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Top Ten List For RFID Implementations
TMCnet Contributing Editor
With the deadline looming for Wal-Mart's "next 300" suppliers to adopt RFID labeling, Zebra Technologies Corporation, a vendor of bar code and RFID smart labeling products, outlines the top 10 best practices based on successful RFID implementations, based on customers’ experiences. Excerpts follow, the full write-up’s available at the site:
1. Start early. It takes time to research the technology, select the right partners and align the organization.
2. Choose supplies carefully. If your tags don't work, you risk missing deadlines for compliance.
3. Determine the where and how of smart labeling. Will you incorporate RFID tags into your current shipping labels or add new label formats? Where are labels best placed on the carton, pallet?
4. Pick the right partners. Choosing the right partners is critical for RFID success. Look for companies that are experienced and fit well with your existing applications and business processes.
5. Start small and simple, then expand. Starting small makes the project a lot less intimidating and reduces costs by saving on mistakes that could disrupt operations.
6. Test, test, test. Tags perform differently with different materials, at different locations and at different channels within the UHF spectrum, so it is important to thoroughly test early in the process to avoid creating more issues as implementations scale up in volume.
7. If you can, plan RFID from the ground up. If your company will be involved in new construction, implementing new applications or upgrading IT infrastructure, gaining experience with RFID and factoring it in your plans is a very good idea.
8. Use the data. It is important to transport and translate the RFID data flow to upstream business applications for true ROI from an RFID implementation.
9. Look beyond compliance for ROI. Extending the technology internally in an organization requires business process and software re-engineering. When RFID data can be used to improve business processes, companies experience significant payback.
10. Recognize that RFID is still a moving target and plan for change. Almost for certain, the RFID architecture that is implemented will undergo changes in the next 18 months.
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