Inspiring Leap into the Grocery Business with RFID Technology
Luxury Industry
Culti Milano, a pioneer in creating unique fragrances since the late 1980s, continues to innovate at the intersection of sensory experiences and design. As part of its ongoing digital transformation journey, the company has embarked on a project to integrate RFID technology into its product line.
This strategic move, set for implementation in 2024, aims to enhance logistical efficiency and elevate the customer experience by ensuring seamless traceability throughout the distribution chain.
To achieve its digital ambition as well as improve customer engagement, Culti Milano objective was to devise a system to uniquely identify more than 1.5 million products annually, which faced several key challenges in this pursuit, such as:
- Logistics Optimization: Improve tracking of outbound logistics, linking products to end customers for seamless upstream and downstream traceability.
- Design Integrity: Integrate RFID technology without compromising the elegant and luxurious aesthetics and design of Culti Milano's products.
- Grey Market Mitigation: Combat the significant challenges posed by grey market sales in the beauty industry.
Culti Milano selected Temera, a Beontag Company, the product traceability and serialization company trusted by the biggest brands in the fashion and luxury markets, to spearhead the RFID implementation, focusing on identifying the optimal hardware tag that could be seamlessly applied to fragrance bottles and crates, ensuring readability and ease of use without affecting product design.
· RFID Tag Selection and Testing
After extensive evaluation, the UH1R2110 UHF RFID tag was chosen for its superior performance and compatibility with Temera's RFID readers and Culti Milano's products. This tag demonstrated excellent readability even when applied to liquid-filled bottles.
· Prototype Development
A custom RFID tunnel was designed and built to optimize the scanning process. This prototype underwent rigorous testing to determine the ideal configuration of tag placement, antenna type, and tunnel dimensions, ensuring efficient scanning.
· Software Integration
Temera's Stylewhere software was integrated with Culti Milano's ERP platform and the third-party logistics provider's Warehouse Management System (WMS). This integration facilitated seamless data exchange, including master files and sales orders.
· Overcoming Size Constraints
One of the primary challenges was integrating RFID tags with Culti Milano's small, elegantly designed fragrance bottles.
Through innovative solutions, the team developed a system capable of scanning 40-50 bottles simultaneously, demonstrating the efficiency and reliability of the chosen technology.
The implementation of RFID technology at Culti Milano is expected to yield numerous benefits:
- Enhanced Traceability: Each product can now be uniquely identified and tracked throughout its lifecycle, from production to end consumer.
- Improved Logistics Efficiency: The ability to scan up to 50 bottles simultaneously significantly streamlines outbound processes.
- Grey Market Reduction: Enhanced traceability is anticipated to substantially reduce losses from unauthorized distribution channels.
- Future-Ready Customer Experience: The RFID system lays the groundwork for innovative customer engagement initiatives, including product authenticity verification and personalized services.
- Data-Driven Insights: The wealth of data generated by the RFID system will enable Culti Milano to make more informed decisions across its supply chain and marketing strategies.
“While the full benefits of this project will become clear over time, our collaboration with Temera has already proven immensely fruitful,” said Arianna Lauria, Supply and Demand Director at Culti Milano. “Beontag’s and Temera’s innovative approach and deep understanding of our challenges have made this journey not only successful but also highly rewarding.”
This RFID initiative represents a significant milestone in Culti Milano's digital transformation journey, setting a new standard for product traceability and customer experience in the luxury goods sector. As the company continues to evolve, this technology will play a crucial role in maintaining its position as a leader in the fragrance industry.
