Analyzing the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) on the container industry

Abstract

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 US realized the importance of building and maintaining a secure environment that would protect US borders. The significance of having a secure supply chain in the US is apparent, since the amount of cargo containers that enters US borders through ports is at an all time high. To ensure that, US government bought a new set of policies which have as their main purpose to ensure that the shipments that will enter its borders will not jeopardize US public, but also maintain the smooth operation of country's trade relations after unforeseen events. This legal framework encourages the application of tracking applications/solutions that could provide visibility and security across the supply chain. One of the promising technologies that allows tracking of shipping containers, from their origin to destination is the application of Active RFID tags in a network that would allow tracking of the container movement on an end-to-end basis. Through this study, we examine the parts and operation of such a solution, the parts and main characteristics of this technology. We set forth the potential benefits and the potholes that could make at the moment such a solution to fail, if the industry does not try to repair the systems faults and shows overconfidence in the proposed technology.