If RFID has been around so long and is so great, why aren't all companies using it?
Many companies have invested in RFID to get the advantages it offers. These investments are usually made in closed-loop systems—that is, when a company is tracking goods that never leave its own control. That's because some existing RFID systems use proprietary technology, which means that if company A puts an RFID tag on a product, it can't be read by Company B unless they both use the same RFID system from the same vendor. Another reason is the price. If a company tracks assets within its own four walls, it can reuse the tags over and over again, which is cost-effective. But for a system to work in an open supply chain, it has to be cheap because the company that puts the tag on a case or pallet is unlikely to be able to reuse it.