Modifying Value Stream Mapping for the Early Integration of RFID into the Factory Planning Process

RFID is a tool for the automated identification of products and load units used in industrial environments. Therefore, a thorough planning process is necessary for the successful implementation of RFID systems into production and logistical environments. Although existing planning methods for RFID already ask for the consideration of RFID from the beginning of the factory planning process, no concepts exist on how to integrate these systems into early site models. This paper, therefore, presents an adapted value stream mapping concept, the informational value stream mapping method, in which the aspects of informational waste are added to the specifications and key figures of the material and information flow. For this, a new parameter, the information flow resistance, was defined to locate and grade the informational waste in the planned processes. The results of the adapted method can then be used to plan the introduction of RFID systems into the material and information flow processes, ensuring the decrease of informational waste inside these processes.