Use Of Barcodes For Tracking Purposes And Easy Access For Information

As RFID technology evolves and becomes less expensive, there will be an increase in the number of companies and vendors using the technology. Eventually, new applications will be developed and these systems may even be able to solve common or unique problems associated with business in today’s market.

Using this wireless technology makes it harder to control the content viewed, especially when personal computers can access the network. RFID can typically be a more expensive technology than your normal barcoding system. You can choose between using active RFID tags or passive RFID tags. Passive tags are very similar to a barcode; however active tags can be activated to track movement and count in a quick manner. Active tags are more expensive, but certain types can be reused. RFID tags can also be larger than a regular barcode and can be more difficult to understand than a typical system. Also, “Some common problems with RFID are reader collision and tag collision.” (What is RFID?, 2012) These types of collision occur when multiple readers or tags are in one area making it difficult to pick up the correct signal.

RFID has also been positive in that it helps to make sure that promotional displays are delivered and in place so that products are in Wal-Mart stores and ready for sale when the advertising begins. It shortens the amount of time it takes for new items to make it to store shelves. In fact the process is three times faster than for non-tagged products. RFID also aids in proof of delivery and purchase order reconciliation by providing visibility of product even after it has left the receiving dock. By the end of 2005, more than 200,000 tagged pallets and more than 8.5 million tagged cases had been received and more than 80 million EPC reads had taken place.

In 1939, the British Royal Air Force developed an “identify friend or foe” transponder that could interpret received radar signals to distinguish friendly aircraft. This was the first example of a device that could automatically and remotely identify itself to another device. RFID worked on the same basic principle: A signal was sent to a transponder which either reflected back a signal (passive system) or broadcast a signal (active system). Research and development in radar and radio-frequency communication systems continued through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1973, an American entrepreneur was awarded a patent for a passive transponder used to unlock a door without a key. When a card with an embedded transponder communicated a signal to a reader near the door, the reader detected a valid identity number stored within the RFID tag and unlocked the door. A similar idea, an automated toll payment system, was commercialized in the mid-1980s. By 2005, the use of RFID had expanded. Many companies used RFID tags in employee badges. Several prisons in the United States used RFID tags to track prisoners. In 2004, Boston Marathon participants’ shoe laces contained RFID tags to track and accurately time the runners and to share their progress with spectators. The American Express Blue credit card started including a feature called ExpressPay that

Weaknesses involve high cost per unit and high RFID system integration costs, as well as low level of RFID technology understanding in the market. Opportunities for the RFID incorporate potential for replace of the bar code, increasing end-user demand for RFID systems and market potential in various businesses. Finally, treats involve customers concerns of privacy violation. After all, using of RFID system Drugco Discount Pharmacy improves overall efficiency of the company and on the same time customers’

RFID is an abbreviation of Radio Frequency Identification and it is one of the top 10 supply chain technology trends (Intermec Technologies Corporation, 2007). History of this technology or where it first evolves is still vague, but there are consensus among expert stated that it first used and developed to identify the enemy aircraft during the World War 2 which known as (IFF) Identification: Friend or Foe System (Ward & Kranenburg, 2006).

The RFID is considered a significant improvement over the conventional barcode, which needs to be read by scanners in "line-of-sight" fashion and can be stripped away if the paper product labels get ripped or damaged. RFID can also facilitate inter-organizational E-commerce initiatives such as continuous replenishment or vendor-managed inventories (Smaros and Holmstrom, 2000).

RFID technology is not only used at gas stations, restaurants, and department but also at

RFID tags are much more efficient than simple barcodes because of a few key features. Unlike barcodes, RFID tags do not need to be on the surface of the object. This means that the tag does not need to be subject to the elements. RFID tags can also be read much more quickly than barcodes. Where barcodes need to have a device pointed directly at them to scan them, RFID tag readers need only be within range of the transmitting signal. This allows scanning process to be much more automated. Finally, RFID tags can be read almost simultaneously (mostly due to the high speed reading and use of different wave lengths) (What is RFID, n.d.).

The advantages associated with using RFID technology for supply management are clearly the reason why Harley Davidson would even consider implementing its use. According to the text, RFIDs can be read much more quickly and with a higher degree of accuracy than bar codes. Bar codes must be

This report will discuss what technology and innovation is and how important it is for firms to manage their technology to expand their growth potential. In addition to this, I am the current technology analyst at the Hunzal Logistics and Supply chain Management Company. The current technology we use to handle our logistics and flow of goods in our supply chain is the traditional barcode reader technology. This technology has been used for over 15 years now in Hunzal. The current CEO of Hunzal has seen discussion in the logistics and supply chain industry of this new radical technology known as the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) and how it has benefited companies in significant ways. The CEO of Hunzal has given me the task to update him on the RFID technology. This report will investigate and propose how RFID is more beneficial than the traditional barcode reader system.

RFID and barcodes have some similarities since they both carry product information and they are both data collection technologies, which automate the process of collecting data. However, they have significantly differences which are as follows:

In addition to supply chain management, there are many areas where the implementation of RFID technology can provide significant benefits such as inventory control and tracking, access management, toll collection and payment systems and even the tracking of people or animals. Examples of the latter include RFID tags

RFID systems contribute largely to the wireless revolution that is taking place. RFID or radio frequency identification systems administer powerful technology to transmit data in order to aid in tracking the movement of goods and inventory through a company’s supply chain. RFID systems consist of three main parts which include tags, readers, and a computer system. Ultimately, the tags transmit data to a reader in which captures this data and sends it to a host computer for further processing by an employee of a company, however RFID systems have much more depth to them than just this.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a framework that uses radio recurrence to transmit identification wirelessly. Its functionality is much more powerful than bar code system, with which a contacting reader must be used to read the standardized tag. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States announced in 2004 to embrace RFID innovation for the identification of fake