An investigation into the use of RFID for the management of cold chain logistics

Abstract

Research has shown that substantial in transit losses in perishable cargo are sustained due to malpractices in cold chain logistics. Such losses are even more prevalent in developing countries where supply chain systems are not yet as advanced as those found within developed economies. This situation can be improved by using real time monitoring of refrigerated cargo, which implies the use of mobile communication technologies to sustain monitoring through the entire supply chain. This document investigates the application of remote sensing technologies, including RFID and GSM/ GPRS communications, to provide cost-effective solutions to the needs of the refrigerated supply chain industry. The investigation into the effective use of these types of systems was done by firstly evaluating the needs of the industry and the identification of the problem areas experienced in today’s cold chain. This process was completed through three steps: Firstly through the use of questionnaires to gather information from various parties throughout the cold chain; secondly through conducting first hand interviews with parties in the industry and finally by evaluating more than 80 days of cross border cold chain operations by means of data loggers in the trailers and physically accompanying consignments to evaluate the process as performed in the field. It was determined that a lack of visibility inside the trailers was the greatest shortcoming that needed to be addressed. It was furthermore established that this could be achieved by using a solution that is more user friendly and that achieves better integration with current industry processes than what is currently available from suppliers. Using the data collected from the field studies as reference, the suitability of several off the shelf RFID solutions were evaluated. By performing experiments both in a controlled laboratory environment and in field applications the areas where specific cold chain telemetry solutions would be the most beneficial were determined. Based on the information gathered from the investigation of the cold chain and the capabilities of RFID solutions to solve the identified issues, a software package was developed encompassing the identified needs. The software provides a user with capabilities to configure the available RFID hardware resources for use in the delivery of cold chain consignments according to its relevant temperature parameters. Furthermore it provides basic evaluation tools to evaluate temperature over the lifetime of the consignment and provide summary reports over this entire cycle. The evaluation of the software package indicated that it could provide enhanced visibility of perishable consignments in transit thus enabling improvements in the cold chain