The remote communication capability of RFID is what differentiates it from existing traceability technologies. Existing technologies, such as printed batch cards and barcoding, require operatives to read or scan the item or batch specific data at the location of the asset. This can be time consuming, laborious and prone to inaccuracies, due to the scale and complexity of typical warehousing and distribution operations. Hence design and layout of logistics operations across the supply chain have, until now, needed to accommodate this constraint.