RFID

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification: a technology that identifies tags over radio frequency.

What sets it apart from barcodes

Two things: it needs no line of sight — the reader does not have to see the tag — and it allows many tags to be read at once, even inside a closed carton or as a full pallet passes through a portal.

A barcode is read one at a time and requires aiming. That difference stops being a convenience and becomes an economic factor when read volume is high.

Its real limits

• Cost per tag. Irrelevant against an aerospace component, prohibitive against a low-cost consumer product.
• Interference. Metal and liquids degrade the signal, and both are abundant in a warehouse: steel racking, canned product, liquid containers.
• Infrastructure. A handheld reader is not enough: antennas and portals must be installed and calibrated.

When it fits

When read volume is so high that unit scanning becomes the bottleneck, or when inventory must be counted without touching the goods.

A frequent middle ground is RFID at pallet level and barcodes at piece level: you get bulk reading where it matters without paying a tag per unit.

The warning

RFID accelerates data capture; it does not fix a disorderly process. Without defined locations and a WMS that directs, it delivers the same wrong information — only faster.