RFID: Alive and Thriving

A question for you seasoned logistics and warehouse executives. Do you remember when RFID (Radio Frequency ID) was going to change the world? The big box retailers were requiring every supply chain and manufacturing vendor to comply with their RFID standards. Integrators were doing press releases on how they were spending millions ramping up to meet RFID supply chain requirements. There was so much noise and then suddenly….silence.

While you may have thought this was just a flash in the pan technology (remember Betamax and Laser Discs?), RFID is a great idea whose time may be about to come. For those of you unfamiliar with RFID, the basic point is that instead of line-of-sight barcode readers, RFID tags are attached to an item. These tags emit a signal which are received and can be tracked by various types of devices and warehouse management systems (WMS). Stronger signals can be transmitted by augmenting the tags with batteries and cellular technology that can be tracked for thousands of miles. Those solutions are expensive today, but as with all evolving technologies, they grow less expensive over time. KFS currently offers this technology to our pharmaceutical clients. Passive RFID tags can be tracked in a retailer or warehouse with simple hardware, eliminating the need for line of sight barcode reading.

Warehouse managers salivate at the idea of pushing a button and instantly having a complete inventory of everything inside their four walls. The alternative is warehouse workers scanning each item searching in every nook and cranny. The problem with RFID in logistics and fulfillment has been a matter of cost. The tags and the technology to read them were in the early stages, leading the first adopters to be on the “bleeding edge” and paying the most.

Recently KFS partnered with the leading RFID technology provider to offer this service to our clients who are ready to embrace the future. Call today for a free consultation to see if RFID is right for your situation.

KFS has 350,000 square feet of warehouse where we offer labeling and fulfillment services to complement our domestic and international logistics service offerings. If you are a manufacturer feeling pressure from your retail customers to offer RFID tagging, maybe the time is right to partner with KFS. Contact KFS today!

Read this article as well in our March Newsletter.