RFID Journal LIVE! 2025 has announced a third keynote featuring top experts from UPS share insights on the latest advancements in RFID and IoT deployment.

“Innovative RFID Keynote: Deploying Tomorrow’s Technology Today” is a panel discussion set for May 6 featuring four UPS leaders— Inna Glyass, Ashley Stephenson, Shannon Hampton and Caleeann Blarr.

The keynote will center around how UPS has deployed one of the biggest RFID initiatives in corporate America, implementing their SPSF Next Generation Technology across the US and Canada. In this session, hear from the team responsible for providing unstoppable innovation in RFID/IoT operations.

Highlight of UPS Keynote

The highly anticipated 2025 event will take place May 5-8 at the Paris Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, bringing together technology providers, innovators, and end-users from around the globe.

In this UPS keynote, you’ll hear directly from the team driving unstoppable RFID/IoT innovation, gaining insights into:

• The scale and impact of UPS’ RFID deployment
• Cutting-edge technology transforming logistics and supply chain management
• Lessons learned and best practices for RFID implementation

Getting to Meet the Panel

Blarr is a Product Manager focused on operations technology at UPS. As part of UPS’s Smart Package/Smart Facility Initiative, she leads the development and deployment of RFID solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency. Caleeann works closely with cross-functional teams to tailor RFID technology to UPS’s unique operational needs and drive successful implementations across the network.

Hampton is a Senior Product Manager specializing in RFID solutions and customer research. As part of UPS’s Smart Package/Smart Facility Initiative, she leads customer and market research, as well as RFID proof-of-concept projects aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and improving the customer experience. Shannon holds a Certificate in Cyber Security, a B.S. in Information Systems/Computer Networks, and a M.S. in Information Systems/Computer Security.

Stephenson is a Lead Product Manager on the Smart Package/Smart Facility team at UPS, focusing on integrating RFID solutions into the logistics network to provide customers with the best shipping experience. As part of the latest phase of this initiative, she spearheads the development of products to facilitate implementation and ensure expedited go-to-market timelines. Ashley holds a M.S. in Business Analytics from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Glyass is a UPS Director, Product Management with 25 years of logistics and supply chain experience,  specializing in operations technology.  As part of UPS’s Smart Package/Smart Facility Initiative, she oversees product development and deployment aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and improving the customer experience via RFID integration into multiple aspects of UPS’s internal operations and customer solutions,

2025 Keynotes

RFID Journal LIVE! 2025 previously announced two keynotes: one featuring Stacey Shulman, Vice President of Health, Education, and Consumer Industries at Intel’s Edge Computing Group and a second spotlighting BAE Systems‘ Tony Wilson and Thomas Copeland.

In her keynote, Harnessing AI for Business Transformation: From Enthusiasm to Deployment, Shulman will delve into how organizations are leveraging the transformative power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize their operations. Her insights will guide attendees on bridging the gap between AI’s potential and its practical implementation to drive meaningful business outcomes.

Wilson and Copeland, in their address titled Shifting Gears: BAE Systems Expands Automated Tracking with RFID and Robotics in the U.K.,  will go over how the international defense, aerospace and security company built an automated tracking system in the United Kingdom that encompasses twenty-eight facilities in two manufacturing sites, using a hybrid mix of passive RFID detectors/antennas, dependent upon the needs and environment in each building.

Networking and Learning Opportunities

RFID Journal LIVE!, the world’s premier event for radio frequency identification (RFID) and related technologies, promises to be the most comprehensive yet, with nine tracks plus certification training covering retail, government, aerospace/defense, healthcare and manufacturing industries. Topics include warehouse, distribution center, supply chain, digital product passports, compliance, as well as the use of AI, blockchain, IoT and machine learning. RFID Journal LIVE! 2025 will feature over 55 educational sessions, hands-on workshops, and live demonstrations that highlight the transformative potential of RFID and IoT technologies across industries.

RFID Journal LIVE! is the world’s largest and most influential conference and exhibition focused on RFID and related technologies. Since its inception in 2003, the event has provided businesses and technology professionals with the tools and insights needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

RFID Journal LIVE! is renowned for fostering collaboration and innovation. Attendees will have the chance to network with peers, gain actionable insights from expert speakers, and explore case studies that showcase real-world implementations of RFID solutions.

To register or learn more about RFID Journal LIVE! 2025, visit www.rfidjournallive.com.

Powercast is a finalist for the Best New Product Award that will be rewarded at RFID Journal LIVE! 2025.

This award is given to the company that exhibits the best new RFID/IoT product or service at RFID Journal LIVE! 2025. To qualify for the award, the product must have been introduced after April 11, 2024.

Powercast is being nominated for a wirelessly powered, battery-free RAIN RFID Sensor Tags for data centers.

Best New Product Nominees

The other finalists for 2025’s RFID Journal Awards in the Best New Product category are as follows:

• Chainway, for the MC51 Built-in RFID Reader, a 5G high-performance, large-screen handheld terminal featuring a powerful processor, a 6-inch high-definition display, and cutting-edge5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, providing frontline workers with a high-performance mobile office solution.
• Checkpoint, for Smart Sleeve, an inlay that enables RFID directly into item-level product packaging.
• Pragmatic, for NFC Connect PR1301 a unique and highly innovative non-silicon-based integrated circuit (IC) with the compact size of 3x2mm for use in NFC RFID tags.
• Tageos, for Liqr Stiq, a semi-rigid, disposable HF/NFC capacitance liquid measurement tag used for detecting the measure of liquid inside a container (liquid level), such as premium spirits in a bottle.
• Zebra, for the EM45 RFID, an all-in-one, integrated RFID reader designed to simplify tasks and boost on-the-go operations, while delivering enterprise-grade manageability, security, and asset longevity.

A three-person team of judges will evaluate the finalists onsite, at RFID Journal LIVE! 2025. Judges will contact the finalists and schedule a demonstration and/or presentation at the conference, on Tuesday May 6 and Wednesday May 7. The winners will be announced at 1:00 PM PDT on Thursday May 8 at RFID Journal LIVE!2025, the company’s annual conference and exhibition, which will be held on May 6-8 at the Paris Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas, NV.

In addition to a crystal award, the winner of Best New Product will be given a one-hour webinar held on the date of their choice in 2025. They will also receive a 40-minute conference session during the 2026 edition of RFID Journal LIVE!

2025 Award Nominees

The Best New Product Award is one of seven awards that will be handed out next month in Vegas. The finalists hail from all around the world, including Italy, Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, Turkey, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Many of the finalists will be speaking at LIVE! 2025, where they will share their experience with attendees. The finalists for each category are listed below:

Best Retail Implementation

• Arctic Spa is using an automated, real-time RFID solution at 14 corporate retail stores and the central distribution center. The solution has enabled them to improve inventory tracking by 95 percent, experience a 40 percent reduction in manual labor costs, optimize store operations and enhance customer service.
• Carter’s (Canada stores) implemented their successful RFID solution across 187 Canadian retail stores, helping their associates to locate items faster, drive sales, and increase overall efficiency across various processes.
• C&A implemented RFID across all 1,220+ C&A stores in 17 countries in Europe, as well as in C&A’s Distribution Centers. The implementation has enabled the firm to optimize and align customer experience, standardize and simplify processes, provide customer benefits due to increased stock-data accuracy, and ensure merchandise availability and visibility.

Best Healthcare or Food Implementation

• Brigham Young University, is using RFID in their Chem Stores to track chemical across campus, dramatically improving the rate of performing a lab inventory audit.
• Nutriza AgroIndustrial de Alimentos S/A (Friato), is using RFID to control the working time and breaks of its employees autonomously, without relying on manual records.
• Sentara Health is using RFID at Norfolk General Hospital to track hazardous compounded medications in their hazardous sterile compounding rooms as well as tracking compounded medications essential for cardiac procedures.

Best Manufacturing or IoT Implementation

• Cepheid, a leader in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test kit manufacturing, has successfully implemented RFID technology to enhance supply chain velocity, drive operational efficiency, and maintain its leadership in PCR test development and manufacturing.
• Cummins has reduced the total amount of packaging waste resulting from manufacturing operations by employing RFID-based Returnable Transport Items for components and products.
• Kannegiesser is using RFID technology to sort by customer or item type and provide accurate sorting ability using real-time reading as well as automatically separating articles with no or malfunctioning tags.

Best Supply Chain/Logistics Implementation

• Brooks is using RFID enabled tags at one of their distribution centers during the pick-pack process in real time, to ensure they match the customer orders before they are shipped from the distribution center.
• Maersk is using an RFID-based drone solution in one of their high-volume, fast-paced warehouses to ensure accurate inventory capabilities, allowing the operational teams to focus on more strategic initiatives, resulting in greater efficiency and service excellence.
• Shifflet Brothers Enterprises is using RFID technology to facilitate real-time asset tracking, streamline yard management, and improve inventory management from receipt to final delivery.

Best RFID/IoT/AI Implementation

• ESAN (Eczacıbaşı Industrial Raw Materials Company) has implemented a centralized, AI-driven traffic management system that optimizes underground traffic flow by predicting congestion and dynamically adjusting signals. Additionally, the system enhances operational efficiency by reducing delays and increasing safety.
• SniperAction Photo, LTD is using RFID to automatically capture photos and video of guests as they ride a waterslide that weaves through the Costa Rica jungle.
• United Parcel Service (UPS) continues to deploy tomorrow’s technology today by enabling UPS Internet Of Things and expanding their use of cutting-edge technologies like digital twins, data analytics, IOT/RFID and Generative AI to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.

Best RFID or IoT Implementation (Other Industry)

• Idaho National Lab is using RFID for tracking mixed and hazardous waste containers and for providing inventories of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste storage areas.
• Selmark achieved 30 percent gains in picking, shipping, and receiving efficiency by tagging products at the source by installing RFID printers and tracking them through the supply chain with RFID readers.
• United States Marine Corps developed the Marine Corps Platform Integration Center (MCPIC), a system that provides asset visibility by enabling equipment inventory tracking through tagging of mission-critical equipment, enabling them to shorten inventory times from weeks to hours and resulting in gaining greater inventory accuracy.

RFID Special Achievement Award

Dr. Antonio Rizzi, full professor of logistics and supply chain management in the University of Parma’s Industrial Engineering Department, will receive the 2025 RFID Special Achievement Award. Dr. Rizzi is the founder of the university’s RFID Lab, a world leading research center promoting research, training and services to stakeholders, such as technology providers and end users. Under his leadership, the lab pioneered research in the Italian RFID arena and has been widely recognized as a worldwide center of excellence.

Dr. Rizzi is a world-renowned advocate of auto id technologies and data sharing technologies (such as RFID and IoT) for supply chain management and retail industries. He has generously given his time and has spoken at numerous conferences, including at RFID Journal LIVE! for nearly two decades.

“It’s Antonio’s turn to be honored”, says Debbie Hughes, RFID Journal’s former Editorial Director of Events and current RFID Journal LIVE! 2025 consultant. “I know that I speak on behalf of the entire RFID industry in congratulating him for his extraordinary contributions and his unstoppable enthusiasm for the technology.”

As converters explore new ways to boost their business, RFID labeling has emerged as a popular option. The technology has moved past the phases of acceptance and affordability. Plus, brands are increasingly requesting these label technologies be implemented into their operations.

Big brands have led the drive for these products, as they have recognized the inherent value of the technology.

“The RFID industry has been growing rapidly in the last five plus years due to many large retailers/big box stores adopting RFID technology for the products they sell,” explains Mark Davenport, RFID business unit manager, Abbott Label. “Not only are the large retailers using this technology, there are also a few large fast-food chains that have adopted the technology to help better manage their incoming supplies. Major airlines and airports around the globe are also contributing to this growth. RFID is the fastest growing sector in the label business today.”