Skip to main content Skip to footer
Alma universitas studiorum parmensis A.D. 962 - Università di Parma Alma universitas studiorum parmensis A.D. 962 - Università di Parma
Department of
Engineering for Industrial Systems and Technologies
Università degli Studi di Parma

RFID Lab

Print

RFID Lab stems from multi-year research activities performed at the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Parma. The lab focuses on exploring the applications of RFID technology and the EPC system to business processes.

Founded in 2006, RFID Lab was the first Italian laboratory which tested RFID UHF Class1 Gen2 applications. Research activities, first focused on the food and fast-moving consumer goods fields, encompass several market segments, including, among others, paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, health care and public administrations. All the companies that experiencing significant issues in product flows “visibility” and “traceability” along the supply chain, involving inefficiency and waste, may substantially benefit from RFID technology implementation and research activities performed at the RFID Lab.

The RFID Lab technological partnership encompasses more than twenty companies, market leaders in their fields. The technology partners provide the hardware and software required for testing and experiments, and receive feedback on performance, compatibility and ease of integration of hardware and software solutions with business processes. A panel of leading user companies, mainly from the food and fast-moving consumer goods fields, define the research activities of the RFID Lab, and benefit from the research results. The laboratory aims to become a national and international benchmark for:

  1. Research activities encompass different topics of RFID applications to business processes, with an emphasis on Business Process Reengineering, feasibility study, hardware and software technologies. The focus is on RFID application in the food, retail, logistics, courier express and parcel, cold chain and pharmaceutical supply chains.
  2. Training: extensive and customisable training programmes are offered to students as well as companies interested in exploiting RFID potential. RFID Lab will offer training services to students enrolled in undergraduate and post-graduate programmes, to be held at the Campus training facilities. The courses aimed at staff from companies, groups or members of a trade association and typically comprise between 6 and 24 attendees. The advantage of training at the RFID Lab is that it offers a mix of practical hands-on experiments, test work and demonstrations of RFID in action to compliment traditional classroom learning.
  3. Advise services: RFID Lab helps companies carry out the following activities: (i) Define specific technical requirements; (ii) determine the best technology solution; (iii) carry out pilots or trials; (iv) implement a solution, including development and integration.

The RFID Lab offers testing facilities to perform tagged unit performance testing in a variety of supply chain conditions. Performance testing conducts appraisal of tag readability on specific cases or pallets of goods and experiments with tag placement on products for consistency of readings in pilot experiment.

 

Contact person: Giovanni Romagnoli - giovanni.romagnoli@unipr.it

Recent Research Projects

Open Digital Lab 4 you – DigiLab4U

10.2018 to 07.2022

BMBF (German Ministry for Education and Research)

https://digilab4u.com/

Feasibility study of RFID applications in the FMCG sector

09.2021 to 03.2022

Murata ID Solutions & Tetrapak

https://www.rfidlab.unipr.it/rfid-barometer/

Agenda RFID 21-23

09.2021 to 05.2022

GS1 Italy

Link

Analisi sperimentale ed ingegnerizzazione di sistemi hardware e software per la schermatura fisica e digitale/virtuale di letture RFID

06.2021 to 12.2021

Murata ID Solutions

 

Ingegnerizzazione e validazione sperimentale di sistemi RFID a supporto dei processi di supply chain

02.2020 to 05.2021

Murata ID Solutions

 

Sviluppo e test di dispositivi di lettura RFID in ambito healthcare e fashion

01.2019 to 09.2019

Murata ID Solutions

-

Selected publications

  1. Esposito, G., Mezzogori, D., Neroni, M., Rizzi, A., Romagnoli, G., 2021. Software-based shielding for real-time inventory count in different store areas: A feasibility analysis in fashion retail. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, vol. Pre-press, no. Pre-press, pp. 1-16, DOI: 10.3233/RFT-210294
  2. Cilloni, G., Leporati, R., Rizzi, A., Romagnoli, G., 2019. State of the art of item-level RFID deployments in fashion and apparel retail. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 10 (3-4), pp. 65-88, DOI: 10.3233/RFT-190174
  3. Rizzi, A, Volpi, A., Rinaldi, R., Bandinelli, R., Gonzalez, A., Hardgrave, B., 2019. Assessing the performances of RFID UHF and HF dual-frequency apparel tags. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 10 (1-2), 39-63. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-180106
  4. Rizzi, A., Volpi, A., 2018. RFID-enabled visual merchandising in apparel retail. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 8(4), 213-231. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-181788
  5. Bertolini, M., Romagnoli, G., Weinhard, A., 2017. Proposing a Value-Added Indicators framework for the apparel and fashion sector: Design and empirical evaluation. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 8(3), 143-164. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-171674
  6. Bottani, E., Bertolini, M., Rizzi, A., Romagnoli, G., 2017. Monitoring on-shelf availability, out-of-stock and product freshness through RFID in the fresh food supply chain. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 8(1-2), 33-55. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-171780
  7. Bottani, E., Romagnoli, G., Montanari, R., 2016. Improving sales turnover in fashion retailing by means of an RFID-based replenishment policy. International Journal of RF Technologies: research and applications, 7(1), 65-86. DOI 10.3233/RFT-150072
  8. Caredda, V., Orrù, P. F., Romagnoli, G., Volpi, A., Zedda F., 2016. RFID technology for blood tracking: An experimental approach for benchmarking different devices. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 7(4), 209-228. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-161512
  9. Rizzi, A., Romagnoli, G., Thiesse, F., 2016. A new framework for RFID use cases in fashion and apparel retailing, International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 7(2-3), 105-129. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-150075
  10. Bertolini, M., Bottani, E., Romagnoli, G., Vignali, G., 2015. The impact of RFID technologies on inventory accuracy in the apparel retailing: evidence from the field. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 6(4), 225-246. DOI 10.3233/RFT-150069
  11. Piramuthu, S., Rizzi, A., Vignali, G., Volpi, A., 2015. Benchmarking of RFID devices for apparel applications: An experimental approach. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 6(2-3), 151-169. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-140064
  12. Bertolini, M., Bottani, E., Rizzi, A., Volpi, A., Renzi, P., 2013. Shrinkage reduction in perishable food supply chain by means of an RFID-based FIFO management policy. International Journal of RF Technologies: research and applications, 5(3-4), 123-136. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-130052
  13. Bertolini, M., Ferretti, G., Vignali, G., Volpi, A., 2013. Reducing out of stock, shrinkage and overstock through RFID in the fresh food supply chain: Evidence from an Italian retail pilot. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 4(2), 107-125
  14. Bottani, E., Montanari, R., 2013. RFID and real time localization systems for warehouse management: a model for technical and economic evaluation. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 4(3-4), 209–245. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-130046
  15. Bertolini, M., Bottani, E., Ferretti, G., Montanari, R., Volpi, A. 2012. Analysis of the requirements of RFID tags for efficient fashion supply chain management. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 3(1), 39–65. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-2011-016
  16. Bertolini, M., Bottani, E., Ferretti, G., Rizzi, A., Volpi, A., 2012. Experimental evaluation of business impacts of RFID in apparel and retail supply chain. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 3(4), 257-282. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-2012-028
  17. Bertolini, M., Ferretti, G., Montanari, R., Rizzi, A., Vignali, G., 2012. A quantitative evaluation of the impact of the RFID technology on shelf availability. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 3(3), 159-180
  18. Bottani, E., Ferretti, G., Montanari, R., Rizzi, A., Volpi, A., 2012. Performances of RFID, acousto-magnetic and radio frequency technologies for Electronic Article Surveillance in the apparel industry in Europe: a quantitative study. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 3(2), 137-158. DOI: 10.3233/RFT-2012-024
  19. Bertolini, M., Bottani, E., De Vitis, A., Butcher, T., 2010. A pilot project for evaluating the impact of AUTO-ID technologies on out-of-stock. Supply Chain Forum: an International Journal, 11(4), 24-34
  20. Bottani, E., Montanari, R., Volpi, A., 2010. The impact of RFID and EPC network on the bullwhip effect in the Italian FMCG supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 124(2), 426-432. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2009.12.005
Modified on