RFID budgets to grow in 2010, says ABI Research end user survey

RFID budgets will increase for about half of those surveyed and remain the same for about 40%, according to an annual ABI Research survey of companies currently using, deploying, or piloting / evaluating RFID. For this year’s survey results, announced Dec. 14, more than 115 qualified organizations globally responded to ABI Research’s annual RFID end-user survey. Among respondents currently using, deploying, evaluating, or piloting RFID, 49% report that they expect their RFID budgets to increase in 2010; only about 11% intend to cut their RFID budgets.
"ABI Research considers this a welcome result in these difficult economic conditions," says practice director Michael Liard. "Moreover, 100% of those organizations with rollouts currently in progress intend to increase their RFID budgets next year."
As in past years, the overwhelming majority of respondents rated "business process improvement" as the number one driver for their adoption of RFID. The second-most important driver was considered to be the need to reduce non-labor costs, ABI Research said.
ROI timeframe is also a critical consideration for most companies considering RFID deployment, and comparing the ROI assumptions reported in 2009 with those from 2008, the survey found that considerably more companies (48% as opposed to 37% in 2008) expect their investment to be recouped within 12 months. "Shorter ROI timeframe expectations are yet another sign of users’ growing confidence in the RFID business case," said Liard.
ABI Research’s "Annual RFID End User Survey Top Line Results" report includes more than 200 tables and charts, with analysis of respondents’ RFID usage plans, primary adoption drivers, specific applications, supported operating frequencies, current and anticipated transponder and reader volumes, the firm said, along with RFID expenditures and budget direction, vendor sources and selection criteria, and demographics. Non-user responses also are analyzed to provide reasons for not adopting RFID.
Also read from MBT, more about how RFID can improve operations:
– Fielding quality: Argenti Lemon S.A. tracks product port-to-port using RFID-enabled devices ;
– Tight as a drum: RFID-enabled e-pedigree simplifies product tracking, traceability ; and
– Wireless technology enables chemical plant’s‘Project Zero’ .
– Mark T. Hoske, online product editor, Manufacturing Business Technology , MBT www.mbtmag.com