
If You Have a Need for Speed, Bet on RFID
Speed is the name of the game when it comes to inventory and asset management, and RFID delivers the data faster than any other technology.
RFID is everywhere. Those plastic tags you’ve seen in retail stores; the small square metallic stickers on packaged goods; even your pet’s ID chip – those are all RFID tags. They store information about the item they’re attached to, and they deliver that information to an RFID reader’s screen.
Don’t bar codes manage information the same way? Not exactly. The key difference is in the way an RFID tag communicates with the reader. Bar code readers must “see” each bar code to collect the data. There has to be a clear sight line between the bar code and the reader. RFID readers, in contrast, don’t “see” the tag. They “hear” it, via radio waves sent by the tag. RF = radio frequency, ID = identification.
RFID readers can “hear” the signals from all the RFID tags in an area, all at the same time. Bar code readers, because they rely on “seeing,” can record only one bar code at a time. This video shows a bar code reader and an RFID reader in a head-to-head race.
Spoiler alert: The bar code reader is not going to be invited to the Kentucky Derby.
RFID technology has an application for every business sector.
- Facility managers track the location of every desk and chair without doing a piece-by-piece inventory.
- Automobile manufacturers streamline workflows by tracking parts as vehicles move through the assembly line.
- Museum curators know which storeroom contains a particular collection, without having to open drawers or rummage through shelves.
- Warehouse managers confirm the contents of a new shipment without having to open the boxes.
- Hospital managers locate equipment and track usage of supplies without doing manual searches and counts.
Every business has a need for speed, because time is money. The less time it takes to collect information about assets, the more time you have to spend on your organization’s primary mission. RFID streamlines your workflow, improves inventory accountability, and monitors assets. Turbocharge your business with RFID.
Photo © Dan Thornburg / PhotoDune
Video © National Office Systems, Inc.
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