RFID INVENTORY
The development of technology has meant that the standard physical inventory based on paper and pen has been replaced by mobile devices - data collectors, equipped with barcode readers. The use of barcode technology did not significantly contribute to accelerating the inventory process, but it allowed for the elimination of human errors and at the same time enabled data to be transferred faster without the need to collect it in one place. In the case of large institutions, inventorying fixed assets or warehouse products involves appointing several census commissions and physically visiting several locations, which are often located in different cities. Bank branches are an example in this respect. Most often, the bank's asset management system is located at the headquarters, while the company's assets are spread practically throughout the country.
What does radio technology - RFID - give us and is it worth getting interested in?
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology enables contactless reading of an RFID tag using a dedicated RFID tag reader, which in the discussed case works in the high frequency band. In practice, this means that the tag can be registered by the device from a distance of several centimeters to several meters. In this case, there is no need to find the location of the asset's label or remove all the boxes from the high-bay racks. A portable terminal can register items within its reach without the need for visual contact with the label, as in the case of marking items with a barcode.
However, you should not imagine a solution using RFID in such a way that we enter the room, turn on the reader and within a second all items are registered. The above-mentioned scenario may be real, but due to the accumulation of various types of objects and construction elements, emerging interferences may negatively affect the operation of the device. In such a situation, the requirements for the user increase. RFID technology still requires close cooperation between the user and the tool. When this cooperation does not exist or does not work perfectly, the entire solution suffers. Therefore, education and awareness of how the entire system works and under what conditions it can work better and when worse are extremely important.
An RFID inventory system requires not only good, proven devices, but above all software that will allow you to connect all peripheral devices with data collected in an asset management system or a warehouse and accounting system. Many limitations of RFID technology, including reading items in rooms other than the one being the subject of the inventory, or incorrect location indication, are manageable from a software perspective. The role of the distributor and integrator is to select appropriate equipment tailored to the installation requirements, but also to ensure software functionality so that the system operates efficiently and, above all, effectively.
It is extremely important to select the appropriate tags with which the assortment is marked. Please remember that metal is an enemy of RFID technology and effectively blocks the propagation of electromagnetic waves. For this reason, different types of tags will be used to mark wooden surfaces, and completely different ones will be used to mark metal surfaces or those with an admixture of metal, such as magnesium computer and monitor casings.
Benefits of implementing RFID - it is worth remembering that this is not a solution that will work in every environment. This is primarily an increase in the efficiency of the system: faster registration of the assortment, reduction of errors during the inventory, the possibility of using modern mobile devices with an RFID reader, the ability to monitor the location of items, including faster inventory requiring less human resources, which in turn may contribute to a higher frequency of inventory and lower operating costs.