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3,736 page views
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Primary Functional Area : Life Cycle Logistics
RFID tagging is an ID system that uses small radio frequency identification devices for identification and tracking purposes. An RFID tagging system includes the tag itself, a read/write device, and a host system application for data collection, processing, and transmission. An RFID tag (sometimes called an RFID transponder) consists of a chip, some memory and an antenna.
RFID tags that contain their own power source are known as active tags. Those without a power source are known as passive tags. A passive tag is briefly activated by the radio frequency scan of the reader. The electrical current is small -- generally just enough for transmission of an ID number. Active tags have more memory and can be read at greater ranges. Active tagging has already earned a well deserved reputation for improving DoD’s capability for tracking material thru the supply chain. Adding the advantage of passive RFID technology will only create greater efficiency and data accuracy. In application, active RFID is used to tag freight containers and air transport pallets, whereas passive RFID is used to tag individual cases and pallet loads. Increasingly, RFID tagging is used in supply chain management as an alternative to the more familiar and far older bar code technology. Although more expensive to use than the bar code stickers, RFID tags don't get dirty, they don’t fall off, and they don’t require an unobstructed line-of-sight between the tag and the reader. There are almost endless possible uses for RFID tagging.
DoD will accept both classes of tags as long as they adhere to one of two standard constructs: the EPCglobal construct, or the DoD construct. Suppliers will be rarely obligated to apply active tags to shipping containers, but when they are obligated to do so, DoD will supply the tags. Suppliers, however, will be contractually obligated to apply passive tags to cases, and where appropriate, to pallets as well.
During transit, shipments are often reconfigured. For this reason, active tags must have a “read-write” capability in order for the tag to be updated. Use of the frequency spectrum is always a potential issue with RFID technology, especially in overseas locations. The frequency spectrum is tightly controlled by international protocols and jealously guarded by individual nations. Therefore, the AIT Program Office will assist operating commands with frequency management and the procurement of any and all RFID peripheral devices and ancillary equipment. It is an important principle of RFID tagging that they “ … may not cause electromagnetic interference to any other federal or civil RF device”. RFID technology will not cover bulk commodities such as sand and gravel, bulk liquids (such as water, chemicals or pipe-line POL), coal (and other such combustibles such as firewood), and agricultural products such as seed, grains, animal feed, and the like. For passive RFID to be as effective as possible, an “Advanced Notice” process must be resident in the DoD data environment. To be successful, everyone must participate, to include commercial suppliers. What this means is that the initiator of any shipment that is affixed with passive RFID technology must notify the receiver of the materiel in advance using standard electronic formats. What this does is establish an electronic record in the receiver’s database which can be matched once the RFID tag is “read” into the system. It is this process which allows RFID technology to establish a one of a kind identification for that specific item, thereby eliminating duplicate shipments. Failure to honor this advance shipping notice process will generate unnecessary record errors at the receiving end of a shipment.
An important consideration for all to be mindful of is the issue of funding. DoD considers the cost of implementing and operating RFID technology as a normal cost of doing business and as such all infrastructure will be funded by a unit’s O&M or Working Capital Fund appropriations. If the originating source for tagging is at a vendor’s location, it is the responsibility of the procuring agency to provide adequate RFID infrastructure to that vendor. Finally, it is the responsibility of Combatant Commanders to coordinate with their respective Service Components to ensure adequate en-route infrastructure is acquired and is effectively operating at key logistics nodes. With regard to levels of tagging, passive RFID tags will be attached to packaging at three levels: at the palletized unit load level; at the case, or carton, level; and at the unit pack level. Personnel working with passive tags must take note of very specific tagging protocols if the technology is to perform effectively. Some of the more important physical relationships between a tag and its packaging are: a minimum of two inches is required between a label and any edge of a package; for a shipping container residing on a pallet, an RFID label ought to be fixed at least 32 inches from the bottom of the case, but again, no closer than two inches from the top of the carton. What is crucial here is that all RFID tags should be affixed to packaging at suitable locations, not merely slapped on and then hope for the best. Ultimately, the location of a tag is basically driven by two factors: the first is to minimize the risk of damage to the tag; the second factor is readability, which can be problematic if the precautions cited here are not honored.
One final point on tagging is worth mentioning. In general, people are aware that RFID technology is capable of “finding” an individual item in a shipment, even if it is only a single piece in a 40 foot container. What most don’t know is how the technology is able to accomplish this. The method for achieving this critically important objective is called “nesting”. Nesting is an electronic process accomplished by hardware specifically designed for RFID technology, but it is not automatic. The nesting process is dependent upon the skills of a well trained operator, who “punches-in” specifically tailored data driven by the requirements of that specific shipment. Once the data points are loaded, the system manages the rest of the process. Specifically, nesting permits thousands of line items contained in a 40 foot container to be electronically “connected” all the way down to the piece part level if that is the requirement. A brief description of this process follows: an active tag is attached to the container (this is the only active tag required; all the rest are passive tags); the identification number on the active tag is electronically connected to the next layer of passive tagging, one tag per pallet; each pallet, in turn, will have all the boxes strapped to it tagged as well, each box electronically connected to that specific pallet; within each box, each line item, if desired, can also be tagged, which in turn is electronically connected to its respective box. In this manner, every single line item contained in that shipment is traceable through its intermediate level packaging and ultimately to its parent shipping container, that 40 foot van.
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Page Information
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Page Views
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3,736
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Created on
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3/16/2011
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Modified on
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2/3/2016
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Last Reviewed
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2/3/2016
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