RFID - radio frequency identification technology.
Today RFID technolody is already commonly used in things like motorway toll tags and keyless entry devices. Shrinking these devices down to the size of a barcode has now made it possible to attach them directly to products, carrying a wealth of information about them. Some are already printed as part od teh product's label, using electrically conductive ink.
Products fitted with RFID tags should work all kinds of magic. In a supermarket, for instance, they could eliminate the need to unload the trolley and scan its content item by item. Simply pushing the trolley up to teh checkout point would relay al the product and the price information, so supermarkets could automate most of their tills. In warehouse. an RFID reader would record every item loaded into a truck, and a similar device at the truck's destination would record evrything being unloaded.
With the addition od suitable sensors, it would become possible to tell whether a product had been dropped or kept at the wrong temperature. Finding a single product in a mountain of containers would become a simple matter of getting an RFID reader to analyse teh contents - without even opening the doors. And combining RFID technology with GPS tracking would mean that nothing need ever get lost in the supply chain again.
One of the biggest boosts to the adoption of RFID tags has come from Wal-Mart, which in 2004 began testing them in 150 stores around Dallas, Texas. By the end of 2006, the tests will be expanded to some 1,000 stores in America. Wal-Mart has already seen some benefits, including a 16% reduction of out-of-stock items in stores using RFID. Moreover, items with RFID tags were replenished three times fater than non-tagged items.
My comment:
Imagine RFID technology to be applied to MFG industry. What will be the advantages?
- Upstream supply chain: stock control at warehouse, stock check at gate check points, convenience for suppliers upstream management...
- Downstream supply chain: stock control at customer, it will be much better if PI can get the information from the outlets to have active production plan and ordering process.
- Sales: consistent with new hypermarket requirement or organised retails...
- Finance: automation will increase the control quality a lot, process improvement... and what to be liked most is the simplification of physical count, which is being a hard task for the finance team. Just bringing a device, pointing at piles, and tick tick tick... so amazing... :)
Today RFID technolody is already commonly used in things like motorway toll tags and keyless entry devices. Shrinking these devices down to the size of a barcode has now made it possible to attach them directly to products, carrying a wealth of information about them. Some are already printed as part od teh product's label, using electrically conductive ink.
Products fitted with RFID tags should work all kinds of magic. In a supermarket, for instance, they could eliminate the need to unload the trolley and scan its content item by item. Simply pushing the trolley up to teh checkout point would relay al the product and the price information, so supermarkets could automate most of their tills. In warehouse. an RFID reader would record every item loaded into a truck, and a similar device at the truck's destination would record evrything being unloaded.
With the addition od suitable sensors, it would become possible to tell whether a product had been dropped or kept at the wrong temperature. Finding a single product in a mountain of containers would become a simple matter of getting an RFID reader to analyse teh contents - without even opening the doors. And combining RFID technology with GPS tracking would mean that nothing need ever get lost in the supply chain again.
One of the biggest boosts to the adoption of RFID tags has come from Wal-Mart, which in 2004 began testing them in 150 stores around Dallas, Texas. By the end of 2006, the tests will be expanded to some 1,000 stores in America. Wal-Mart has already seen some benefits, including a 16% reduction of out-of-stock items in stores using RFID. Moreover, items with RFID tags were replenished three times fater than non-tagged items.
My comment:
Imagine RFID technology to be applied to MFG industry. What will be the advantages?
- Upstream supply chain: stock control at warehouse, stock check at gate check points, convenience for suppliers upstream management...
- Downstream supply chain: stock control at customer, it will be much better if PI can get the information from the outlets to have active production plan and ordering process.
- Sales: consistent with new hypermarket requirement or organised retails...
- Finance: automation will increase the control quality a lot, process improvement... and what to be liked most is the simplification of physical count, which is being a hard task for the finance team. Just bringing a device, pointing at piles, and tick tick tick... so amazing... :)
