AmeriSource Bergen using RFID to track real-time use of high value
medicines
LAS VEGAS, May 2 /CNW/ - Sirit Inc. ("Sirit") (TSX: SI) a leading
provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, in partnership
with VendingTechnology Inc., a developer of advanced item level transaction
and dispensing solutions, and Scopra Inc., a developer of enterprise scale
commercial software, has delivered an initial order of a customized UHF RFID
item level tracking solution for the pharmaceutical industry.
The solution which incorporates Sirit's high performance UHF reader
technology, VendingTechnology's engineering solutions, and Scopra's software
designed for application and network management of RFID-enabled devices, is
being used by ASD Healthcare (ASD), a division of AmerisourceBergen
Corporation, among the world's largest pharmaceutical distributors, to monitor
and track consigned inventory, namely pharmaceuticals within hospitals.
Initially, ASD in collaboration with VendingTechnology devised the
consignment program to allow hospitals access to high dollar hemophiliac
medicines otherwise unavailable due to their high inventory cost.
VendingTechnology approached Sirit to deliver an RFID-reader for the heart of
the specialized refrigeration unit known as CUBIXX, which acts as the
consignment device, and enlisted Scopra to deliver the software comprising the
entire application. When the medicine is removed from the unit for
administration to the patient, the reader senses the specific medication
removal and triggers the Scopra-based real-time billing and inventory
management processes for completion.
"We believe that the results of this partnership will become the
foundation of new and specialized distribution practices outside the current
'just in time' methods used today," said Andrew Fausak, President,
VendingTechnology Inc. "RFID technology brings the power of now to inventory
control and management. Gone are the days of not knowing where something
currently is, or in what quantities. The RFID solution we have demonstrated
with ASD Healthcare can be applied to any instance where real time inventory
management is essential. We believe that RFID can revolutionize the supply
chain - driving warehousing literally to the point of sale."
Results of the initial testing, which has seen over 100 units deployed to
date with an additional 60 scheduled by the end of June, has been so
successful that ASD plans to use these consignment devices for the majority of
their specialty drugs including those used to fight cancer.
"It's a tremendous accomplishment to create a solution which can impact
people's lives in such a profound way and deliver a proven ROI within months
of installation," commented Norbert Dawalibi, President and CEO, Sirit Inc.
"This is yet another example of the real benefits that RFID technology can
deliver, granting access to medicines otherwise not available, and we believe
that this is the first of many applications for this important collaborative
solution."
Additional applications of the Sirit/VendingTechnology/Scopra solution
that are under development outside the pharmaceutical market including a
transaction-based RFID dispensing cabinet with programmable and inventory
responsive video content and power control to address retail, advertising,
inventory-driven-sales and specialty lines.
"We're thrilled to be part of this team delivering an RFID solution that
has so many applications," stated George Clopp, Chief Technology Officer,
Scopra Inc. "It has been our experience that the greatest failure of MRP/ERP
implementations is the issue of data integrity for the inventory regarding
both location and quantities. When data becomes fuzzy, human interpolation
adds more errors. Having RFID running in real-time with a network managed
solution eliminates all of those data error opportunities. Data is accurate,
current, and usable with no need for human intervention. Further, by
networking all the RFID devices within the organization, the ability to
monitor and manage an entire inventory supply chain from a single point,
increases the efficiency and effectiveness of real time decision making and
subsequent implementation. Scopra is uniquely positioned to enable application
of this total technology solution set."
About VendingTechnology
VendingTechnology (VT) is a Texas corporation with facilities in Dallas,
Texas, San Jose, California and Chenna, India. VT is privately owned leading
producer of Intellectual Property related to transaction-oriented and fast
time-to-market solutions with specific strategic advantages and market
barriers over competition. VT has been licensing specialized solutions to the
vending industry since 2002 and recently incorporated in 2005 when it began
focusing in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology worldwide. VT
partnered with Sirit and Scopra for the purpose of creating a line of products
and software applications that satisfy supply chain, logistics tracking and
content distribution issues in pharmaceutical and retail spaces. Some of VT's
products include VTsense, VTvend VTpay, TxRFID, RDP-based-POS-terminals that
enable supply chain and logistics tracking, cash/cashless payment, access
control, inventory, asset management and tracking. For more information, visit
www.VendingTechnology.com.
About Scopra
Scopra, is located in Dallas, Texas with development staff in Cologne,
San Jose and Dallas. Scopra is the state-of-the-art enterprise scale
commercial provider of application and network management software for
computing devices. Any computing device connected to the network is a viable
candidate for Scopra's Montioring and Management software, such as embedded
systems like PDA, RFID-Readers, ThinClients and PC's. Scopra supplies its main-
stream product under the name ScopraSoft. Scopra can be used as a stand-alone
product for event monitoring and software distribution in a network
environment. The software is extremely easy to customize through its powerful
message-based business engine. Application specific functionality, like RFID
supply-chain logistics can be realized by adding more rules appropriate for
the desired source and destination controls. In such an instance, Scopra
provides a core engine that can be tailored to each distributed application.
For more information, visit www.ScopraSoft.com
About ASD Healthcare
ASD Healthcare is a division of AmerisourceBergen Corporation.
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical
services companies serving the United States, Canada and selected global
markets. Servicing both pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers
in the pharmaceutical supply channel, the Company provides drug distribution
and related services designed to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.
AmerisourceBergen's service solutions range from pharmacy automation and
pharmaceutical packaging to pharmacy services for skilled nursing and assisted
living facilities, reimbursement and pharmaceutical consulting services, and
physician education. With more than $54 billion in annual revenue,
AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than
13,000 people. AmerisourceBergen is ranked No. 27 on the Fortune 500 list. For
more information, go to www.asdhealthcare.com or www.amerisourcebergen.com.
About Sirit Inc.
Sirit Inc. (TSX: SI) is a leading provider of Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) technology worldwide. Harnessing the power of Sirit's
enabling-RFID technology, customers are able to more rapidly bring high
quality RFID solutions to the market with reduced initial engineering costs.
Sirit's products are built on more than 12 years of RF domain expertise
addressing multiple frequencies (LF/HF/UHF), multiple protocols and are
compliant with global standards. Sirit's broad portfolio of products and
capabilities are easily customized to address new and traditional RFID market
applications including Supply Chain & Logistics, Cashless Payment (including
Electronic Tolling), Access Control, Automatic Vehicle Identification,
Inventory Control & Management, Asset Tracking and Product Authentication. For
more information, visit www.sirit.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Safe Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of historical fact
contained herein, the information presented constitutes "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results,
performance or achievement of Sirit to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-
looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those
indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and
uncertainties impacting Sirit's business which are discussed in the section
entitled "Description of the Business - Risks Factors" in Sirit's Annual
Information Form dated March 16, 2006 as filed with the securities regulatory
authorities in Canada via SEDAR. Although Sirit has attempted to identify
important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there
may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or
intended.
