Abstract
RFID technology promises to improve a broad range of processes in logistics and manufacturing.
However, market acceptance of RFID develops slower than anticipated. One likely reason is the
difficulty to evaluate the resulting effects beforehand. A lot of research has already been conducted on
how to assess costs and benefits of RFID investments. But until now the focus has mainly been on
logistics applications. The manufacturing domain still lacks dedicated models for the costs and
benefits of an RFID rollout, especially concerning the intangible, non-quantifiable aspects of such an
investment. In this paper we suggest some guidelines assessing both the quantifiable and the non-
quantifiable aspects of RFID in manufacturing. We present a structured model that guides decision
makers along crucial trade-offs in this particular domain. Our work is based on case studies
conducted at production plants in different industries.