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.

COMPARAISON · CHOIX DE LA TECHNOLOGIE

RFID vs code-barres — quand chaque fois gagne.

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 différence technologique

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.

Vitesse de lecture — RFID l’emporte de manière décisive en masse

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.

Ligne de vue et orientation

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.

Motifs de coût et d’erreur

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.

Adéquation réglementaire

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

Où chacun l’emporte de manière décisive

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

Questions fréquemment posées

Devons-nous remplacer complètement le code-barres par RFID ?

Presque jamais. Le code-barres est essentiellement gratuit et sert à la vérification des unités ; RFID ajoute une lecture en bloc à grande échelle.

La bonne stratégie consiste à ajouter RFID à côté du code-barres où la lecture en bloc ou sans ligne de vue débloque la valeur opérationnelle, et non de supprimer le code-barres.

Quel est le volume d’équilibre où le RFID dépasse le code-barres ?

Cela dépend plus du résultat commercial que du volume. Pour la précision des stocks dans la vente de vêtements, le seuil de rentabilité se fait à des milliers de références par magasin.

Pour la réconciliation des portes d’amarre, le seuil de rentabilité est basé sur le débit (>500 cas/heure). Nous modélisons cela à l’étape 1.

Une seule étiquette peut-elle contenir les deux ?

Oui — l’incrustation RFID + DataMatrix 2D imprimée sur la même étiquette est désormais la norme dans l’habillement de détail et de plus en plus dans la pharmacie. La station d’encodage programme le RFID et imprime simultanément le code-barres.

Lequel est le meilleur pour les audits de traçabilité ?

Les deux, à plusieurs niveaux. La sérialisation codée par code-barres (SGTIN, UDI) est l’enregistrement réglementaire ; Les événements de lecture agrégée RFID fournissent des preuves à haut débit aux étapes du processus.

La plupart des plateformes de sérialisation modernes (Tracelink, rfxcel, SAP ATTP) intègrent les deux.

Qu’en est-il de NFC et HF RFID au lieu 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.

Dernière mise à jour : 26 mai 2026