Warehouse Management Systems (RFID)

An RFID Enabled Warehouse or DC

There are several possibilities for how RFID technology can be utilized in warehouse and
distribution center, in concert with existing systems and other ADC technologies. Step by
step, here's one example of what could happen:
In receiving, items, cases and/or pallets are read by a portal reading unit placed at the
dock door as they are unloaded from the truck. Data are transferred into the warehouse
management system (WMS), updating its database. The system reconciles its orders and
sends back information that will allow some items to be cross docked for immediate
transport, while others can be staged and stored. If bar codes were being used here, all
received items would have to be scanned, their labels clearly visible, by workers, making
the process much more labor-intensive.

When stored on shelves with readers, the readers automatically record what items have
been placed there; when they are removed, the action is also automatically recorded. All
of this happens without human hands ever touching a scanner, keyboard or clipboard.
If cases are broken up and items repacked, each item is reassigned to a tagged case by
scanning the item's bar code or RFID tag and the case/pallet tag. That information
transfer initiates an assignment of the pallet or case to a truck or dock. Cases/pallets are
moved along conveyor belts, triggering readers along the way that track the movement
and also adjust conveyors as needed to redirect the cases/pallets.

Should there be a specific item out there that is needed to fill an order, a worker can go
through the aisles, with a handheld reader loaded with the needed unique ID, until the
unit beeps, locating the needle in the haystack with keen efficiency.
When cases/pallets are loaded back onto trucks, door-mounted units again record the
activity, updating the central database and also initiating a sequence that produces
documentation such as advance shipping notices (ASNs), packing slips, invoices, etc.