RFID will also serve as a supply chain management tool. It will replace manual
processes for tracking supplies in warehouses and at loading docks, e.g. a
crate passes by a networked rfid -portal on a loading dock can help transmit
information about it to a backend system. This facilitates automated creation
of shipping manifests and other data, whose generation currently involves some
degree of manual labor. In principle, speedy data generation by RFID means that
information about, say, a crate of oranges, can reach a destination even before
the oranges are loaded onto the truck. In other words, RFID is a form of
automation support for the supply chain management systems of today.
Metro and Wal-Mart were the
pioneers when it comes to deploying RFID tags in the supply chain. Their suppliers
are increasingly attaching RFID tags to cartons and pallets, mostly with
conventional bar code labels on the front so that both procedures can be used
complementarily. This level is expected to become ever more widespread in
logistics in the coming years.
RFID current and future
trends
RFID - smart radio tags - are the
keystone of the emerging 'Internet of Things' that will connect objects and
places. They will create many new opportunities for software development
and other businesses alike and society at large.
Current trends indicate that the
RFID market will grow fast in the coming years. With 1.02 billion tags sold in
2006, the value of the market, including hardware, systems and services, is
expected to increase by a factor of six between 2007 and 2017.
Business applications using RFID
such as transport and logistics, access control, real time location, supply
chain management, manufacturing and processing, agriculture, medicine and
pharmaceuticals, are expected to grow strongly. FID devices will also influence
Government (e.g. eGovernment, national defense and security), and consumer
sectors (e.g. personal safety, sports and leisure, smart homes and smart
cities). RFID and bar codes will coexist for many years, although the former
technology is likely to gradually replace the latter in some sectors.
Asset tracking applications will
see the most rapid growth in the next few years and will grow disproportionately as compared to the RFID market as a whole. Interoperability across various RFID
systems, companies, and countries is critical for achieving wide-scale
deployment of the technology.
Conclusion
RFID, in its broadest sense, does not only refer to next-generation
barcodes, but to a compact class of wireless computing devices. There is a
broad spectrum of radio-frequency technologies, including more highly
functional (and expensive) technologies such as Bluetooth, mobile phones, and
WiFi. The future holds applications of RFID that go far beyond mere bar-coding.
A ubiquitously RFID-tagged and networked world offers a transformational
extension of the World Wide Web. It will become not just a World Wide Web of
data, but also a World Wide Web of things.
The world will be very different once readers and RFID tags are everywhere. In
an RFID-enhanced future, the benefits would accrue not just to businesses, but
also to consumers.
About the Author:
Author is a Marketing Executive
with an Offshore Software Development Service provider located in India. The company deals in offshore
software development and offshore outsourcing. For more detailed
information about the company and its services visit: http://www.otssolutions.com.
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