Intermec Technologies has published a white paper
forecasting how radio frequency identification (RFID) will change
the supply chain and setting out how organisations should fully
exploit its potential.
Authored by Andrew White and Hugh Wilson of Cranfield School of
Management and Intermec’s Stuart Scott, EMEA director of marketing
and business development, the paper interprets in depth Intermec’s
recent survey of more than 600 supply chain managers in the UK,
Germany, France, Sweden, Spain and Italy.
The survey looked at issues ranging from supply chain managers’
perceptions of the value of RFID and their adoption of the
technology and what challenges they foresaw in roll-out.
The survey found that 81% of European supply chain managers
thought RFID would improve the profitability of manufacturing
companies within 10 years. Despite this, 66% had no plans for an
RFID trial and 91% did not know the cost of an RFID tag.
The Intermec white paper also considers the bigger picture,
looking at the structural impact of RFID, how supply chains
operate, and RFID’s potential to drive profitability. It also links
the research’s findings to existing supply chain management
strategies such as “lean” and “agile”, and examines how RFID can
contribute to a supply chain which is highly responsive to
end-customers.
The paper also examines the current status of RFID adoption,
opinions about future plans, and the reasoning that underpins these
opinions.
It concludes with a look at the current state of organisational
readiness for the adoption of RFID technologies, including the
technical and business problems associated with its implementation.
Finally, it outlines the main factors organisations should consider
when adopting the technology.