Ville Hinkka

Supply chain typology for configuring cost-efficient tracking in fashion logistics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a typology of radio frequency identification (RFID)-based tracking solution designs to fit differing fashion supply chains. The typology is presented as principles of form and function contributing toward a design theory of configurable RFID tracking for fashion logistics. Design/methodology/approach – The typology is developed based on a case study of a logistics service provider (LSP) interested in designing a tracking solution for different customers in fashion logistics. In addition to the LSP, four fashion retailers were involved in the study. The case study was carried out using a review of existing RFID tracking implementations in the fashion industry, analysis of an RFID tracking pilot conducted by the case company, and interviews with representatives of the retailers. Findings – By varying three design parameters (place of tagging, place of tracking start and place of tracking end) a tracking solution can be configured to fit the requirements and ...

Unveiling the RFID business: a survey of the Finnish RFID sector

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been employed in several industrial domains in closed systems, but wide-scale adoption has yet to be achieved. A significant share of RFID deployments is related to access control and payment solutions, although industrial RFID applications (e.g. tracking and product identification) are also gaining ground. At European level, Finnish companies have been at the forefront of RFID adoption. This paper analyses the current state of the Finnish RFID sector, including the business models of RFID providers, the most important customer segments, and the challenges perceived in the providers’ operational environment. Consequently, it should be possible to predict the development of the RFID sector in Europe in the near future.

The European approach to addressing RFID privacy

RFID is being used increasingly in different applications in numerous industries. Many of these applications involve the collection and storing of sensitive data which should be treated accordingly. In the USA, consumer campaigns and the public atmosphere favouring privacy have influenced RFID system design by preventing piloting the solutions which may pose a risk to privacy. However, in Europe the number of RFID applications has increased without significant public attention towards privacy issues. Therefore, the European Commission attempts to highlight the importance of recognising the impacts of RFID applications towards privacy and the need to protect data by launching the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) framework. In Finland, where RFID use in companies is among the highest in Europe, RFID providers considered their competence in privacy and data protection issues to be quite high and they considered related legislation at least somewhat important to their business. Alternatively, their awareness on the PIA framework was slightly lower.

Decentralized approach to logistics execution monitoring in multi-actor network

To challenge dominant centralized solutions, a reference solution for transport execution monitoring was developed utilizing the messaging framework and the access point infrastructure in multi-actor network. The development required design of new standard, forwarder independent approach to logistics business information exchange, covering all transport modes and all stakeholders. The developed XML-based messaging framework and access point infrastructure enable the implementation of interoperable digital transport solutions at different stages of the transport process (booking, planning, monitoring, and completion). In the monitoring solution, notifications on the departure and arrival of shipments are received via Transport Status messages in real-time. The information transmitted can be manually input or it can come from automated identification solutions utilizing a variety of technologies like barcodes and RFID. The functional viewpoint of the monitoring application consists of two perspectives: the logistics service consumer (LSC) and the logistics service provider (LSP). Accommodating for both roles in one application offers some synergies compared to individual and dedicated solutions. Finally, the solution was tested in a business case to evaluate the benefits and weaknesses of the proposed solution comparing to predominant centralized solutions.