Traceability and RFID
What is RFID in manufacturing and warehousing?
RFID identifies tagged items by radio, without line of sight and many at once. UHF versus HF and NFC, EPC Gen2, tags on metal, and where RFID beats barcodes.
Quick answer
RFID (radio frequency identification) identifies items by reading a tag with a radio signal instead of scanning a printed code. Readers can capture many tags at once, without line of sight, as goods pass a dock door or a portal. In manufacturing and warehousing it tracks pallets, containers, tools, assets and work in progress automatically.
Updated 30 October 2026. Written by the Ajinkya Technologies engineering team, reviewed by Amey Kadle.
RFID explained
An RFID system has tags, readers with antennas, and software that turns raw reads into business events. Most industrial and logistics systems use passive UHF tags, also called RAIN RFID, which draw power from the reader’s signal and can be read from a few metres. They follow the EPC Gen2 air interface standard published by GS1 and as ISO/IEC 18000-63, and carry an Electronic Product Code that can encode GS1 identifiers. In India, UHF RFID operates in the 865 to 867 MHz band.
HF RFID at 13.56 MHz, including NFC, reads at short range and is common for access cards, item authentication and consumer interaction with a phone, which is why it is used on premium goods to prove authenticity. Active tags carry a battery for long range tracking of vehicles and large assets.
RFID is not automatically better than barcodes. It wins where many items pass chokepoints quickly, where items are hard to orient for scanning, or where reading without stopping saves labour. It needs engineering: metal and liquids reflect or absorb UHF signals, so tags are chosen for the surface, portals are tuned to avoid stray reads, and software filters duplicates and checks read rates against counts before go live.
Key concepts
- Tags, readers and antennas, software
- Passive UHF (RAIN), EPC Gen2, ISO/IEC 18000-63
- India UHF band: 865 to 867 MHz
- HF and NFC for short range and authentication
- Engineering for metal, liquids and stray reads
Questions
What is the difference between RFID and barcodes?
Barcodes need line of sight and are read one at a time; RFID reads many tags at once by radio without line of sight. Barcodes are cheaper per item; RFID saves labour at busy chokepoints.
Does RFID work on metal?
Yes, with on metal tags designed for it and careful antenna placement. Standard tags placed directly on metal read poorly.
What is RAIN RFID?
The industry name for passive UHF RFID based on the EPC Gen2 (ISO/IEC 18000-63) standard, widely used in logistics, retail and manufacturing.
Can RFID integrate with SAP?
Yes. Middleware filters reads and sends business events such as goods receipt, stock transfer and goods issue to SAP or another ERP.
References
How we help with RFID
We design RFID systems for warehouses and plants, including tag selection for metal and drums, portal tuning and SAP integration; our paint warehouse system processes 16,800 barrels an hour (company reported).
Interactive 3D demo with simulated data: every read, and a missed read caught.
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