Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a Bombay, India-based IT services firm, announced on June 28, 2005, the opening of a "RFID Technology Center" in Chicago. The center will house "off-site" teams to support customer projects but will also serve as a testing and benchmarking facility for global customers.
"We are hearing an increased demand from our customers for RFID solutions and services -- - and our RFID Technology Center will provide access to various RFID hardware and software where our customers can test practical solutions," said Prasad Raju, vice president, TCS and Executive Sponsor for RFID Technology in North America. "In addition, the timing is crucial as large retailers and other vendors are increasingly gravitating towards RFID technology to enhance their supply chain systems, improve product management -- and ultimately customer service."
The Chicago location is a strategic one for TCS as it has several large retail customers with headquarters in this region. In setting up this center TCS has been working with Oracle to support the Oracle Sensor Based Services for RFID initiatives. TCS also forged partnerships with IBM, Microsoft, Texas Instruments and Printronix.
TCS maintains strong alliances with industry organizations such as the EPCglobal National Retail Federation, the Association of Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), the Uniform Code Council and the Voluntary Inter-Industry Commerce Standards (VICS).
