RFID is a technology that has been embedded into many companies’ processes. It can be a powerful asset to any company that has large inventories to manage and needs to make improvements to their logistics system. However, not every company is going to benefit from RFID, nor will every company be able to reliably offset the cost of implementation to make the necessary return on investment. So, how can a company make an informed decision as to whether to implement RFID tagging in their company to manage assets and package delivery? Conducting an RFID asset management pilot would be a great choice. A short-term pilot can test whether RFID truly can be beneficial to your company.
RFID Tagging
RFID or radio frequency identification is a non-contact wireless method of transmitting data that can be attached to almost any object using an RFID tag. When a hand-held scanner scans for an RFID tag on an object, it’ll pick up any information that has been stored on that tag. This can include product type, description, amounts within a package, GPS location history, tracking history, or whatever other information you want stored directly on the object.
RFID Advantages and Disadvantages
RFID tagging has a number of advantages and disadvantages. One main advantage is that each tag can be unique, storing data that is specific to that tag in a more robust way than barcodes. Barcode scanning would need to attach to a database to get information, where RFID tags have the information stored in the tag itself. As well, RFID tags can be placed inside of a package, so they can be protected against weather. A downside, though, is that, if there are a lot of RFID tags in one place, or a lot of RF interference, RFID tags may be hard to scan. As well, deploying RFID over barcodes will require more initial investment, both in time and money.
Benefits of an RFID Asset Management Pilot
As with anything in business, there is a certain amount of risk involved in making major changes to the processes within a company. Deploying RFID tagging could be seen as a risky business decision if you don’t test it first. Doing an RFID asset management pilot would allow your company to partially deploy RFID amongst the asset management part of your company for a limited duration, normally no shorter than 3 months. This pilot will give you valuable data from your employees and records to determine whether deploying RFID could improve the efficiency of your business, in the end saving you money when it comes to preventing lost or damaged assets.
Pilots also have a secondary effect of being a great way to train your employees before a full implementation, giving them time to learn the new system without affecting your company’s productivity.
For a successful pilot, ensure that you have the support of all layers of management, and appoint a competent executive to spearhead the projects. Processes must be defined before deployment, and complete research must be done into hardware, software, and deployment methods related to RFID tagging.
Deploying an RFID Tagging Asset Management Pilot
If your company is committed to doing an RFID asset management pilot, then contact Field Metrix for a quick chat or demo on how RFID tagging works and how it can empower your field service technicians today.
