RFID for Shipping Container Security

Filed in archive RFID Basics on August 19, 2004

Here in the United States you can't turn on a news show without seeing a segment on the lack of security in shipping containers.

ABI Research has just issued a report suggesting that RFID is one of several technologies that can be employed to improve container security:

Over 20 million freight containers are currently circulating the world with about seven million of them passing through U.S. ports every year. Surprisingly, only about 2% of these are physically inspected. Security experts have warned of doomsday scenarios involving unchecked containers that may harbor terrorists, explosives, or other hazardous materials.

The good news is that enhanced container security methods, based on technologies such as RFID, cellular and satellite communications, are on the way. These technologies also promise substantial commercial benefits from a supply chain and enterprise resource planning (ERP) perspective. Depending on the technology and application, electronic tracking can not only log a container's movements around the world (sometimes in real-time), but can also alert administrators that, for instance, a container was opened without authorization.

Don't hold your breath, though. The new tracking technologies aren't expected to be widely used until the end of this decade.

For more information about the report, including the table of contents, see the ABI Research site.