Mobile commerce integrated with RFID technology in a container depot

2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Empirical Evidence of RFID Impacts on Supply Chain Performance

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the actual benefits of radio frequency identification (RFID) on supply chain performance through the empirical evidence. Design/methodology/approach - The research reviews and classifies the existing quantitative empirical evidence of RFID on supply chain performance. The evidence is classified by process (operational or managerial) and for each process by effect (automational, informational, and transformational). Findings - The empirical evidence shows that the major effects from the implementation of RFID are automational effects on operational processes followed by informational effects on managerial processes. The RFID implementation has not reached transformational level on either operational or managerial processes. RFID has an automational effect on operational processes through inventory control and efficiency improvements. An informational effect for managerial processes is observed for improved decision quality, production control and the effectiveness of retail sales and promotions coordination. In addition, a three-stage model is proposed to explain the effects of RFID on the supply chain. Research limitations/implications - Limitations of this research include the use of secondary sources and the lack of consistency in performance measure definitions. Future research could focus on detailed case studies that investigate cross-functional applications across the organization and the supply chain. Practical implications - For managers, the empirical evidence presented can help them identify implementation areas where RFID can have the greatest impact. The data can be used to build the business case for RFID and therefore better estimate ROI and the payback period. Originality/value - This research fills a void in the literature by providing practitioners and researchers with a better understanding of the quantitative benefits of RFID in the supply chain

Towards a Framework for Aligning RFID Applications With Supply Chain Strategies

Supply chain management has two streams of strategies, namely lean and agile. However, current RFID applications tend to overlook supply chain strategies and are designed for obvious RFID applications, like simply replacing barcodes. However, the full potential of RFID might not be achieved when RFID applications are not aligned with the supply chain strategies. Therefore, this study analyzes the current literature to investigate whether RFID applications are indeed misaligned with their strategies. Results shows that RFID is still at its infancy and most RFID applications focus on cost reduction, a lean practice, and less attention has been paid on how RFID can satisfy customer demands, an agile practice. It is therefore suggested that management should ensure that RFID applications are aligned with their supply chain strategy, in order to gain the most benefits out of RFID

Radio frequency identification and its application in e-commerce

This chapter presents Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which is one of the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies (Wamba and Boeck, 2008) and discusses the application of RFID in E-Commerce. Firstly RFID is defined and the tag and reader components of the RFID system are explained. Then historical context of RFID is briefly discussed. Next, RFID is contrasted with other AIDC technologies, especially the use of barcodes which are commonly applied in E-Commerce. Lastly, RFID applications in E-Commerce are discussed with the focus on achievable benefits and obstacles to successful applications of RFID in E-Commerce, and ways to alleviate them

Review. Monitoring the intermodal, refrigerated transport of fruit using sensor networks

Most of the fruit in Europe is transported by road, but the saturation of the major arteries, the increased demand for freight transport, and environmental concerns all indicate there is a need to change this means of transport. A combination of transport modes using universal containers is one of the solutions proposed: this is known as intermodal transport. Tracking the transport of fruit in reefer containers along the supply chain is the means by which product quality can be guaranteed. The integration of emerging information technologies can now provide real-time status updates. This paper reviews the literature and the latest technologies in this area as part of a national project. Particular emphasis is placed on multiplexed digital communication technologies and wireless sensor networks

An Inside Look at RFID Technology

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is considered one of the “hottest” technologies due to its particular capabilities to track and trace in real-time objects across the extended supply chain. This article gives an inside look at the RFID world in order to improve the level of understanding of this technology and the EPC Network. An introduction to RFID’s systems, RFID’s potential to improve the efficiency of operations, different areas of application, as well as a roadmap approach to undertake an RFID implementation will be discussed in this article.La Identificación por Rediofrecuencias (RFID) es considerada hoy en día una de las tecnologías “de punta” debido a su capacidad especializada de identificar y trazar objetos a lo largo de una cadena de provisión en tiempo real. El siguiente artículo hace una revisión de RFID en el mundo con el objetivo de entender ésta tecnología y la red EPC. Una introducción a los sistemas de RFID, y el potencial de éste sistema para mejorar la eficiencia de sus operaciones, las diferentes áreas de su aplicación, y una aproximación de un mapa de implementación de RFID es discutida a continuación.RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is considered one of the “hottest” technologies due to its particular capabilities to track and trace in real-time objects across the extended supply chain. This article gives an inside look at the RFID world in order to improve the level of understanding of this technology and the EPC Network. An introduction to RFID’s systems, RFID’s potential to improve the efficiency of operations, different areas of application, as well as a roadmap approach to undertake an RFID implementation will be discussed in this article

Decision Support and Systems Interoperability in Global Business Management

Globalization of business and volatility of financial markets has catapulted ‘cycle-time’ as a key indicator of operational efficiency in business processes. Systems automation holds the promise to augment the ability of business and healthcare networks to rapidly adapt to changes or respond, with minimal human intervention, under ideal conditions. Currently, system of systems (SOS) or organization of networks contribute minimally in making decisions because collaboration remains elusive due the challenges of complexity. Convergence and maturity of research offers the potential for a paradigm shift in interoperability. This paper explores some of these trends and related technologies. Irrespective of the characteristics of information systems, the development of various industry-contributed ontologies for knowledge and decision layers, may spur self-organizing SOS to increase the ability to sense and respond. Profitability from pervasive use of ontological frameworks and agent-based modeling may depend on the ability to use them through better enterprise and extraprise exchange

The role of RFID in agriculture: Applications, limitations and challenges

The recent advances in RFID offer vast opportunities for research, development and innovation in agriculture. The aim of this paper is to give readers a comprehensive view of current applications and new possibilities, but also explain the limitations and challenges of this technology. RFID has been used for years in animal identification and tracking, being a common practice in many farms. Also it has been used in the food chain for traceability control. The implementation of sensors in tags, make possible to monitor the cold chain of perishable food products and the development of new applications in fields like environmental monitoring, irrigation, specialty crops and farm machinery. However, it is not all advantages. There are also challenges and limitations that should be faced in the next years. The operation in harsh environments, with dirt, extreme temperatures; the huge volume of data that are difficult to manage; the need of longer reading ranges, due to the reduction of signal strength due to propagation in crop canopy; the behavior of the different frequencies, understanding what is the right one for each application; the diversity of the standards and the level of granularity are some of them

The Impact of RFID on Firm and Supply Chain Performance: a Simulation Study

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a tracking technology that enables firms to digitize their supply chain processes and manage their supply chain activities efficiently and effectively. This study develops an analytical model of the impact of RFID use on inventory accuracy and on the firm-level and supply chain-level performance of a single product line. Due to the complexity of the analytical model, we propose to analyze the model using simulation and to gain insights into the behaviors of the various players in the supply chain. This research in progress will help better understand RFID value in supply chain, from an inventory management perspective and also bring into focus the impact of product type and technology development status on technology use

An Overview of Modern Technologies in Leading Global Seaports

This paper provides an overview of the modern technologies used in selected global seaports, and their possible impact on future development of seaports. The research problem stems from inefficience of customs procedures, dispute information flow, unneeded container manipulation in port area, and time lost due to bureucracy procedures. Methods used in this paper are the descriptive method, method of analysis, classification method, and compilation method. Since the majority of leading global seaports are placed in China, the authors decided to analyze the most successful seaport from each country, in order to achieve heterogeneity and global insight into used modern technologies. In total, eleven seaports placed on Lloyd’s list Top 100 Ports have been analyzed. Key findings in this paper are: (1) different level of development of a particular country affects different levels of implementation of new technical and technological achievements, resulting in different levels of development of each seaport; (2) future development of modern technologies in seaports leans towards autonomous technologies such as autonomous drones, and self-driving trucks. Modern technologies may improve the safety and efficiency of operations in and outside seaports