Day: February 23, 2022

Nedap the global player in RFID solutions, recently announced that Carter’s, Inc., the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel and related products exclusively for babies and young children, has selected Nedap’s iD Cloud platform for its U.S. retail store RFID technology needs. The objective is to improve overall inventory accuracy leading to Omnichannel sales growth, increased sell-throughs, and operational efficiencies. The roll-out to all stores in the United States was completed in August 2021. Nedap iD Cloud is the only scalable enterprise platform that gathers all EPC inventory data and its unique item lifespan history into one place to create perfect inventory visibility throughout retail supply chains with the use of RFID technology. Knowing exactly which products flow through the supply chain is crucial in improving product availability, while keeping prices and costs low. This leads to less markdowns, less waste, and higher profitability. This also provides the foundation for Omnichannel concepts such as BOPIS (Click & Collect) and Ship-from-Store. As customer shopping shifts to Omnichannel, the accuracy of store inventory becomes increasingly important. “With RFID, we can offer a broader assortment of inventory available to our customers opting for in-store or curbside pickup. In addition to improving the customer experience, better inventory management through RFID is an important tool to deliver increased profitability in our retail business,” explained Andrew Tashiro, Senior Director of Omnichannel at Carter’s. After market research comparing various software vendors, Nedap iD Cloud was selected. “The ability to host our data here in the U.S. and to be supported locally was essential for our deployment. Ultimately, the scalability of the platform which allowed us to easily connect existing systems and quickly access accurate inventory data drove the decision to choose Nedap iD Cloud,” said Tashiro. Having customized support from the team at Nedap was key in executing a smooth implementation that allowed Carter’s to complete the deployment to more than 750 stores in three months. Working with a support team that took the time to develop a deep understanding of Carter’s unique needs and goals was critical. Ailen Li, Director of iD Cloud Platform, North America at Nedap comments, “We’re really excited to work with such an iconic brand. Founded in 1865, Carter’s has an even stronger legacy than our company as Nedap has been around since 1929. To stay relevant over the course of so many decades requires a long-term strategy, but you must also be able to innovate as needed to meet the needs of modern consumers in our everyday reality. With such deep roots, there is a lot of synergy between both companies and that has made a solid starting point for building a successful partnership”.  

The ODM Educational Group is an emerging education conglomerate headquartered in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It is founded by Dr. Satyabrata Minaketan. The ODM Educational Group houses multiple institutions like ODM Public School, K-12 CBSE affiliated school, ODM Kids World, a pre-school chain, ODM School of Advanced Learning, test prep institute, Institute of Human Excellence, a skill development academy, Astral Institute of Management, a B-School affiliated to AICTE, and DIGICHAMPS, an e-learning venture. The ODM Educational Group was formally established in the year 2003; however, ODM Public School, its constituent unit, was established way back in 1989. ODM Public School saw its humble beginning with one rented room and five students and a meagre 10 rupees as tuition fees in 1989. ODM Public School then moved to a small campus in Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar, and grew every year by leaps and bounds. Over the span of 30 years, the ODM Educational Group has branched into imparting Education from KG to PG. Education Security Challenges ODM Educational Group’s management wanted to prioritize security by deploying the best-in-class products and solutions in and around every educational institution run by them. The impeccable clarity, backed by security awareness and technology savvy management team had their wish list ready to counter the day to day security challenges faced by their staff and students. “We had identified the security challenges faced by the ODM Educational Group’s institutions. We were looking for a mission critical physical security system that can serve our objective proactively. The brief was very clear from the day one – security, compliance, end-to end solutions and best practices. It was a clear instruction from the management to get the best products and cloud based solutions with zero downtime and system redundancy,” said Swoyan Satyendu, Chief Operating Officer (COO), ODM Educational Foundation. He further added, “Earlier we were not able to know exactly which video security camera is not working properly. Now with facility of remote monitoring and system health check, we were very focused on a zero downtime concept for video security systems as it is quite unprofessional to find a particular video security camera was not working while a particular incident happened in the educational campus. The Hikvision video security systems are meant for real time monitoring and proactive mitigation of risks before the security incidents. A site without security service interruption is now possible due to technology enhancement. To achieve such mission critical goals, redundancy becomes a critical requirement at every level of security infrastructure.” Technology innovations The ODM Educational Group’s management was looking for technology innovations to get solution requirements fulfilled. There was a consensus on having a versatile vendor with multiple systems, technology capability and service support. They were averse to having multiple vendors for their security requirements. Hikvision India Team and SI partner gave an impressive demonstration to ODM’s IT team. Hikvision India team offered a robust solution to address the critical requirements, the effectiveness of the solution for operational safety and security was unmatched. Since education sector is not a profit making sector affordability and sustainability were critical factors. Perfect solution and seamless integration Many advanced security systems were tested, checked and installed as per the plan designed by security experts and consultants in the ODM Group’s various institutions and campuses. Approximately 800 video security cameras and 150 access control terminals were installed, while the installation and integration process is still going on, the final count of video security cameras and access control terminal may be much more. There are three phases in the ODM Educational Group Project. The key installation included video security cameras, CVR, access control terminals, Hik-central video management software and interactive display board, broadcasting and learning system. Hikvision’s interactive display boards and learning and broadcasting system are being installed in ODM Group of institutions. The seamless integration of these solutions was done to ensure students, faculty and staff should be safe and secure. The most important thing in ODM Educational Group’s project was to provide the right solutions through smart integration and management of physical security systems. Providing security to our students and staff is our core responsibility, it is all about making life easier in campuses. Enhancing efficiency The ODM Educational Group’s association with Hikvision’s myriad systems and solutions helped to create a win-win experience. “The group’s management had observed that it is possible to derive tangible benefits out of physical security systems. These access control terminals restrict the entry of unauthorised persons,” said Swoyan Satyendu. He further added, “Learning and broadcasting solution is helpful to teachers, students and the school management. All these video security systems, access control terminals and interactive display boards and learning and broadcasting systems helped enhance the student experience in our campuses.” Advantages The overall productivity and time management has improved due to access control terminals. It also helped in identifying and restricting the unauthorized visitors to the campus. “We are glad that the advanced security solutions provided by Hikvision India, added value to ODM Group’s objective of imparting education in a secure environment. These solutions have worked very well for our requirements. We have got an agile service support from the Hikvision’s service support team and local partners. We are relishing the peace of mind provided by the value added security system by Hikvision. Their products and solutions are truly value for money. We are thankful to the Hikvision India for delivering quality products and excellent service,” said Swoyan Satyendu. With help of Hikvision’s advanced security systems, ODM Educational Group is ensuring a secure environment for its students and staff.