The new Bangkok international airport, which is billed as an air traffic hub for the region, has a central cargo area, called the Cargo Free Zone, that will use RFID to make the flow of goods faster, and more accurate and efficient, said Visith Somboon, president of AMR Asia Company, the systems integrator for the project. It will also streamline customs procedures and speed up transfer tax processes.
The airport’s owner, Airport of Thailand Public Company, known as AOT, has chosen RFID technology from Intermec because it had the best technology available to enable us to meet our target of becoming Asia’s aviation hub, according to Somboon.
Everett, Washington-based Intermec said the project would be the largest RFID system in Southeast Asia.
The Cargo Free Zone also uses Intermec bar code printers and readers to monitor cargo, as a complement to the RFID system. Cargo cars entering terminals have RFID tags attached while their loads have bar code labels, which are read using Intermec bar code readers.
The airport will use various Intermec RFID gear, including 150 IF5 fixed RFID readers, 100 Intermec 751 mobile computers, 100 Intermec IP3 portable RFID readers, 600 RF antennae, 46,000 reusable plastic RFID tags, and 4,000 windshield RFID tags. The bar code system includes 10 PD4 bar code printers and 10 1551 rugged handheld scanners.
