iFloW: an integrated logistics software system for inbound supply chain traceability

Visibility plays an important role in supply chain management. Such visibility is not only important for better planning, but especially for real-time execution related with the traceability of goods. In inbound supply chain management, logistics planners need to trace raw materials from their requests in order to properly plan a plant’s production. The iFloW (Inbound Logistics Tracking System) integrates logistics providers IT applications and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track and trace incoming freights. The Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) is updated in real-time allowing an improved materials planning process. This paper presents the iFloW project and describes how these issues are addressed and validated in a real pilot project.This research is sponsored by the Portugal Incentive System for Research and technological Development PEst-UID/CEC/00319/2013 and by project in co-promotion no 36265/2013 (Project HMIExcel—2013–2015)

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

RFID and the internet of things in freight and handling operations

Master in Management and Industrial StrategyRFID technology (Radio Frequency IDentification) is an automatic identification method relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices (RFID tags or transponders) enabling the contactless identification of objects. RFID has been around for decades but only during the last years has become one of the most promising research areas with more and more attention focused on it. The retail sector had been leading the way with logistics applications, followed by some government agencies with identification systems and by different sectors of activity (pharmaceuticals, aircraft manufacturing, etc). Together with the last technological developments, new ideas and concepts are generating new paradigms as the "Internet of Things". The "Internet of Things" can be described as "Things having identities and virtual personalities operating in smart spaces using intelligent interfaces to connect and communicate within social, environmental, and user contexts ".1 Also during the last decades, air transportation has become more and more important for people mobility and goods transportation in the global economy environment. According to IATA , RFID can be used as a way to improve a range of airline business processes while cutting costs. IATA had developed a standard for RFID baggage tags and recommended practices and business cases for the use of RFID in baggage handling. With this study it is planed to analyse the situation in the two main airports in Portugal (Lisbon and Oporto), based in Portway ground handling operations, compare it with some actual developments, the E-Cab Project and IATA proposals and recommendations, and to evaluate scenarios and their feasibility in a near future.A tecnologia RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) é um método de identificação automático de armazenamento e recuperação remota de informação, recorrendo a dispositivos (etiquetas ou transmissores-receptores RFID) que permitem a sua leitura à distância e sem necessidade de qualquer contacto directo com os objectos. Sendo uma tecnologia já com décadas de existência, só durante os últimos anos é que se tem evidenciado como uma das mais promissoras , captando cada vez mais atenção por parte dos diversos actores. O sector de retalho tem vindo a promover a sua divulgação, liderando o desenvolvimento de diversas aplicações logísticas e sendo seguido, durante os últimos anos, por algumas agências governamentais com o desenvolvimento de sistemas de identificação e por diversos outrossectores de actividade (farmacêutica, construção aeronáutica, etc). Em simultâneo com os mais recentes progressos tecnológicos e com o desenvolvimento de conceitos mais inovadores, um novo paradigma tem aparecido com a designação da "Internet dos Objectos". A "Internet dos Objectos" pode ser descrita como "objectos possuindo identidades e personalidades virtuais operando em espaços inteligentes usando interfaces inteligentes para ligar e comunicar em contextos sociais, ambientais e no seio dos utilizadores". Também durante as últimas décadas, o transporte aéreo tem vindo a desempenhar um papel cada vez mais importante para a mobilidade das populações e para o transporte de mercadorias no ambiente da economia global. De acordo com a IATA, as tecnologias RFID poderão vir a ser utilizadas com sucesso, reduzindo custos e melhorando um vasto conjunto de processos correntes no sector, tendo já desenvolvido alguns normativos e recomendações relativas à aplicação de etiquetas RFID na identificação e monitorização de bagagem. Com este trabalho pretende-se analisar a situação nos dois principais aeroportos Portugueses (Lisboa e Porto), baseada nas operações de handling da Portway, comparar os resultados obtidos com os desenvolvimentos actuais resultantes do Projecto E-Cab e com as propostas e recomendações da IATA, avaliando cenários e a possibilidade da sua concretização num futuro próximo

Food supply chain in the era of Industry 4.0: blockchain technology implementation opportunities and impediments from the perspective of people, process, performance and technology

The prevention of food loss throughout the supply chain, including manufacturers, has become a major challenge for a number of organizations. In addition, consumers are also increasingly interested in the authenticity of food and want to ensure that they receive the right quality of food. To address this issue, there is a need for reliable and robust tools to be available in the Industry 4.0 era that can trace the food throughout the supply chain from the farm through processing until it reaches the customer and, thus, ensure transparency. Using the people, process, and technology (PPT) model, this paper develops a blockchain-enabled food supply chain framework including the future opportunities and the present impediments based on the systematic literature review and semi-structured case interviews from the context of emerging economies. The study investigates the suitability of blockchain technology in resolving major challenges, such as traceability, trust, and accountability in the food industry. The study further paves the way for future researchers to address the technological and people-related challenges in the Industry 4.0 era to mitigate the emerging problems in the food sector. Interestingly, we did not find many issues in process- and performance-related aspects. The study offers empirical evidence of blockchain technology implementation in the Industry 4.0 era that opens up the discussion for future researchers and lists the potential threats