Adoptions Barriärer för Radio Frequency Identification Technology

Sammanfattning: Radio frequency identification technology (RFID) has during the past decade seen an upwards trend among logistics companies in the supply chain. With increased e-commerce, demand for new and more efficient solutions are ever-increasing. RFID is a technology which Schmidt, Thoroe & Schumann (2013) call the next ‘evolutionary step for auto-identification technology’. The purpose of this research is to investigate and describe how previously found barriers for RFID adoption are perceived by Swedish logistic companies. The significance of barriers often accompanies the choice of investing or not. This thesis was conducted with mixed qualitative research design and used multiple case studies as a pilot study as well as a survey based on the results from the qualitative study to look at different logistic companies in Sweden. The authors collected data using semistructured interviews with a purposive sampling technique. Through thematic analysis, predetermined barrier themes emerged and that were strengthened by coding and categorising the transcripts. The survey data has been collected and analysed in IBM SPSS. The findings in this thesis conclude that RFID has matured over the last decade, and that cost is no longer the most significant barrier when it comes to implementing RFID technology into logistic processes. The most significant barrier now is lack of understanding and the popularity of barcodes. Lack of business case and an extensive knowledge gap surrounding RFID impedes Swedish logistic companies to adopt the technology. Another significant barrier was the popularity of barcodes. It has long been the industry standard, and companies are heavily invested in the infrastructure developed for barcodes. The target group for this research is both companies thinking of investing in RFID technology and RFID solution providers who want to know what challenges logistic companies face regarding RFID. For future studies, researchers should try to investigate how postal services could feasibly adopt this technology or analyse and compare barriers between different logistical segments within the supply chain.