Imagine a scenario where your computer can simply keep track of the incoming and outgoing consignments in your warehouses with minimal human interference. You wouldnt need to manually account for the stock. You can keep an eye on your wares even when they are in transit, making it virtually tamper-proof.

    Thats how RFID becomes a part of SAP and its business utilities.

    RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) incorporates the use of electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to uniquely identify anything- objects or living beings. This is touted as the new generation bar-coding.

    RFID paves way for immense possibilities in almost all the fields that require keeping tracks of goods, including something as routine and trivial as grocery shopping. Once the products are RFID-tagged, you wouldnt have to wait in long queues because your purchases get billed automatically the moment you pick them up from the shelves.

    RFID makes Real World Awareness a possibility in SAP. A business IT infrastructure that is enabled with real world awareness greatly reduces time and effort. This is especially true in Supply Chain Management. Companies can keep track of their goods and thus the possibilities of theft and substitution with counterfeit items are greatly reduced.

    Three steps are involved in making RFID work for SAP.

    Product Readiness Component: Depending on the shapes and materials used in packaging, a suitable tag and position are selected. This helps in enabling most accurate reading of the tags and minimizes instances of damages to the tags themselves during transportation.

    Shipping Readiness Component- This involves the study of business processes and environmental factors that could directly influence the function of RFID. The existing SAP infrastructure and the impact of RFID on it are analyzed.

    ERP Readiness Analysis: This involves incorporating RFID into SAP depending on the specific needs and requirements of the business type.