RFID will be core supply chain technology

Manufacturing leaders need to understand that RFID will be key to making global supply chains efficient, according to Unisys, the global outsourcing, consulting and IT organisation. The company which runs the US Department of Defence supply chain – the biggest RFID-enabled infrastructure in the world – makes the point that, with low cost economies like China and India set to dominate production in the next decade, UK manufacturers must harness enabling technologies now. John Bright, commercial partner at Unisys, also insists that costs and effort need not be anything like as alarming as many fear – an observation increasingly borne out by new users. Yet the figures for uptake in streamlining and automating supply chains remain low. Research carried out for Unisys by the Economist Intelligence Unit shows mid-size to large manufacturers in Europe mostly acknowledging their need for assistance, but less than half with planned RFID projects, and only 2% operational. Dr Carol Daniel, who runs the RFID Centre in the Cable & Wireless building at Bracknell, says there are still misunderstandings. He points out that RFID involves a mix of technologies, many of which are not new, but have seen development and standardisation in recent months, with prices set to fall soon. He too urges potential users to look at tangible benefits, which he describes as improving on-time, in-full delivery metrics, reducing inventories, cutting theft and shrinkage, improving product availability and improving quality and maintenance processes and efficiency. n Manufacturers wanting to explore RFID technologies and their applications should talk to Unisys, or go to the RFID Centre at Cable & wireless. They can also visit Oracle’s SensorWorld RFID demonstration at Thames Valley Park, or IBM’s RFID demonstrator in Warwick.