NEC Technical Journal, May,2006, Trends, Overview and vision for RFID and a society Benefiting from Ubiquitous Network Technology
1． Trends for RFID
The application of RFID to the supply chain and the standardization of RFID are taking place concurrently. RFID is being implemented at a rapid place due to its adoption by retailers in Europe and the U.S.
In the North America, mass retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy have requested that their suppliers attach RFID tags on their product cases or pallets, and this system is currently being phase-in. Wal-Mart started implementing this RFID-based system in January 2005 with the cooperation of the top few dozen of their suppliers. They have successfully reduced stock shortages and have increased their order placement efficiency. They plan to get more suppliers on board as well as increase the number of RFID-implemented stores in the future.
In Europe, retailers such as Tesco Metro are in the process of running viability tests aimed at the full-scale implementation of RFID. The retail industry’s objectives for implementing RFID include increase supply chain efficiency, reducing unnecessary inventory, and minimizing the loss of sales opportunities due to stock shortage.
In Asia including Japan, RFID was introduced internally into businesses, chiefly in the manufacturing sector. In Japan the Radio Law was revised in January 2005 as a result of the radio open policy put forth by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). As a result, it became possible to use UHF band compatible RFID systems in actual environments existing in Japan. From here on in, it is expected that compatible products will be marked one after the other, and the UHF-band RFID system will enter a new stage of full-fledged implementation. As we can see from Japanese electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera’s request to their suppliers to affix RFID, there is a trend here driven by major retailers.
RFID is spreading throughout the entire supply chain. At factories it provides transparency in their manufacturing processes, at warehouses it improves efficiency of product inspection and inventory management, and at retail stores it raises the quality of customers service and helps provide safety and comfort to consumers.
2． What is ahead for RFID?
Expectations are rising for RFID because of the growing need for real-time operation and overall optimization of the supply chain. Companies are demanding the development of an environment in which goods can be uniquely identified within a global supply chain, where goods and information are interlinked, and intricate management can be done so that supply chain partners can exchange information in real-time. EPCglobal Network is providing such an environment in which supply chain information can be shared amongst global partner companies with RFID being the key element. For the manufacturing sector various uses become possible such as gaining a real-time understanding of inventory, improving the efficiency of manufacturing methods, improving the efficiency of shipping and delivery, as well as observing an overall view of the entire supply chain until the product reaches the consumer. For the retail sector, real-time understanding of inventory and more efficient shipment receiving become possible.
图 1 Anticipated effects of EPCglobal Network
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