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RFID — One of the Most Versatile Technologies in the World
30 de March de 2022
In 1939, Great Britain invented the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponder — a technology that would be implemented in aeroplanes in order to be able to recognise them from a distance and that would lay the foundations for what we now know as RFID.
RFID technology has been around for years but, during these past years, it experienced rapid ascent. According to Transforming Modern Retail, a study carried out by Accenture, more than 92% of retail companies in the US have profited from its benefits and see it as a key factor to help them occupy a competitive place in the market. But still, its implementation won’t stop spreading and, in retail, we find it in most of our daily life activities — for example, in the chips we put in our pets.
What is RFID?
Radio Frequency IDentification is a wireless way of communicating between a sender and a receiver. The receiver sends a constant signal within a specific range; when a tag comes within reach, it sends information to the reader which interprets it according to its configuration. Something like barcodes, except that instead of using ink lines it uses radio waves.
Advantages of RFID in logistics
RFID reduces logistic and inventory control mistakes to almost zero. These are the reasons why most companies are already using it:
Straightforward Operation - One of the most common mistakes in the supply chain comes from product packaging. Different types of packages are often used, which makes it harder to ID them or to capture data. RFID technology offers the advantage of reading tags without the need of direct contact or line of vision, which allows workers to do their job more efficiently since it reduces movements and times. Counting hundreds of units can be done in a matter of seconds.
Storage Capacity - RFID tags have a much larger data storage capacity than traditional barcodes.
Inventory Management -This technology allows you to know the state of any product in real time and at a record speed. It’s response speed is less than 100 ms, which makes it the fastest product identification and localisation system. Some of the possibilities that this technology has to offer are, for example, knowing in a matter of seconds whether a product has been put somewhere it shouldn’t be.
Lifespan - RFID tags last much longer. This is due to the fact that there is no direct contact, which reduces its deterioration. Also, some are rewritable, which allows you to change the information it carries inside — that’s like always having a new tag at hand.
Automation - Data received through the signal is automatically sent to a database. This offers the possibility to access all the information we want and whenever we want, regardless of where we may be.
Security - The complexity of radiofrequency technology makes it a much more complex task to duplicate tags, which makes them much safer.
Benefits for every sector
Among all its advantages, we can’t forget about one of the most important ones: it’s versatility. The advantages offered by this technology can benefit almost every sector. For example:
Access Control: An easy and quick way to keep track of the number of people inside and make it harder to falsify tickets.
Cattle Industry: RFID chips allow you to keep track of the health of your animals at all times. It’s also possible to register information such as vaccinations, weight and diet, and check those parameters from any device.
Retail: Decathlon was one of the pioneers who implemented RFID tills, saving customers up to 5 seconds per acquired article, which was reflected in an increase in sales.
Hospitals: A data mistake can cause any warehouse to lose money; but when it’s in the health industry, it can mean much more than that. RFID allows you to control patient analyses and know their medical history, among many other possibilities, reducing mistakes to zero.
Food Products: Product control, expiry date, batch number and packaging origin are some of the data you can access, which allows you to act in a matter of seconds if something puts your health at risk.