What do you know about Radio frequency identification (RFID)? If you are not familiar with it or just know that it uses radio waves, you might have fallen behind somewhere as RFID is becoming a huge part of our daily activities and business’ methods.
An RFID system is a tracking system that provides a unique identifier for an object. This system includes a reader and a tag, which can be chosen from the three types:
- Passive tag is reliable, cost-effective and has a long lifespan, meaning that it is a great choice for anyone who needs to store their data for an extended period of time;
- Semi-passive tag is best suited for businesses that need some additional features like sensors, real-time tracking, sound notifications;
- Active tag is able to adopt numerous additional features like integrated sensors, increased memory and more logic, thus it is a good choice for the companies working with valuable, sensitive goods that need constant real-time tracking and secure decisions.
Radio waves are used to transfer data from the tag to a reader, which „knows“ where the tag is and can track the tag as long as it is in the reader‘s range. Because the RFID tag can be attached to any item that needs to be tracked, radio waves become a convenient way to know where a particular good‘s, device‘s or other significant tool‘s real-time location is.
RFID vs. BARCODES in accommodating daily consumers’ needs
The principle of an RFID system is quite similar to the barcoding system that we are using when travelling, advertising, tracking food intake or simply shopping: the reader automatically identifies the object that has a tag (or, in barcoding system‘s case, a barcode) on it.
Once the tag (or barcode) is read, we get the particular encoded data record from the database. However, the popular barcode system is very limited as it‘s tag has to be in the line of sight with a scanner, meaning that the scanning cannot be done from a longer distance.
For this reason, many are seeing how RFID changes the basic barcode system shortly. For instance, Qwyddy’s partners created a low-cost long-range RFID that lets to track any items in a longer distance without spending a lot of money on it. This kind of RFID reader would be suitable for basic daily tasks like shopping – scanning the goods directly from the shopping carts and sending the bill to a shopper‘s bank account. The money would be automatically transferred in seconds, too. Benefits of RFID-based shopping include no queues and thus saved time, a diminished number of goods‘ stealings and, of course, a more comfortable shopping experience for the consumers.
RFID changing businesses
Simpler examples as RFID shopping can be customised and immensely benefit businesses, too, as RFID can satisfy nearly every industry‘s demands by saving both time and money.
For instance, logistics companies use RFID systems to create up-to-date lists of what has been added or removed from the trucks. Another example can be healthcare businesses, where RFID helps in managing the distribution of medicine or tracking important surgery-related tools.
Let us look at the concrete advantages of RFID using a manufacturing company as an example.
Keep in mind that these are just generic examples. RFIDs size, shape, materials RFID is made of and materials that covers it can be customised according to your needs and working methods.
5 benefits of using RFID in a production company:
Convenient tracking of goods
ability to know where a particular item is (from the beginning of it‘s making through the whole manufacturing process) significantly reduces inventory tracking time.
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Monitoring the flow of work in progress
controlling manufacturing steps for individually customised items and the sequence of the mass production ensures that steps are in the correct order.
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Flexible mass manufacturing processes
RFID‘s ability to respond to a higher influx of real-time data and reliably read data directly on an object is crucial if a company wants to produce more from the same production line and thus stay competitive.
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Increased accuracy
choosing RFID instead of hand-scanning and manual inventory counting saves time and prevents errors by minimising the inaccuracy, which often occurs with human workers.
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Reliable insights
RFID has access to real-time data analytics and thus can provide companies with insights that lead to better business decision making.
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Saved company’s time and money
RFID systems will inevitably go hand-in-hand with our daily tasks and benefit our businesses. We can clearly see how that will add value and help in achieving greater results for both producers and consumers. Why not step up and start using radio frequency identification now?