While RFID technology has been in use since the 1950s, wide-spread implementation has come in waves over the years. Beginning with military applications where it was used to identify friend or foe aircraft, to inventory control in the retail industry, and now to the manufacturing space where it is being used to manage work in process, track assets, control inventory, and aid with automatic replenishment.
The bottom line is RFID is critical in the manufacturing process. Why? Because, fundamentally, it provides actionable data that is used to make critical decisions. If your organization has not yet subscribed to RFID technology then it is getting ready to. This doesn’t mean just in the shipping and receiving area. Wide-spread adoption is happening on the production line, in the tool room, on dies, molds, machine tools, on AGV’s, on pallets, and so much more.
Not an RFID expert? It’s ok. Start with a quick overview.
Learn about the fundamentals of a passive RFID system here.
In the past, controls engineers, quality assurance managers, and maintenance supervisors were early adopters because RFID played a critical role in giving them the data they needed. Thanks to global manufacturing initiatives like Smart Factory, Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of things (IIOT) and a plethora of other manufacturing buzz words, CEOs, CFOs, and COOs are driving RFID concepts today. So, while the “hands-on” members of the plant started the revolution, the guys in the corner offices quickly recognized the power of RFID and accelerated the adoption of the technology.
While there is a frenzy in the market, it is important to keep a few things in mind when exploring how RFID can benefit your organization:
- Choose your RFID partner based on their core competency in addressing manufacturing applications
- Make sure they have decades of experience manufacturing and implementing RFID
- Have them clearly explain their “chain of support” from local resources to experts at the HQ.
- Find a partner who can clearly define the benefits of RFID in your specific process (ROI)
- Partner with a company that innovates the way their customers automate
