RFID Tag Anti-Collision Algorithms in Industrial Information Systems

Introduction

In recent decades, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been heavily used in industrial information systems (e.g., supply chain management, hospital inventory management, library automation, airport luggage management). For example, manufacturing in modern economies is organized around supply chains, which involve business processes ranging from product design to customer delivery. In a typical supply chain, raw materials are purchased from suppliers, and products are manufactured at one or more production plants (Pal, 2017, 2018). Then, they are transported to intermediate storage facilities (e.g., warehouses, distribution centers) for packing and shipping to retailers or customers. In this way, a supply chain consists of business entities in the chain, and these are the suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and end-customers. The ultimate performance of any supply chain is governed by the business practices and corporate behaviors of the involved stakeholders, such as suppliers, manufacturers, transport service providers, and technological infrastructure suppliers, and is enabled by public policies and the business environment.

Moreover, all supply chains share the following characteristics: (i) the supply chain comprises all business activities in order to supply a product or service to its end-customers; (ii) any number of supply chain partner organizations can be linked in the supply chain; (iii) a customer can be a supplier to another customer within the supply chain, which means that the entire network of activities can consist of several supplier/customer relationships; (iv) the path from supplier to customer, depending on the products and markets, can include several intermediaries (distributors) such as wholesalers, warehouses, and retailers. Product or service flows from supplier to customer are called downstream flows, while demand information from the customer to the supplier is called upstream flows.

In this way, a supply chain creates a complex business network. Given process decentralization, the efficient performance of a supply chain requires a high degree of visibility – defined as the capability of sharing on time and accurate data throughout the entire supply chain and coordination among supply chain partners. In today's global business environment, companies recognize the strategic importance of well-managed supply chains. For example, companies like Dell, Nokia, Intel, Toyota, Wal-Mart, Zara, and Li & Fun have based their corporate strategy on achieving supply chain superiority over competitors (Copacino & Anderson, 2003). These global companies have gained competitive advantages by effectively managing the complex web of supply chain process interactions extending across continents and enterprises in product procurement, manufacturing, and distribution. The requirements of modern supply chains are:

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  Connectivity: With an emphasis on making and maintaining connections between business partners, it characterizes the ability to exchange information within supply chain partners in a way that provides inter-organizational collaboration.

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  Integration: The ability to connect and coordinate business processes seamlessly. It improves supply chain business processes performance by establishing collaborative connections among partners. For example, seamless integration increases information transparency among partners and allows the pooling of inventories and sharing resources.

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  Visibility: Visibility refers to the capability to access or view data or information related to logistics and supply chains. For example, visibility is the ability of knowing where raw materials inventory for manufacturing, semi-finished products in the production line, and finished products are at any time. However, it is also actionable information that can help support customers at different interface points along the supply chain and improve business processes performance.

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  Responsiveness: The supply chain can react quickly to customer needs or specifications by delivering a product of the right quality, at the right time, at the right place at the lowest possible cost.

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  Lean and Agility: As an aspect of lean production, a lean supply chain depicts the state of business in which there is dynamic competition, and collaboration of equals in the supply chain, aimed at adding value at minimum total cost, while maximizing end customer service and product quality. Agility in contrast, refers to the ability to reconfigure supply chains with minimum effort.