FAQs Archive - Simple RFID

Q: How much more accurate is RFID than barcode?

It is estimated that barcode technology is between 68-80% accurate. RFID on the other hand is estimated to be above 98% accurate.

Q: What is the difference between Source Tagging and On-Demand Tagging?

Source tagging is applying labels to product at the “source” such as a manufacturing facility. Many companies who Source Tag use Service Bureaus to print the needed labels and ship them to the location applying the labels. On-Demand tagging is tagging product upon receipt of goods. Many companies who use the On-Demand Tagging approach use suppliers instead of manufacturing their own items. Due to the many suppliers and shorter lead time these retailers lack the sufficient lead-time to use a Service Bureau and therefore must print and apply their tags when items arrive.

Q: How are RFID tags printed?

RFID tags are printed from a printer--much like any standard label printer. These printers however are RFID enabled which allows them to print the user's desired text and barcode to the label, while simultaneously encoding the serial number into the tag’s chip.

Q: Will RFID lead to massive layoffs of workers?

RFID technology is a labor-saving technology so it's likely that some workers will laid off. That's because fewer workers will be needed to scan bar codes. But the transition from barcodes to RFID could take a decade or more, so it is unlikely that RFID will lead to wide-scale displacement of workers. The technology will likely create new jobs, just as Internet technologies creating new jobs, from Web developers to warehouse workers managing inventory for online stores such as Amazon.com. The jobs that will be affected by RFID are those that involve scanning bar codes. Most of those jobs also have other components, such as moving products or restocking shelves. Those jobs will not go away because of RFID.

Q: What is "energy harvesting"?

Most passive RFID tags simply reflect back waves from the reader. Energy harvesting is a technique in which energy from the reader is gathered by the tagged, stored momentarily and transmitted back at a different frequency. This method may improve the performance of passive RFID tags dramatically. (Subscribers, see A New Approach to RFID .)

Q: What are intelligent software agents and how do they fit into RFID?

Software agents are basically autonomous applications that automate decision making by establishing a set of rules. For instance, if X happens, do Y. They are important to RFID because humans will be overwhelmed by the amount of data coming from RFID tags and the speed at which it comes (real-time in many cases). So agents will likely be used to automate routine decisions and alert employees when a situation requires their attention. SAP and a company called BiosGroup are working on an automated replenishment system in which software agents would make decisions when trends indicate a product will be out of stock. (Subscribers, see Agents Key to RFID Supply Chains .)

Q: I’ve heard RFID can be used with sensors. Is that true?

Yes. Some companies are combining RFID tags with sensors that detect and record temperature, movement, even radiation. One day, the same tags used to track items moving through the supply chain may also alert staff if they are not stored at the right temperature, if meat has gone bad, or even if someone has injected a biological agent into food. (Subscribers, see RFID Sensors: From Battlefield Intelligence To Consumer Protection .)

Q: Are any companies using RFID today?

Yes. Thousands of companies around the world use RFID today to improve internal efficiencies. Club Car, a maker of golf carts uses RFID to improve efficiency on its production line (subscribers, see Golf Car Maker Scores with RFID ). Paramount Farms—one of the world’s largest suppliers of pistachios—uses RFID to manage its harvest more efficiently (see Farm Harvests RFID’s Benefits ). NYK Logistics uses RFID to improve the throughput of containers at its busy Long Beach, Calif., distribution center (see Logistics Gets Cheaper by the Yard ). And many other companies are using RFID for a wide variety of applications. (See Case Studies for more examples of how RFID is benefiting companies today.)

Q: What are some of the most common applications for RFID?

RFID is used for everything from tracking cows and pets to triggering equipment down oil wells. It may sound trite, but the applications are limited only by people’s imagination. The most common applications are tracking goods in the supply chain, reusable containers, high value tools and other assets, and parts moving to a manufacturing production line. RFID is also used for security (including controlling access to buildings and networks) and payment systems that let customers pay for items without using cash.

Q: Who are the leading RFID vendors?

There are many different RFID vendors with different areas of expertise. RFID Journal has compiled a searchable database and director of vendors around the world. Click on Find a Vendor in the left-hand navigation bar to locate the type of vendor you are looking for.