Track and trace isn’t simple anymore. It is more about sophisticated systems that can effectively manage products and make identifying, monitoring, and safeguarding items in the supply channel easier. Besides Beyond Barcodes, these technologies can provide new possibilities to satisfy the needs of contemporary logistics.
This technological field has developed better solutions for tracking and protecting products. This review delineates the near-advent that is energizing these advances.
This article will also focus on the concepts of the track-and-trace technologies in use today and the more familiar barcodes to determine how they can optimize supply chain visibility, accuracy, and security. Let me introduce future topics related to supply chain management, such as RFID, blockchain, and IoT.
The Flaws and Drawbacks of the Conventional Barcode System
Hence, the following are the drawbacks of the traditional barcodes:
Barcodes are thus essential tools of supply chains. They have been used in different production processes for several years to locate goods until they enter the consumer market. Barcodes provide an efficient way of depositing product details, which can be barcoded at some point in the supply chain. However, the effectiveness of barcodes is limited by conditions that can turn them into a disaster in modern societies.
Advanced Technologies Promising to Go Beyond Barcodes
While barcode problems become apparent, manufacturers opt for new technologies that provide more advanced track-and-trace solutions. Contrary to conventional technologies that enable simple product identification, these technologies offer real-time visibility, high security, and increased data capacity.
1. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)
RFID technology refers to electronic tags attached to objects that use electromagnetic fields to locate and monitor the tag.RFID tags can hold much more information than barcodes and do not have to be scanned directly, thus making them quite useful. This makes it possible to finish the scans quickly, even in the most complicated situations. RFID tags can also be rewritten, enabling their usage in tracking items likely to undergo state changes, for example, due to temperature changes.
2. Blockchain technology
Blockchain technology is one of the latest innovations currently being used to change the way supply chains are managed. Each supply chain action is saved as a block that cannot be edited, deleted, or modified and added to the supply chain list. This allows for transparency and security that is difficult to duplicate, making it more difficult for counterfeit or substandard products to enter the market.
3. Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term for a complex of interconnected objects capable of collecting and sending information in real-time within a network.
For Track and Trace in IoT areas, devices can detect the status of goods and their location at any time within the supply chain. For instance, pack, rack, shock, and other sensors can be anchored on products or their packaging, and this will help detect how products are handled and whether they undergo the right conditions warranted under supply chains.
Beyond Barcode: Track and Trace in the Future
Thus, as the global supply chain systems become more complex, the support technology must follow the same route. However, getting beyond barcode solutions isn’t just the case of better tools. It’s the case of reaffirming product identification and tracking at the primary level.
Application of emerging technologies such as RFID, blockchain, and IoT are already at the forefront with better transparency, security, and efficiency. Adopting these technologies helps organizations address the requirements of the contemporary supply chain environment and enhance organizational competitiveness in a constantly growing and changing environment.
Here’s a more concise version of the points:
Customization and Flexibility:
RFID, blockchain, and IoT are more effective track-and-trace technologies than barcodes. These solutions have more targeted trajectories for industries to meet the needs of specific sectors and are considered more computerized and selective methods than barcodes.
Real-Time Data and Analytics:
These technologies facilitate real-time data gathering and product tracking, helping companies prevent problems and make strategic decisions to improve the supply chain.
Consumer trust and transparency:
Through blockchain, the various contingents can provide consumers with transparency of the origin and journey of products with less doubt, enhancing brand value.
Conclusion
Barcodes have been our good friends for many years, but it is high time we upgraded them to superior track and trace techniques. These new technologies offer the fundamental means to tackle the problems of the contemporary supply chain and build confidence that the products sold are natural, safe, and of the best quality. Looking at the future, it will be imperative to continue working on and adopting the technologies above to strengthen trust in global supply chains.
Discover how RFID, blockchain, and IoT go beyond barcodes, transforming track and trace solutions with real-time visibility, security, and data capacity.