Of all the reasons given for the seemingly glacial pace of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, one of the more prominent is a lack of standards for areas such as data structure and applications. Not true, says an article on the web site for the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM).
According to the author of the article, Bert Moore, standards have been developed by two international standards organizations and therefore shouldn't be used as an excuse for not moving forward with RFID.
In fact, Mr. Moore suggests, RFID standards put retailers and others using the technology in a better position than at a similar stage in the implementation of bar codes. "In the 'old days' of early bar code implementation, industry segments created their own standards. This made it relatively easy to know where to go for information. The problem, of course, was that many companies ended up having to comply with many different -- and even conflicting -- industry "standards." It took many years for bar code standards to become rationalized among industries and moved up to the level of international standards.
AIM offers a list of existing, published RFID international standards and technical reports as well as added reference to those currently in development.
Discussion Questions: Is the standards issue real when it comes to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology implementation in the supply chain or is Bert Moore correct in suggesting it is a non-issue? What remains as the real hurdle(s) retailers face with RFID?