Architecture proposal for the use of QR code in supply chain management

Abstract

Supply chain traceability and visibility are key concerns for many companies. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is an enabling technology that allows identification of objects in a fully automated manner via radio waves. Nevertheless, this technology has limited acceptance and high costs. This paper presents a research effort undertaken to design a track and trace solution in supply chains, using quick response code (or QR Code for short) as a less complex and cost-effective alternative for RFID in supply chain management (SCM). A first architecture proposal using open source software will be presented as a proof of concept. The system architecture is presented in order to achieve tag generation, the image acquisition and pre-processing, product inventory and tracking. A prototype system for the tag identification is developed and discussed at the end of the paper to demonstrate its feasibility.

Keywords

• QR Code
• Tagging
• Supply chain management
• System architecture
• UML.