Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) makes use of electromagnetic fields to detect special tags on products similar to barcode technology (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). The purpose of the RFID systems has been particularly helpful in the warehouse and the management of the distribution centers. Various developments have been made based on the current research in the implementation of the RFID systems. The continuous research performed on the RFID systems has increased the efficiency of operations and the productivity in the distribution centers across the United States of America (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). Typically, the RFID technology supplements the data capture technologies such as the barcodes, which have primarily been used in the management of the operations happening around the warehouses and distribution centers. The current research on the implementation of the RFID systems had reduced labor costs for the companies and increased inventory accuracy (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). Since the RFID technology uses electromagnetic radiation to detect items with unique barcodes, it has become particularly easy for the warehouse managers to keep track of the inventory (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). The research and development on the RFID systems in the warehouses and distribution centers had also led to the boosting of customer service by ensuring that the right goods reach the customer at the right time as opposed to the time when no technology was used for the warehouse and inventory management.
RFID is useful in receiving items in the warehouses (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). Current research on the systems has led to the one-time reading of all the barcodes, as the products are unloaded from the truck (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). The traditional barcodes had to have the items handled one by one for the reading to keep track of the received inventory. The current research has reduced the unloading times for the various goods from the trucks significantly, as there is no need to individually scan the items, sort them, and count them one by one to keep accurate records of the inventory (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). Advanced research in the RFID systems has enabled the use of the warehouse management system, which provides for the cross-docking of goods for immediate transportation or staging and storage. The current level of research in the RFID systems has provided for the item-level tagging at the point of manufacture. The tagging of the products at the manufacturing source is responsible for the provision of more accurate outbound and inbound information in the distribution centers (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). The advancement in the research concerning the RFID systems also promotes the efficiency in the receiving and shipping processes at the various external sites. The use of RFID systems at the manufacturing points has thus provided the accuracy that is required to ensure that the manufacturing is a smooth process.
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The research in the current RFID systems has extended to the management of assets in real time. Active or passive RFID tags can be fixed on assets for instance containers, equipment, products, and people so that the business venture involved can track the real-time location and status of the assets (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). The meeting of particular types of asset management has necessitated the development of specialty tags. The RFID systems have been essential to the implementation in the closed loop systems of the returnable assets. The RFID tags have provided an opportunity for the compliance of the government mandates. As mentioned earlier, the tags can provide the location and status of products and people. Moreover, the tags store information such as shelf life, date of manufacture, expiration dates, serial numbers, and batch numbers that may be relevant in the understanding of a product and its manufacturer or supplier (Papadopoulos et al., 2017). The data can be updated wirelessly using the portals and the readers throughout the supply chain. The record of the products can be used in case there is a counterfeit issue or a recall. Hence, the current research has exponentially increased the implementation of the RFID systems in the supply chain mostly in warehouse management.
References
Papadopoulos, T., Gunasekaran, A., Dubey, R., & Balta, M. (2017). Big Data and RFID in
Supply Chain and Logistics Management: A Review of the Literature and Applications for Data Driven Research. In Supply Chain Management in the Big Data Era (pp. 108-123). IGI Global.
