RFID Pilot in Supply Chain Management

UKITA Members, The University of Wolverhampton’s School of Computing and IT is to embark on a two year pilot scheme to build a system using RFID (Radio-frequency Identification) tags to trace and authenticate the source of food items; an increasing concern for retailers and consumers. IT Futures, an initiative set up by Advantage West Midland’s ICT Cluster, is based at the University and is renowned for its expertise in and use of RFID technology.

 The production and distribution of food is the largest and principal activity for all countries across the world.  However, there is growing concern over quality assurance and food counterfeiting such as the use of low-grade meat. 

The purpose of the project, named RFID-F2F, funded by the European Commission, is to demonstrate the use of RFID at all stages of the production and sales chain, allowing products to be tracked across Europe, from the producer to the end consumer. The RFID technology enables all the details of a food item's history to be stored on a database, including detail of the farmer, the manufacturer, the storage conditions and transportation.

“There are huge potential returns on investment for RFID along the supply chain including reduced wastage, optimising logistics costs, improved quality of consumer goods and the provision of authenticated premium items,” explains Mike Musson, ICT Cluster Manager.  “We aim to raise awareness among companies, in particular SMEs, of the potential benefits associated with the use of RFID technology, through live implementations in the region.”

“IT Futures has been at the forefront of RFID technology for a number of years, and I’m delighted that our capabilities have been recognised by the EC for this invaluable project.  Through the West Midlands Regional Centre for RFID, we have gained experience of tracing food and that has proved to be a decisive factor in gaining the project,” comments Robert Newman, Professor of Computer Science, School of Computing & IT, University of Wolverhampton.

The project will involve international as well as West Midlands-based producers, processors, logistics and retail organisations.  Businesses interested in participating in the project should contact: Lynsey Jones, 01902 323396.   
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