Industrial Communication Systems

RFID Technology and Its Industrial Applications 9-11

the integration of other points in the chain of custody provide ever increasing levels of condence

in the supply chain. While bar code solutions may cost less in the short term, there are a number of

shortcomings, compared with RFID, that limit their eectiveness over time. For example,

•

RFID

has

the

capacity

to

store

larger

amounts

of

information

and

can

be

read

more

faster

than

bar

codes

(40-plus

reads

per

second,

compared

with

one

to

two

for

bar

codes),

and

requires

far

less

hu

man

in

volvement.

•

Bar

co

des

re

quire

a di

rect

li

ne

of sig

ht

to be re

ad,

wh

ile

RF

ID

ta

gs

do no

t.

•

Bar

code

must

be

able

to

survive

on

multiple

types

of

printed

media

in

harsh

conditions,

some-

times

ov

er

lo

ng

pe