RFID Logistics: Plastic Pallets Get BAP Tags

From RFID Journal ... Mark McDonald, director of production for Alien Technology, says plastic is superior to wood for reading RF because of the significantly lower moisture content ...

" ... Applied Distribution Research (ADR), a San Jose, Calif.-based maker of reusable plastic pallets, is offering a version of its product with an embedded RFID battery-assisted passive (BAP) tag operating at 2.45 GHz. Plastic pallets cause less RF interference than wooden ones; wooden pallets’ moisture content (which fluctuates with the surrounding environment) and metal nails and staples can interfere with RFID readers’ ability to successfully read tags. ... "

The biggest destroyer of hardwood forests around the world is the lowly wood pallet. While plastic pallets may be better environmentally, they lack the strength of wood pallets. Fortunately, there is a new polymer pallet that surpasses the strength of wood and the environmental benefits of plastic. It is the ADR high performance polymer pallet.