RFID, AN ENABLER IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

D. Ghose

Abstract: In order to serve the market in better way the supply chain must track and trace the products. Tracking and identification of products is essential in today’s highly turbulent market. There is pressure on manufacturers, distributors and retailers to maximise efficiency, minimise cost and provide the best possible value for the end-customer. The latest development in the field of tracking and tracing is with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technologies are receiving great importance in modern businesses. In the due course of time RFID will replace the barcode. Integrating RFID in the Supply Chain enhances better tracking and tracing the products. RFID helps the companies to reduce the stock levels, cut down warehouse costs, increase product visibility, and reduce theft and to update the inventory database with real time information. The technical capabilities and limitations of RFIDs are examined in this paper. Parties in the supply chain need to create solid alliance to build RFID network, which must support both technical and operational needs. In the current study an attempt has been made to investigate the importance of RFID technology and its very impact on long term corporate strategies, global markets and its potential role for sustained corporate growth and profitability with help of case studies. The cost factor is found to be in the RFID tagging at product unit level. The future remains very promising for rapid gains in RFID development as long as technology continues to advance through increased research and development initiatives

Keywords: Supply Chain Management, RFID, Logistics Management, ERP, Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2013.0214022