1) Literature Review 1.1. Introduction Improvement of Supply Chain Efficiencies has assumed unprecedented importance in modern business environment.

This is because ensuring customer satisfaction is increasingly becoming the one method of building sustainable competitive advantage amongst companies (Ariba, 2 !". According to #ac$son % &andal (2 ' ", ma$ing sure that customers get ordered (uantity of goods, in perfect condition and )ithin time deadlines are parameters of good customer service. An agile and timely response to constantly changing customer re(uirements further results in *customer delight+ (Ariba, 2 !".

Thus management is increasingly focusing on improving all the operations involving supply chain activities (,ong)ei % -ilan, 2 !". These include vendor management, procurement, planning of manufacturing activities, )arehousing and customer service. A good supply chain is one )hich seamlessly integrates all of these activities resulting in (uic$ movement and reduction of inventories, increased return on investments, improved customer service and an hence increase in the brand value of the organi.ation (#un, 2 /". 2" Supply Chain Efficiencies are secured primarily by

According to 0i$itin % 1ao (2

improving the critical tas$ of trac$ing of goods. This has traditionally been done by use of bar codes. ,o)ever bar codes suffer from various deficiencies such as read only tags, manual scanning operations, data errors and duplication all of )hich compromise organi.ations ability to efficiently trac$ goods. According to 1oberts % &unroe (2 2" 1adio 3re(uency Identification (E3I4"

Technology is a good alternative to bar codes. 5ith 13I4, )ireless technologies facilitate automated data entry regarding product type and product location )ithin the )arehouse. 4ynamic trac$ing is enabled. Since it does a)ay )ith manual entries, errors

are dramatically reduced6 data synthesis and product identification tas$s are simplified (5hite et al., 2 !"

13I4 also reduces cost of labour and logistics )hich are the t)o ma7or costs impacting an organi.ations bottom8line today (5hite et al., 2 !". Automation results in optimal labour re(uirements )hile logistical operations get streamlined. 13I4 can be seamlessly integrated )ith E19 systems providing real time information on order boo$ings, payments and inventory status. It dramatically improves trac$ing of inventory, thereby ma$ing inventory forecasting more efficient. -osses on account of robberies or counterfeit products are reduced (5hite et al., 2 !".

,o)ever despite these manifold benefits, initial investments in 13I4 technologies are very high (&andal % Sarpesh$ar, 2 !". According to &arroco (2 /" these costs can be 7ustified only in very large )arehouses )hich manage high fre(uency movement of very large inventories of high value. &oreover the 13I4 e(uipment needs to be stationary or in a *fi:ed position+ for management. ,ence it is the intention of the author to postulate an 13I4 technology that is fle:ible enough to be e:tended to larger possibilities. This includes trac$ing goods )hich are in transit using &obile 13I4 technology. This ne) and latest technology incorporates 13I4 along )ith ;91S and mobile technologies to produce an offering )ith vastly increased efficiencies as compared to stationary 13I4 infrastructure (#ones % ,oare, 2 2".

This thesis considers the feasibility of implementation of &obile 13I4 technology in a cross doc$ing section of ,ollister -ogistics, <=. ,ollister provides logistical support for clients primarily in the automobile and transportation sectors. &obile 13I4 has been e:perimentally implemented to chec$ if operational and business efficiencies can be substantially increased. >ased on this e:periment, the advantages and disadvantages of this ne) technology are then presented and discussed. 1.2. Warehousing According to Alessio % >onni (2 2" integral to the proper functioning of every

organi.ations supply chain is efficient )arehousing infrastructure. This is because

)arehouses connect the manufacturer )ith his client ? customer. An essential measure of customer satisfaction is the service he is rendered by the )arehouse (4erbe$ et al., 2 @". Efficient 5arehousing operations render e:cellent customer service at minimal cost to the manufacturer. The )arehouse is ho)ever 7ust part of the overall logistical operations of the company and its primary function is to store goods )hich includes ra) materials, portions of the finished product, partially finished goods as also the fully finished product (4erbe$ et al., 2 @". Transporting these goods from point of manufacture ? production to point of consumption also falls )ithin the ambit of )arehousing operations. 1.3. Various Kinds of Warehouses The most common $ind of )arehouse is one in )hich goods are stored en masse (4eighton % -ee, 2 ' ". This $ind of )arehouse is located at an intermediate point bet)een manufacturing point and consumption point. ,o)ever some production facilities mar$et their goods directly to clients. These organi.ations do not need )arehouses at all (4erbe$ et al., 2 @". 2". ,ere,

Another )arehousing concept is *cross doc$ing+ (>alachandran % >arnett, 2

goods are sent to the )arehouse by the manufacturing facility. ,o)ever before being stored, they are first bro$en up into smaller portions. Each portion corresponds both in terms of si.e % (uantity of individual units to client ? customer orders. These portions are then stored prior to being shipped to the customers (>alachandran % >arnett, 2 technology )ill be tested at the cross doc$ing facility of ,ollister -ogistics. 1.4. Ty es of Warehouse ! erations The traditional )arehousing function is for mass storage of goods and then to deliver them to customers in such a )ay that minimal costs are incurred and customer satisfaction is ensured. ,o)ever a modern )arehousing operation also includes consolidation of products, bul$ brea$ing as also dissemination of data to manufacturers % clients (,a)$ins % Stone)all, 2 2". These aspects focus on the movement of goods to and from the )arehouse rather than storage only. According to ,a)$ins % Stone)all 2". The cross doc$ing concept is important from this thesisAs perspective since mobile 13I4

(2

2" (uic$, efficient movement of goods combined )ith real time and correct data

about goods in transit as also goods in storage are the hallmar$s of a good modern )arehousing facility. Thus the primary functions of a )arehouse areB &anage 3lo) of ;oods Storage of ;oods 4ata &anagement &anage 3lo) of ;oods 1.4.1. "anage #$ow of %oods The management of flo) or movement of goods is subdivided into the follo)ing tas$sB 1eceipt of ;oods Transferring ;oods or 9ut A)ay Selection of <nits or Crder 9ic$ing Cross 4oc$ing Shipping Receipt of Goods This activity includes unloading of goods from the transport vehicle, data entry into the )arehouse inventory database, (uality chec$s and cross verification of goods (uantity against shipping and order transfer invoices (1icci et al., 2 ' ". Put Away This activity includes movement of goods inside the )arehouse for storage. 9ut A)ay also includes movement of goods to areas )ithin the )arehouse for specific tas$s such as

consolidation or bul$ brea$ing as also to the shipping area to be sent to end customers (1icci et al., 2 ' ".

Order Picking This is one of the most essential activities and involves brea$ing up of the *bul$+ goods into portions )hich match in terms of (uantity and categories individual customer orders (0i$itin % 1ao, 2 Cross Docking A fundamental concept in modern )arehousing is Cross 4oc$ing. This is a goods management and distribution concept that eliminates the need for storage function of )arehousing (5hite % 1obertson, 2 It is variously defined as *Immediately matching items between incoming and outgoing shipments + (1icci et al., 2 ' ". A logistical procedure used to match items from incoming shipments on the loading dock with outgoing shipment requirements and transferring them to outgoing vehicles + (5hite % 1obertson, 2 !". !". !".

<nder Cross 4oc$ing, products from different suppliers that arrive at the )arehouse centre are sorted and then so distributed amongst various transportation vehicles that each vehicle leaving for a given destination are loaded )ith goods from various suppliers. Its utility lies in its ability to reduce handling and )arehouse e:penses. It results in reduction of inventory levels, optimal utili.ation of resources and more nimble operations at the )arehouse (5hite % 1obertson, 2 Shipping !".

This is the last activity )hich involves shifting goods pac$ed as per customer orders into transport vehicles, ma$ing the necessary ad7ustments in inventory database and cross chec$ing of goods being shipped to ensure compliance )ith customer orders.

1.4.2. &torage The Storage 3unction can be either temporary or partially permanent. Temporary storage is for goods re(uired for normal inventory replenishment and is re(uired irrespective of real inventory movements. 9artially permanent is a buffer of goods maintained over and above that re(uired for normal restoc$ing (Dang % Chi, 2 /".

1.4.3. 'ata "anage(ent This function occurs concomitant )ith data flo) and storage. It involves flo) of data to the manufacturer, )arehouse administrators and the client. The data processed is )ith regard to stoc$ levels, input and output (uantities, storage locations, customer orders etc. 5hile barcode technologies have largely replaced paper )or$ involved, the latter method is still utili.ed (uite fre(uently (Saunders % 5u, 2 barcode technologies. !". 13I4 technology is the latest technology to efficiently manage data and is an alternative to

1.). 'ata *o$$ection 4ata collection refers to the process of collation of data received from various sources. Criginally )arehouse data )as collated manually and included tas$s such as filing of hand)ritten purchase orders. &odern methods include data capture through scanners )hich are then fed to a central computer. A data collection process is said to be efficient if it captures data accurately at their sources (1oberti, 2 (2 form. 1.).1. +uto I' 4ata in a )arehouse refers primarily to information on movement of goods into and out of the facility (1oberts % &unroe, 2 2". &anual entries included repeated data entries )hich is costly and prone to errors. 5ith the development of technology this process has been automated. ,o)ever the basic tas$ remains the same, i.e. identification of goods handled by the )arehouse. Automatic Identification is a collective term used for various technologies used to perform the tas$ of ob7ect identification in an automatic fashion (=arthaus % 3isher, 2 ' ". Auto I4 functions by identifying the uni(ue identifiers located on each item of inventory. These identifiers are so configured that they can be lin$ed to data systems throughout the database (=arthaus % 3isher, 2 ' ". Cne of the most common Auto I4 technologies used is that of bar codes. 1.).1.1. ,ar *odes >ar Codes may be defined as a series of light and dar$ bars of different lengths configured as per industry specifications (4etters % =arnad, 2 E". These codes form the uni(ue identifiers )hich are used by Automatic I4 technology to identify items in a )arehouse. Cptical machines or scanners then *scan+ each code and translate bar Fcode language called symbologies into a format )hich can be used by soft)are used in the @". According to Stoner et al., !" it should be time bound, automated as far as possible and in an E19 compatible

)arehouse to process data. There are nearly 2G barcode symbologies but the most commonly used ones include the <niversal 9roduct Code (<9C" and the &a:i Code (=arthaus % 3isher, 2 ' ". The *uni(ueness+ of each bar code is obtained by subtle differences in the si.e, height, )idth of the individual bars as also their spacing from each other (4etters % =arnad, 2 E".

>ar Code is an enormous improvement over manual identification and registration techni(ues. It is (uic$er, more accurate, cheap and can be used across various industries. Eg. 5hile typing in ' bits of data ta$es E seconds, automated scan of a '2 bit bardcode ta$es 7ust .G seconds (3alconi % 4AAmico, 2 tolerance of ' in every G '@ I4 tool. The bar code itself is only part of a larger )hole. Cther components in the system include scanning and decoding devices, specially trained personnel )ho operate speciali.ed soft)are (4ehghani % Atarodi, 2 /". 2" barcodes suffer from some disadvantages. 2". 5hile typing in data has an error bits of data, barcode errors are in the order of ' for every

(;lidden % >oc$oric$, 2 ' ". ,ence it is currently the most commonly used Auto

According to ,a)$ins % Stone)all (2 These includeB

9ricing discrepancies )hich occur on special discounts ? offers 4amaged -abels cannot be read correctly by scanners Cost F initial investments are high

 Training costs are high 9rinting of good bar codes involves the use of e:pensive high (uality printers Cperationally the biggest disadvantage is that different suppliers utili.ed different bar8 coding systems (,a)$ins % Stone)all, 2 becomes more difficult. 1.).1.2. R#I' Techno$ogies 13I4 technology, first incorporated for industrial and commercial use in the '2/ As is today postulated as an efficient alternative for barcodes since they do a)ay )ith the disadvantages of the latter technology (,arris % ;risanti, 2 2". 13I4 carries identification data for each unit in tags )hich is then retrieved using )ireless technology. 2". ,ence end to end trac$ing of goods

,ence manual operations and its attendant disadvantages are reduced to the minimum (,arris % ;risanti, 2 2". 13I4 e:ists in varied formats but share some common features. These include three main elementsB

Tags All tags consist of an antennae and a micro chip. The micro chip stores identification data ).r.t. the goods unit to be identified. The Antennae transmits this I4 data to the reading device. Tags are also e(uipped )ith an internal battery. Tags offer several advantages over barcodes being small in si.e, ine:pensive, have high reliability, minimal maintenance costs and can be embedded into goods to be trac$ed (,a)$ins % Stone)all, 2 2". They can be programmed differently

as per functionality re(uirements. These can be read only )hich then cannot be changed or read ? )rite )hich offers the advantage of more fle:ibility.

Readers 1eaders act as an interface bet)een the tags and the data collecting application. 1eaders include transmitting and receiving devices Software Application Soft)are Applications that collate and manage data transmitted by the 1eader. 1.).2. ,ar *odes versus R#I' According to =ocer % 3lynn (2 ' " 13I4 promises to be as much of a revolution in logistics management as bar code technologies )hen the latter )as first introduced. This is because of the significant advantages offered by 13I4 versus >ar Codes (=ocer % 3lynn, 2 ' ". These includeB Si.e of data scanned by bar codes is ma:imum ' @H => => )hile 13I4 can scan upto

4ensity of data management in bar codes is lo) )hile in the case of bar codes it is high. 5hile bar codes offer limited readability to humans, 13I4 is virtually impossible to decipher. ,igher confidentiality is thus maintained. Any dirt or dampness or damage to the >ar Code stic$er renders it unreadable, )hile these have no effect on 13I4As. Any covering on >ar Codes renders it unreadable, )hile 13I4As continue to function.

 4irection and position of placement of goods have no effect on 13I4 functionalities, )hile they do influence bar code scanner functioning. 5hile >ar Codes have significant operating costs in terms of printers, these technologies are not used by 13I4As resulting in cost savings. >ar Code data can be manipulated but this is impossible in 13I4As. 1eading Speeds of >ar Codes is of the order of G seconds )hile 13I4 speeds are .E seconds. 5hile a distance of at least E cms has to be maintained bet)een the goods and the scanner in the case of bar codes, in the case of scanners this is reduced to 8E micro)aves. 1.).3. ,usiness -ti$ity of R#I' The benefits of implementing 13I4 are very varied and depend on the type of usage in a supply chain process. ;enerally costs involved in manual activities and transparency issues are reduced resulting in higher savings over a longer period of time (&alino)s$i % &os$)a, 2 !". This thesis )ill e:plore the benefits that accrue from 13I4 at a cross doc$ing station. These benefits includeB Increased product touching. 9roduct Touching refers to the number of goods scanned or identified in a particular time frame (5atters et al., 2 !". <se of >ar Codes involves manual scanning of good units )hich is very time consuming. ,o)ever number of goods scanned )ithin a time frame is directly proportional to cost savings, i.e. more the goods scanned, larger the savings (5atters et al., 2 former case. !". 13I4 technology is able to identify ? trac$ a very large number of goods as compared to bar codes and hence the savings are significantly higher in the

Sa ings Potential due to Auto!ation of Processes. A company )ith a high level of manual operations )ill save costs due to 13I4 implementation more than a company )hose systems and processes have already been implemented, i.e. the more the sophistication level, the lesser the cost benefits and vice versus of 13I4 implementation (Ihihua % Juguang, 2 Cost of "a#our The four areas )here 13I4 technology improves labour costs are in replenishment, order entries, put a)ay and chec$ing in. This is because all these activities re(uired manual scanning of bar codes )hich is done a)ay )ith through 13I4 (5atters et al., 2 $illing of Order Rate Errors in terms of faulty pic$ing of goods )ill be eliminated through 13I4 automation. -esser errors mean no refilling of orders and hence larger cost savings. Shorter "ead%ti!es 13I4 technologies can reduce lead times in the follo)ing areasB #$e.i/i$ity when ta0ing readings !". !".

;oods can be positioned any)here and still be trac$ed ? identified. Thus the elimination of the need to be in sight of the scanner results in more fle:ibility Increased +ccuracy and Re$ia/i$ity of Reading 13I4 technology result in highly accurate and reliable readings obviating the necessity of re F readings resulting from faulty data readings. "u$ti1read ca a/i$ity 13I4 technology is able to read several goods items at the same time Improvements in the above three result in shorter lead times and a more efficient supply chain process. Transparency 13I4 provides a highly transparent information flo) system that provides all the sta$eholders in the supply chain )ith accurate and real time data )hich can be used for ma$ing decisions. Dura#ility >ad 5eather conditions such as rain, dirt on labels, damaged labels result prevent effective functioning of bar code scanners. These problems are eliminated )ith 13I4 technology All of the above ma$e 13I4 technology most suited for used in )arehousing particularly in cross doc$ing applications )hich involves processing of large amounts of varied forms of data, efficient trac$ing, loading and unloading mechanisms. 1.2. 'isadvantages of R#I' &o$utions According to 0a$amoto % Dama.a$i (2 2" despite their manifold advantages, 13I4

technology does suffer from significant disadvantages. These includeB

 3igh *osts The cost of implementing an 13I4 solution in a )arehouse )ith no significant levels of automation can go upto a (uarter of a million <S dollars. Such high investment is 7ustified only in larger )arehouses handling high volumes of goods traffic. Smaller )arehouses )ill have to see$ )ays to derive ma:imum return on investment. Li(ited Visi/i$ity 4eploying of 13I4 read centers currently offers only t)o options. Stationary infrastructure installed at cho$e points such as doc$ing doors at the receiving station or handheld devices for instant readings. This results in limited visibility since movement of goods )hilst in transit or )ithin the )arehouse cannot be trac$ed. Li(ited Inventory Infor(ation Since 13I4 readers only trac$ goods at fe) cho$e points, this technology can provide data only on amount of stoc$s in)arded or out)arded. It provides limited information on *in situ stoc$s+. ,ence (uic$ replenishment, order fulfillment, out of stoc$ data etc is not possible. This in turn adversely affects customer service levels. 4on -ti$i5ation of #u$$ 6otentia$ of R#I' Techno$ogy >ecause of stationary infrastructure the true potential of 13I4 technologies remain underutili.ed. 1.7. "o/i$e R#I'8s &obile 13I4As represent the latest evolution of traditional 13I4 technologies. It combines the benefits of 13I4 )ith ;91S technologies that allo) for *anytime+ *any)here+ trac$ing and identification of goods (=ocer % 3lynn, 2 ' ". It consists of a mobile device that can read 13I4 tags and an application in the device that provides real time data to customers and to the )arehouse facility through ;91S technology. The solution also incorporates special 13I4 tags that can be attached to moving vehicles,

any)here in the )arehouse, mobile carts etc and connected to the reader through a special server. According to 9illai % ,enrich (2 the follo)ingB I!pro ed & $le'i#le Technologies 5ireless Connectivity in 1eal Time Small and Compact si.e designed to fit any)here 3le:ible read times to handle goods at different locations Efficient batteries incorporated on the device. The devices can be operated by themselves or through interface )ith other devices and applications. This allo)s for use of varied $inds of )ith e:tended data processing abilities. 1ugged % Strong design F these devices are rugged, can )ithstand rough treatment and e:treme environments. ,ence they can be used in various conditions. I!pro ed In entory (isi#ilities &obile 13I4 devices provide real time data on the movement and location of goods. Information on reduced inventory levels can be instantly obtained leading to replenishment and hence prevent loss of sales and improved customer service. &ista$es in put a)ay, pic$ing and shipments are also reduced. >etter stoc$ planning is enabled. Increase Auto!ation leading to I!pro ed Producti ity A mobile 13I4 is an e:tension of 13I4 technologies enabling increased automation of more and more supply chain processes. This eliminates paper)or$. Stoc$ ta$ing, order trac$ing, deliveries, inventories etc can all be automated )ith &obile 13I4As )ith minimal error increasing productivity levels. 2" benefits accruing through &obile 13I4As include

I!pro ed )anage!ent of Assets All assets or goods )ith 13I4 tags can be (uic$ly trac$ed or located. This allo)s for (uic$er identification, loading, transfer timelines and improved overall asset management. *tili+ation of ,'isting Technology 5hile installation of &obile 13I4As is a large investment, it can leverage on e:isting infrastructure already in place at the )arehouse. Eg. An e:isting 5ireless -A0 can be used for the transmission of 13I4 data from the mobile 13I4 reader to the centrali.ed server. This improves 1CI of e:isting technologies. Good Return on In est!ent There are various )ays in )hich &obile 13I4As provide good 1CI. 5hile stationary 13I4As can be used only for certain times in a day, &obile 13I4As can be used all the time increasing usage efficiencies of both readers and the )hole system. The number of goods that can be *read+ per second increases dramatically. )ultipurpose *tility &obile 13I4As are designed for use any)here in the enterprise. ,ence they can be used across different devices ? areas unli$e fi:ed 13I4 systems. "ow Cost of I!ple!entation &obile 13I4 devices are self8contained units that do not incorporate any )iring, cables, antennae etc. ,ence maintenance costs are reduced to a minimum. &oreover they incorporate various mechanisms li$e Kelcro that permit (uic$ installation across different locations in the )arehouse.

"ess )anage!ent & Support effort Since the &obile 13I4 is a self contained unit incorporating 5-A0, po)er and transmitting technologies. This results in reduced cost and time needed to manage and support the devices. Reduced Total Cost of Ownership Since &obile 13I4As offer high performance, lo) maintenance and installation capabilities, their total cost of o)nership is reduced.

I!pro e!ent in Strategic -usiness (alue 1eal time data provided by mobile 13I4As can be used to reduce inventories. This in turn positively impacts capital investments, improves inventory turns and overall profitability. 1eduction in inventory increases the storage areas of )arehouses allo)ing e:panded resource allocation capabilities (1ao % 0i$itin, 2 /".

Thus )ith the plethora of operational and o)nership benefits, &obile 13I4As hold the potential to become the ne:t technology of choice in )arehouses. 1.9. *ha$$enges in "o/i$e R#I' I( $e(entation 4espite their advantages, large scale implementation of &obile 13I4As is fraught )ith challenges. The primary challenge is the management of these devices. Since they are used throughout the facility, all the time, they have to be constantly monitored (>alachandran % >arnett, 2 significant cost implications. 2". >rea$do)ns if any have to be serviced. <pdated technologies have to be incorporated on them to increase efficiencies. All of these have

Implementation of &obile 13I4As places significant demands on the infrastructure re(uirements of a facility (4eighton % -ee, 2 ' ". This can result in complications if not properly handled. &anagement of t)o radio fre(uency technologies involved, 5ireless -A0 and 13I4 calls for speciali.ed technical $no)ledge. &oreover organi.ations )ith e:pensive 13I4 technologies already in place need to determine the )orth or feasibility of implementing &obile 13I4As. 5hether mapping flo) of goods in currently non visible areas )ill result in significant business value needs to be first determined (4eighton % -ee, 2 ' ".

1.:. &u((ary of the Literature Review 4elivering good Customer Service helps companies build sustainable competitive advantage )hich is important in an increasingly competitive business scenario. A measure of good customer service is prompt delivery of goods to clients ,ence supply chain efficiencies are receiving increased focus by management 5arehousing forms an important part of supply chain management. Critical to the proper functioning of the )arehouse is the efficient trac$ing and identification of goods. ,itherto a manual operation, trac$ing of goods is currently done by bar codes. >ar Codes )hile an improvement over manual operations suffer from disadvantages such as high lead times, inaccuracies, manual operations etc. 13I4 technologies offer significant advantages over bar codes. They allo) for faster identification and trac$ing of goods, data collation and management, lean lead times, lesser costs and improved productivities.

 13I4 technologies are ho)ever e:pensive to implement. &oreover their use is limited to doc$ing gates or to the unloading? unloading stations. This results in limited visibility and formation of *dead .ones+ in the )arehouse. &obile 13I4 technologies are the latest technologies that combine 13I4 technology )ith ;91S that allo)s for *anytime+ *any)here+ trac$ing of goods. This facility e:tends the e:isting capabilities of 13I4 technologies as also increasing operational and business capabilities of the )arehouse. ,o)ever implementation of &obile 13I4As is still at a nascent stage. Companies have to 7ustify the e:pense of implementation and successfully tac$le challenges such as providing ade(uate maintenance and technological support.

The %antt *hart Significant )ilestones Identification of 1esearch Topic Collection of -iterature Sources 4etermining Aims and Cb7ectives of the 4issertation Evaluation of Current 9erformance -evels at ,ollister -ogistics Conducting E:periment to determine 3easibility of &obile 13I4 Implementation Analysis and derivation of conclusion 9ublishing of 1esults in 4issertation

Tasks Co!pleted till Date The &ain 1esearch Luestion, Aims and Cb7ectives of the 4issertation have been identified. The initial proposal has been o$ayed by the supervisor. 4ata Sources have been collected and a summary literature revie) prepared. The advantages and disadvantages of 13I4 have been obtained through theoretical study. The advantages of &obile 13I4As have also been listed.

 The Challenges inherent in &obile Implementation have been identified. Tasks to #e Co!pleted The current 13I4 operations at ,ollister are to be studied and the shortcomings highlighted E:periment to determine 3easibility of &obile 13I4 implementation to be conducted The Cperational and >usiness Advantages that can accrue on account of &obile 13I4 implementation to be studied The challenges in &obile 13I4 implementation to be ascertained in practical situations, i.e. ).r.t. ,ollister -ogistics. The findings of the e:periment to be summari.ed and published in the dissertation.

%+4TT *3+RT
+ugust 11 + ro.i(ate Ti(e1$ine ,arly Identification of Research Topic, Determination of Aims !b"ectives# $ollection of %iterature &ources 'riting of Introduction, Research (uestion, Aims !b"ectives, %iterature Review# $onfigure the e)periment set up at *ollister %ogistics# &tudy the current R+ID implementation# Identify advantages disadvantages $onduct ,obile R+ID feasibility e)periment at *ollister %ogistics# $ollect Data, Analyse, Derive $onclusions# -ublish results of e)periment in Dissertation# 'rite out conclusion and recommendations about the feasibility of ,obile R+ID implementation in 'arehouses )id ,nd ,arly )id ,nd ,arly )i d ,nd ,arly )id ,nd ,arly )id ,nd &e te(/er 11 !cto/er 11 4ove(/er 11 'ece(/er 11

References Alessio, 3., >oni, A. (2 2" A $,!& Analog +ront.end for a -assive /*+ R+ID Tag# -o) 9o)er Electronics and 4esign, IS-9E4M @. >an$s, #., 9achano, 4. (2 !" R+ID Applied. 3innish -ibraries 13I4 5or$ing ;roup. Ariba, =., (2 !" ,obile R+ID Transponders with embedded +eRA, and Temperature &ensor# Solid8State Circuits Conference, ASSCC M !. IEEE, Kol. G, pp.'GE8'G/. >alachandran, ;.=., >arnett, 1.E. (2 2" Dynamic 0andwidth 0oosting for R+ID &ystems# Solid8State Circuits, IEEE #ournal, Kol.H', pp.2 '282 2/. Culler, 1., (2 2" 1nabling ultra.low power wireless research. I9S0 2 2.

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