It has been convincingly argued that RFID technology is too expensive, still, to justify its use on low-cost unit items. But how about a cargo container? Especially if the tag can be the lower-cost passive e-seal. If it is reliable, accurate, and can be read at relatively high velocities, doesn’t this make sense? Well, according to this news report today, courtesy of RFID Journal, that’s the question Taiwan’s Port of Kaohsiung—one of the largest ports in the world, with more than one million containers imported and exported annually — is testing and why GS1 Taiwan wants GS1′s RFID division, EPCglobal, to create a new standard for passive e-seals based on Electronic Product Code (EPC) technology.
In tests so far, the technology has proven 97% or more accurate and readable at cargo speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (the containers were put on trucks and driven at these velocities). There are, of course, possible port security benefits to be considered as well and these have implications for every port in the world.
Dave Friedlos, who wrote the story for RFID Journal has done a good job in his three-page piece explaining the aims of GS1 Taiwan and providing the various justifications by experts in the field for this e-seal standard initiative.
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