Supply Chain Science Set To Deliver Savings For Firms
18 April 2013
Dr Ming Lim, Head of the University's Centre for Supply Chain Improvement, gives a presentation on RFID technology at the University's recent Logistics Week.
Dr Ming Lim on the potential benefits the new University RFID consultancy service could offer companies.
Firms using radio frequency identification tags to track the goods they move could save significantly on transport and fuel costs, thanks to a new University of Derby consultancy service.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on parcels and products are 'intelligent' bar codes which can be scanned and tracked by computer systems.
They are used extensively by companies which move large amounts of goods, and mean major online order companies such as bookseller Amazon can tell customers exactly where their purchase is at any time.
A new consultancy service - launched by the University of Derby's Centre for Supply Chain Improvement - can help companies with RFID systems get far more useful information out of the computer data they generate, potentially saving them time and money.
By showing companies how they can utilise the RFID data they may already receive but aren't properly using, the businesses can better position their supply chain vehicles, reducing the amount of time they spend travelling half or completely empty. This would save time, money and be better for the environment.
The research project has involved the University of Derby, Aston University, leading warehouse management systems provider ATMS International FZCO (Dubai), packaging manufacturer Carton Edge Ltd of Coventry and Identify RFID of Thailand.
The two-year project cost around £80,000 and was financed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Dr Ming Lim, Head of the University's Centre for Supply Chain Improvement, said: "This project is very different from others in that it's not about companies having to improve and invest in better RFID technology, but looking at the data they're already getting and using it more intelligently.
"Once we're hired by a company we will be able to use what we've learned through our research to plot computer simulations, to see how its supply chain can be run more efficiently. Moving products around involves a lot of variables, such as vehicle and product availability, so it's important that we take all those into account.
"It's very difficult to say how much an individual company could save on overheads, as that would depend on how efficiently things were already being run, but I don't think a saving of 20% on fuel costs for a medium-sized firm, for example, would be impossible."
The Centre for Supply Chain Improvement, along with the Centres for Leadership Development and for Enterprise, is based within the Derby Business School at the University of Derby. Each centre offers companies of any size access to professional and academic expertise, to tackle business issues and develop new ideas.
Companies interested in contracting the help of the new RFID service, offered by the Centre for Supply Chain Improvement, can contact Dr Lim direct on 01332 591770 or email: m.lim@derby.ac.uk
For further press information please contact Sean Kirby, Press and PR Officer at the University of Derby, on 01332 591891 or email: s.kirby@derby.ac.uk
