ABSTRACT
This chapter describes retail supply chain tracking tools categorized as "automatic identification and data capture" (AIDC) technologies. It provides an overview of selected AIDC technologies, addressing technologies, and related standards. Bar codes, the most common of which are Universal Product Codes (UPCs), are the foundation standards for retail supply chain tracking. Abernathy describes the labor-intensive state of the retail supply chain before bar codes made their appearance. The most common RFID application in retail supply chains calls for placement of low-cost "passive" tags. RFID is a prominent AIDC technology; therefore, managers along the retail supply chain, including manufacturers and distributors, must be informed about its applications. The chapter began with a description of life before bar codes and the technologies deployed today. Bar codes economically contain individual, product-specific information, whereas RFID, at considerably more expense, allows for the tracking of inventories by supply chain participants on its path to the retailer.
