A comparison of barcoding and RFID technologies in practice

White, Gareth; Gardiner, Georgina; Prabhakar, Guru Prakash; Abd Razak, Azley

Abstract

This research paper highlights inconsistencies in the way Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is compared to existing barcoding technology and the lack of empirical evidence to support one’s superiority over the other. Reference is drawn to the way in which RFID and barcoding tech- nologies are represented in the literature. Time and motion studies were conducted in a distribution company’s chilled warehouse where RFID technology had already been trialled and implemented on recyclable refrigerated food trays and in operation alongside barcoding systems. Attention was given to recording the number and nature of errors that each technology exhibited. This paper concludes that while RFID can deliver improved operational performance over tradi- tional barcode systems, it is found to be less reliable in implementation. Hybrid systems may offer operational benefits over single-technology systems, but the cost of their complexity still needs to be examined.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Nov 3, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 19, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Information, Information Technology and Organizations
• Print ISSN: 1557-1319
• Publisher: Informing Science Institute
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Pages: 119-132
• Keywords: barcode, RFID, warehouse, comparison
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1034804
• Publisher URL: http://jiito.org/articles/JIITOv2p119-132White96.pdf
• Contract Date: Aug 19, 2016