Logistics traceability building blocks

To ensure traceability in logistics, you need to be able to identify (or mark) the asset unambiguously, take note of this identity by a reader, and then use the information in the right context (see figure ): for example, when a "hit-and-run driver" cuts you off, you note his license plate number in order to report him to the police for dangerous driving, at such and such a place, and at such and such a time.

A traceability system consists of :

• The identifier of the good, a marking, visible to the naked eye or not, which makes it possible to identify the good. This can take the form of a vehicle license plate, the number that identifies a railroad wagon, the serial number of a shipping container, a bar code, optically readable characters or electronic signals.

• The...