Following press releases, we can observe that most EPC/RFID technology implementations cover the area of broadly defined logistics, for which the most important levels of the packaging hierarchy are logistics units, collective packaging, and possibly returnable packaging. Until now, there have been no implementations of this innovative technology in Poland. This was changed by an implementation project of the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing (ILiM) carried out for Intersport Polska SA (Intersport), the main goal of which was to implement an EPC/RFID system for tracking returnable packaging moving between the distribution center and stores.
The “Logistyka” magazine has written many times about the operating principles of EPC/RFID technology, which is why this article focuses mainly on a detailed description of the implementation and an explanation of the functioning of the system implemented at Intersport Polska SA. Intersport is engaged in the retail sale of sports products in large-format sports stores located throughout Poland. From May to August 2009, ILiM carried out an implementation at the company, which consisted of designing and launching a world-class innovative EPC/RFID system allowing for the handling of logistics processes with complex configurations, with the possibility of secure network access. The project activities primarily included:
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designing and implementing an IT EPC/RFID system for the logistics process taking place in the warehouse
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implementing code markings compliant with the GS1 system and their conversion to the EPC number structure
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designing and manufacturing RFID gates for the implementation of warehouse processes in cooperation with the developed EPC/RFID IT system.
The basic assumption in the project of implementing the EPC/RFID system at Intersport was its strict dependence on existing, already implemented processes, especially in the context of the circulation of returnable assets between the central warehouse and stores.
An analysis of the processes taking place in the central warehouse and between the warehouse and sales outlets was the starting point of the project, determining the main directions of the EPC/RFID system’s operation. The 3 most important processes concerning the movement of returnable containers were analyzed:
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picking, dispatching at the central warehouse, and receiving returnable containers at the store
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dispatching returnable containers from the store and receiving them at the central warehouse
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inter-warehouse transfer, i.e., dispatch from store X – receipt at store Y.
For all operations and events related to the movement of returnable containers, within the framework of the processes mentioned above, appropriate functionality of the EPC/RFID system was designed, which is described in the further part of the article.
An important element of the entire system was the implementation of code markings for returnable containers. Markings compliant with the GS1 system were used, with the structure of the GRAI (Global Returnable Asset Identifier) number reflected in the EPCglobal standard. The GRAI identifier, which is an individual number for each Intersport returnable container, has in its structure both a part identifying the company and a serial element distinguishing each container. It is worth emphasizing that the serial number appearing in the EPC code is a number previously assigned by Intersport for returnable containers. Thus, as part of the implementation, the previously introduced identifiers of returnable containers were not changed, but only adapted to GS1 standards. The GRAI identifier was implemented in a dual form: a paper label and an RFID tag with the recorded EPC code. The main parts of the implemented solution are the developed RFID gates and the TaGS1 system, i.e., an EPCIS server provided by the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, operating in the company’s logistics center.
In Figure 3, the physical elements of the system are marked in green, i.e., two RFID gates registering the departure of containers from the logistics center and their re-receipt. The IT components are marked in blue. The visible elements of the TaGS1 system are:
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RFID server – an application managing RFID readers, filters, and aggregates readings from multiple readers
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data enrichment – an application that processes data according to the logic of Intersport’s processes, supplementing them with descriptive data coming from Intersport’s systems
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EPCIS – a database of observations of objects marked with EPC identifiers, registers data coming from both the logistics center (RFID) and stores (barcodes)
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user application – provides easy access to data in EPCIS, enabling the location of individual objects as well as the creation of complex reports.
The article comes from the “Logistyka” magazine 6/2009.