RFID was designed as a supply chain management tool that would replace or supplement barcode technology. Its initial use was for simple warehouse operations at the pallet and case level so that warehouse personnel could perform basic inventory tasks such as identifying pallets, reading cartons on conveyor belts, finding items in bins, and confirming that shipments include all necessary items and no extra products had snuck onto a shipment.

It was easy to implement Icode Slix RFID because it was essentially the same technology. The warehouse management technology used to manage barcodes was very similar to the technology needed to start using RFID in its stead, so there was very little that supply chain management personnel had to do to set RFID technology in place using underlying systems that were already purchased and that staff members were already familiar with and easy to use. In a lot of ways, this early vision of RFID technology as just a barcode replacement that didn't require major changes or adaptations to either the software already in place or the workflows the warehouse had already established was essential to the widespread adoption that allowed RFID uses to expand and grow later on.

But why would supply chain management staff go ahead and implement RFID technology if it was simply going to be a slightly more expensive barcode technology? Why shell out the extra cash and the dip in productivity as the system was switched over when they could just keep using barcodes and keep the status quo in place? It's because RFID is faster. With RFID, supply chain management is more efficient. Hand scans are processed much more quickly than barcodes, meaning the whole scanning process suddenly became simpler, rather than a bottleneck that slowed down the workflow.

But RFID technology is advancing, even as more businesses are adopting it. And as more businesses adopt it, more supply chain management staff are getting their hands on the technology and coming up with new and innovative ways to use the advantages of RFID technology. Warehouse operations are being transformed as businesses realize that RFID is a more significant technology than was originally ever planned.

RFID has slowly become the backbone of business processes. With RFID, supply chain management is fundamentally improved without totally redesigning the warehouse organization that already exists. The high-speed capability of RFID helps warehouse personnel scan all the tags on a pallet at once without having to stop it or can read every serial number of individual palletized products as they move into inventory. This is in contrast to barcodes, which must be visible to be scanned, and then scanned individually. The speed of RFID dramatically improves warehouse efficiency and productivity.

RFID has also become important for other essential processes, including ensuring inventory accuracy, replenishing shelves, loss prevention, managing price changes, and more.