Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen/Zürich

The Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen/Zurich combines the academic excellence of St. Gallen University, a leading business school, with the research power of the internationally renowned Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich. It is also one of the seven research facilities that make up the global Auto-ID Lab Network. The lab’s experts are working on the standardization of RFID technology, promoting its utilization across different industries and in various applications. Academic Partners of the Future Store Initiative include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, as well as other highly regarded institutions in Asia and Australia.

From case studies through to demonstrator applications, the Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen/Zurich conducts practical research for workable solutions. The lab defines its focus of activities in close consultation with industry partners from various sectors, and subjects its agenda to regular reviews. With a current staff of 15, the Auto-ID Lab is investigating into business management and technology processes in numerous individual and partnership projects. In its role as an EPCglobal working group, the lab is also responsible for developing new industry standards.

Since 2001, the Auto-ID Lab’s many joint ventures have included projects with major corporations such as Gillette, Nokia, SAP, Infineon Technologies, Swisscom, Novartis and Volkswagen. They provide the lab with additional expert staff, suggest new research projects and give financial support. Collaborating closely with the research team, industry players rely on the lab as an incubator for new business management concepts and prototype technologies.

The goal of the Retail Research Initiative at the Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen/Zurich is to support companies from the retail and consumer goods industries in assessing the economic viability of item-level tagging.

The initiative focuses on an enhanced shopping experience and on creating functionality that generates added value for the customer. Additional key objectives include the establishment of efficient and customer-oriented service and after-sales processes as well as product tracking and sensorbased monitoring to increase operational efficiency. Another area is the automation of in-store processes to prevent theft, forgery and spoilage. The initiative is also investigating potential applications of RFID and sensor technology in the development of intelligent packaging.

Dr. Frédéric Thiesse
Associate Director, Auto-ID Lab
Phone: +41 71 224 7243
E-mail:  frederic.thiesse@unisg.ch
 www.autoidlabs.ch,  www.item.unisg.ch