It is inevitable, RFID will dominate the supply chain versus traditional technology such as bar codes, according to Supply Chain Digest, the only question is when.

In most applications, RFID simply has a number of advantages over bar codes, such as the auto versus manual read/scan, no line of sight requirements, and ability to put more data on the tag.

Increased regulatory requirements, especially relative to food and pharmaceuticals, will play a role in the mandated use of RFID for to support safety and product integrity goals – especially as safety or other related issues emerge, to be able to track lineage, chain of custody and inventory status at higher levels than most can do today.

Market analysts, like ABI Research, expect worldwide demand for RFID-based technology to increase by 14%, and that the item-level apparel tagging portion of that will explode, with annual growth rate of 37% through 2016 across the US and European markets.

Read more, and “The Seven Reasons RFID will Eventually Win in the Supply Chain” here.