Blue pallets, installed with RFID tags developed by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), are tested at the institute's Seoul laboratory. ETRI claims that the use of RFID tags could greatly improve the efficiency of tracking and tracing postal packages. / Korea Times |
Days of Barcodes Being Counted Down
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Does advancement in wireless tracking systems mean that, at some point, we will never have to worry about lost mail again?
This may sound too idealistic a prediction, although it’s hard to deny that Korea is taking significant steps forward in adopting radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in postal services.
The state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) Thursday announced the development of a new RFID application that could ``revolutionize’’ efficiency in the tracking of postal packages.
Currently, the tracking process relies on barcodes, but the use of RFID tags could greatly improve the speed and volume of the deliveries and lower labor costs by reducing manual piece handling, according to Heo Hong-seok, director of ETRI’s research team on postal logistics.
Under ETRI’s design, RFID tags are attached to the pallets attached to the packages, which then send radio signals to reading devices installed at the gates of mail centers.
The role of barcodes isn’t completely eliminated, however, as they will still be used to relay the information of each postal item to the electronic chips on the pallets.
ETRI was hired by the Korea Post, the country’s mail service monopoly, to develop RFID technologies for postal services. By the end of the year, Korea Post plans to license a company to install the RFID tags and readers at the country’s 25 mail centers nationwide, a process that is expected to be completed around August next year.
This would make Korea only the second country in the world, behind Denmark, to adopt RFID technology for real postal work.
According to the Universal Postal Union (UPU), RFID chips have been tested by postal services in about 50 countries.
``The changes may not be felt immediately by end-users as the RFID solutions will not be extended to the post office level, but to the logistics centers just above in the chain,’’ said Heo.
``However, there have been significant advancements in item-level tracking, which we believe may be possible around 2011,’’ he said.
The ETRI have been testing item-level tagging for packages and has seen improvements in tracking dispatch and delivery in test beds, Heo said. However, the expanded use of the RFID tags hangs just as much on the development of regulatory standards as technology, as there haven’t been serious discussions to define how much information the chips should be allowed to carry.
RFID refers to the electronic-tagging technologies that rely on microchips to send radio waves containing the identification data of products to electronic readers.
The technology has been embraced by retailers and manufacturers seeking to improve efficiency in product management.
The systems are also being adopted among noncommercial sectors, such as the government and military, and is considered to have great potential for postal services, an area some experts predict will become the second largest market for RFID behind retail.
The Korean government has been promoting RFID as being among the country’s next-generation growth engines. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy announced a comprehensive plan Thursday to develop the sector, which includes adopting RFID systems at all government organizations, except the National Intelligence Service (NIS), by 2010.
RFID tags will be mandated for computer-related products used by public workers starting this year. The requirement will be expanded to 189 items by 2010, virtually all items aside of compact discs, artifacts and other delicate goods that could be harmed by the attachment of electronic chips.
This would create a demand for about 2.4 million chips every year, the ministry said.
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