RFID

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) provides an automated process for uniquely identifying items, at a distance, using low frequency electromagnetic radiation. In effect it provides an alternative to traditional optical bar-code systems without the limitation of being in line-of-sight of the object being identified.

arkiris - RFID Portal

The adoption of RFID is on a growth track as the technolgy's ability to improve business processes is demonstrated within a number of pilot projects worldwide. RFID is predicted to lead the next generation of asset identification and tracking, providing cost and efficiency savings within supply chain and inventory management. These benefits are important to many industries in diverse markets including retail, agriculture, transport, defence and security. IDTechEx, a leading industry analyst, estimates that RFID market will exceed £25bn by 2017 through a sustained 20% per annum growth rate in the intervening years.

The benefit of RFID over over traditional barcodes include the ability to identify multiple items simultaneously (without having line-of-sight to the item) and being able to both read and write data to the tag in the supply chain. These features increase throughput, reducing costs, and reducing the risk of human error, ensuring that inventory data is reliable and representative.

Arkiris is developing improvements in a key element of many RFID installations; the portal which incorporates the antenna and readers used to collect the raw tag data. By introducing new materials, based on granted patents within the Arkiris portfolio, the detection, identification and interaction with the tag at this key point in the supply chain (for example at the warehouse dock door) can be further improved to meet the ever increasing demands for accuracy.