RPCC Conducts RFID Field Trial
By Materials Handling.Net
Date Posted: 12/1/2007
The Reusable Pallet & Container Coalition (RPCC) is conducting the largest field trial of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology with reusable transport packaging, according to the organization. The field trial involves thousands of reusable containers with RFID tags for an application in the produce industry.
The containers, plastic and collapsible, are being used by growers in Washington and California to ship produce to Wal-Mart distribution centers. The produce is cleaned, and the tagged containers are subjected to washing, handling, refrigeration and storage before being shipped to retail stores. Eventually, the containers are collapsed and sent back through the supply chain for further cleaning, handling, and storage.
Each container will go through a minimum of three cycles of use. At the end of each cycle, the RFID tags are tested for viability, then re-encoded for the next cycle. The six-month field trial is expected to end in the spring 2008.
Because perishables are shipped under such demanding conditions, a successful field test in this application would demonstrate the feasibility of using RFID technology with reusable transport packaging in other industries, the RPCC said in a statement.
“There has never been an RFID-related field trial of this magnitude in the United States with so many key supply chain partners,” said Fred Heptinstall, president of the RPCC and an executive of IFCO Systems, a leading pallet supplier.
“The level of cooperation within the industry is truly remarkable,” he said. “And if the field trial results mirror the data from the laboratory testing, we will prove unequivocally that reusables are the enabler to the cost-effective use of RFID technology.”
The study is supported by a broad group of RPCC members and industry leaders representative of the supply chain. Besides Wal-Mart, participating companies include IFCO, ORBIS, Georgia-Pacific, Avery Dennison and others.
The large scale field trial follows rigorous laboratory testing at the Michigan State University School of Packaging. In the laboratory trials, 230 reusable containers with nine different EPC-compliant, Gen 2 RFID tags were vigorously tested. In addition, readability tests were conducted by a CalPoly scientist at a second laboratory, and results were verified by third-party advisors. The containers were subjected to vibration and drop tests on all edges as well as repeated cleaning and handling.
In addition to proving durability, the laboratory data demonstrated that it is possible to achieve 100% read rates 100% of the time, an industry first, according to the coalition. Three tags that performed optimally during the laboratory tests are being used in the field trial.
“The durability and readability of the RFID tags during the lab tests were superb,” said Pat Kennedy of the Kennedy Group, RPCC Project Leader.
“The information gathered from these studies will help businesses make data-driven decisions about the cost effectiveness and feasibility of incorporating reusable containers into their supply chains from an enhanced track and trace perspective,” Pat added.
When the field trial is completed, the RPCC will develop an economic model for integrating RFID tags with reusable transport packaging.
