Insights

Helping Walmart Suppliers Meet RFID Compliance with SATO

Walmart’s RFID mandate is transforming inventory management by improving accuracy, reducing stockouts, and streamlining operations. Building on its success with apparel, Walmart has expanded RFID requirements to new merchandise categories, impacting a growing number of suppliers.

To support these suppliers, SATO, in partnership with Loftware, offers a streamlined vendor tagging solution. This case study highlights how SATO’s solution helps suppliers meet Walmart’s requirements with ease, efficiency, and reliability.

Meeting Walmart RFID Requirements

Walmart suppliers are required to print and encode RFID tags that meet specific inlay specifications for their merchandise categories. These RFID tags enable seamless tracking across the supply chain, enhancing inventory visibility and operational efficiency.

SATO’s vendor tagging solution simplifies this process by integrating RFID printing and encoding into existing workflows. Developed in collaboration with Loftware, this solution eliminates the need for separate systems, helping suppliers comply with Walmart’s requirements without disrupting their operations.

Here’s how it works:

1. Select the Right Tag - Suppliers choose the appropriate RFID tag based on their packaging size and Walmart’s inlay specifications, which means advising on the right ARC certified RFID tags based on the type of merchandise and size.
2. Scan, Print, and Encode - SATO’s intuitive platform is made possible with Loftware. Suppliers simply scan their product, input the desired quantity, and print and encode RFID labels.
3. Ensure Traceability - Every label is logged, capturing details such as EPC, unique tag ID, RFID write result and printer location, offering full traceability and peace of mind.

Streamlined Compliance, Seamless Benefits

SATO’s RFID tagging solution for Walmart suppliers delivers compliance and measurable benefits across the board. Automatic logging provides complete traceability, ensuring compliance with Walmart’s requirements to support its audit processes and meet customer demands.

Preparing Suppliers for the Future of RFID

Walmart’s mandate shows where retail is headed with supply chain management, where RFID technology drives greater transparency and efficiency. SATO and Loftware’s vendor tagging solution empowers suppliers to stay ahead of these changes while positioning their operations for long-term success.

By adopting RFID, suppliers not only comply with Walmart’s requirements but also gain a competitive edge through improved inventory visibility and operational performance.

While Walmart’s RFID implementation is well-known as a recent case of compliance labelling, other retailers have also required RFID for their vendors and suppliers to comply with in the pursuit for supply chain and operational efficiencies, as well as greater customer satisfaction. Compliance labelling requirements vary between different retailers, and vendors could face penalties and fines for non-compliance, hence it is very important for vendors to fully understand each retailer’s compliance requirements.

Are you ready to be RFID compliant? Contact SATO today to discover how our vendor tagging solution can fit into your workflow and set you up for success.