Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 82 | Page 17

INDUSTRY VIEW
A fixed barcode scanner could be used to record a pallet ’ s movements and report the last-known location .
last known location – not the current location , unless the pallet just happens to still be sitting in the same spot .
RFID tags , on the other hand , do not require that direct line of sight . An RFID reader can find a pallet ’ s location if it is within a certain range , which can be upwards of three metres . That makes RFID preferable when trying to explain where things might have been lost or , better yet , prevent future losses .
That said , barcode-derived location data is better than no location data . It adds more context to the story you seek to uncover about those business anomalies . So , at the very least , pallets should be given the opportunity to speak through barcode technology .
Trying to get to the bottom of quality-related losses that are showing up in the books ? There are plenty of sensors that are keen to tag along with pallets as environmental overseers . Their sole job is to monitor the climate conditions that palletised goods experience on their journeys .
So , if other sources indicate an increased level of waste or suspected quality degradation occurring during the shipment or storage of food , beauty products , flowers , or even electronics , sensors can help confirm why these issues are occurring .
Even if that sensor cannot call for help in real time – it cannot connect to a network or it serves as a more passive observer – it is still a valuable source of information that remains significantly untapped by organisations in the Middle East .
Key takeaways
• Criminal mischief or accidental mishandling are not the only threats to on-time delivery of goods .
• Operations are limited by ability to get equipment , supplies , stock to the right place at the right time
• Establishing safe travel lanes for goods and ushering them on an uninterrupted journey can be challenging when they go dark .
• The pallet is no longer just a physical mechanism to move larger quantities of goods as one .
• Pallet can be the digital conduit used to transmit data points that every CIO needs to understand for supply chain operations .
• RFID tags do not require that direct line of sight .
• RFID reader can find a pallet ’ s location if it is within a certain range .
• RFID is preferable when trying to explain where things might
have been lost .
• Barcode-derived location data is better than no location data .
• Pallets should be given the opportunity to speak through barcode technology .
• Barcode technology requires someone to have line of sight to the pallet as it passes .
• Automated data ingestion , aggregation , analysis , must be set up to interpret what a pallet is communicating .
• Systems must be able to identify and alert , unexpected patterns in pallet movements and unexpected patterns of supply chain operation .
It is not enough to give a pallet a digital voice . Automated data ingestion , aggregation , and analysis systems must be set up to interpret what it is communicating . These systems must be able to identify and alert someone to unexpected patterns in each pallet ’ s movements or exposures – and the patterns of the entire pallet-reliant supply chain operation . •
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS 17