Using RFID Technology to Replace Bar Codes and Scanners in the Harley-Davidson Company

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Overview of the Case Study Harley-Davidson (H-D) and other companies that have many manufacturing plants or production units and various dealerships may consider implementing RFID technology as a means of increasing the efficiency of all parts of its supply chain. An abstract from Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia describes Radio-frequency identification (RFID), as a technology that uses radio waves to transmit data and uniquely identify an animal, person or thing. This case study looks at the potential use of RFID technology to replace bar codes and scanners in Harley-Davidson supply chain. It indentifies some pros and cons of its implementation and addresses the question – What are some of the issues Harley-Davidson will face in comparison with those experienced by other companies such as Wall-Mart when they tried to implement RFID in their supply chains. Finally it will present a timetable for the adoption of RFID technology by Harley-Davidson in its supply chain. Problem Statement “It was over a period of several years, Harley-Davidson reduced its number of suppliers from 4000 to fewer than 350” (Schneider, 2009), despite this reduction, it still has a significant spread of its operations. For a company incorporating such a supply chain in its sales of motorcycles and related product yearly, reducing or maintaining costs is very important. In such a situation the need to find more efficient ways to conduct the various aspects of the business in its supply chain is ongoing. “The part of an industry value chain that precedes a particular strategic business unit is often called a supply chain” (Schneider 2009), p. 230. Harley-Davidson supply chain will include all the companies involved in the design, production, ... ... middle of paper ... ...and-Held-2D-Bar code-Scanner---Advantages-and-Disadvantages http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Field Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com Radio-frequency Identification (10/1/2009) Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition p1-1,1p Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com Database: Primary Search Roberti, M. (n.d.) New to RFID Journal, Welcome to RFID Journal http://www.rfidjournal.com/ Schneider, G. (2009). BUS 107 Electronic Commerce (8th edition) Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Strayer University Technologies: RFID/ What is RFID? http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/RFID/what_is_rfid.asp TIBCO’s Solution for RFID implementation and integration http://www.hoffmanmarcom.com/docs/rfid_whitepaper-updated.pdf Works Cited `Schneider, G. (2009). BUS 107 Electronic Commerce (8th edition) Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Strayer University

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