JBC, Belgium’s largest clothing retailer announced that they have rolled out RFID technology throughout JBC’s entire supply chain, from point of production through its distribution center (DC) to its 144 stores in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and across 17 Million RFID-Enabled Items.
JBC is pioneering the adoption of RFID technology in Belgium to provide accurate merchandise visibility through its supply chain with the objective of enabling omni-channel retailing and enhancing its shoppers’ experience. JBC now tracks over 17 million items a year, from the moment of production of its 100 suppliers around the world up to the time they are sold in its 144 stores in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. This technology investment allows JBC to optimize its stock of 1.5 million hanging garments and 15.5 million flat-packed garments to minimize out-of-stocks and enhance its shopper’s experience online or in-store.
Fred Tielens, Logistics Manager at JBC, stated: “We partnered with Checkpoint to prove the concept and measure the impact RFID technology would have through our supply chain. We can now accurately track and have visibility into the quantity and location of over 17 million stock items, which enables us to confidently expand our omni-channel initiatives in the future.”
JBC leveraged Checkpoint’s RFID global expertise to enable its sales staff and logistics service providers to track stock movements, optimize store inventory and identify merchandise items that are being returned or recalled to its DC. The inventory visibility enables its online shoppers to see accurate inventory quantity of its merchandise, which is particularly important with a fast-fashion retailer.
According to Per Levin, President of Merchandise Availability Solutions, Checkpoint Systems, “We are proud to have earned JBC’s confidence during this project. The teams formed a deep partnership and have together deployed a highly sophisticated and well integrated RFID project from source to store, bringing sustainable benefits to JBC’s franchise partners and its customers. It’s not only the first and the biggest deployment in Belgium, but may also be the first globally in a franchisee organization.”
With Checkpoint’s RFID technology, each of the 144 stores is now a mini DC able to process online purchases next to regular brick and mortar activities. Six Checkpoint RFID Tunnels at JBC’s DC in Houthalen-Helchteren automatically verify the physical contents of inbound shipments from suppliers and outbound shipments to JBC stores. The tunnels, in conjunction with Checkpoint’s OAT Enterprise software, automatically match the exact contents against shipping manifests as they enter and leave the DC for its stores.
Tielens concluded, “In addition to the inventory visibility benefits, RFID might allow us in the future to measure the impact of promotions and make customized suggestions to our shoppers. We will be able to guide our shoppers through the purchase process from start to finish, whether they are shopping online or in one of our stores.”
