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.

COMPARACIÓN · ELECCIÓN DE TECNOLOGÍA

RFID vs código de barras — cuándo gana cada uno.

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.

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La diferencia tecnológica

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.

Velocidad de lectura — RFID gana de forma contundente en 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.

Línea de visión y orientación

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.

Patrones de coste y error

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.

Ajuste regulatorio

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. Sanidad: barcode for medication verification (BCMA), RFID for consignment stock and tool control.

Donde cada uno gana de forma decisiva

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.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Deberíamos reemplazar el código de barras por RFID por completo?

Casi nunca. El código de barras es esencialmente gratuito y funciona para la verificación de unidades; RFID añade lectura en masa a gran escala.

La estrategia correcta es añadir RFID junto al código de barras, donde la lectura masiva o sin línea de visión desbloquea el valor operativo, no eliminar el código de barras.

¿Cuál es el volumen de equilibrio donde RFID supera al código de barras?

Depende más del resultado del negocio que del volumen. En cuanto a la precisión del inventario en la venta de ropa, el punto de equilibrio se obtiene en miles de SKUs por tienda.

Para la conciliación entre puertas de muelle, el punto de equilibrio es impulsado por el rendimiento (>500 casos/hora). Modelamos esto en la etapa 1.

¿Puede una sola etiqueta llevar ambos?

Sí — la incrustación RFID + DataMatrix 2D impresa en la misma etiqueta es ahora estándar en la confección minorista y cada vez más en la farmacéutica. La estación de codificación programa el RFID e imprime el código de barras simultáneamente.

¿Cuál es mejor para auditorías de trazabilidad?

Ambos, con capas. La serialización codificada por código de barras (SGTIN, UDI) es el registro regulatorio; Los eventos de lectura agregada de RFID proporcionan evidencia de alto rendimiento en los pasos del proceso.

La mayoría de las plataformas modernas de serialización (Tracelink, rfxcel, SAP ATTP) absorben ambos.

¿Y qué pasa con NFC y HF RFID en lugar de UHF?

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.

Última actualización: 26 de mayo de 2026