistics, Yard, Retail, Asset Tracking and more
- Mandate and non-mandate issues
- The role of standards

Attendees will receive supplementary readings, reading lists, and important references for future study.

10:00: The Science of RFID
How does this wily technology work? What are the scientific principles behind RFID? This session will give you the essentials for understanding how to master key aspects of RFID:

- Understanding Frequency Options
- What are the different types of solutions in wireless from RFID to GPS to Satellite to Cellular?
- Near Field and Far Field Communication
- Antennas
- Indoor vs. Outdoor challenges with RFID
- Effect of materials

Attendees will receive a 50 page primer "RFID: What you Must Know".

11:00 - 11:15 Break

11:15 The RFID Hardware Market + RFID Demo
With so many players and so many claims in the market, how do you go about understanding the solution providers in the market? This session will address:

- What are the different categories of RFID technology firms?
- What function do they provide?
- Who are the players, what kind of solutions do they provide, what are they good at?
- How do I go about engaging in dialogue with solution providers and selecting the right one?
- Some market numbers and views of the future

RFID Demonstration

Attendees will receive class handouts as well as ChainLink's "RFID Hardware Vendor Profiles 2007".

12:30 - 1:30 PM: Networking Lunch

1:30: The RFID Software Market
It's all about the data. So once I capture a signal, then what? RFID is unleashing a data explosion of real-time, position sensitive information, capturing business events as they are happening. This opens the door to new types of applications or improvements in legacy applications. This session will cover the RFID Software Market:

Software environments -- what are the different types of applications: from a user perspective, such as Security, Transportation, Retail, Manufacturing, Defense, Maritime, Mining, Utilities, and Healthcare?

What are the software components underlying these capabilities: from RFID middleware, to Network applications, to business applications such as customer data/CRM/Loyalty programs, Demand Management and replenishment, Warehouse management, Asset tracking, Document tracking, Access control, Locating, Inventory management, and Optimization of business processes?

Who are the providers of these applications in the Software Market?

Attendees will receive class handouts as well as ChainLink's "RFID Software Vendor Profiles 2007".

2:30 - 2:45 Break

2:45 - 4:00: Active RFID
Active RFID has many uses and proven value in specific applications. Whether Asset tracking, access control, security, etc., Active RFID has been successfully deployed in many businesses from Auto, to Maritime, to Hospitals to Mines. But, not all Active solutions are the same. There are significant engineering, frequency and hardware differences designed to solve different types of problems. This session will provide an introduction to the Active solution:

- Types of Active RFID solutions
- Components of Active solutions
- What are the different frequencies UHF, 433 MHz and 2.4 GHz, 802.11 and which problems do they best solve?
- What are problems such as trace and track vs. precision locating and how are they solved?
- What is a locating solution, both the hardware and software? How do they work?
- How to determine location: telemetry, triangulation, RSSI, TDOA, and GPS
- Mapping out a solution: examples from real life.

To register online for this Workshop, visit www.softmatch.com/registration.htm
Or call (416)-756-3221

Workshop Leaders:

As CEO of ChainLink Research, Ann Grackin has consulted with firms around the globe creating business and technology strategy in High Tech, Defense Logistics, Life Sciences and Consumer retail chains. Ms Grackin has consulted with business and governments and conducted regular RFID training and awareness sessions for industrial and consumer firms throughout the world.

Within the RFID space, ChainLink has a large practice in SmallSmartFast technologies, where they provide future forward research and strategy on RFID. ChainLink is the sponsor of worldwide university research curriculum, development lab work, and entrepreneurial innovation in RFID technology.

Bill McBeath is certified instructor for the RFID Technical Institute and has been teaching the Science of RFID, as well as RFID integration and Data Synchronization. Mr. McBeath has lead the Supply Chain research in Retail with major research projects in RFID, International Logistics, Vendor Compliance, Private Label and Merchandizing practices. In addition, Mr. McBeath is an instructor for the U.S. Navy RFID program.

Len Shara, a chemical engineer with over 20 years experience in identification technologies and systems, will be looking after the hands-on portion of the workshops, explaining and demonstrating to attendees how different kinds of RFID systems actually work and which ones are best for different types of applications. Len is CEO of Canadian-based RFID Systems 2001.

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4th October, Toronto

Supply Chain Solutions 2007 Conference Agenda:
(speakers and agenda subject to change without notice)

Conference title: "Managing the Global Supply Chain
- strategies for conducting planetary business in the 21st Century"

Major themes:

- The Outcome Economy;
- Global Demand; and
- Supply Chain as a source of Differentiation.

8:00 AM: Registration Desk opens for Badge and materials pick-up. Enjoy Continental Breakfast

8:45 Welcome and Introduction to today's proceedings
Ann Grackin, CEO, Chainlink Research, Conference Chair

Ms. Grackin is a popular speaker and respected writer on supply chain management best practices and technology. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Parallax View, an online Business Management magazine, fast-becoming one of the top business journals. Read around the globe, she has been published in Supply Chain Management Review, MSI Magazine, ASCET, iSource, Information Week, RFID Journal and many other magazines and she has been featured in Forbes, The Boston Globe and Fortune Magazine.

9:00 The Outcome Economy: How companies are changing their relationships to serve global markets.
Presented by: Bill McBeath, Chief Research Officer, Chainlink Research

Bill McBeath, who is Chief Research Officer of Cambridge, Mass.-based ChainLink Research, is recognized as a leading expert in extended-enterprise business models, having more than 20 years of experience in a variety of roles as a business and technology researcher and consultant, high tech executive, and software architect. Bill has lead the companies' Supply Chain research in Retail with major research projects in RFID, International Logistics, Vendor Compliance, Private Label and Merchandizing practices. He is currently writing a book on the subject of "The Outcome Economy".

9:45 Global Markets / Global Demand - Understanding the changing customer markets, and how to use Supply Chain to create differentiation in fulfilling customer needs.
Presented by: Ann Grackin, CEO Chainlink Research

Ms. Grackin has consulted with firms around the globe creating business and technology strategy in High Tech, Defense Logistics, Life Sciences and Consumer retail chains. Ann is a popular speaker and respected writer on supply chain management best practices and technology. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Parallax View, an online Business Management magazine, fast-becoming one of the top business journals. Read around the globe, she has been published in Supply Chain Management Review, MSI Magazine, ASCET, iSource, Information Week, RFID Journal and many other magazines. She has been featured in Forbes, The Boston Globe and Fortune Magazine.

10:30 Mid Morning Break

10:45 The New Rules of Supply Chain Management: Moving Beyond Traditional ERP Boundaries
Presented by: Neil Montgomery, President and CEO, Davis Controls Ltd.; and
Martin Hildebrand, Exact Software North America.

In today's global environment, numerous business processes occur outside the scope of traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP). Reaching only 20 percent of an organization, ERP never transcended into a solution for the entire enterprise – a shortcoming that resulted in the emergence of business process management (BPM). This presentation will discuss the evolution of BPM while providing insight from an end-user on how applying BPM as a concept, not a technology, has enabled the company to bring the people and processes that live beyond ERP into its organization.

Neil Montgomery is President and CEO of Davis Controls Ltd., a national Distributor, Representative and licensed assembler for International Manufacturers of Industrial Instrumentation and Process Controls. Neil joined Davis Controls Ltd. in 1977, and has served as Product Manager, National Sales Manager, General Manager, Vice-President and President of Davis prior to his appointment as CEO.

Neil is a member of the Association for High Technology Distribution, a group organized to represent the common interests of the CEO's and Executive Managers of specialty Automation Solution Providers and Manufacturers through the promotion of services and strategies consistent with the dynamic and ever changing industrial marketplace. He chairs the AHTD e-business technology sub-committee responsible for reviewing emerging technologies and assessing their impact on the association and its members.

11:20 "The Three Pillars of Global Trade"
Presented by: Kurt Cavano, CEO, TradeCard, Inc.

The three main pillars of global trade are finance, logistics and sourcing. When these elements are integrated they create a powerful tool. Companies achieve a full and in-depth view of transactions by automating and integrating physical and financial aspects of these three pillars. Automation and visibility are key for companies that source globally and count on numerous transactions to take place along the supply chain to successfully deliver the right goods on-time.

Kurt Cavano is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TradeCard, Inc., a technology and services firm that has automated the procurement process for corporations from order through settlement. He has held this position since January 1999.

12:00 - 1:00 Networking Lunch

1:00 21st Driving Value with a Global Supply Chain Integrity Strategy
Presented by: Kim Loughead, Director of Healthcare Business Development, Axway

Supply chain integrity includes assuring product security, compliance and delivery quality. This session highlights emerging best practices which are helping to combat the growing issues of counterfeiting, re-importation and parallel trade. Customer case studies will be used to show how technology, new operating models and collaborative intelligence are enabling safer and more profitable supply chain operations.

Participants will hear what to consider when developing a practical supply chain integrity strategy. Fundamentals of a successful supply chain integrity strategy will be discussed including trading community management, data integrity, real-time informatics and performance-based distribution agreements. Case studies will show how demand visibility can be leveraged to increase consumer confidence, protect brand equity and fight margin erosion on a global level.

Kim Loughead is a Director of Healthcare Business Development at Axway, an enterprise software company focused on increasing collaboration and compliance in global channel operations.

1:45 Transportation Challenges:
Lowering the Cost and Complexity of Delivering Exceptional Customer Service
Presented by: Chris Moon, Logistics, Ideal Supply Company Limited

Ideal Supply, a leading distributor of auto parts, electrical and industrial supplies and known for exceptional customer service, embarked on a project to utilize its delivery assets in the most efficient way possible. By integrating mobile technology with logistics solutions and other systems, Ideal Supply reduced up to 30% of fuel costs due to reduced miles driven; are using fewer vehicles to make more deliveries; and has grown their business without an increase in delivery asset investment.

Chris Moon manages the Logistics division for Ideal Supply Company and has been deeply involved in the corporate rollout of their Routing and Scheduling Solutions and specializes in the company's traffic and statistical data analysis needs. Ideal Supply has been in business for over 80 years, and is NAPA Auto Parts largest Canadian distributor.

2:30 Mid Afternoon Break

2:45 - 4:00 SoftMatch Supply Chain Guru Panel
Moderator: Ann Grackin

Following a review and summation of the days's proceedings the audience will be invited to ask questions about Supply Chain issues and a panel discussion will include the following topics:

- Spot Light—Asia: Challenges now in and from India and China;
- Managing Global Risk: how to minimize risk, maximize market presence and still stay lean;
- RFID in the Supply Chain; and
- Supply Chain Performance Management - a discussion of metrics.

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Conference ends until 2008.

Register now online or call (416)-756-3221 to register by telephone or if you have any questions

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Previous SoftMatch RFID conferences:
Building upon the tremendous success of it's 2004, 2005 and 2006 series of Supply Chain / RFID conferences which attracted almost 900 executives from over 550 significant companies, SoftMatch remains steadfastly committed to investing the resources required to deliver first-class, impartial, focused technology conferences that are highly beneficial for all participants. The profiles of those who attended our earlier RFID conferences are available here.

Interested in Sponsoring?
Please Request a Proposal to: nominate speakers; joining interactive panel sessions; and have a convenient, low cost 'turnkey' tabletop exhibit presence. We welcome sponsors and invite nominations from all qualified, suitable speakers. Download Sponsor Agreement (pdf).

This Supply Chain conference and RFID workshop is supported by: