Container Tracking: Understanding Your Options

There is a significant risk for theft or loss when transporting expensive assets with little to no visibility.

In fact, some companies spend over $100,000 per year on returnable containers, making poor visibility a costly mistake. And for something so big, it should not fall through the cracks.

To overcome this obstacle and stay on top of your high value containers container tracking is an effective way to increase visibility at every stage of your supply chain.  Container tracking helps businesses monitor the movement and location of containers and increase accountability.

While there are many container tracking technologies out there, they are frequently lumped together. In reality, they each have different capabilities and uses.

So, how can you choose the right tracking technology for your environment? Read on to discover the benefits (and potential drawbacks) of each to help choose the right one for your business:

Barcodes

Barcodes are the most basic and inexpensive method of managing your assets. After printing and labeling a barcode to your product, a barcode scanner is used as a reader. However, with the potential for paper labels to deteriorate, many paper barcodes can be unreadable and ineffective.

Passive RFID

A cost-effective solution, a passive RFID system uses antennas in the areas in which companies want to read and record tags. These areas can include doorways and portals that scan RFID tags attached to trays or containers entering or leaving facilities. A potential drawback to this system is the limited tracking intelligence at designated portals.

Active RFID

In an active RFID scenario, RFID chips are attached to the products themselves. This method has a long range and can be integrated with GPS systems, to provide real-time location data on items that are in motion, allowing on demand visibility. However, this method comes with a much higher price tag than its passive RFID counterpart.

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Whether within a building or on a vehicle, RTLS works with RFID software as well as Wi-Fi technology to track it at any time or location automatically. These systems generate information that allows companies to make intelligent decisions in real time. Although their capabilities are vast, these systems are costly to implement and maintain.

Choose the right technology

Companies who take advantage of container tracking into their operations will be able to not only save costs but improve many areas of their business. The SMS Group can help your company reduce costs and increase productivity, accuracy, and efficiency with the right solutions for your warehouse. Contact us at www.thesmsgroup.com  or call 937-498-2700.