By RFID MFG Editorial Team · Updated June 18, 2026
The challenges
- Slow, manual barcode scanning at receiving and dispatch
- Miscounts and lost or misplaced stock
- No real-time view of what is on hand or in transit
- Returnable assets (totes, cages, pallets) going missing
- Labour-intensive cycle counts
How RFID helps
Cartons and pallets carry UHF labels; fixed readers in dock-door portals capture everything that passes without line of sight, while handhelds speed cycle counts and putaway. Rugged anti-metal tags identify returnable totes, racking and equipment.
The result is a live inventory record and an automatic, verified count at every receiving and shipping event.
The key to reliability is matching the tag to the load. Plain cartons take economical paper labels; metal racking, steel totes and drums need on-metal tags with a spacer or ferrite; and pallets of liquid need inlays tuned for high water content. We manufacture the full range — labels, inlays and hard tags — and pre-encode them to your SSCC or internal numbering, then help specify the dock-door and handheld readers so the whole system is sourced and tuned together.
Benefits
- Receiving and dispatch verified automatically at the door
- Inventory accuracy typically 95%+
- Shipping and picking errors sharply reduced
- Returnable assets tracked and recovered
- Cycle counts in a fraction of the time
Typical impact
| Process | Manual / barcode | With UHF RFID |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet receiving | Scan each carton | Read whole pallet at the door |
| Inventory accuracy | ~80% | 95%+ |
| Cycle count | Hours | Minutes |
| Shipping errors | Baseline | Greatly reduced |
Figures are typical ranges commonly reported across industry deployments; actual results vary by environment, process and integration.
Recommended products
UHF RFID Label
Carton and pallet labels for supply-chain visibility.
Anti-Metal Tag
Rugged tags for totes, racking and equipment.
RFID Readers / Gateways
Fixed dock-door portals and handheld readers.
RFID Smart Cabinet
Automated control for tools and high-value assets.