Harley-Davidson
Executive Summary
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages for Harley-Davidson of replacing scanners and bar codes with RFID. Compare and contrast the issues of Wal-Mart when they tried to implement RFID in their supply chain. Outline the issues Harley-Davidson will face when they begin using RFID. Develop and present an approximate timetable for the adoption of RFID with specific recommendations about where Harley-Davidson should implement it first.
Some of the advantages of using RFID over scanners and bar code include Inventory efficiency, return on investment, and vulnerability to damage minimized. Because line-of-sight is not required to read RFID tags, inventory can be performed in a highly efficient method. For example, pallets in a warehouse can be read, inventoried, and their location can be determined no matter where the tag is placed on the pallet. This is because the radio waves from the reader are strong enough for the tag to respond regardless of location. Though the cost may be high at first, the total cost of ownership should go down over the years and provide a good return on investment, if the implementation provides a significant method to improve business processes. Barcodes can be damaged in many ways. Although, 2D barcode types can be read even when up to 40% of the barcode is damaged.
The disadvantages of RFID are dead areas, orientation problems, security concerns, ghost tags, unread tags, and proximity issues. RFID works similar to the way a cell phone or wireless network does. Like these technologies, there may be certain areas that have weaker signals or interference. In addition, poor read rates are sometimes a problem when the tag is rotated into an orientation that does not align well with the reader. These issues are usually minimized by proper implementation of multiple readers and use of tags with multiple axis antennas. Because RFID is not a line-of-sight technology like barcoding, new security issues could develop. For
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages for Harley-Davidson of replacing scanners and bar codes with RFID. Compare and contrast the issues of Wal-Mart when they tried to implement RFID in their supply chain. Outline the issues Harley-Davidson will face when they begin using RFID. Develop and present an approximate timetable for the adoption of RFID with specific recommendations about where Harley-Davidson should implement it first.
Some of the advantages of using RFID over scanners and bar code include Inventory efficiency, return on investment, and vulnerability to damage minimized. Because line-of-sight is not required to read RFID tags, inventory can be performed in a highly efficient method. For example, pallets in a warehouse can be read, inventoried, and their location can be determined no matter where the tag is placed on the pallet. This is because the radio waves from the reader are strong enough for the tag to respond regardless of location. Though the cost may be high at first, the total cost of ownership should go down over the years and provide a good return on investment, if the implementation provides a significant method to improve business processes. Barcodes can be damaged in many ways. Although, 2D barcode types can be read even when up to 40% of the barcode is damaged.
The disadvantages of RFID are dead areas, orientation problems, security concerns, ghost tags, unread tags, and proximity issues. RFID works similar to the way a cell phone or wireless network does. Like these technologies, there may be certain areas that have weaker signals or interference. In addition, poor read rates are sometimes a problem when the tag is rotated into an orientation that does not align well with the reader. These issues are usually minimized by proper implementation of multiple readers and use of tags with multiple axis antennas. Because RFID is not a line-of-sight technology like barcoding, new security issues could develop. For