MEMPHIS, TN – International Paper Co. believes eliminating the need for radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and portals at every distribution-center dock door or entrance from stockrooms to the store floor can save companies thousands of dollars in equipment, according to Information Week magazine. So it has developed and rolled out the first operational RFID forklift through its Smart Packaging business unit. The RFID-enabled forklift is designed to improve inventory accuracy and reduce the number of lost shipments for merchandise that's stacked and delivered to stores or moved through a warehouse on pallets. The forklift reads electronic-product-code pallet tags and tracks product movement through the warehouse. Software built into the intelligent forklift identifies, monitors, and reports the location and condition of the pallet's content in real time, the company says. Companies that have RFID systems in place can integrate any existing IT infrastructure with the forklift, International Paper says.