Technology keeps the supply chain visible
You need to employ tracking technologies to increase visibility in your supply chains. Tracking technologies keep goods visible throughout the supply chain. Current technologies employed include: bluetooth, QR codes, barcodes and RFID Tags. The two most commonly used in supply chains are barcodes and RFIDs which we discuss here.
Barcodes
The barcode was invented and patented by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, two Drexel University students, in 1948 based on Morse code. It took two more decades before it gained traction. Every day about 10 billion bar codes pass through scanners. The humble bar code as we now know it has been around since 1973 according to Chris Tyas, Chair of GS1 (Tyas,2023). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and barcodes are both used for automatic identification and tracking of objects. Approaching 30 billion RFID tags will be produced and sold next year and the market is expected to double within a decade. However, they differ in several ways. In this article, we’ll compare RFID and barcodes and discuss their advantages and disadvantages.
Barcodes are less expensive than RFID tags and are widely used in retail and logistics industries for inventory management, tracking, and point-of-sale applications. However, barcodes have some limitations compared to RFID tags. For example, barcodes require a direct line of sight to be read, whereas RFID tags can be read through walls and other materials.
RFID Technology
RFID technology uses radio waves to identify and track objects. RFID tags are classified into three types: active, passive, and semi-passive. Active RFID tags contain a battery, transmitter, and power processing unit. They don’t require an interrogator for a power source and can communicate with the reader via radio signals. Passive RFID tags don’t contain power sources on IC and depend on the interrogator for a power source. The radio waves emitted by interrogators are the source of power for passive tags. Semi-passive RFID tags are similar to passive tags, but they contain a battery to power the microchip required for reading/writing functionalities.
RFID tags are used in various applications such as tracking shipping containers, trucks, and railroad cars, asset tracking, credit-card-shaped access applications, personnel tracking, controlling access to restricted areas, ID badging, supply chain management, and counterfeit prevention (e.g., in the pharmaceutical industry).
RFID technology has several advantages over barcodes. RFID tags can be identified without visual contact, whereas barcodes require a direct line of sight to be read. RFID tags can transmit and receive signals through various materials such as cardboard, wood, plastic, and clothing. RFID tags can read and write data on the tags, whereas barcodes can only be read. RFID systems can scan multiple tags simultaneously, whereas barcodes require a person to physically scan each item individually. RFID systems can detect objects faster and more accurately than barcodes. RFID systems provide better access to higher quality data and automation than barcodes.
The cost of RFID tags varies depending on the type of RFID system you’re planning to implement. Passive RFID tags are very inexpensive, ranging from $0.10 to $1.50 per tag. Active RFID tags are more expensive than passive tags, costing $10 or more per tag. Semi-passive RFID tags are more expensive than passive tags but have a longer read range. They cost around $5 to $15 per tag.
Conclusion
RFID technology and barcodes are both used for automatic identification and tracking of objects. RFID technology has several advantages over barcodes, including contactless identification, the ability to transmit and receive signals through various materials, the ability to read and write data on the tags, higher scanning capacity and read rate, faster and more accurate detection of objects, simultaneous detection of many tags (bulk detection), and better access to higher quality data and automation. However, RFID tags are more expensive than barcodes. Barcodes are less expensive than RFID tags and are widely used in retail and logistics industries for inventory management, tracking, and point-of-sale applications.
Further Reading:
Tyas, C. (2023) How next generation bar codes will revolutionise instore and online retail, The Grocer 6th April. Retrieved from: https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/technology-and-supply-chain/how-next-gen-barcodes-will-revolutionise-in-store-and-online-retail/678057.article