of each component is added on the following processing stations. Finally, on the last RFID station, the data is exported and the individual parts are forwarded by the operator, either to the good parts magazine or the reject-parts punch, depending on their classification on the data carrier. The production data is archived per batch in a report file.

Ed Housler, U.S. business manager for intelligent sensing technology at vendor Siemens Energy & Automation Inc., in Alpharetta, Ga., agrees that technology is helping to increase RFID usefulness. “When retailers began to push for RFID in 2002 and 2003, the current protocols and tags were not quite up to the requirements. But adopting 915 megahertz (MHz) frequency tags and the EPC (for Electronic Product Code) protocol standard really opened things up.”

Housler adds that in this down market, companies are trying to become more lean. “If we can integrate, we can streamline processes through better visibility of raw materials. One of the biggest benefits of RFID over bar code is in the lower potential for data corruption. RFID lends itself to more automation. Sometimes, an operator may not scan a bar code properly or may miss it. This works not only for raw materials, but also for work-in-process or finished goods.”

Bob Neagle, business unit manager for Brand Protection Systems at Wood Dale, Ill., printer manufacturer VideoJet, still points to the cost of RFID at the item level. Printing 2D bar code and reading with vision sensors integrates into a tracking system that integrates with ERP to keep track of products from end-to-end. He mentions that consumer-goods companies are concerned with tracking to the customer for many reasons. Aside from the usual recall situation, he adds, “Multi-level marketing companies are worried about diversion of product and parallel trade where they have different pricing per outlet, but some people try to arbitrage the system.”

One last different look at track-and-trace comes from Stephanie Miles, senior vice president of Commercial Services at Management Dynamics, of East Rutherford, N.J. Her company is focused on global trade and supply chain visibility. Its Global Product Master module consolidates a specification manual, supplier solicitation information and tracks a checklist of subjects such as the suppliers’ quality assurance program, food genealogy, child labor agreements, green capability and the like. It stores the information for later retrieval when needed.

Avoid the recall

Sometimes, despite your best processes, you wind up with a dissatisfied customer. You can limit both the publicity and your exposure to the recall quantity through a well-executed track-and-trace system. In this way, you can identify the culprit and recall only those products that must be brought back.

Track-and-trace systems both make customers happy and provide feedback to control the process.

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