A Comparison of Barcoding and RFID Technologies in Practice

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 distribu- tion company’s chilled warehouse where RFID technology had already been trialled and imple- mented on recyclable refrigerated food trays and in operation alongside barcoding systems. At- tention 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 of- fer operational benefits over single-technology systems, but the cost of their complexity still needs to be examined.