Supply Chain View

I have just seen this BBC story on Toshiba’s reusable paper technology. The innovation is a form of PET plastic paper with a thermally-active layer that allows each sheet to be erased and reprinted around 500 times. Their thermal printer will output around 12 sheets a minute.

This is what Toshiba say about possible applications:

[Toshiba] said the printer was not intended to replace paper printers but would probably find a role in “closed loop” processes such as in a warehouse where staff are given a picking list of items to gather. In such applications … there was no need to keep a permanent record.

Now this is a laudable attempt to reduce consumable waste and improve energy efficiency, but I doubt this particular technology is going to find a home in the warehouse or distribution centre.

For a start, it’s not clear how the plastic paper will cope with an operator ticking off items on their pick list with a normal pen. Nor whether the paper degrades or damages the printer after being dropped on a warehouse floor, or stepped on, or rolled over by the wheel of an order-picker.

But probably more to the point, this is a technological solution to a problem to which there are many technological solutions. Enterprises that want paperless picking have a broad range of RF solutions from which to choose. Toshiba’s plastic paper is competing in this crowded market.

At time of posting, the product has only been launched in Japan. It will be 2008 before we see this in Europe.

What do you think? Would you consider this technology for your operation. Leave a comment and let us know.

Links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6174052.stm
http://www.toshibatec-eu.com/europe/en/