MAPS Analysis - UCL Computer Science
New Technology Ventures
A report on
Market Feasibility Study on RFID and Baggage Handling
Bala Krishnan
Simon Longbottom
(This report contains 25 pages in total)
Daniele Quercia
John Strafford
New Technology Ventures
RFID and Baggage Security
CONTENTS
RFID technology advantages over barcode
Technology showstoppers? What factors might limit adoption?
Is the timing right from a technology perspective?
RFID baggage handling submarket analysis
Baggage handling segment growth
IATA contribution towards standardization
Competitive environment for RFID baggage handling solutions
Is the timing right from the industry perspective? What is happening?
Current projects for RFID handling systems
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INTRODUCTION
What is RFID?
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. Quite simply it describes the method by which a subject can identify itself, on request, by the transmission of identification information through the medium of radio waves. The subject can be either
Animate: such as Humans, Dogs or farm animals etc, OR
Inanimate: packaged foods, cars, or consumer goods
History of RFID and adoption
RFID was first discovered and used in the Second World War to allow the British to differentiate between friendly and enemy airplanes. The British warplanes were fitted with a transponder that woke up when a British Radar signal was detected and then transmitted a friendly signal back towards the source, indicating that the plane was friendly.
Though invented in wartime, in more peaceful times RFID research and development has been driven forward by the promises of significant cost reduction and a multitude of exciting value added services. In its early commercial manifestations each item to be tagged had a small electronic assembly (a transponder) fitted to it that would respond with a burst of radio frequency (RF) carrier modulated identification data when interrogated by a RF signal (on a different frequency) from either a hand-held scanner/reader, or one mounted, say, in a doorway. This burst of identifying data was intercepted by the scanner, decoded and used to both identify the tagged item and for it to be counted. The early RFID tagging means were battery powered (so called active devices). These were not only costly, but also relatively bulky. Since then RFID use, and potential, has greatly increased in large part due to the unit cost, size and power needs, of the essential ‘tag’ having decreased by many orders. Despite the duration of its history RFID technology is still in its application formative years. Chart 1 gives a sample overview of the development of RFID applications with time, and some of the major activities that have lead to the current rapid uptake of the technology.
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In many applications RFID tags replace barcodes, which have proven excellent for tracking products through checkpoints for more than forty years (i.e. at the point of sale on the way out of the supermarket for instance). However, the humble barcode suffers from a number of drawbacks. More specifically barcodes
are limited to the data printed on them and cannot be updated, other than by
replacement or sticking a label over them (which may be labour intensive).
need to be substantially flat for reliable reading. are typically (but not always) paper labels, or printed on paper based packaging, and therefore prone to damage.
typically provide inventory data to the level of product category.
are very unlikely to show through which distribution depots and transport means the product arrived at the point of sale.
As will be seen later in this paper, RFID technology overcomes the limitations of barcodes.
But as with barcodes, to gain wide international acceptance as the preferred means for
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RFID and Baggage Security inventory control systems there will have to be open standards for their use. Further if
RFID technology is to become as ubiquitous as barcodes in the distribution chain, then the unit cost of the ‘tag’ will need to be substantially as cheap as the printed barcodes.
Arguably, an RFID tag may never become as cheap as the printed barcode incorporated on the ‘cereal box packaging’, but because of RFID’s advantages they may become the preferred inventory control means for consumer durables, and high value capital goods etc.
Why is RFID exciting?
RFID addresses and resolves all of the limitations highlighted above and with fantastic prospects for further technology development offers a multitude of new and exciting applications. Imagine for instance your clothes containing miniature RFID tags that when placed in the washing machine, could tell the product how best to wash and care for it. Or forget reading the instructions on the back of a microwave ready meal, with RFID tags on the packaging the microwave could just read and follow the instructions automatically, only informing you when you need to take action. These are just two of the value added services that might enrich the world through the adoption of cheap RFID technology.
So, where is RFID on Gartner’s Hype Curve in 2005?
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This figure shows that Gartner believe RFID to be 5 to 10 years from mainstream adoption.
However, by this placement, it would seem that RFID is on the verge of emerging from the hype surrounding the technology and starting to deliver on some of its extravagant claims. To understand this reasoning, it is necessary to fully examine the current status of RFID development.
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TECHNOLOGY
How does RFID work?
Tag
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Antenna
Microchip
RFID Device
Host Subtrate
Reader
The RFID ‘tag’ is essentially a memory device with a means of revealing and communicating its memory contents, when prompted (scanned) to do so. The memory consists of a plurality of binary (two state) digits, also known as bits, and the communication comprises RF reception and transmission means. The binary data (bits) are formed into binary words comprising typically 8, or 16 or 32 bits that can make up letters and numbers in the same manner as in computing, the Internet and ‘texting’ on a mobile phone. There are two broad categories of RFID system: Active, and Passive.
Active RFID tags contain a power source (normally a battery or are solar powered) and are able to transmit a radio frequency wave with the identification information contained in the tag’s microchip. If there is sufficient memory available, the microchip might contain additional information (such as the washing/care instructions should the tag be from an item of clothing).
There are two types of Active RFID tag: Active Transponder and Active Beacon.
An active transponder tag transmits information only when awoken by a reader, whereas a beacon tag transmits its information at certain preset intervals (to conserve power).
As these devices have their own power source, they are able to transmit a strong radio wave over relatively large distances (20-100 meters).
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In contrast, passive RFID tags do not contain a power source. These tags are designed such that they are able to draw a small amount of energy from an incoming Radio Wave, which awakens the Microchip and piggy backs its unique identification signal onto the reflected wave, which is emitted from the antenna.
As passive RFID tags contain no power source the range over which they operate is quite small (0.05-10 m). The following table summarises the differing properties and performance of the two different categories of RFID tag.
RFID Category Type Active Passive
Power source Yes (battery or solar power) No
Transmission range
Price
High (20 – 100 m)
High ($10 - $50)
Low (0.05 – 10 m)
Low (20 – 40c)
The data in the RFID tag memory may be pre-loaded (determined at time of manufacture) as a Read Only Memory (ROM), or may be dynamically variable (Static Random Access
Memory) and take up the status of the last write/read cycle. The data is always read out serially so that it can be correctly parsed. The information contained in the RFID tag memory is deliberately kept to a minimum, and typically, dependent upon the data format
(its syntax, numerical format – decimal, hexadecimal etc) requires translating into a human readable form via a host system.
RFID technology advantages over barcode
Compared to barcode inventory control systems RFID technology has significant advantages, many of which are outside of product manufacture and distribution chain applications. Some of these include
Not requiring line of sight access to be read.
The tag can trigger security alarm systems if removed from its correct location.
Scanner/reader and RFID tag are not (so) orientation sensitive.
Automatic scanning and data logging is possible without Operator intervention.
Each tag can hold more than just a unique product code.
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Each item can be individually ‘labelled’.
Tag data can be comprehensive, unique in parts/common in parts, and is compatible with data processing.
With the right technology a plurality of tags can be concurrently read
It can be read only or read-write.
There is a very high level of data integrity (character check sum encoding).
Provides a high degree of security and product authentication – a tag is more difficult to counterfeit than a barcode.
The supporting data infrastructure can allow data retrieval and product tracking anywhere provided the scanner/reader is close enough to the tag.
Combined with its authentication is the ability to monitor shelf life – a societal advantage in the pharmaceutical and food industry.
Since each tag can be unique they can act as a security feature if lost or stolen e.g. a stolen smart travel card can be cancelled.
The technology is rugged and can be used in hostile environments such as down oil wells (heat and pressure) to carry data to remote equipment.
The technology lends itself to being updated, for example, as a car goes through its life its service record can be electronically logged with the car.
The technology could be adapted to a range of circumstances for instance a chip could be inserted within a suit so that when it is sent to the cleaners it automatically gets the right cleaning procedure applied to it.
The technology can be used to increase security for instance monitoring if a child leaves a school in an unauthorised manner.
Applications
The applications for RFID tags are numerous and some of the most innovative and successful may yet to be identified. However, initially the applications fall into the following sub divisions.
Manufacturing
Supply Chain Management
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Security Access & Control
Asset Tracking
Payment
Manufacturing
Within the manufacturing environment RFID tags have been used for the past decade to greatly improve operating efficiencies. Individual parts can be monitored as they pass through the process and throughput times calculated. In this way bottlenecks can be discovered and inventory build-ups identified. RFID also allows for easier tracking of parts usage and re-ordering of components can be timed to minimise the costs of holding unnecessary inventory. Therefore providing support for JIT manufacturing processes.
Supply Chain Management
In a bid to boost efficiencies and reduce costs, companies are seeking to employ RFID to further streamline their operations. The large supermarket chains, such as Walmart, are at the forefront of this development. The reasoning is that a deeper knowledge of where exactly products are in the supply chain should help the company to identify areas where unnecessary costs or inefficiencies are occurring that could impact the companies costs and thereby their profit margins. For example, real-time knowledge of which products are selling well on the shop floor can easily be linked to the companies ordering system placing up-to-the-minute demand data in the hands of the supplier.
Security Access & Control
RFID tags have been used for some time to replace swipe cards in gaining access to restricted access areas of buildings i.e. entry doors to a commercially sensitive area of an
R&D company for example. However, more recently RFID has been touted as a possible replacement to the information contained in paper passports. Electronic passports could carry personal data about the individual such as fingerprints and other biometric data as well as any convictions that person may have received.
Asset Tracking
RFID tags can be used to track the location of all kinds of physical assets from cars to library books. The principle purpose behind this application is the desire to know the whereabouts of an asset whenever the information is required. In a library for instance a
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RFID and Baggage Security misplaced book could be lost indefinitely causing lost revenue in rentals and perhaps even unnecessary replacement. As a proportion of revenue, this can cost Libraries a small fortune. However, with the advent of low cost RFID tags in books a systematic sweep of the library with a suitable reader should determine the exact locations of all of the books and those that were misplaced could be easily identified. Likewise RFID tags can be deployed to track stolen goods such as cars.
Payment Systems
There are many areas where the time taken to receive payment for goods or services can be a major bottleneck in the process and cause major delays and queuing. Two examples of this would be road toll payments and at the supermarket checkout. In these areas RFID can offer significant reductions in the bottleneck, reducing queuing times and thereby improving efficiency. RFID tags in cars allow the driver to drive straight through the toll crossing without slowing down, knowing that the payment with be automatically deducted.
At the supermarket if all the items in the basket have RFID tags the user can simply push the trolley through a reader, which will scan the goods, calculate the price and deduct the money from the customer’s bank account by way of the RFID chip in his/her wallet.
Technology showstoppers? What factors might limit adoption?
There are a number of technological barriers, which must be overcome for many of the above applications to become a reality:
Problems with Tag Reading
1.
Location/position of tag
2.
Interference
3.
Signal absorption
High tag Manufacturing Cost
Tag Reading
One technological problem that may inhibit the take up of passive RFID tags in many markets such as the supermarket business is the difficulty of reliably reading tags on all products.
Metal packaged products reflect radio waves and these reflections can cause serious interference. Similarly, packaged liquid products such as soups or bottled drinks can
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Products on shelves are rarely assembled with a consistent orientation and this can cause the reader to fail to pick up certain products.
Tag Manufacturing Cost
Large capital investments are required to set up the capability to make passive RFID tags in large quantities. As a result, large order quantities are required to recover the upfront investment in the manufacturing technology.
Therefore, it has been a goal of the industry to find a single generic tag design, which can be used, in as many different applications as possible. Driving up the potential market size for that product and thereby reducing the tag cost.
As a corollary to this, it is possible to overcome some of the tag reading issues mentioned above by using smart tag design. However, custom designed RFID tags tend to be expensive and they also reduce the market size for that particular tag design.
Is the timing right from a technology perspective?
Currently there are many companies engaged in R&D activities with similar goals of reducing tag cost and improving reading accuracy/reliability. As a result of this, no consensus on the various standards that lie behind these different variants has emerged.
As a result, it seems that the technology is still not quite mature enough to move forward to the mass adoption phase for passive RFID tags.
Lessons learnt from the take up of barcodes would suggest that the technology needs to be mature enough that industry standards can be adopted before a technology will achieve the mainstream.
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THE RFID MARKET
Market Size & Growth
The global market for RFID tags and equipments is big. Such a market has already reached
$1.7 billion in 2004 and is expected to reach $5.9 billion by 2008 1 . Venture Development
Corporation predicts that the market will grow by 36% annually through 2008 2 .
In 2004, the global market has grown 23.5% from 2003. A survey of 500 companies by AMR
Research further supports the positive trend: it expects corporate RFID spending to increase by 16% from 2005 to 2006, and by 20% from 2006 to 2007. The shipment of
RFID tag readers will reach 1.6 million hardware units by 2007
3
.
Macro-trends
We now take a look at whether general market trends favour the adoption of RFID technology.
Socio-cultural trends
RFID technology leads to privacy and safety concerns, which may hinder its adoption
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.
After purchase, tag serial numbers can be read at a distance without the owner knowledge.
As serial numbers uniquely identify items, tag (serial number) reading means item tracking.
This leads to privacy concerns (e.g., when tracking personal items) and safety issues (e.g., when a malicious person scans shopping bags so to detect the presence of luxury items).
These concerns may, in turn, hinder RFID customer adoption.
Technological trends
Standardization is emerging and favours RFID adoption. Although a unique RFID standard does not currently exist (there are more than a dozen manufacturers and competing standards), a new promising standard (Gen2) has been recently proposed.
Furthermore, 20 companies announced the industry’s first patent-licensing consortium last month
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.
Another favourable trend is the decreasing cost of RFID tags.
Average unit cost of first generation tags has gone down from a few dollars to 12 cents.
1 RFID's Second Wave. Business Week. AUGUST 9, 2005. Available on http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc2005089_4131_tc_215.htm
2
RFID Business Planning Service. 2005-2006 Global Asset and Transaction Management Systems. Venture Development Corporation
3 RFID. Allied Business Intelligence.
4 How RFID works. Technology Review. March 2004.
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New Study Shows Strategic Shift of RFID Hardware Vendors. PR Newswire Europe. October 11, 2005.
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Regulatory trends
Regulatory trends are favourable. For example, European regulations have been changed to allow RFID tags to work in the Ultra-High Frequency range. As a consequence, tags are able to operate in both Europe and US, and vendors can thus offer one single product to
Market segments
Traditional applications drive the current RFID market. These applications include access control, toll collection, and transportation.
However, the traditional segments are reaching saturation, and emerging application segments are expected to create new opportunities for RFID market growth
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. Table 1 shows the fastest growing RFID market segments.
Table 1 – From: Global Markets and Applications for RFID and Contact less
Smartcard Systems – VDC, 2002
Let us now focus on the fastest growing RFID market segment: that of baggage handling.
RFID baggage handling submarket analysis
Baggage handling segment growth
The market for RFID systems for air transportation is expected to grow and will reach
$236.4m in 2008
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.
Management and technology consulting firm BearingPoint has conducted a study
to assess the financial factors involved in implementing RFID for baggage tracking, i.e.,
6 The Global Markets and Applications for Radio Frequency Identification and Contactless Smartcard Systems,
4 th Edition, February 2003, VCD.
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Alien Buys Airport Systems Integrator. May 25, 2005.
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RFID and Baggage Security whether there is a compelling business case for RFID deployment by airlines and airports.
A finding from the study was that baggage tagging best serves larger airlines and airports with hub-and-spoke flight networks rather than midsize airlines and airports that focus on point-to-point traffic.
IATA contribution towards standardization
The biggest barrier to adoption of RFID in the baggage-handling segment is the lack of standardization. Once a standard will emerge, RFID bulk purchases are possible and, as a result, the average tag unit cost will considerably decrease.
To address the problem, the IATA has been hard at work in aligning the industry. IATA first produced a recommended practice several years ago through the Simplifying the
Business initiative, which provided a basic framework for RFID use. The recommended practice was reviewed and amended in 2004 August, settling on UHF tags for baggage encoded under ISO rules.
And just recently in November 2005, IATA has introduced a global standard for RFID baggage tags that paves the way for widespread use of RFID for baggage management by airports and airlines. The standard was unanimously endorsed by IATA member airlines at the IATA Joint Passenger Services Conference held in Geneva.
The introduction of IATA standard RP1740c sends a clear signal to RFID chip manufacturers that there is a new market segment to address which should help drive RFID baggage tag prices down from the current US$ 0.21 average.
The new standard confirms the use of frequency ranging from 850MHz to 950MHz, also known as UHF, which is licensed by different countries at different bands and powers for the RFID chips. Other protocols that will be employed address
the way in which the reader talks to the tag and the way the tag responds; the way data is delineated and compressed for storage; commands that are available to interact with the tag.
8 Tuning the signal: successful implementation of radio frequency identification. BearPoint Report.
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According to IATA, the milestones for upgraded Simplifying the Business project include
100% electronic ticketing by end 2007, the use of bar coded boarding passes, common use self service check-in and IATA e-freight which will free cargo of paper by the end of 2010.
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THE BAGGAGE HANDLING INDUSTRY
Introduction
The market analysis shows that airport baggage handling is the fastest growing RFID application. Furthermore, the business case demonstrates how RFID can add significant value across the baggage handling process in reduced luggage loss and improved customer service (i.e. reduced transit times, luggage segregation etc). The major airlines stand to benefit a great deal from the cost savings involved in an improved baggage handling system. However, who else stands to gain from this new opportunity?
The major players
The table below highlights the key players in the industry for baggage handling RFID systems.
Suppliers
Rivalry
Buyers
Alien
Tags Integrated
Systems
Providers
Symbol
IT
Consultants
&
Implementers
IBM
Baggage
Handling
System
Providers
Alstec
Aiport
Authorities
BAA
Airlines
British
Airways
EM
Microelectronic
FKI
Logistex
Escort Memory
Systems
Alien
(Quatrotec)
Accenture
Tagsys
SCS corp
Deloitte
McKinsey &
Co.
Siemens
Logistics &
Assembly
Systems
Fabricom
Airports
Systems
IATA -
International
Air Transports
Association
ACI - Airports
Council
International
Delta
G&T
Conveyer
Airport
Operators
Association
FKI Logistex CAA - Civil
Aviation
Authority
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Competitive environment for RFID baggage handling solutions
So, looking at the Industry from the standpoint of the baggage handling system providers, what does the industry environment look like? Does it look like a business they would like to be involved in? Porters five forces model was used to consider this question and the results are summarised below:
Threat of entry:
LOW
Baggage handling system integrators locked into contracts making entry difficult (they tend to manage and maintain the baggage systems)
Significant learning curve
RFID is a small part of their business
Buyer power:
MEDIUM
Airlines and Aiport authorities collaborate to award contracts increasing their buying power.
However there are a large number of airlines and airport authorities worldwide.
Competitive rivalry:
LOW
Small number of large players serving a very large market
Growth is predicted to be high with plenty of room for all
Players tend to be locked into long term contracts with airport authorities
Supplier power:
MEDIUM
High concentration of suppliers for tags, but not for systems integration and implementation services
Low technology differentiation due to new IATA standards
Note: Supplier consolidation could significantly strengthen supplier power!
Threat of substitutes:
LOW
No immediate substitute to follow RFID on the horizon
Once implemented, switching costs from
RFID are high
However, barcodes currently much cheaper
Industry Summary
Porters’ five forces analysis demonstrates the competitive attractiveness of the RFID baggage handling market from the perspective of a current system integrator of baggage handling systems such as Alstec or Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems.
The baggage handling industry is comprised of several large systems integrators with a significant worldwide market to cover.. These companies compete for very large contracts, which usually take several years to complete. Baggage handling systems are mechanically complex and therefore require constant maintenance and support following installation. As a result, many of the baggage systems integrators also provide services to run the baggage system following installation; this in turn leads to strong relations between the airline industry and the baggage system suppliers. As RFID technology is really just a complementary bolt-on to their existing business model there are significant barriers to entry (and learning curves) associated with entering the business.
As a result of the above, we conclude that the Baggage Handling System integrators are in a good position to benefit form the take up of RFID technology.
Is the timing right from the industry perspective? What is happening?
There are number of trials of RFID technology occurring. The following is a summary of this activity.
Current projects for RFID handling systems
The first installation of an RFID baggage handling system was a trial coordinated by the delta airline and the Transportation Security Administration. The project piloted an RFID baggage handling system installed at Jacksonville International Airport in Florida for one month. FKI Logistex was contracted to design, produce and install the system. FKI chose
Matrics to supply the RFID hardware for this project
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.
While the trial only lasted for one month, Jacksonville has a permanent RFID system that is only used to track selected baggage. The RFID hardware for this system was provided by SCS corp. of San Diego.
9 Baggage handling upgraded to meet strict regulations. Modern Materials Handling. Oct 2003
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Finding your luggage in a whole sea of Samsonite. Business 2.0. Sept 2004
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The second RFID baggage handling installation is also being installed by FKI. McCarran
International Airport in Las Vegas will be the first airport to install an airport wide RFID handling system. For the project the airports general construction contractor, Flagship construction Co, hired FKI Logistex. The contract is worth $8 million to FKI Logistex.
Matrics who are supplying the RFID hardware have a five-year contract to supply 100 million RFID tags
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. FKI Logistex also has a contract for a RFID handling system at
Atlanta airport.
Matrics also have revenue from a direct-to-end user agreement with Hong Kong
International Airport. This is a $3.5 million deal to install readers in baggage handling facilities
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San Francisco International Airport also has a RFID baggage handling system. Quatrotec using hardware from Alien Technologies carried out this project.
Strategic partnerships and relationships between RFID industry and baggage handling industry
The majority of relationships between the RFID industry and the baggage handling industry involve the supply of RFID hardware to systems integrators. However; Alien
Technologies, a leading RFID hardware manufacturer, recently turned this trend on its head by acquiring Quatrotec
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, a provider of systems and integration services to the air transportation industry. This forward integration into the distribution chain represents a different strategy to Matrics, which has mainly supplied this particular market through the systems integrator, FKI Logistex. Alien is now positioned to supply RFID handling and screening systems to airports directly.
In the RFID industry Matrics has recently been acquired by Symbol, originally a supplier of bar-code scanners to track inventory
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.
11
Every Bag in Place. Mechanical Engineering. April 2004
12 Lining Up the Luggage. Air Transport World. June 2005
13 Alien Buys Airport Systems integrator. RFID Journal. May 25 2005
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Symbol buys Matrics Inc. for $230 million. Washington Times. July 2004
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Let’s analyse four reasons for baggage delay in an airport and how a RFID infrastructure would manage them:
The bag arrived too early and was stored.
The RF reader on the entrance to the store monitors all the baggage entering and leaving the storage area. At the appropriate time, the store operator is notified that there are bags in the store for the flight and is instructed to collect them;
The bag was delayed due to processing through security or other steps . When your bag is waiting in a queue for processing, nobody knows if the bags in front of it are more or less urgent. With RFID, it would be possible to know exactly which bags were urgent and which have a greater window for processing;
The baggage system had a fault and could not deliver the bag to the departing aircraft.
When a baggage problem like this occurs, what matters most is the time to recovery. With RFID, you can read a number of bags and identify the ones that could still be saved, and prioritise the return of others. There is no point in re-scheduling bags for an evening flight in the morning, whilst the bags that could travel straight away are left waiting;
The bag arrived too late and could not be processed in time.
Even RFID cannot offer a time machine for your bag. So if you have checked in too late, or your inbound aircraft has been delayed, then RFID will not help. Of course, faster overall processing means that it might take less time to process your bag, so the opportunity to miss is less.
The RFID tag itself also offers additional benefits :
Barcode labels are normally attached to the handles on the luggage. This poses a problem because the handle is also the ideal place to pick the baggage up. The result is a crumpled baggage label that is hard to read.
Secondly, automatic baggage handling systems, using 360-degree barcode readers, move pretty fast. The barcode reader has to track the movement of the bag, find the label attached to the bag and read it, all in a very short time window. The moving components of
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Recent developments in the production process of the low cost write & read Class 1 Gen 2
RFID tag, developed by EPC global, and announcements from manufacturers seem to offer an excellent promise in this area.
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Appendix 2
Key players
The relatively stable industry of baggage systems integrators is made of several key players.
These include:
Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems;
Alstec;
Glidepath and Inter-Roller Engineering;
Fabricom Airports Systems;
G&T Conveyor; and
FKI Logistex.
Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems: recently secured a major new order for a baggage handling system at Beijing Capital International Airport, this project is scheduled for completion in December 2007. The company is also building a baggage handling system at Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea and a fully checked bag screening system in Australia’s Sydney airport. Siemens don’t have any experience in installing baggage systems with RFID capability but their status as both a RFID supplier and a baggage handling system integrator positions them well to provide systems incorporating RFID technology.
Alstec : have worldwide experience in baggage handling system integration. As well as supplying preliminary designs and system build, Alstec perform operation and maintenance. While Allstec don’t indicate readiness in supplying RFID capable baggage handling systems, they do market a software solution for advanced baggage control, which can accommodate RFID readers.
Glidepath and Inter-Roller : have significant experience in airport baggage handling systems having each achieved hundreds projects around the world. Inter-Roller supplies a variety of airport logistics systems from baggage handling solutions to in flight catering systems.
Fabricom Airports Systems (FAS) : focuses on 100% Hold baggage screening, this will be a requirement on all US flights by January 2006. FAS also supply baggage-handling systems worldwide, with over 400 BHS solutions implemented.
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G&T Conveyor : has also installed more than 400 baggage-handling systems worldwide.
Recently G&T Conveyor acquired assets and intellectual property from BAE Automated
Systems Inc.
FKI Logistex : leads the baggage handling industry in providing RFID implementation with the world’s first permanent RFID baggage handling systems installed at Jacksonville
International airport, Las Vegas and Atlanta.
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