RFID Tecnhnology is Important in Logistics

What is RFID?

RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification. The acronym refers to small electronic devices that consist of a small chip and an antenna. The chip typically is capable of carrying 2,000 bytes of data or less.

The RFID device serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information.

RFID Works Better Than Barcodes

A significant advantage of RFID devices over the others mentioned above is that the RFID device does not need to be positioned precisely relative to the scanner. We're all familiar with the difficulty that store checkout clerks sometimes have in making sure that a barcode can be read. And obviously, credit cards and ATM cards must be swiped through a special reader.

In contrast, RFID devices will work within a few feet (up to 20 feet for high-frequency devices) of the scanner. For example, you could just put all of your groceries or purchases in a bag, and set the bag on the scanner. It would be able to query all of the RFID devices and total your purchase immediately.

RFID technology has been available for more than fifty years. It has only been recently that the ability to manufacture the RFID devices has fallen to the point where they can be used as a "throwaway" inventory or control device.

One reason that it has taken so long for RFID to come into common use is the lack of standards in the industry. Most companies invested in RFID technology only use the tags to track items within their control, many of the benefits of RFID come when items are tracked from company to company or from country to country. But the company must invest more to use this technology.

The use of RFID in Logistics.

Asset Tracking

There are many RFID manufacturers in the world. One of them is HID Global, a leader in track-and-trace capabilities, produces advanced RFID tags and components essential to optimizing automated asset tracking and logistics systems. RFID help ensure seamless traceability and reduce losses, while enhancing stock management and processing speed. Passive contactless RFID tags improve data collection speed and accuracy, making tracking more cost-effective while increasing accuracy. RFID also offers low frequency, high frequency and with a broad selection of form factors, chip configurations and memory capacities.

Assisting Warehouse Operation

In order to improve productivity and control, warehouses are seriously considering the use of radio frequency identification (FRID) tags for day-to-day operations. This wireless technology increases efficiency of warehouse management because, unlike bar codes which must be scanned manually to feed in the information on the computers, RF tags broadcast a signal with information about the product they are attached to and about the location of the product in the warehouse. RFID technology provides an interesting option to complement data collection and product identification in the supply chain management and warehouse operation.

A wireless warehouse, that uses RFID Technology, works by linking warehouse workers to the back-end warehouse management application server where warehouse activities are being recorded via wireless handheld devices, scanning bar codes or RF tags attached to the pallets. These devices help employees to identify where to pick, put away, count, or move products within the plant. This translates to a better control over the movement and storage of materials within the warehouse by maximizing the efficiency of the receipt and shipment of goods, optimizing warehouse space utilization and knowing at all times exactly where goods are stored, allowing employees to improve and maintain high customer service levels.

Using RFID to identify product

Example of RFID