An experimental approach for developing radio frequency identification (RFID) ready packaging

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and related technologies have been touted to allow exponential improvements in supply chain logistics and management. The accurate location of packages, cargo containers, and truck trailers saves fuel, pollution and over-production. However, many industrial users have indicated that these technologies have not provided the anticipated benefits. Two complementary strategies required to address RFID reliability are: improving the reliability of RFID technology and/or designing packaging related infrastructure that enables RFID. This paper focuses on designing RFID Ready facilities (RRF), and an RFID-enabling packaging infrastructure that helps avoid unnecessary transportation, thereby reducing pollution. The design guidelines developed were based on a set of experiments conducted in the RFID Supply Chain Laboratory at the University of Tennessee (UT) using Design of Experiments (DOE), to help determine the operational and facility factors that impact RFID reliability. Three different packaging strategies were tested on packages, boxes, and their various combinations. The key factors considered in the experiments were the following: Package Orientation (PO), Tag Placement (TP), Package Placement (PP), Reader Location (RL), Box Orientation (BO), Tag Placement on Box (TPB) and Tag Placement on Package (TPP). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.