Warehouses and distribution centers are being asked to move faster, maintain tighter inventory control, improve worker productivity, and respond to disruptions in real time. Meeting those expectations requires more than additional automation. It requires accurate, trusted data from the warehouse floor.

I am pleased to be discussing this more as part of Modern Material Handling’s Automating the Warehouse Virtual Summit on July 30th.  During the session, “How Mobility and AIDC Are Reshaping Warehouse Execution,”  I explore how automatic identification and data capture technologies are connecting physical warehouse activity with the digital systems that manage it.

My presentation also examines how technologies such as barcodes, 2D codes, RFID, rugged mobile devices, voice systems, wearables, machine vision, real-time location systems, and sensors are helping warehouses improve visibility and execution across receiving, putaway, picking, packing, shipping, cycle counting, and returns.

Rather than focusing only on devices, the presentation looks at the larger operational question: How can warehouses use real-time data to make better decisions and improve performance?

Attendees will learn how mobility and AIDC can help organizations:

• Reduce manual data entry and warehouse errors
• Improve inventory accuracy and product visibility
• Confirm the correct item, location, order, and shipment
• Support hands-free and guided worker workflows
• Identify exceptions before they affect the customer
• Strengthen traceability, compliance, and interoperability
• Provide the trusted data needed for automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence

The webinar also highlights practical examples of connected warehouse solutions that combine technologies such as RFID, QR codes, mobile computing, serialized identifiers, enterprise systems, and blockchain. These examples demonstrate that the greatest value does not come from simply capturing more data. It comes from connecting each scan, read, image, or sensor event to a meaningful warehouse action.

Organizations considering new warehouse technologies will also receive guidance on how to prioritize their investments. The session discusses common implementation mistakes, including selecting technology before clearly identifying the operational problem, failing to integrate data with warehouse systems, overlooking worker needs, and beginning a project without measurable success criteria.

The central message is clear: mobility and AIDC are no longer simply supporting tools. They are becoming essential execution technologies that help warehouses see what is happening, confirm what is happening, and act on that information faster.

The recorded webinar will be released next week. Register now to receive access and learn how trusted data can support a more connected, accurate, and responsive warehouse operation.

Register to watch

AIM Global joined a broad coalition urging the FCC to support resilient backup Positioning, Navigation, and Timing solutions without reconfiguring the 902–928 MHz Lower 900 MHz Band. The letter supports the FCC’s goal of strengthening GPS resilience, but opposes NextNav’s proposal because the band is already heavily used 9and has been for decades) by RFID, utilities, transportation, tolling, public safety, aviation, security systems, IoT, and other critical applications. The coalition argues that introducing high-power 5G operations into a band built around low-power coexistence could create interference, stranded investment, and major economic harm, including estimated RFID replacement costs of $5.0 to $7.2 billion. The letter asks the FCC to dismiss NextNav’s petition and pursue technology-neutral PNT resilience options that do not disrupt the existing Lower 900 MHz ecosystem. 

For AIM Global and the automatic identification and data capture community, the Lower 900 MHz Band is especially important because it supports RAIN RFID and other technologies that help organizations identify, track, and manage products, assets, and shipments. These systems are deeply embedded in retail, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, defense, transportation, and many other sectors.

The coalition letter warns that NextNav’s proposal would introduce high-power 5G operations into a band that has long been structured around low-power coexistence. According to the coalition, this could significantly reduce spectrum availability for current users, change the operating environment for deployed devices, and create risks of interference, degraded performance, stranded investment, and higher costs.

The coalition also emphasizes that there are other paths available for strengthening PNT resilience. The U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal agencies are already evaluating multiple complementary PNT technologies, including terrestrial and satellite-based alternatives. A technology-neutral, multi-solution approach would allow the country to advance GPS resilience without prematurely selecting one company’s preferred spectrum-based model or disrupting an ecosystem that already supports billions of dollars in economic activity.

The full letter can be viewed here. 

Following up on this item, the June 4, 2026 House Energy and Commerce hearing focused on the national need for resilient PNT capabilities, including GPS backup solutions for national security, critical infrastructure, public safety, communications, energy, finance, transportation, and emergency response. Chairman Hudson’s opening statement emphasized that GPS disruptions from jamming, spoofing, or satellite threats could have major consequences for the U.S. economy and national security, while also highlighting complementary PNT as a bipartisan priority.

Vide from this meeting can be accessed here.

As policymakers continue reviewing PNT resilience options, AIM Global will continue advocating for standards-based, interoperable, and practical solutions that protect critical infrastructure while enabling innovation. The Lower 900 MHz Band is not lightly used. It is an essential part of the modern identification, data capture, and connected technology ecosystem.

AIM Global is proud to stand with coalition partners in supporting GPS resilience while urging the FCC to protect the Lower 900 MHz Band and the many industries, organizations, and consumers that depend on it.

This week, the AIM Global RFID Experts Group convened to review and discuss a proposed initiative focused on improving interoperability and data accessibility within cold chain monitoring environments. The discussion centered on how RFID, sensor technologies, and connected data systems can better support temperature-sensitive supply chains across industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, and healthcare.

A major theme throughout the discussion was the growing need for standardized methods of accessing and sharing environmental and sensor data across multiple platforms, readers, and stakeholders. While existing RFID standards already support item identification and tracking, participants highlighted ongoing challenges associated with retrieving and interpreting sensor-based environmental data in a consistent and scalable way. The group explored how current software layers and proprietary integrations can create silos that limit visibility throughout the supply chain.

The conversation also emphasized the importance of developing practical, industry-driven guidance before pursuing a formal international standards effort. Rather than immediately launching a formal standards project, the group discussed forming an ad hoc working group to further define industry requirements, evaluate real-world use cases, and identify achievable near-term deliverables. Areas of focus included developing common data frameworks, supporting interoperable event structures, and enabling easier access to sensor information regardless of hardware or software provider.

Particular attention was given to pharmaceutical cold chain applications as a potential starting point for the initiative. Participants noted that pharmaceutical environments often present stricter regulatory requirements, stronger traceability expectations, and higher levels of technology adoption, making the sector an ideal use case for early collaboration and validation efforts.

As a next step, the RFID Experts Group will be organizing an ad hoc working session focused specifically on the cold chain proposal and its potential deliverables. This collaborative effort will help shape the direction of the initiative and determine whether the group develops a technical framework, best practices guidance, or other interoperability recommendations for the industry.

Professionals involved in RFID, cold chain logistics, pharmaceuticals, food traceability, IoT, sensor technologies, and supply chain visibility are encouraged to participate in the upcoming discussions. The RFID Experts Group continues to serve as a collaborative forum where industry stakeholders can help shape the future of interoperable identification and data-sharing technologies.

To learn more about participating in the RFID Experts Group and future cold chain interoperability discussions, reach out to Mike Allen.

Join AIM’s RFID Experts Group on May 12 at 2:00 PM ET as industry leaders begin discussion focused on end-to-end visibility, interoperability, and traceability for temperature-sensitive goods. This call has been necessitated as demand continues to rise for reliable transport of temperature-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals, biologics, and perishable foods.  With this, the industry is facing a growing need for more unified, scalable, and interoperable monitoring solutions. On this call, REG participants will begin exploring how AIM can help advance industry collaboration around a cold chain project aimed at improving visibility, accountability, and standards alignment across the supply chain.

Today, many cold chain operations still rely on standalone temperature data loggers that provide only limited snapshots of product conditions during transit. This fragmented approach often results in delayed feedback, siloed data, and limited ability to intervene when temperature excursions occur, creating risk for spoilage, recalls, compliance failures, and inefficiencies. According to Mordor Intelligence, the global cold chain logistics market is projected to reach approximately $515.8 billion by 2031, underscoring the scale and urgency of improving end-to-end cold chain visibility and traceability. This proposed project will explore opportunities to define a more unified framework for cold chain data integration, helping to support interoperability across hardware, software platforms, and supply chain stakeholders while enabling stronger compliance with initiatives such as FSMA 204, sustainability goals, and broader traceability efforts.

This discussion is expected to focus on the role RFID and sensor-enabled technologies can play in enabling more continuous, real-time monitoring from pallet-level visibility down to the box or item level. By establishing common data structures and encouraging broader industry alignment, this work could help reduce integration barriers, improve trust among trading partners, and unlock new opportunities for innovation across food, healthcare, logistics, and beyond. Intrested parties are encouraged to attend and contribute their perspectives as this important conversation begins.

Please contact me (mike@aimglobal.org) if you would like to be part of the call.