Use Of Barcodes For Tracking Purposes And Easy Access For Information

Regardless of the frequency, method of communication, or the power supply, the goal of any RFID system is to enable specific data to be transmitted between a portable device and the tag, and then be processed and used accordingly. RFID systems are used for objects which get lost, stolen often, underutilized, or difficult to locate in a timely manner.

RFID is not new innovation by any stretch of the imagination. It has been around for a considerable length of time. It was utilized at first for vicinity access control. From there on, it developed to be utilized as a part of inventory network following, toll boundary control, and notwithstanding ensuring cars(Potter, 2005).They are different5 types of tags are available.

In trucking, one of the first uses of RFID was the CRESCENT program. CRESCENT was created to allow trucks to bypass weigh stations, saving the trucking companies time and money. How it works is the vehicle would have a RFID tag placed on it, as it approached a weigh station, it would be weighed by a weigh-in-motion system. The information contained on the tag would be all the information the weigh station requires. Once the system reads the tag, the vehicle would receive a signal allowing it to bypass the station, If the vehicle met all the requirements. The CRESCENT program has been implemented in nearly all of the

RFID, Radio-Frequency IDentification, small electronic devices contained small chip and an antenna, work and have the same purpose as a bar code or magnetic strip. Many businesses involve RFID technology in their functioning, including from recently pharmaceutical industry. In April 2017, RFID Journal published article about drug retailer Drugco Discount Pharmacy in North Carolina that emphasizes using of RFID during the process of customers’ prescription drugs pick up. Design of the system, known as HangRx p-link, eliminates loosing time for drugstore workers while trying to find particular bag of prescription for the customer. “By using passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID, the system instead triggers a light stick to illuminate inside in a clear, plastic, hanging bag, leading workers to the right medication” (RFID Journal). Drugco Discount Pharmacy, first drugstore in the U.S. that uses HangRx p-link from October 2016, saved 10 hours of daily labor time with implementation of this technology.

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).

Radio wave technology has been used since the Second World War but the first application of modern RFID technology came in 1983 when Charles A. Walton received the first patent for his ‘Portable radio frequency emitting identifier’ (US Patent Office, 1983). Since Walton’s patent, modern RFID technology has evolved at a startling rate with “approximately 1500 RFID patents issued between 1997 and 2010” (Mehrjerdi, 2010). The impact RFID has had on global commerce has been wide-spread. Many major industries have found ways to implement the technology into their business practices. Examples include but are not limited to: manufacturing, logistics and inventory control, national defense and commercial farming (FDA, 2015).

RFID uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attach to objects. These tags contain electronically stored information. The information can be read by RFID readers and can only be read if they are within the line of sight of the reader. There are two types or RFID tags; passive and active. Passive RFID relies on RF energy transferred from the reader to the tag to power the tag. Active RFID uses an internal power source, such as a battery within the tag to continuously power the tag and its RF communication circuitry. “The information is transfer efficiently and automatically without human intervention.” (Yao, 2012)

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has a long-standing history despite its more recent application in society and infrastructure. The understanding of electromagnetic energy in the early 1800s followed by the discovery that light and radio waves are a form of electromagnetic energy by Michael Faraday in 1846 began the process to RFID technology. The advances led to German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz being the first to transmit and receive radio waves in 1887. (Landt, History of RFID, p. 7).

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.

A RFID tag is a “Radio Frequency Identification Tag” is a device that is used as a specific identifier of the object it is attached to. It signals can be read when within proximity of a device built to read its radio waves. They are small chips that are built from silicon and are usually used for products in stores, ID cards, and even cars (Abelson, Ledeen, Lewis 25).

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, or radio frequency identification, is the new system that is replacing the use of barcodes. RFID tags allow users to more quickly obtain information from the object that the RFID tag

RFID is a term utilized for Radio recurrence Identification. RFID is a creating innovation and have numerous uses throughout our life.

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

Some of the disadvantages of the RFID technology are that it is expensive to install. Small and medium scale enterprises find it costly to use it in their firms and offices. In the case of Harley Davidson, getting products from many different suppliers’ would mean that the tags may have to be installed in liquid and metal products. The problem is that the liquid and metal surfaces tend to reflect the radio waves, which makes the tags unreadable. The tags have to be placed in various alignments and angles for taking proper reading. This is a tedious task when the work involves a large organization like Harley Davidson. Another disadvantage of the technology is that interference has been observed if devices such as forklifts and walkie-talkies are in the vicinity of the distribution centers. The presence of mobile phone towers has been found to interfere with RFID radio waves. Wal-Mart, the retail sector giant, has installed billions of RFID tags in their products throughout the world and they have encountered such problems.