Automated Authentication and Authorisation of Consignors and their Consignments within Secure Supply Chains

In cross-border transport, in particular in air-transport, since 2010 there is the notion of a known consignor. This term is used in connection with an airfreight distribution company, which has introduced appropriate safety and security measures into its business process. Hence, its transport units are considered “safe” and can be handled with fewer overheads and more quickly. Due to the ever-increasing airfreight traffic, the notion of efficient security in airfreight is becoming increasingly pressing and requires information technical support to be able to handle shipments in time. In order to sustain security throughout entire supply chains all consignors should adhere to the same security standards – build a secure supply chain. This article presents methods and mechanisms for automated authentication and authorisation of known consignors and their transport units that enables swift identification and secure handover of shipments among known consignors and distribution centres. In their application they are not bound to air-transport and can be used to secure supply chains in general

Optimizing the positioning and technological choices of RFID elements for aircraft part identification

International audienceThis paper concerns the integration of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technologies in helicopters. A global RFID system, including RFID tags (passive, battery assisted and active), reading modules and data concentrator, will be embedded in helicopters. Such an integration requires a positioning model, which must consider technological choices of the on-board components. The proposed approach combines an optimization model and a physical model to determine an optimal covering of each tag by at least one reading module. This covering is based on radio wave propagation. The optimization model is derived from a location model with specific constraints. Experimental results validate the approach in an industrial context

Organisational factors in RFID adoption, implementation, and benefits

This study investigates the impact of organisational and technological factors within pre-adoption, implementation, and post-implementation phases of RFID system deployment. In the pre-adoption phase, the study examines factors that drive and hinder organisations’ decision to adopt RFID. In the implementation phase, the study investigates the impact of organisational factors (business size, strength of culture, and business process re-engineering) on influencing the implementation processes of RFID. In the post-implementation phase, the study investigates how the benefits derived from RFID implementation interact with organisational factors (business size, strength of culture, and business process re-engineering) and RFID-related factors (product unit level of tagging, RFID implementation stage, and organisational pedigree in RFID). This study was motivated by the lack of (i) an advisory framework which considers quantifiable firm characteristics and the costs and benefits of implementing RFID, in yielding advice to guide decisions on RFID adoption, and (ii) a framework that covers the complete processes of RFID project deployment (from adoption decision to benefits derived) in yielding advice to guide decisions on RFID adoption. This study is achieved using a two-phase research approach: questionnaire survey of organisations that have adopted or plan to adopt RFID and case studies of organisations that have integrated RFID into their business processes. In addition, a thorough review of existing literature on RFID in different industrial settings was conducted. The key findings from the study indicate that RFID adoption is driven by factors from technological, organisational and environmental contexts and that the adoption, implementation and benefits of RFID are influenced by organisational culture strength, business size, and BPR. It was found that strong cultures, organisational size and BPR are all positively correlated with RFID adoption decisions, implementation and benefits. Potential contribution towards the existing body of knowledge is through highlighting the significance of organisational culture strength, business size, and BPR in providing a platform in which RFID will be accepted and implemented successfully to achieve maximum derivable benefits