Since 2005 when WalMart required its top 100 vendors to RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag product shipments, RFID has been a big news item. Most of the news hasn't necessarily been good. Early RFID results were poor: tags couldn't be read, information decayed on the tags quickly, equipment was sluggish or didn't work at all, and so on. Forklift drivers skewered their share of RFID readers in warehouses.
Gen II RFID is looking better. Read rates are up. Cost is decreasing. Many suppliers and customers are insisting on the new technology.
Keep watch. This rapidly evolving technology may soon replace standard barcode.
Gen II tags: No surprises here - 8/23/2006 - Modern Materials Handling
