Logistics management is vital to the success of any company as it is a fundamental element in the operations and supply chain management. Aside from supervision and movement of assets, it also includes order fulfilment and management of inventory, transportation, and warehousing. Under globalization of enterprises, logistics becomes more complicated and inefficient without automation. It is critical to build a robust, automatic and effective logistics management system in order to identify, trace, capture and manage the asset information.
The solution to automation and optimization of processes in logistics management is to utilize NFC technology. Assets such as inventories, supplies, equipment, and even sensitive/classified documents are tagged with NFC tags/ labels for identification, tracking, traceability and authentication along the supply chain.
Automatic identification and data capture of assets offers real-time visibility for smooth incoming goods control, warehouse management and supervision of assets. With a system that caters to accurate real-time monitoring, rapid decisions and reactions can be made in order to comply with the fast-paced markets' demands.
Data captured by the NFC tags/ labels is self-defined. It can be country of origin, date of manufacturing, expiry date and product status, etc. Bundled with other internet of things (IoT) devices such as smart thermometers and humidity sensors, product descriptions can be stored in NFC tags/ labels. Likewise, when proper descriptions are accurately stored in NFC tags/labels and transaction are logged properly, different stakeholders handling different parts of the process can help to monitor and identify the assets. If an asset is found to be invalid or defective, it can be discovered and isolated quickly from other valid and working assets.
The logistics management solution adopting NFC technology improves workers’ experience, boosts customer service, and significantly reduces operational or administrative costs associated with human error. What better way to implement an NFC-based solution than to incorporate Circle NFC contactless readers and NFC tags/labels in order to revolutionize your logistics management system?
Assets can be identified and tracked accurately throughout the supply chain using NFC-enabled smart phones or active devices with NFC contactless readers. With a tagged asset tapped on an NFC contactless reader, all data can be read, displayed, and updated securely in real-time to the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
On the other hand, NFC tags are designed to have high rates of computing capabilities. Therefore, once paired with fast and reliable NFC readers, accuracy and efficiency of processing assets are achieved.
There are different types of tags/ labels with built-in encryption and security algorithms (e.g. AES, 3KDES, etc) which enable high integrity of asset data and protect it from eavesdropping. NFC technology provides safe connection to data captured including certifications and product conditions. Individual item tracking serves as a solution to prevent counterfeit products and protecting the assets from theft and tampering.
There are NFC tags that can be pre-programmed to be read-only to consumers depending on the kind of assets they are tagged with. These taggable assets such as clothing and wearables, food and beverages, tools and equipment, pharmaceutical drugs, and other items that can be purchased or accessed by ordinary individuals are part of this category. The ease and speed of accessing the information of the tagged assets using NFC-enabled devices allows consumers greater transparency of the products and can therefore solve counterfeiting issues. On the other hand, product transparency is also a strategic tool for manufacturers and retailers to bridge their marketing campaign by exposing potential customers to their websites and social media accounts.
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