Pallets are the unsung backbone of modern supply chains. They move through every stage of the journey – from production, goods-in and storage, to despatch, transport, delivery and returns – carrying the stock that keeps orders moving. But when a pallet leaves the line or passes the loading bay, it’s common for teams lose sight of it.

Losing visibility is evident in small ways. Maybe a pallet is left in the wrong lane or a delivery note gets checked off twice. But eventually, these small errors start costing you. If staff spend an inordinate amount of time looking for product or customer orders wait while someone reconciles the records, pallet tracking can turn into a costly operational issue.

RFID gives teams a more reliable way to track pallets without asking operators to scan every label by hand. It uses radio waves to identify tagged pallets as they pass readers placed around a facility. Tags can be read in bulk, at distance and without direct line of sight, giving a clearer view of where pallets are and what has happened to them.

What RFID pallet tracking does

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. A tag is attached to a pallet, case or label. Information is programmed onto a microchip inside the tag, then picked up by a reader linked to your stock, warehouse or reporting tools.

Readers can be fixed at dock doors, goods-in points, conveyor lines, exit routes and internal transitions. They can also be handheld, fitted to mobile devices or mounted on forklifts. Pallets can be identified as they move through the site, without stopping work for a separate scan.

Most pallet tracking uses passive RFID tags, which do not need batteries, as they draw power from the reader’s signal. A well-made RFID tag can stay in use for years with minimal maintenance.

RFID labels and barcodes

Barcodes still have a useful place in warehousing and manufacturing – familiar, low-cost and effective, they’re ideal in any application where a one-at-a-time scan is preferable, such as picking individual cases, checking cartons at pack-out, or confirming ingredients before they go into production.

RFID takes much of that manual checking out of the process, as multiple tags can be read at once when pallets pass through a doorway, move onto a vehicle or reach a transition point. RFID tags can carry batch, expiry and unique identification data, much like GS1-128 barcodes, but without requiring each barcode to be individually scanned. Many sites therefore use both, i.e. barcodes at item level and RFID where manual scanning would create delays.

Why pallet visibility matters

Poor pallet visibility affects more than stock control. It can slow receiving, picking, despatch and returns. It can also weaken traceability, especially where batch, location and movement history need to stand up to audit.

Traceability is paramount in all warehouse settings, but particularly in food, healthcare and pharmaceutical environments. If there’s a recall or quality concern, the business needs to know where affected stock has been and where it is now. With RFID, you have a live, unbroken movement record to refer to.

The visibility RFID gives over your pallets also helps reduce shrinkage. Pallets and high-value goods are most exposed at handover points like at loading bays, yards and in transport transitions. Automatic reads mean you can see what time something moved, as well as where it was last recorded and whether it left through the expected point.

Where RFID works best

High-output sites usually see the value quickly. On manufacturing lines, RFID can show pallets moving from production into storage and despatch. Distribution centres can use readers across goods-in and goods-out to check busy doorways without slowing vehicles or operators.

Automotive and other component-heavy supply chains are also well-suited to RFID, especially where parts, kits and returnable assets are moving between suppliers, lines and sites.

It is also useful for reusable packaging, totes, cages and warehouse equipment. Tracking the asset itself is important when packaging is set to be returned or has to be cleaned, inspected or maintained before reuse.

Across the supply chain

RFID can support more than one point in the journey. For instance, at procurement and goods-in, tags can confirm that items have arrived and been recorded. In storage, they make stock checks faster and help locate pallets without walking the warehouse.

Then during order processing, RFID can confirm that the right goods have been picked and labelled, while in transport, it gives a record of what left and when it reached the next handover point. At delivery, RFID gives proof of arrival. Finally, in returns, it helps identify goods quickly and update stock records sooner.

Cold chain and regulated goods can be tracked with tags that capture condition data, including temperature where required. Warehouse assets can also carry their own RFID history, covering location, use, inspection and maintenance.

Integrating RFID into your warehouse

Setting up RFID starts with getting the right labels and encoding. Industrial RFID printer/encoders, including Zebra’s ZT400 and ZT600 ranges, can print and encode pallet or case labels at the point they are needed, while in a more automated setup, RFID labelling can be built into print-and-apply equipment, like with Cobalt’s NEXUS 20 pallet labelling systems.

Fixed readers capture movement at critical points. The Zebra ST5500 Transition Reader is suited to entry, exit and internal transition points, helping teams track both location and direction as RFID-tagged pallets move through a site. Fixed readers such as the Zebra FX9600 and FX7500 can also be used across warehouse and distribution environments.

The FX9600 could be a better fit for high-volume warehouse, dockyard, port and distribution environments where large numbers of pallets and cases pass through the supply chain, whereas the FX7500 offers a compact fixed-reader option for business-class RFID applications – this could span anything from inventory management and warehouse logistics to pallet and case tracking, asset tracking and delivery confirmation.

Handheld readers and RFID sleds, including Zebra MC3330xR, RFD90 and RFD40 options, give teams a mobile way to carry out searches, spot checks and cycle counts.

The MC3330xR gives warehouse teams a handheld device for RFID and barcode capture, which is useful for stock searches and cycle counts away from fixed reader points.

RFID reads need to connect to the platforms your team already uses for stock, production, despatch or reporting. Cobalt can advise on RFID labels, printers, readers, print-and-apply equipment, software and integration, so the setup fits the site instead of adding another awkward process.

Getting started with RFID pallet tracking

Every facility has different layouts, pallet materials, product types and read points, and because metal, liquids, distance, speed and reader placement can affect performance, it’s recommended you get a site assessment before adopting RFID warehouse-wide.

Cobalt can help you identify which tags and readers might be suitable, and how pallet tracking could be introduced to your operation with little disruption and downtime.  

It could start by pinpointing one high-loss area or a single group of returnable assets, then building from this once performance and workflow have been solidified.

Get in touch via the form below to find out how RFID pallet tracking could work in your facility.