Sterling Services, a food-service management and vending company that has operated in the Detroit area for some 23 years, has employed radio frequency identification technology to transform its business. For the past three years, the company has been running RFID-based self-service convenience stores in office buildings, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, a health club and even a high school.
The RFID-enabled stores, known as Fast Track Convenience, often replace money-losing company cafeterias or vending machines. Operating the Fast Track stores has proven to be more profitable than the vending machine business, says Ray Friedrich, the company's general manager.
