Business process analysis and simulation for the RFID and EPCglobal Network enabled supply chain: A proof-of-concept approach

Abstract

RFID technology and the EPCglobal Network Standard have attracted growing interest from a wide range of industries and research academics. This paper proposes a significant approach to adopting RFID system into a simple supply chain using simulation technique. The simple supply chain and the business process are stated. The suggested open source solutions with the supporting components compliant with the EPCglobal Network Standard are used to emulate the system. The supply chain process remodeling and EPC information flow are evaluated after the simulation runs follow the designed scenarios. Due to the limitations on the real-world implementation, the simulation is useful for supply chain firms and research academics to study and illustrate the new remodeled process and to understand the practical implications of the technology without high investment and long time implementation.