RFID: Crossing the Chasm

摘要

Anyone who sells consumer goods to best Buy, Target, or Wal-Mart knows that tagging product pallets with RFID tags is mandatory. The tags help suppliers and retailers speed the tracking of inventory as it moves from manufacturer warehouses to transportation centers and eventually to retailer warehouses. But RFID has benefits that reach far beyond inventory tracking. By combining RFID tags with asset management systems, enterprises are implementing sophisticated, real-time asset control processes. "Asset management is one of the biggest growth areas for RFID," says Erik Michielsen, RFID analyst at ABI Research. Major automakers, including BMW and Toyota, and shipping companies, such as NYK Logistics, were among the first to deploy RFID for asset management They used WhereNet's active RFID tags — transponders that emit a signal — on cars or shipping containers waiting in shipping lots. By monitoring these tags within asset management systems, these companies can ensure that the lot gates alert guards when a vehicle leaves the lot outside its scheduled time or that the right container is placed on the right truck or train. Transponders such as WhereNet's are typically the size of several decks of cards, which restricts their use to large objects, and cost between $40 and $80.