Are we ready to do what it takes to become a global supply chain leader?

That was the charge made by Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, and a former cabinet minister of the Brian Mulroney government, at the recent Transportation and Outlook Conference held by the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport in Ottawa. It's strong criticism from a man whose background gives him the legitimacy necessary to make it. I've got to admit, the comment left me thinking, forcing me to piece together concerning threads of evidence I've been picking up over the past year. "We are very far behind the US and increasingly trailing our US competitors. RFID adoption is no exception to this," [Richard Simpson] told the annual RFID Canada conference last month, adding that the degree of separation between Canada and Europe, and even smaller economies, when it comes to RFID adoption is widening. In tact, he said if you look at the numbers too much 'you can go from the trough of disillusionment to the valley of despair." While a small number of industrk's an.1 making headway with RFID and other leading technologies, Simpson said meetings with business leaders showed that "very few" businesses in Canada at this point see a business case tor RFID adoption.