Manage Your Inventory Better with RFID

The revolutionary new RFID - Radio-frequency Identification - technology is particularly relevant for businesses with optimal inventory management requirements.

What are the benefits of RFID?

• Replaces bar-code tagging, without extra steps
• Can be hidden or embedded
• Remotely identifies people, assets and location
• Increases productivity
• Improves visibility and traceability
• Less error prone

How can businesses apply RFID?

• Access control for employees and partners
• Access control for vehicles
• Manufacturing automation
• Logistics and distribution
• Retail and operations
• Product security
• Maintenance

What are the benefits for inventory management?

The Gantry-based solution provides automated stock control within your premises. This means that every tagged item is accounted for once it passes through the gantry so it increases the accuracy of your inventory as well as the process efficiency. It also reduces out-of-stock occurrences with dull visibility.

The inventory management solutions are best used within:

• Warehouse inventory control
• Retail back store
• Container management
• Shipping/receiving verification

The solution can also be mobile hand-held, which provides a cost-efficient way for inventory control in any premises. It’s also able to perform on-the-spot inventory checks and adjustments with instant capture and displays in real-time on mobile devices.

Mobile/ hand-held benefits include:

• Warehouse inventory control
• Work-in-process-tracking
• Container management
• Check-in/check out

Does the solution deliver any tracking capabilities?

Yes, the following capabilities are possible with the RFID solution:

GPS

RFID can be extended with GPS tracking devices. It allows for a total visibility of the asset’s location, provides value-added information to improve business processes, optimise asset usage and reduce operation cost.

• Fleet Management
• Vehicle Security
• SOS

Area Based (Zoning)

Location tracking via area zoning provides an overview of all assets in the specified zone in real time. It provides logging of time, entry location, tag information for every read and can be generated as a report to be viewed over a date range.

• Personnel Tracking
• High Value Item Tracking
• Access Control

Gantry Based

Similar to usage under inventory management, tagged assets can be automatically scanned and logged once it has passed the gantry. Multiple gantries at different areas can allow effective location tracking of assets.

• Roller Container
• Warehouse Operations
• Vehicle Tracking
• Pallet Tracking
• Indoor Positioning

Leveraging on proprietary measurement of distances, assets can be pinpointed to a 1 metre accuracy within premises.

• Pathing control
• Indoor routing
• Access control

We believe that a combination of RFID and a strong back-end business information or ERP system, can help many businesses cut down on tedious back-office work processes. The one-time investment in such a combined solution can bring in huge savings over time.

Image Credit: Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

This article is based on a blog post previously published by me at Blue Ocean Systems