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RFID: Why It’s Not the Same as a Bar Code

RFID: Why It’s Not the Same as a Bar Code

Everyone knows what a bar code is – we can’t forget the commercial showing bank customers with bar codes on their foreheads – but the workflow and inventory management benefits of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology aren’t as well known. Like bar codes, RFID tags contain information about the item they’re attached to. No doubt you have seen those large plastic tags clipped on apparel in retail stores, and seen them removed by cashiers at the time of purchase – those are RFID tags, and they help the store manage inventory. But RFID tags also come in much smaller versions, like the one pictured here, and they can be affixed to everything from shipping boxes to artworks, tools, furniture, weapons, and even office file folders or individual documents. They’re inconspicuous, easy to apply, and last for 50 years.

The technological difference between RFID and bar codes is this: Like books or newspapers, bar codes are printed in ink, and must be visually read by an electronic scanner. RFID tags, by contrast, are essentially tiny radio transmitters, bouncing a signal back to an RFID reader just the way your favorite radio station relays a signal to your car radio. The RFID signal contains unique identifying information about the item the tag is attached to.

On the surface, RFID may not seem to offer any advantages over bar codes. Nevertheless, Walmart, Macy’s, and other retailers turned to RFID for a very good reason: Labor costs. Their inventory management systems were based on bar codes, and the bar code scanner had to “see” the bar code. Because it couldn’t see around corners or through walls, every item in a stockroom or warehouse had to be manually turned toward the reader – a time-consuming labor-intensive process. And labor is expensive.

The radio signals of an RFID tag, however, can be “grabbed” by an RFID reader without the reader ever having to see the tag. As long as the reader is in proximity to the tag (same room or same building), it receives the information from the RFID tag via radio waves, without any need to handle the inventory. In effect, the RFID reader can see around corners, or through a stack of boxes, or into a filing cabinet. The labor of inventory management becomes as simple as walking into a room.

RFID is a game-changer for any organization that needs to keep track of inventory or assets:

  • Facility managers know where every desk and chair is located without doing a room-to-room count.
  • Automobile manufacturers streamline workflows by tracking parts as vehicles move through the assembly line.
  • Museum curators are certain of which storeroom contains a particular collection, without having to open drawers or rummage through shelves.
  • Warehouse managers know exactly what a new shipment contains without having to open the boxes.
  • Paralegals locate critical documents in a law office without having to search through multiple files.

Bar code technology is far from obsolete, however. Bar codes are a proven solution for an array of situations in which labor costs are not such a big part of the inventory management calculus. But for many organizations, RFID offers productivity benefits that boost the bottom line.

As every manager and owner knows, inventory and asset management is vital to any successful enterprise. RFID will streamline your workflow and improve inventory accountability. Consult with an expert in inventory management and storage who can tell you if RFID or bar coding, or both, could be the right solution for your business.

 

Photo © metamorworks / AdobeStock

Intelligent Forklifts – Are They Too Smart?

Intelligent Forklifts – Are They Too Smart?

The “Internet of Things,” in which all objects will be connected via sensors to a broad digital system, is still in its infancy. While robotic vacuum cleaners and exercise-monitoring clothes are fairly common, such things as self-driving cars are not quite rush-hour ready. However, RFID and on-board intelligence are being successfully combined to create intelligent forklifts for materials handling systems: http://bit.ly/1sr7wEM. Proponents point to cost savings gained through improved safety, greater efficiency, and better inventory control.

Those of the Luddite persuasion, though, envision robots running amok through warehouses, ignoring RFID signals, destroying products and threatening the lives of their human bosses. But automation systems failures can usually be traced to human user error, or, more important, a poor choice of automation vendor. Cutting corners never pays, especially when it’s your inventory at stake. Thoroughly vet your vendors, and your warehouse won’t end up like “I, Robot.”

Now how do I program my vacuum cleaner to do the stairs…?

Photo © JRB – Fotolia.com