7. Conclusions and future work
This paper presented a cloud-based material tracking system for
SMB contractors to improve supply chain visibility (e.g. fabrication, de-
livery, and installation processes). The system integrates not only RFID
for automated tracking but also a barcoding system for backward com-
patibility and minimal interruption in the existing workflow. The select-
ed cloud platform provided a cost-effective solution to overcome the
errors and delays in information flow and enhance collaboration in
the construction supply chain. The test results indicate that the pro-
posed system is effective but there is room for improvements, particu-
larly on the reliability of RFID system; however, this can be tackled by
using more reliable RFID readers and tags and by finding good reader
and tag configurations for the working environment.