FEASIBILITY OF RFID TECHNOLOGY IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN OF ABB MEDIUM VOLTAGE PRODUCTS

Tämä pro gradu tutkielma käsittelee RFID – teknologian soveltuvuutta ABB Oy Medium Voltage Productin toimitusketjussa. Tutkimus toteutettiin tapaustutkimuksena käyttäen sekä laadullisia että määrällisiä menetelmiä. Tutkimuksen taustalla vaikutti yritysten tarve kehittää ja tehostaa tuotantoketjun toimintaa. Jotta yrityksen toiminta säilyisi kannattavana tulevaisuudessa kiristyvän kilpailun vallitessa, on nykyisillä resursseilla kyettävä toimimaan entistä tehokkaammin. Tutkielman viitekehyksen perustana oli alaan liittyvä kirjallisuus sekä tieteelliset elektronisessa muodossa olevat ajankohtaiset julkaisut. Osa teoksista oli julkaistu jo monia vuosia sitten, mutta perusajatukset RFID – teknologiasta ovat pysyneet muuttumattomina. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää RFID – teknologian toteutettavuutta ABB Medium Voltage Productsin toimitusketjun eri vaihessa. Lisäksi tuotiin esille erilaisia ehdotuksia siitä, miten RFID – teknologia voitaisiin käytännössä implementoida ABB:lle. Tavoitteena oli myös selvittää ja vertailla eri investointimahdollisuuksien takaisinmaksuaikoja toimitusketjun eri osissa. RFID – teknologian osalta pääajatus oli kuvata teknologia ensin yleisesti ja sitten tarkemmin yrityksen toimitusketjujen ja eri prosessien näkökulmista. RFID – teknologian käytännön sovelluksia ja toteutuneita projekteja löydettiin myös ja niitä etsittiin siksi, jotta voitaisiin huomata miten toiminta käytännössä tehostui. Keskeisin havainto oli huomata, että RFID – teknologia ei ole välttämätä aina järkevä investointi. Vaikka teknologia vaikuttaisi ensialkuun tehokkaalta ja luotettavalta, löytyy siitä useita ongelmakohtia ja haasteita joihin on tulevaisuudessa löydettävä toimivia ja kustannustehokkaita ratkaisuja. Tulevaisuudessa olisi tärkeää tutkia miten RFID tunnisteet saataisiin inegroitua piirikortteihin sekä kuinka teknologian käyttöönotto tehostaisi ulkoisen varaston tarjoajan prosesseja.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

A case of implementing RFID-based real-time shop-floor material management for household electrical appliance manufacturers

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies provide automatic and accurate object data capturing capability and enable real-time object visibility and traceability. Potential benefits have been widely reported for improving manufacturing shop-floor management. However, reports on how such potentials come true in real-life shop-floor daily operations are very limited. As a result, skeptics overwhelm enthusiasm. This paper contributes to the re-vitalization of RFID efforts in manufacturing industries by presenting a real-life case study of applying RFID for managing material distribution in a complex assembly shop-floor at a large air conditioner manufacturer. The case study discusses how technical, social and organizational issues have been addressed throughout the project within the company. It is hoped that insights and lessons gained be generalized for future efforts across household electrical appliance manufacturers that share similar shop-floor. © 2010 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Modèle d'adoption technologique dans un environnement de gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement

La gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement -- Le rôle des systèmes interorganisationnels pour soutenir la gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement -- La collaboration engendrée par des pressions exercées -- Le rôle des pressions coercitives dans l'adoption des systèmes interorganisationnels -- Les paradigmes d'adoption -- L'évolution du commerce électronique dans les entreprises -- Le lien entre les relations interentreprises et l'adoption des systèmes interorganisationnels -- Cadre conceptuel proposé et démarche privilégiée -- Articles de thèse, liens avec le programme de recherche et objectifs spécifiques -- Evolving B2B E-Commerce adaptation for SME suppliers -- RFID and buyer-seller relationships in the retail supply chain -- Technological requirements and derived benefits from RFID enabled receiving in a supply chain

Business case - Operation Honey Badger

This business case compares Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Laser Localization Technology for the improvement of the inventory accuracy at Synlait Milk Ltd (SML). This work is the result of "Operation Honey Badger", a research project on the feasibility of the implementation of RFID tags for inventory localization and tracking. The project was conducted by a student of the Master in EngineeringManagement program at the University of Canterbury as part of their academic requirement

Reference Model for Management of RFID System Implementations

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is adopted in supply chain as it possesses high potential for optimization. However, the adoption is constrained with management and technological issues for certain domains. Applicability and profitability of the technology and implementation approaches as well as maturity of the technology and data integration are few of the concerns in this regard. Therefore, many enterprises are still skeptical about investment in RFID technology. Rightly, for instance, there are no appropriate approaches for management of the RFID system implementations at present that consider specific concerns of preparation of the food manufacturing enterprises. This research suggests a reference model for the purpose. The model is a result of extensive literature reviews and practice-oriented research aiming practical solutions to the problems of the respective domain. The model, which involves planning, organization and realization of RFID system implementation activities, considers multiple facets of RFID system implementations in order to increase understanding of RFID technology (i.e. knowledge development), ease decision making of an RFID implementation (i.e. willingness), and reduce cost and complexity of RFID system implementations (i.e. effectiveness and efficiency). It is an artifact of design-oriented information system research and includes a frame of reference, a process model, input and output templates, and tools and techniques. The model is applied in ‘real life context’ in order to achieve objectives of the involved enterprises. Similarly, the model aims effectiveness and efficiency in the future use, for example, by providing free of cost acquisition and appropriateness for manufacturing industries of food businesses of Saxony-Anhalt. However, adaptation efforts (e.g. by instantiation or specialization) may vary depending on the skills of users of individual enterprises. The reference model provides flexibility in terms of independence from specific vendors, openness by complying with available standards (e.g. PMBOK), and relationship to RFID system development artifacts during technical work realization

POTENTIAL OF KANBAN IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES OF CUSTOMIZED PRODUCTS

The thesis is researching the advantages and disadvantages a Kanban system implementation might cause to the material management processes of a manufacturing facility and define the theoretical and/or practical reasons behind these results. On an empirical level the research question is analyzed by participating to a Kanban implementation project at the ABB, Motors and Generator’s business unit in Vaasa. Another research problem is to define the possibilities of improving the Kanban system with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Since the company utilizes an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, its functionalities are also considered during the whole study. Research strategy is to collect the data by utilizing academic articles, publications, case studies and material obtained during the employment at the case company and the Kanban implementation project. Research methods are a combination between structural, qualitative, and quantitative approaches. The key findings of the study are concluding that all the resources were complimenting the Kanban system as a part of operations and inventory reduction, and RFID technology enables the enhancement of the Kanban system currently being implemented. The company’s ERP system is able to perform automatic Kanban calculations in order to define parameters for improved production control. These calculations can also be done without the system and appropriate mathematical formulas are introduced and utilized. The Kanban system is not a magical solution for all the problems related to manufacturing customized products, but with a pull system and the Lean concept, it offers a significant improvement for the production operations and inventory management.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Integrating the Supply Chain with RFID: A Technical and Business Analysis

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the technical and business implications of adopting Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in organizational settings. The year 2004 marked a significant shift toward adopting RFID because of mandates by large retailers and government organizations. The use of RFID technology is expected to increase rapidly in the next few years. At present, however, initial barriers against widespread adoption include standards, interoperability, costs, forward compatibility, and lack of familiarity. This paper describes basic components of an RFID system including tags, readers, and antennas and how they work together using an integrated supply chain model. Our analysis suggests that business needs to overcome human resource scarcity, security, legal and financial challenges and make informed decision regarding standards and process reengineering. The technology is not fully mature and suffers from issues of attenuation and interference. A laboratory experiment conducted by the authors\u27 shows that the middleware is not yet at a plug-and-play stage, which means that initial adopters need to spend considerable effort to integrate RFID into their existing business processes. Appendices contain a glossary of common RFID terms, a list of RFID vendors and detailed findings of the laboratory experiment. NOTE: BECAUSE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS USED, THIS ARTICLE IS LONG; APPROXIMATELY 850KB IN BOTH JOURNAL AND ARTICLE VERSIO

Automatic identification technology tracking weapons and ammunition for the Norwegian Armed Forces

The purpose of this study is to recommend technology and solutions that improve the accountability and accuracy of small arms and ammunition inventories in the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Item Unique Identification (IUID) are described, and challenges and benefits of these two major automatic identification technologies are discussed. A case study for the NAF is conducted where processes and objectives that are important for the inventory system are presented. Based on the specific requirements in the NAF's inventory system, an analysis of four different inventory management solutions is examined. For the RFID solution, an experiment is conducted to determine whether this is a feasible solution for small arms inventory control. A recommendation is formed based on the results of this analysis. The tandem solution, which uses IUID technology at the item level, passive RFID at the box level and active RFID when items are transported, is the recommendation. This solution uses the appropriate technologies where they are best suited and offers the best results for an accurate inventory control system with low implementation costs and risks.http://archive.org/details/automaticidentif109455715Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited