Nov/Dec 2005

One barrier to the implementation of RFID - the cost of equipping a warehouse with sufficient readers to make sense - is being broken down by the latest technology from warehouse management system specialist Microlise. Instead of putting sensors at dock doors or elsewhere in the warehouse, Microlise is installing them in the trailer, making the system warehouse-independent.

Two pilots of what Microlise calls the RFID Trailer Portal are currently taking place in the UK and Belgium, and the system has already been recognised by winning the 2005 RFID Breakthrough Award for Top Product of the Year.

Although Microlise will not reveal the pilot companies' names, it will say one is in food production and one is in retail. One began in June, the other in September.

In both cases, the RFID readers are installed on the floor, ceiling or sides of the trailer. As cargo is being loaded or unloaded, it passes the reader, which transmits data over GPRS or Wi-Fi. Status reports and other data can then be sent back to base using a GPRS link.

"The base system still downloads schedules, routes and so on to the driver's mobile device," explains Steve Watson of Microlise. "But the RFID reader can tell the driver if he is putting the wrong package on a vehicle. When the driver arrives at a drop point and keys in the destination identification code, it can also tell him if the wrong consignment is being delivered."

So far, the pilots involve only roll cages fitted with UHF RFID tags. Once the technology is proven, however, there is no reason why it could not be used with pallets or even cartons.

"The RFID Trailer Portal offers a cheaper alternative for RFID implementation," Watson adds. "Companies can trial RFID using the Trailer Portal, or use it to supplement a fixed RFID system to cover peak periods. It increases flexibility and cuts cost. And if the RFID readers are in the vehicle rather than in the depot, it can be used to check collection or delivery from premises which are not RFID-enabled." - Marcia MacLeod