RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology has been around for decades – so why is it making a resurgence now? To explore this, we recently sat down with Jay Parks, Senior Vice President, Operations, Packaging and Labels, at R.R. Donnelley.

We started off by discussing some of the key benefits of RFID labels.




“Two of the biggest benefits we see are around efficiency and cost reduction. Efficiency – you can very quickly do your inventory, for instance, in a retail environment. Or, as you see more and more, self-checkouts,” Parks said, noting that self-checkout lanes help retailers to reduce their labor costs.

Parks shared insights on how RFID has evolved in recent years, with large retailers instating RFID mandates.

“I think it comes to the chip size – how much smaller it is – and the applications,” Parks said. “The technology has evolved to where the RFID antenna and chip are now much smaller, so you can put them on just about anything. You’ve got large retailers such as Walmart that are mandating the use of this RFID technology to their vendors.”

Parks notes that the Walmart mandate runs the gamut from car batteries and electronics, to toys and sporting goods.

Check out the entire interview to find out how RRD is helping its clients meet the RFID label requirements of major retailers.

Listen to the full podcast interview below to learn more.