RFID

RFID can improve the speed in which packages are loaded (or unloaded) from trucks if all the containers on the pallet have RFID tags and pass through an RFID reader (thus eliminating the need for line of site with a barcode scanner). You can imagine how quickly a pallet of containers can be counted if they're all transmitting a signal that can be read instantly by a reader.

One strong note to make regarding RFID is that the tags can be embedded in heat resistant material and put through furnaces, ovens, etc during industrial processes that require materials to be put through extreme conditions.

RFID has its place, but I don't ever see it replacing the barcode.

Jordan Joseph
MilesData.com

> I have read alot about how RFID improves delivery
> performance in logistics and supply chain management. I
> would be interested in actual real world data that
> illustrates such improvements. This data would be used in
> the academic classroom for a University course in Supply
> Chain and Operations Management. Confidentiality of the
> data would be respected.
>
> Thank you,
> Alfred L. Guiffrida, PhD
> Dept of Industrial Engineering
> University at Buffalo (SUNY)
> guiffrid@buffalo.edu