RFID has the potential for applications in virtually any area of industry, commerce and services where items are handled and associated data collected and processed. These include:

• Supply Chain Logistics - real-time inventory by automated registration of items in a warehouse or store-room
• Retail - tracking store trolleys in supermarkets, active shelves
• Track and Traceability - tracking of assets in offices, labs, warehouses, pallets and containers in the supply chain, books in libraries
• Security, ticketing and access control - security tracking for entrance management or security, contact management at events, baby tags in hospitals to manage access to post-natal wards
• Lifetime item identification - tracking of parts during manufacture, tracking of assembled items
• Transient carrier labeling
• Medical applications - linking a patient with key drugs, personnel giving the drugs, biometric measurements
• Animal and specimen identification - implanted RFID tags in animals for tracking and linking the animal to food, location. Applicable to farming as well as exotic breeds in zoos
• Airline baggage handling

While RFID may be viewed as a highly technical discipline much can be done to appreciate its importance and potential by considering general features and benefits, together with business concepts for applying the technology effectively. Examples of typical applications help in this respect. It is useful to consider RFID from the following perspectives:

• The business case and benefits
• The international perspectives
• The basic framework for selecting technologies and associated products to satisfy particular needs
• The cost justification and return on investment (ROI)
• The practicalities and pointers for achieving effective solutions
• Examples of successful solutions

The products featured above will support the reading of the following tags types:

Low Frequency Transponders

TIRIS	Philips	Temec
RO RW MPT DST	Hitag 1 Hitag 2 PCF 793	e5530 e5550 e5555

High Frequency Transponders
ISO 15693
Gemplus FOLIO
Inside Pico Tag
Omron V720
Philips I.CODE
Microchip MCRF355, MCRF360
TI*RFID Tag-it