Application of Automatic Identification Technology in Tobacco Logistics
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With the increasingly fierce market competition in the circulation field, tobacco circulation companies in various regions have improved their management levels, optimized business processes, focused on customer resource management, optimized internal and external resources, and enhanced their competitiveness and resilience. In this process, electronic informatization will become the only way to improve the level of logistics construction in the tobacco industry, and RFID technology will be widely used with its advantages, and then play a huge role in the construction of tobacco logistics.
1. Overview of automatic identification technology for tobacco logistics applications
With the continuous deepening of the reform and development of the tobacco industry, the re-planning and integration of information systems has become one of the important measures for companies to improve efficiency, but the system integration of most companies has always remained in the information system itself. The logistics construction of the tobacco industry is also facing huge challenges in the process of groupization. How to achieve group logistics management, optimize business processes, and improve informationization and automation capabilities are new challenges we face.
At present, in the logistics construction of the tobacco industry, the main technologies used are barcode technology and RFID technology.
1.Introduction to Barcode Technology
Barcode refers to a symbol composed of a set of regularly arranged stripes, spaces and their corresponding characters, used to represent certain product information. Among them, the stripes are dark and the spaces are light, which are used for scanning and reading by barcode reading equipment. The corresponding characters are composed of a set of Arabic numerals for people to read directly or input data to the computer through the keyboard. Through the barcode scanning equipment, the code composed of the thickness of the stripes and the size of the interval can be read into the computer, and after decoding, the number represented by it can be obtained, and then the corresponding product information can be obtained according to the number. Because the appearance of the barcode resembles the stripes of a zebra, a company that develops barcode technology named it “Zebra”.
2. Introduction to RFID Technology
RFID is the abbreviation of Radio Frequency Identification technology. It is a technology that uses electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic propagation to write or read ID information to electronic tags in a non-contact manner using read-write equipment. The difference between RFID technology and bar code is that RFID technology does not use the optical method of bar code to read the label, but a new type of automatic identification technology that performs non-contact two-way data communication on the label by means of radio waves. It is conducted in the form of question and answer like mobile phone communication, so the content of the label can be inquired or even rewritten in an environment that does not require direct and reflected light, and it can “talk” with multiple labels at the same time. RFID technology not only has the characteristics of non-contact, strong penetrating ability, long reading distance, good environmental adaptability, and simultaneous reading of multiple tags, but also has a large amount of information storage and data can be rewritten. This kind of technology began to gain widespread attention in the 1990s when network communication technology began to become popular. Like barcode technology, it is to further improve and increase the automation and speed of settlement in the retail industry, and even make the management of this logistics supply chain transparent. For the purpose of being concerned.
After the barcode technology has just begun to be used for more than 20 years, another automatic identification technology-RFID technology has begun to receive attention. The reason is that in the past 20 years, computer technology has evolved from an era when a single computer is used to achieve interconnection through the network. In addition, in order to strengthen the management of goods, producers and retailers have upgraded from product-based units to Taking the single product as the unit, the label of the product is no longer just used to control the price, but to control the supply chain. Therefore, the informatization level of e-commerce has reached a new level. One computer can make multiple barcode scanners work in accordance with pre-set conditions in the local area under its jurisdiction. It can be said that the development of the network provides conditions for the entire supply chain to share product information. Therefore, the control of item data is no longer limited to the environment of a single store. From the time the product is produced, product information can be shared across the entire supply chain of transportation, warehousing, and sales. RFID technology has begun to play a role in the entire supply chain. Important role. We can understand that bar code technology is a means of reading based on optical and computing technology, while RFID technology is a means of reading based on mobile and network technology. In addition, the amount of coding information of the barcode is too small, and it is only suitable for certain types of products. In contrast, RFID technology has a large amount of coding information and can code each single product. For example, barcode technology can only code a certain egg, while RFID technology can code each egg.
Since RFID technology, as a technology superior to bar codes, has attracted the attention of the modern information society, RFID technology is required to be more convenient, faster, and more accurate than bar codes in application. The achievable performance in the barcode era can not only be achieved by RFID technology, but it can also give full play to its characteristics and strengths. For example, barcode data can be shared by multiple scanners under the control of one computer. RFID technology needs to share data in a wider area. This sharing does not rely on the tag itself, but on the network. Barcode technology does not transmit information through the label itself, and RFID technology does not rely on the label itself. Although the electronic label can achieve a large capacity, in addition to the code similar to the bar code, it can even load the content represented by the code, but if the electronic label is understood and used in this way, the code representing the product will lose its existence. Value, extending the time to read electronic tags, deviating from the original intention of using barcode technology and RFID technology. In other words, electronic tags can achieve large storage capacity, but don’t apply this advantage to electronic tags in logistics. The so-called “front-end” electronic tags can be used for ID cards or all-in-one cards without relying on the Internet, but they are not suitable for logistics purposes. The shortcomings of high price, slow reading speed, and poor confidentiality determine that this label is not applicable in a logistics environment.
At present, under the condition that a large number of electronic tags exist and the reading speed is required to be fast, people believe that the shortcoming of RFID technology is that the reading rate cannot reach 100%. In fact, the performance of barcode technology is worse under this condition. Under the same conditions, the reading of RFID technology should be more accurate than barcode technology, and the reading rate of RFID technology can reach 95%. Regarding the reading rate, no technology can be absolutely accurate. When using RFID technology, auxiliary means or improving the environment can be used to increase the reading rate, so that RFID technology is more in line with actual requirements. Some engineering examples show that the reading rate of RFID technology may reach more than 99.9%. The use of “rear desktop” tags can reduce the time and error of reading the data transmitted by the electronic tags, and improve the reading rate.
The construction and operation of the network is a simpler task than improving the reading rate. This is because the network’s digital transmission is much more stable than the wireless communication between the electronic tag and the reader. As long as the ID of the electronic tag is accurately read, the remaining work is much simpler. The network is the lifeline of RFID technology. Without a network, RFID technology cannot give play to its advantages over other ID recognition technologies.
3. Introduction to EPC Technology
EPC (Electronic Product Code) technology is a modern technology that consists of EPC coding, RFID air interface protocol and the use of the network to transmit codes and store and retrieve related product information. The coding system is a new generation of coding standards. It is an extension and expansion of the global unified identification system, an important part of the global unified identification system, and the core and key of the EPC system. Earlier we mentioned that in order to strengthen the management of commodities, producers and retailers upgraded from product-based units to single-product units. The condition for this upgrade is that the item codes provided by EPC technology have a huge data space that is not available in barcodes and The storage capacity of the electronic tag for this code.
RFID technology is a means of obtaining item codes, which are obtained through the exchange of information between transponders (electronic tags) and readers, and the network provides a means for the storage, transmission and retrieval of this information. RFID technology is a technology developed 60 years ago, but it was not until the 1990s when network technology began to become popular that it received widespread attention. The reason is that the network activated RFID technology, or the network gave RFID technology new vitality. Therefore, in some fields, such as the tobacco industry logistics field, if the information collection method of RFID technology is only used instead of the data analysis, transmission, and retrieval methods such as network-database-middleware, it will make the application value of RFID technology. Greatly discounted. Therefore, EPC technology based on RFID technology and network is the RFID technology with practical significance.
2. Application of RFID technology in tobacco logistics
The application of RFID technology in tobacco logistics mainly includes raw material management and delivery, cigarettes leaving the factory, warehousing, warehouse management and inventory, transportation, and distribution. Judging from the current development situation, the most concerned are warehouse management, pallet transportation management and supply chain management.
1.Warehouse management
The realization of RFID warehouse management is mainly to improve the statistics of goods in and out, storage location and quantity, and the automation of goods location retrieval, so that managers can improve logistics efficiency.
The management of modern logistics is that warehouses are not used to store goods, but to transfer goods. The efficiency of inbound and outbound is related to the efficiency of logistics. When entering the warehouse, the electronic tags on the goods are automatically read, and the goods are placed in the designated location and automatically stored in the database for warehouse management. When leaving the warehouse, the computer searches the database, picks up the goods from the designated location, and confirms the type and quantity of the goods from the information of the electronic label, so as to be accurate. Practice has shown that whether it is a new three-dimensional warehouse or an old flat warehouse, RFID technology has improved the efficiency of warehouse entry and exit to varying degrees, reduced labor costs, and lowered costs.
2.Pallet transportation management
(1) Introduction to pallet transportation
Pallet is the most basic container unit in the logistics industry. As products circulate among production companies, logistics companies, retail companies, and users, it interacts with product production lines, product packaging, forklifts, shelves, road and rail transport vehicles, ships, Containers and storage facilities have stricter size matching relationships. Therefore, the pallet standard is the most basic standard in the logistics industry. The standardization of pallets directly determines the logistics standardization process and the operating cost of the modern logistics industry.
(2) Application of RFID technology in pallet transportation
RFID technology can be used in the following operations of pallets: finished goods container storage, pallet container change or loose-bulk container assembly in the warehousing link, pallet delivery, and distribution center receiving. The RFID electronic tag is set on the tray, and the information of the tray and the load can be obtained through the reading and writing device, which saves manpower, improves the efficiency of warehousing and loading and unloading, and reduces human error.
3.Supply Chain Management
So far, RFID technology has been applied in some local areas and has some successful experience, but there are not many successful cases in the entire supply chain management (SCM).
In any process from production to sales, efficient supply chain management is an important factor in improving efficiency and reducing costs. The key to supply chain management is to be able to rely on the information provided by the ERP system to have overall visibility of the entire supply chain. However, overall visibility depends on good, accurate data. In addition to the RFID technology that has become popular in recent years, there are many ways to capture tag information. From automated barcode scanning or handheld barcode scanning, to optical character recognition (OCR) and handwritten codes. The RFID technology, first of all, is a method that conforms to automatic data capture. An RFID tag is like a string of telegraph characters. It has almost no demand for natural and climatic conditions such as light. It can update and transmit data in a mobile state.
From the time the cigarette leaves the production line, electronic labels are set on cigarette boxes, cigarette rods, cigarette boxes or cigarette stacks according to needs, and the corresponding data of the unit’s product is assigned to the code of the label. From now on, this electronic label will be used throughout the entire process of delivery, transportation, warehousing, in-warehouse management, outbound, distribution, and sales, and product information can be retrieved through the network for product management at any time. In addition, the use of RFID technology can timely grasp the inventory and sales information in the store, and timely feedback the out-of-stock information to the factory through the order center. The factory can produce according to demand and quickly make up for the shortcomings of the store. Therefore, this kind of supply chain management using RFID technology and network technology is a kind of transparent management, which is far incomparable with barcode technology or other technologies.
In short, RFID technology has great advantages and room for development in supply chain management. It eliminates the confusion of finished cigarettes in boxes or pallets; ensures that the correct products are delivered to the correct locations; and realizes automatic sorting operations. , Eliminates manual operation; can achieve full tracking of product information, making product supply and demand more reasonable and rapid.
Three, standard issues
1. RFID technical standards
We know that in the tobacco industry, the application of RFID technology is mainly “logistics” and “anti-counterfeiting”. The frequencies of electronic tags applicable to these two aspects are high frequency (HF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) respectively. For HF, the international standard ISO/IEC14443 is commonly used in terms of implementation. On UHF, there are so many standards that it is not easy to be unified. On UHF, there are mainly EPCglobal, ISO/IEC, AMIglobal, UID, IP-X, etc. that have formulated agreements or trends in the world. Generally speaking, the scope of the agreement is narrow and the binding force is small, and the standard is often formulated on the basis of the agreement by comprehensively formulating the opinions of all parties, and is a common code of conduct accepted by everyone, so its binding force is strong and its application wide range. While the international RFID standards organizations have launched their own standards, the National Standardization Administration, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Information Industry are also preparing to establish my country’s RFID-UHF standard.
UHF standards recognized by many countries and companies are ISO/IEC18000-6B and ISO/IEC18000-6C. The former was launched by Philips, and the latter was introduced by EPCglobal and incorporated into international standards after modification and negotiation. Both standards have their own advantages and disadvantages.
The ISO18000-6B standard is positioned as a general standard, the application is relatively mature, the product performance is relatively stable, and the data format and standard are relatively simple. The main features include: mature standards, stable products, and wide applications; ID numbers are unique in the world; ID numbers are read first, then data area; 1024 (1k) bits or 2048 (2k) bits of large capacity; 98Bytes or 216Bytes of large user data Area; multiple tags can be read at the same time, up to dozens of tags can be read at the same time; the data reading speed is 40kbps. Electronic tags that comply with the ISO18000-6B standard are mainly suitable for asset management and other fields.
The shortcomings of the ISO18000-6B standard are: the development has stagnated in recent years, and there is a trend of being replaced by 6C; the software curing technology of user data is not mature yet, but this situation can be compensated by chip manufacturers embedding user data.
The characteristics of the ISO18000-6C standard are: fast speed, data rate up to 40kbps ~ 640kbps; a large number of tags that can be read at the same time, theoretically more than 1,000 tags can be read; first read the EPC number, the ID number of the tag needs to be read Data reading method; strong function, with multiple write protection methods, strong security; multiple areas, divided into EPC area (96bits, expandable to 512bits), ID area (64bit or 8Bytes), user area (224bit or 28Bytes) ), password area (32bits or 4Bytes), but some manufacturers provide labels without user data area, such as the label of Impinj in the United States. This standard is mainly applicable to the identification of a large number of goods in the logistics field.
This standard is evolved from EPC’s C1G2, and its standard has the advantages of strong versatility, compliance with EPC rules, low product prices, and good compatibility. This standard electronic tag is positioned as a universal tag. Thanks to the support and improvement of many high-tech companies, this standard has been continuously improved in terms of environmental applicability, service life, and simultaneous reading of multiple tags.
At present, some places in China often use the ISO18000-6B standard when selecting electronic tags. There are two main reasons: First, the ISO18000-6B standard was recognized as an international standard earlier. The second is that 6C is built on the basis of the network, and the network in many parts of the country is not sound, so it is difficult to implement 6C in this environment.
2.Pallet Standard
Pallet standardization is the core of logistics palletization, and it is the premise and foundation of logistics palletization. Without pallet standardization, it is impossible to achieve palletization of logistics, and there is no fast, efficient, and low-cost modern logistics.
Logistics palletization includes standardization of pallet size specifications, standardization of pallet manufacturing materials, standardization of pallet quality of various materials, standardization of pallet inspection methods and identification techniques, standardization of pallet operations, pallet assembly unitization and consistent pallet operation, and domestic and international pallet sharing Coordinate and rationalize the dimensions of pallets and logistics facilities, equipment, transportation vehicles, containers, etc.
my country has established the China Logistics Standardization Technical Committee and the Pallet Professional Committee of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (hereinafter referred to as the two sessions). After the establishment of the two sessions, a number of national logistics standards have been formulated, such as the “Digital Warehouse Application System Specification”, “Logistics Enterprise Classification and Evaluation Index”, etc., and in-depth exchanges and cooperation with major international pallet users, especially Japan and South Korea , Has done a lot of work for the development of my country’s pallet industry. However, the two sessions have not yet formulated a national standard for pallets applicable to our country, instead applying the international standard established by ISO/TC51. There are dozens of pallet specifications currently in circulation in the society in my country, including two specifications of 1100mm×1100mm and 1200mm×1000mm.
If the trays used by the tobacco industry implement our unified standards, the trays currently applicable in the industry must be changed. The first is the size, and the size of the pallet is related to the size of the truck compartment and the cigarette box.
The logistics of the tobacco industry adopts the method of industry logistics. The characteristic of this method is that it is not prone to phenomena such as swapping and theft. The disadvantage is that the whole vehicle can be delivered from the cigarette factory to the distribution center or the customer, but it is easy to be empty on the return journey, which causes the problem of low transportation efficiency.
On the issue of whether to use pallets when transporting tobacco, there is mainly a contradiction between the volume rate and the recycling of the pallets. The use of pallet transportation can greatly improve the efficiency of in and out of the warehouse, reduce labor costs, and have a positive effect on improving the degree of automation. However, due to the use of pallets instead of directly loading the smoke box into the compartment, the volume rate will be reduced by 30%. For short-distance transportation, the impact may be small, but for long-distance transportation, the impact is greater.
In the logistics construction of the tobacco industry, electronic tags are mostly used for pallets, and have achieved phased success. If the pallet is not used due to the factor of the volume rate, and the cigarette box is used as the unit, the electronic label management of the cigarette box must be carried out. However, my country still lacks experience in implementing electronic information management of cigarette boxes, which is also a difficult problem in the tobacco industry to realize logistics management based on cigarette boxes. In fact, dual management of cigarette boxes and trays is an ideal management method. In the face of this subject, there are still many attempts and efforts to be made. In addition, in the future, the logistics management unit (tray or cigarette pack) of the tobacco industry will also have the problem of standardization.
4. How to improve the application level of RFID technology in the tobacco industry
Regarding how to improve the logistics level of my country’s tobacco industry, when applying RFID technology to tobacco logistics, there are still the following problems that need to be resolved:
1. RFID technology has broad application prospects in the modern logistics construction of the tobacco industry. Since this is still a new topic, it is necessary to strengthen the leadership’s attention to RFID technology, and to carry out technical training for the operators to improve the knowledge and skills of the operators.
2. RFID technology is a means of collecting item information in the network society. Therefore, instead of directly collecting all the item information and storing it in the electronic tag, it is better to only store the coded information of the cigarette box or tray in the electronic tag and then pass it through the network. Perform a search. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the network construction in various regions of our country to create a good environment for the efficient use of RFID technology.
3. Try to use international and national standards in RFID, pallet, and logistics standards, and try to avoid industry standards.
4. Units that start to apply RFID technology must avoid standards and technical traps, and do not enter into misunderstandings, so as to avoid waste of manpower and financial resources.
5. After the success of the closed-loop test, it is necessary to actively promote open-loop use, open up all links between the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, and finally realize the application of RFID technology in the Internet.
6. It is necessary to strengthen cost and environmental awareness, adhere to the scientific development concept, and achieve sustainable development.
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