Which technologies do you consult on?

All of the major location, identification and IoT technologies: RTLS (UWB, BLE, Wi-Fi), RFID (passive, active and RAIN UHF), industrial IoT and sensors, GPS and GNSS, AGV and AMR robot fleets, and hybrid stacks that combine them. We recommend the right mix for each zone and use case, not a single technology.

Are you really vendor-neutral?

Yes. We do not sell hardware or a software platform of our own, and we take no resale commissions, so our technology and vendor recommendations serve your outcome rather than a product we need to move.

Do you work outside the UK?

We are UK-based and work across Europe and internationally, delivering in English, German and French. Engagements can be remote or on-site depending on the work.

What does a consulting engagement include?

Typically discovery and requirements, vendor-neutral technology selection, vendor evaluation and RFP support, ROI and business case, solution architecture, and an implementation roadmap. We scope each engagement to where you are.

Can you help after the decision is made?

Yes. We work across the full lifecycle - we can also deploy, integrate, and operate the system, so you can keep one independent team from business case through to live operation.

How do we get started?

Usually with a short call or a fixed-fee discovery to scope the problem, followed by a proposal with clear deliverables, timeline and fees. There is no obligation and no platform pitch.

Should we replace barcode with RFID entirely?

Almost never. Barcode is essentially free and works for unit verification; RFID adds bulk-read at scale. The right strategy is to add RFID alongside barcode where bulk-read or no-line-of-sight unlocks operational value, not to remove barcode.

What's the breakeven volume where RFID overtakes barcode?

Depends on the business outcome more than volume. For inventory accuracy in apparel retail, the breakeven happens at thousands of SKUs per store. For dock-door reconciliation, the breakeven is throughput-driven (>500 cases/hour). We model this in stage 1.

Can a single label carry both?

Yes — RFID inlay + printed 2D DataMatrix on the same label is now standard in retail apparel and increasingly in pharma. Encoding station programs the RFID and prints the barcode simultaneously.

Which is better for traceability audits?

Both, layered. Barcode-encoded serialisation (SGTIN, UDI) is the regulatory record; RFID aggregate-read events provide high-throughput evidence at process steps. Most modern serialisation platforms (Tracelink, rfxcel, SAP ATTP) ingest both.

VERGLEICH · TECHNOLOGIEWAHL

RFID vs. Barcode – wenn jeder gewinnt.

RFID and barcode are often framed as competitors, but in mature deployments they're complementary — each plays to a strength the other doesn't have.

Barcode is cheap, ubiquitous and human-readable; RFID is bulk-readable, no-line-of-sight and machine-friendly. This is the operator-level comparison that helps procurement decide which to use where — and, more often, where to use both.

Buchen Sie einen 30-minütigen Scoping-Termin

Der technologische Unterschied

Barcode (1D EAN/UPC, 2D QR/DataMatrix/GS1 DataMatrix) is an optical encoding read by a camera or laser scanner, one item at a time, requiring line-of-sight. Cost per item is essentially free (printed in-line on packaging).

RFID (RAIN UHF Gen 2 dominant in enterprise) uses radio backscatter from passive tags, bulk-readable, no line-of-sight required, item cost 3 cents to several Euros depending on form factor.

Lesegeschwindigkeit — RFID gewinnt deutlich im Volumen

Barcode: one item at a time, typically 1–3 seconds per scan. RFID: thousands of tags read in a single second when bulk-reading a pallet, dock-door or shelf.

For high-volume receiving, sortation, dispatch and cycle counting, RFID's bulk-read advantage is the entire business case. For unit-by-unit verification at point of sale or in a clinical workflow, barcode's targeted-scan model is preferred.

Sichtlinie und Ausrichtung

Barcode requires the symbol to be visible to the camera or laser, in the right orientation, and unobstructed. Tilted, hidden, damaged or smudged barcodes fail.

RFID tags don't care about orientation, can read through packaging and around obstructions (with caveats around metal and liquid), and have built-in retry through the anti-collision protocol.

In any environment where items are stacked, packed inside boxes, or moving rapidly, RFID's no-line-of-sight property is decisive.

Kosten- und Fehlermuster

Barcode cost per item: nearly zero (printed during normal packaging). RFID cost per item: 3 cents to several Euros. Barcode read accuracy: ~99% when the symbol is visible and undamaged, but failure modes (missed scans, damage) drive manual rework.

RFID bulk-read accuracy: 95–99% depending on environment and orientation, with some misses on metal-rich or liquid-rich items. Combined: barcode for unit confirmation, RFID for bulk aggregate.

Regulatorische Passung

Pharma DSCSA: every prescription unit in the US carries a 2D GS1 DataMatrix barcode (serialised GTIN + lot + expiry); RFID is supplementary for high-throughput aggregation. Aerospace AS9100: parts traceability uses both, with RFID for tool/FOD control.

Automotive IATF 16949: 2D barcode for unit traceability, RFID for inbound logistics. Retail apparel: RFID dominant at item-level globally; barcode for checkout. Gesundheitswesen: barcode for medication verification (BCMA), RFID for consignment stock and tool control.

Wo jeder entscheidend gewinnt

Barcode: low-volume unit verification, regulated unit-level traceability (DSCSA, FDA UDI), point-of-sale, consumer scan-and-pay, prescription dispensing, blood-bank crossmatch.

RFID: high-volume receiving and dispatch, cycle counting, smart cabinets, returnable-asset tracking, retail inventory accuracy at scale, tool control, FOD prevention.

Both together: modern serialisation programmes carry both encoded on the same item — barcode for unit confirmation, RFID for aggregate. We design the right mix during stage 1 of /method.

FAQ

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Sollten wir den Barcode komplett durch RFID ersetzen?

Fast nie. Barcode ist im Wesentlichen kostenlos und dient zur Einheitsverifikation; RFID fügt Bulk-Read im Maßstab hinzu. Die richtige Strategie ist, RFID neben den Barcode zu setzen, wo Bulk-Read oder No-Line-of-Sight den Betriebswert freisetzt, nicht den Barcode zu entfernen.

Wie hoch ist das Breakeven-Volumen, bei dem RFID den Barcode überholt?

Das hängt mehr vom Geschäftsergebnis ab als vom Volumen. Für die Bestandsgenauigkeit im Bekleidungshandel erreicht der Breakeven bei Tausenden von SKUs pro Geschäft.

Für die Docktür-Abstimmung ist der Break-Even-Effekt durchsatzgetrieben (>500 Fälle/Stunde). Wir modellieren das in Stufe 1.

Kann ein einzelnes Label beides tragen?

Ja – RFID-Inlay + gedruckte 2D-DataMatrix auf demselben Etikett ist mittlerweile Standard in Einzelhandelsbekleidung und zunehmend in der Pharmaindustrie. Die Codierstation programmiert den RFID und druckt den Barcode gleichzeitig.

Welches ist besser für Rückverfolgbarkeitsaudits?

Beides, vielschichtig. Barcode-kodierte Serialisierung (SGTIN, UDI) ist der regulatorische Datensatz; RFID-Aggregate-Read-Events liefern Hochdurchsatzbeweise in Prozessschritten. Die meisten modernen Serialisierungsplattformen (Tracelink, rfxcel, SAP ATTP) verwenden beides.

Wie sieht es mit NFC und HF RFID statt UHF aus?

Different categories. NFC (13.56 MHz HF) is short-range device-to-tag interaction (smartphones, access control, payment). UHF RAIN is the enterprise bulk-read category.

We use NFC for specific use cases (asset authentication, work-instruction triggering) but UHF dominates supply chain and inventory.

Zuletzt aktualisiert: 26. Mai 2026