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Making RFID Work: The Potential of RFID for Manufacturing and the Obstacles It Faces
by Vince O'Rourke, EnteGreat

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Paper Overview
RFID was all the rage just three years ago, the technology that would change our world and the manufacturing world dramatically, and almost immediately we were supposed to see a tidal wave of adoption and innovation. Three years later, not much has happened except for the new “slap and ship” systems that some manufacturers have deployed to bring a limited number of their shipments into compliance with the mandates of Wal-Mart and a few other retailers.

So what happened? Why is this train either not moving or completely off the tracks at this point? In this paper, we explore the issues that are holding up widespread adoption of RFID in manufacturing, and how that needs to change in the coming years. The promise is still there for this technology and manufacturers need to put pressure on the vendor community for the standards that will allow greater adoption and a stronger stream of value for the new technology.

Paper Outline

• Prologue: Jelly Beans or M&M’s?
• Introduction
• How RFID Works and How It Is Being Used
• What RFID Can Bring to Manufacturing
  • Simplicity
  • Visibility
    • Inventory efficiency
    • Tracking and tracing
    • Root-cause analysis of failed products
    • Tighter supply chain through greater ease of collaboration
    • Support for continuous improvement
  • Accessibility
• How a Lack of Standards Is Slowing the Development of RFID
• What Steps Should Be Taken
  • Exert pressure on vendors to arrive at a hardware standard.
  • Promote solutions to the issue of content standardization.
  • Remain focused on the entire range of benefits that RFID can bring to manufacturing.
• Conclusion

About the Author
Vince O'Rourke has over 35 years of experience in Food manufacturing. Prior to joining EnteGreat, Vince spent 25 years with Kraft Foods in various assignments, including: Corporate Audit, Systems Development, Plant Systems Management, Division Systems Manager (Maxwell House), and was most recently Director of Manufacturing Systems for North America.

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