Process integration for paperless delivery using EPC compliance technology

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline the research work of managing returnable assets such as pallets by radio frequency identification (RFID) methods on a national scale. Design/methodology/approach -The project is an extension of an earlier project which tracks pallets and cartons through a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chain. This extension project investigates how RFID information can be applied for integrating business processes. The project team developed a national business information network with electronic product code (EPC) compliance devices and systems. To implement an effective pallet management business process, the project team carried out detailed process modelling study of the effect of RFID processes and measured the improvement in performance and efficiency. Findings -The key to success in the extension project is the adoption of EPC compliance technology that enables efficient communication of business data across platforms and companies. The project found that there is an average 18 per cent improvement in system efficiency should an EPC compliance technology be adopted for supporting paperless proof of delivery. There are also additional administrative and unquantifiable savings in support systems and services.Research limitations/implications -The research is related to the FMCG industry sector. The business processes in this sector can vary significantly. The project is conducted under a controlled business environment on the condition that the changes would not affect main business activities of the partners. The system efficiency improvement and savings estimated from the project findings should be taken as reference figures only. Originality/value -The combination of process modelling approach and validation of system performance data by simulation in this paper provide a basis for generalisation of the methodology in similar national scale research studies. The estimated data could be used as reference for preliminary feasibility studies of similar EPC applications.

Business process analysis and simulation for the RFID and EPCglobal Network enabled supply chain: A proof-of-concept approach

“…The main purpose of the network is to link all physical objects together for enterprise applications, such as real-time object visibility, products track and trace system and also product authentication (Miragliotta et al, 2009;Smith, 2005;Trappey et al, 2009). The advantages of developing such international standards are interoperability, compatibility and exchangeability (Chalasani and Boppana, 2007;Mo et al, 2009). The EPCglobal Network conceptual architecture is illustrated in Fig.…”

“…According to the well-known EPCglobal Network, the data in both capturing and querying are standardized based on its schema (Chalasani and Boppana, 2007;Dong et al, 2006;Mo et al, 2009). The standard EPC processes are called ''EPC event'', which consists of four types: object, aggregation, quantity and transaction.…”

Extended system design for RFID enabled supply chains with non-RFID technologies

“…The 'national EPC network demonstration business information integration' (NDP extension) was the extension of NDP investigating how EPC information could drive business transactions in hiring of pallets (the asset) to achieve paperless (electronic) proof of delivery (Mo et al, 2009a). As assets moved between trading partners, irregularities were often ignore on the spot, but they were difficult to reconcile at a later date.…”

E-Government Challenge in Disaster Evacuation Response: The Role of RFID Technology in Building Safe and Secure Local Communities

“…In a different study on the strategic value of the RFID technology in logistics, the RFID benefits are discussed according to the strategic impact of the RFID technology on sourcing and manufacturing logistics, warehousing logistics, distribution logistics, and retailing logistics [16]. Furthermore, prior research identifies three strategic dimensions in analyzing the strategic impact of the RFID technology: process, information, and decisionmaking [31][32][33].…”