Section 11.2. Comments and Observations
11.2. Comments and ObservationsThe following are a collection of comments and observations, in no particular order, about the current state of RFID technology:
The following subsections examine each of these thoughts. 11.2.1. High Degree of ConfusionRFID today is characterized by hype and unbounded expectations on the one hand and sweeping negative opinions on the other. This dichotomy is enough to confuse business decision makers, let alone common people. Examples of such unrealistic comments are, "RFID will replace bar codes soon," and "RFID can be used to track anything anywhere in the world." Examples of negative opinions are, "50 percent of all RFID projects fail," and "RFID can be made so small that the tags can be put on people to track them from satellites." This book has attempted to correct several of these half-truths and hearsays. Chapter 6, "RFID Versus Bar Code," answers the first myth, and the very beginning section of Chapter 1, "Technology Overview," provides examples of where RFID cannot be used. The statistics concerning RFID project failure are bogus, but you must exercise extreme caution when citing or refuting (or especially when depending on) information (results, statistics, anecdotal data, and so on) from real-world RFID projects. Such accurate information is currently few and far between; because the technology is still being developed, assessed, and adopted, it is not uncommon for parties to closely guard actual results. However, because the craving for such information is so great, "anecdotal" evidence and results from severely scoped evaluation efforts are used to sate this appetite. As such data passes from person to person, it has a tendency to change completely. For example, a study that concludes that "50 percent of four test trials to track metal parts inventory in real time using UHF frequency succeeded" might undergo metamorphosis and end up as the myth cited previously. Therefore, always ask the following questions about any RFID statistics you encounter:
In addition, you should seek out the original study or report and refuse to accept secondhand reporting. From the original study, you can draw your own conclusions. Finally, confusion abounds regarding passive and active tags and their capabilities. A passive tag reflects the signal of a reader to transmit its data, whereas an active tag does not and can act as a transmitter. Because active tags must carry a battery and on-board electronics, these are much larger and bulkier than passive tags. However, a common misconception holds that passive tags can act as transmitters, too. Although this misconception might seem harmless, it raises baseless fears and suspicions in people's minds regarding RFID technology. For example, Danish pop artist Jakob S. Boeskov and industrial designer Kristian von Bengtson created a hoax about a fake Danish sniper rifle called ID Sniper that can be used to shoot and implant miniature RFID tags into people without their knowledge, who can then be tracked using GPS (see Figure 11-3). Figure 11-3. Danish ID Sniper rifle.Reprinted with permission from Jakob S. Boeskov and Kristian von Bengtson  A bogus Web site called Empire North was created to pose as the manufacturer of this fiendish weapon. As you can immediately understand, active tags (which are much larger than passive tags) would be necessary in such a scenario. Therefore, the impact on a person being so tagged would be about the same as, or worse than, being hit by a bullet. The impact could destroy the tag or immobilize (perhaps permanently) the person hit, thus rendering any tracking feature dubious in value. Facts aside now, consider some of the hysteria this prank created. A message on the popular Web site Slashdot drove more than a million and half people to the Empire North site. Computerworld ran an article despising this horrendous weapon. I even witnessed one of my friends searching eBay to buy this weapon for personal use! For Boeskov, this was a little more unnerving. Police from China and arms dealers from several countries around the world made approaches to buy this weapon! The sad fact that so many people believed in the sniper gun shows the dire necessity of educating the public about RFID. 11.2.2. Exclusive in the Short RunSlap-and-ship type of implementations might turn out to be the most popular RFID solutions rolled out in the short run for various reasons, including the following:
An analysis of these factors follows. You can see that these factors substantially overlap those mentioned previously for not using RFID in a business today. 11.2.2.1. High CostEven with falling prices, RFID hardware remains expensive for most businesses, even for a slap-and-ship type application. Many small to medium-size businesses might not be able to justify the cost of such a system in the short run when the business justification for RFID might not be enough to offset this cost. In these cases, the only driver will be meeting some kind of an RFID mandate (example, for a customer), and thus probably spending minimum resources and effort (which typically means a slap-and-ship type deployment). 11.2.2.2. Immature TechnologyThat RFID is an immature technology is not in debate, and the following list identifies some issues that illustrate this point:
A business might decide to choose the path of least resistance and risk by implementing an RFID solution that is optimized in size and scope. The solution might also be isolated from other business processes as much as possible. Such a scenario seeks to minimize any impact on existing processes in case the solution malfunctions or needs to be replaced later. These factors point to a slap-and-ship type solution. 11.2.2.3. Implementation IssuesSignificant implementation issues include the following:
Rarely does one of these issues rise to the level of showstopper. However, time and cost are almost always involved to resolve the issues satisfactorily. A scoped-out RFID solution presents the least amount of challenge as far as the preceding variables are concerned. A slap-and-ship solution represents such a type of solution. 11.2.2.4. Incomplete Understanding of Process IssuesProcess issues range from the simple to the extremely involved as the following list demonstrates:
Unless a clear picture of these issues and their resolutions emerge, a business might not want to venture too far with an integrated RFID solution. In such cases, an isolated and limited-complexity solution might prove preferable. A slap-and-ship solution offers just that. 11.2.3. Inclusive in the Medium to Long RunAlthough a business might prefer to deploy an isolated and exclusive solution to quickly meet the RFID mandates of its customers and reduce risk in the short term, the real benefit of RFID can be realized only when it is made inclusive. What does inclusive mean in this context? It means inclusive from all the following aspects:
The following subsections explain these perspectives. 11.2.3.1. Systems InclusiveExisting business systems should be integrated with the RFID system both for data and business transactions. In other words, RFID systems can be looked upon as an enterprise-wide infrastructure component. Existing systems should exploit the capabilities of this component to streamline, optimize, and interface with each other. 11.2.3.2. Process InclusiveAlthough in the short run, the degree of integration of an RFID system with the business processes might be low, that integration stands a good chance of increasing when the different process issues are understood and resolved. The increased integration also represents how a business can realize the wider benefits of an RFID system. In addition, the business might uncover ways to streamline the processes and thus gain business efficiency and cost savings. 11.2.3.3. Partners InclusiveTo realize the full potential of an RFID system, a business must extend that system out to partners, customers, and suppliers. Therefore, the ultimate goal of an RFID system should be to enable collaboration between the business and its partners. Benefits derived from RFID such as anti-counterfeiting, inventory reduction, and reverse logistics (involving return of merchandise) can best be realized through collaboration among businesses. Collaboration, however, is time-consuming and involved. After all, different participating businesses might have different business and competitive interests and might want to focus on different parts of the value proposition. However, RFID implementation is not a mandatory prerequisite for collaboration to happen. You can use data from existing bar codes to build and validate such an effort. Standardized processes among businesses (for example, to automate shipping and receiving using Advanced Ship Notice [ASN]) are an important step. After some form of collaboration is in place, using RFID can make its potential benefits clear to the participating entities, which in turn can accelerate the degree of collaboration. 11.2.3.4. People InclusiveDeploying an RFID solution involves cultural change in the business, so the deployment of such must take into account the human factor. This factor should be acknowledged as early as possible so that it does not create a cultural clash. The operations personnel might have baseless fears and anxiety about the technology, thinking of it as a threat to their privacy and job security. In addition, the personnel might have to modify their existing operating style to mesh with the RFID system. Therefore, training and education about the technology must be planned as a part of an RFID deployment strategy. 11.2.4. No One Has All the ExpertiseRFID technology is segmented into many specialties, including the following:
No company in the RFID business today has all the answers (the expertise listed here). A business should pick the vendors that offer the best tradeoff to implement its RFID solution. In essence, the business has to play the role of an integrator. If the business is reluctant to take on this responsibility, the other option is to work with an experienced integrator and use it at as a single point of control. The business can then "shadow" the integrator team members to gain valuable insights and knowledge that will help it implement its next RFID application using in-house skills. 11.2.5. Everyone Is Still LearningBesides the segmentation of RFID technology vendors, each vendor is in a continuous learning cycle to understand the technology, apply it, and then analyze the application results to further understand the nature of the technology to feed into the next iteration cycle. Therefore, the technology is improving at an impressive rate, but the RFID hardware is becoming outdated at a rapid rate, too. Besides the technology vendors, the early adopters are also in the learning mode. Although these businesses have already gained a considerable amount of RFID expertise through their evaluation pilots and small-scale deployments, they still have a long way to go to claim complete mastery of the technology. 11.2.6. Getting Involved Early Is the Best IdeaCurrently, the early adopters of RFID technology enjoy a level of expertise unmatched by most businesses. After reading this book, you can understand that this technology takes time to master and that no one has complete mastery of the technology yet. These facts bolster the argument that businesses should initiate an RFID program as soon as possible. While the field of play is still relatively level, those that do initiate an RFID program will gain an advantage in understanding and using the technology. Businesses can take the initial steps (at least to some degree) of business justification and technology evaluation today. Even if an RFID deployment is not planned in the short term, it is important to have some degree of in-house knowledge and expertise in the technology. Such knowledge and expertise will come in handy when the business is ready to use RFID technology. |
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