A comparison of barcoding and RFID technologies in practice

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 technologies are represented in the literature. Time and motion studies were conducted is 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 traditional 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.