RFID is not new and was design just forr this purpose.
The cost here is exploded at least an order of magnitude.
(marketers or journalist love to throw a few extra zeros on the back end of #'s)
The supply chain in the middle (shippers) if it is a real supply chain would allready have bought the equipment and it get ammortorized over many customers and products.
Not every spot along the supply chain needs every rfid tag checked or not at all.
Just the shipping container would need one rfid tag only, not every tag within the container.
I agree - the ability to track specific units all the way through the distribution system to point-of-sale without human intervention will be a very powerful tool. I do think the casino model is a little different implementation and cost model than distribution (although an excellent use for the technology) because I would expect the RFID equipment and the chips to all remain inside the grounds of the casino, and the chips will be infinitely recycleable within the faciility. By contrast, the RFID tags or chips in distribution will probably be used one time, however the equipment in the distribution system will be tracking a huge volume of products and quantities and therfore, provide greater efficiency for the equipment than the casino implementation. Both are great uses for the technology.
If a casino can employ the technology, I mean it is real money. They are ready to invest in making chips inside the chips. The electronic manufacturers will definitely begin deploying the RFID in the coming future. If it can provide the benefits of tracking a device from start to sell defnitely it is welocme to be used.
I think RFID is a very valid and useful tool with multiple uses. Most analysts and companies agree with the effectiveness of this great tool. The only downfall everybody faces the large cost.
This is a much needed technology that would help the entire industry by not only helping to slow down the black market sales, but also allowing companies to get a better control of theft. With the ever expanding market in Asia in not only production but purchasing, there will be some manufacturers willing to take the cost on to help the company overall.
I am not sure if I understoood correctly can deploing RFID cost 25 million dollars?? Is it so expensive. One of my friend and former colleague started his own company that focusses on developing RFID products. Well I need to do some cost check...
Yeah. It doesn't seem likely to pencil out. So then the mystery is: why is Frost, which is the sort of place rigorous enough to ask, and get, $10,000 a copy for some of its research reports, predicting use, and sales of RFID systems, to rise in Asia this year, including the electronics sector? It's making sense for someone. Just not anyone I can find speaking publically about it.
For the electronics supply chain, it certainly make sense to tag items at the source--and cost is the main reason the technology is going to remain in limbo. For high-priced components, suppliers would tag them at the individual component level; others could be tagged at the lot or even pallet level. But even at pennies per tag, the cost is overwhelming for component-level suppliers. It would even add up at the subassembly level. It's too bad: not only would RFID avoid theft, it could help authenticate parts and prevent counterfeiting.
I'm sure that system developers have spent a significant amount of due dilligence in trying to make the systems foolproof, and it is bound be be an improvement over current methods. RFID has been in development and testing for a long time.
I admit that RFID deployement faces cost hurdle but it makes our lives easier, Imagine going to a grocery store or any electronic store during thanksgiving time, Instead of waiting in the line for an hours, filling up your cart and walking out the door, wow....It saves lot of time. It costs so much money to setup the system but for big organizations i don't think its a big deal.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
To save this item to your list of favorite EBN content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.