How to provide better help for Inventory Management with RFID?

Recently, we wrote about the consequences of an outdated inventory management system. If you can relate to inventory management issues such as human error, slow processing times and a lack of automation, RFID is the solution you’ve been waiting for.

Effective inventory management means efficient control of items in the inventory to avoid either under-stocking or over-stocking. Item tracking is also important to ensure that no theft or diversion happens. The standard method of inventory management is using printed bar codes and with handheld or fixed scanners to control and track inventory and equipment. RFID provides a much more efficient and comprehensive solution.

RFID vs barcodes

RFID technology performs better and is more efficient in inventory management than printed bar codes. RFID tags can be read at a distance of up to several meters, while, bar codes need line of sight to scan items. Unlike bar codes which can be easily damaged, RFID tags are also durable since they can withstand exposure to heat, moisture, dirt and contaminants.

With RFID technology, it is possible to read tags simultaneously, thus allowing the entire load of a pallet to be checked at one time. When using bar codes, checking each load is accomplished by checking items one at a time. Each RFID tag can also have a unique identification code making individual product tracking possible. There are also types of RFID tags with codes that can be overwritten remotely, an advantage when there is a need to update the item information. With bar codes, once the code is imprinted with data, it cannot be changed.

Prevent inventory blind spots

Implementing RFID technology in inventory management makes way for better inventory control. Since RFID does not need direct line of sight to check items, it can track items anywhere in the warehouse, thus preventing blind spots in your inventory. With RFID readers installed to cover shelves and other storage, inventory records are also automatically updated since the items removed are instantly recorded.  The inventory manager can keep track of the flow of items in the warehouse with software such as Stratum Global’s TagNet.

Avoid over-stocking and under-stocking

With RFID, every item in the warehouse is efficiently monitored allowing for real-time inventory of items in stock in relation to warehouse space. This can help you avoid under-stocking or over-stocking and help you save on shipping and inventory costs.

Ensure stock security

RFID’s ability in real-time and accurate monitoring of items protects inventory from theft.  RFID makes it easy for management to spot if an item have been stolen from warehouse racks or shelves. RFID readers can easily detect whether an item is removed or taken without authorization.

Ready to try RFID?

Inventory management requires effective and efficient tracking of items. This prevents a list of common issues in inventory such as over-stocking, under-stocking, and even theft.(from abetech)

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/how-to-provide-better-help-for-inventory-management-with-rfid.html

Some Basic Knowledge About RFID

What is RFID?

RFID is an acronym for “radio-frequency identification” and refers to a technology whereby digital data encoded in RFID tags or smart labels (defined below) are captured by a reader via radio waves.

RFID is similar to barcoding in that data from a tag or label are captured by a device that stores the data in a database. RFID, however, has several advantages over systems that use barcode asset tracking software. The most notable is that RFID tag data can be read outside the line-of-sight, whereas barcodes must be aligned with an optical scanner.

How Does RFID Work?

RFID belongs to a group of technologies referred to as Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). AIDC methods automatically identify objects, collect data about them, and enter those data directly into computer systems with little or no human intervention.

RFID methods utilize radio waves to accomplish this. At a simple level, RFID systems consist of three components: an RFID tag or smart label, an RFID reader, and an antenna. RFID tags contain an integrated circuit and an antenna, which are used to transmit data to the RFID reader (also called an interrogator). The reader then converts the radio waves to a more usable form of data. Information collected from the tags is then transferred through a communications interface to a host computer system, where the data can be stored in a database and analyzed at a later time.

RFID Tags and Smart Labels

As stated above, an RFID tag consists of an integrated circuit and an antenna. The tag is also composed of a protective material that holds the pieces together and shields them from various environmental conditions. The protective material depends on the application. For example, employee ID badges containing RFID tags are typically made from durable plastic, and the tag is embedded between the layers of plastic. RFID tags come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are either passive or active. Passive tags are the most widely used, as they are smaller and less expensive to implement. Passive tags must be “powered up” by the RFID reader before they can transmit data. Unlike passive tags, active RFID tags have an on-board power supply (e.g., a battery), thereby enabling them to transmit data at all times. For a more detailed discussion, refer to this article: Passive RFID Tags vs. Active RFID Tags.

Smart labels differ from RFID tags in that they incorporate both RFID and barcode technologies. They’re made of an adhesive label embedded with an RFID tag inlay, and they may also feature a barcode and/or other printed information. Smart labels can be encoded and printed on-demand using desktop label printers, whereas programming RFID tags is more time consuming and requires more advanced equipment.

RFID Applications

RFID technology is employed in

many industries to perform such tasks as:

– Inventory management

– Asset tracking

– Personnel tracking

– Controlling access to restricted areas

– ID badging

– Supply chain management

– Counterfeit prevention (e.g. in the pharmaceutical industry)

Although RFID technology has been in use since World War II, the demand for RFID equipment is increasing rapidly, in part due to mandates issued by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Wal-Mart requiring their suppliers to enable products to be traceable by RFID.

Whether or not RFID compliance is required, applications that currently use barcode technology are good candidates for upgrading to a system that uses RFID or some combination of the two. RFID offers many advantages over the barcode, particularly the fact that an RFID tag can hold much more data about an item than a barcode can. In addition, RFID tags are not susceptible to the damages that may be incurred by barcode labels, like ripping and smearing.

From the read distance to the types of tags available, RFID has come a long way since World War II and there is a bright future ahead. 

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/some-basic-knowledge-about-rfid.html

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How Does IoT Give an Effect on Applications in Agriculture

The global population is set to touch 9.6 billion by 2050. So, to feed this much population, the farming industry must embrace IoT. Against the challenges such as extreme weather conditions and rising climate change, and environmental impact resulting from intensive farming practices, the demand for more food has to be met.

So, what is smart farming? Smart farming is a capital-intensive and hi-tech system of growing food cleanly and sustainable for the masses. It is the application of modern ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) into agriculture.

In IoT-based smart farming, a system is built for monitoring the crop field with the help of sensors (light, humidity, temperature, soil moisture, etc.) and automating the irrigation system. The farmers can monitor the field conditions from anywhere. IoT-based smart farming is highly efficient when compared with the conventional approach.

Precision Farming

Also known as precision agriculture, precision farming can be thought of as anything that makes the farming practice more controlled and accurate when it comes to raising livestock and growing of crops. In this approach of farm management, a key component is the use of IT and various items like sensors, control systems, robotics, autonomous vehicles, automated hardware, variable rate technology, and so on.

The adoption of access to high-speed internet, mobile devices, and reliable, low-cost satellites (for imagery and positioning) by the manufacturer are few key technologies characterizing the precision agriculture trend.

The soil moisture probe technology provides complete in-season local agronomy support, and recommendations to optimize water use efficiency. The virtual optimizer PRO combines various technologies for water management into one central, cloud based, and powerful location designed for consultants and growers to take advantage of the benefits in precision irrigation via a simplified interface.

Agricultural Drones

Technology has changed over time and agricultural drones are a very good example of this. Today, agriculture is one of the major industries to incorporate drones. Drones are being used in agriculture in order to enhance various agricultural practices. The ways ground-based and aerial based drones are being used in agriculture are crop health assessment, irrigation, crop monitoring, crop spraying, planting, and soil and field analysis.

The major benefits of using drones include crop health imaging, integrated GIS mapping, ease of use, saves time, and the potential to increase yields. With strategy and planning based on real-time data collection and processing, the drone technology will give a high-tech makeover to the agriculture industry.

From the drone data, we can draw insights regarding plant health indices, plant counting and yield prediction, plant height measurement, canopy cover mapping, field water ponsing mapping, scouting reports, stockpile measuring, chlorophyll measurement, nitrogen content in wheat, drainage mapping, weed pressure mapping, and so on.

The drone collects multispectral, thermal, and visual imagery during the flight and then lands in the same location it took off.

Smart Greenhouses

Greenhouse farming is a methodology that helps in enhancing the yield of vegetables, fruits, crops etc. Greenhouses control the environmental parameters through manual intervention or a proportional control mechanism. As manual intervention results in production loss, energy loss, and labor cost, these methods are less effective. A smart greenhouse can be designed with the help of IoT; this design intelligently monitors as well as controls the climate, eliminating the need for manual intervention.

For controlling the environment in a smart greenhouse, different sensors that measure the environmental parameters according to the plant requirement are used. We can create a cloud server for remotely accessing the system when it is connected using IoT.

This eliminates the need for constant manual monitoring. Inside the greenhouse, the cloud server also enables data processing and applies a control action. This design provides cost-effective and optimal solutions to the farmers with minimal manual intervention.

Conclusion

Thus, the IoT agricultural applications are making it possible for ranchers and farmers to collect meaningful data. Large landowners and small farmers must understand the potential of IoT market for agriculture by installing smart technologies to increase competitiveness and sustainability in their productions. The demand for growing population can be successfully met if the ranchers as well as small farmers implement agricultural IoT solutions in a successful manner.

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/how-does-iot-give-an-effect-on-applications-in-agriculture.html

The Importance of the Internet of Things and It’s Predictive Capabilities

For those of you that don’t know, the Internet of Things (IoT) is all around us. You are probably using it and not realizing it. It’s been around quite a while but over the last couple years, it has really grown to become something we can’t live without.

Let’s Define It

The internet! Something almost everyone uses on a regular basis. It’s all about the connection of over 8 billion different devices and the info that comes from them. However, these devices don’t need to connect to the internet which is an important part of the Internet of Things. It does use devices that require internet but it doesn’t necessarily run off of it.

The devices vary drastically as well. It can be a simple device that turns your lights on or something as complex as managing whole cities. It brings digital intelligence to the next level. The human side of things isn’t needed much or at all because the technology communicates with one another like a conversation without a person having to do much.

Here are some examples of how it is being used.

Smartphones can be used to manage just about anything in your daily life. Everything in your house such as lighting, heating, the coffee maker…etc can be controlled. Do keep in mind that the devices in your house are a part of IoT but the smartphones are not.

Self-driving cars are completely reliant on IoT as that is how it is able to drive itself.

Various cities are installing thousands of devices to help the city understand the needs and wants of the people and other aspects.

Planes that are collecting data from a bunch of little devices that are placed in the engine.

The Internet of Things for Businesses

There are various ways IoT can help improve a business. It can track products, get details about customers & the company’s internal system to help understand and improve everything that your business does.

The data that these devices can provide is invaluable. If you have heard of Data Science IoT is a similar idea to that when it comes to gathering data. There is so much movement in the business world it can be incredibly difficult to keep track of everything with what works and what doesn’t. Collecting customer data to improve their experience and even something simple like making the lights and AC automatic can make a difference. Probably the greatest thing to happen to IoT is its predictive capabilities.

Predictive Capabilities

The weather is a great example of how IoT can make predictions. It uses various aspects such as wind speed, sun levels, and more to figure out more exact patterns. Yes, you may be thinking well the weather people tell me that already. That is true, but many times what happens isn’t what we were told. IoT can improve this gap in information a lot to make weather predictions more accurate.

You may also be thinking, how does this help my business. You would be surprised how weather can affect people’s behaviors. It can affect what people buy at the store, or if they go to the store versus staying in and buying online. The volume of calls customer service receives can also change based on weather. Imagine knowing what your customers or clients will do before they do it.

Even automakers can use these devices in the vehicle to help predict issues with the vehicles before they even happen. The auto industry is probably one of the biggest areas where IoT is being utilized to help improve driver safety, decrease accidents, and catch possible issues.

A retail store, for example, could use a beacon inside the store that can track each customer as to what they walk past and what they linger at. This information can help determine what the customer is more likely to purchase. What someone eats, what they watch, where they drive to, and more can all be tracked and businesses can use predictive analytics that tells them what they should do.

It is crazy how endless the possibilities are for the IoT. No matter what business you are in, there are amazing ways to gather important and specific data about various parts of your business. Once you have that data, analyzing it can then help you make predictions about things to come.

More blog info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/the-importance-of-the-internet-of-things-and-its-predictive-capabilities.html

The Importance of the Internet of Things and It’s Predictive Capabilities

For those of you that don’t know, the Internet of Things (IoT) is all around us. You are probably using it and not realizing it. It’s been around quite a while but over the last couple years, it has really grown to become something we can’t live without.

Let’s Define It

The internet! Something almost everyone uses on a regular basis. It’s all about the connection of over 8 billion different devices and the info that comes from them. However, these devices don’t need to connect to the internet which is an important part of the Internet of Things. It does use devices that require internet but it doesn’t necessarily run off of it.

The devices vary drastically as well. It can be a simple device that turns your lights on or something as complex as managing whole cities. It brings digital intelligence to the next level. The human side of things isn’t needed much or at all because the technology communicates with one another like a conversation without a person having to do much.

Here are some examples of how it is being used.

Smartphones can be used to manage just about anything in your daily life. Everything in your house such as lighting, heating, the coffee maker…etc can be controlled. Do keep in mind that the devices in your house are a part of IoT but the smartphones are not.

Self-driving cars are completely reliant on IoT as that is how it is able to drive itself.

Various cities are installing thousands of devices to help the city understand the needs and wants of the people and other aspects.

Planes that are collecting data from a bunch of little devices that are placed in the engine.

The Internet of Things for Businesses

There are various ways IoT can help improve a business. It can track products, get details about customers & the company’s internal system to help understand and improve everything that your business does.

The data that these devices can provide is invaluable. If you have heard of Data Science IoT is a similar idea to that when it comes to gathering data. There is so much movement in the business world it can be incredibly difficult to keep track of everything with what works and what doesn’t. Collecting customer data to improve their experience and even something simple like making the lights and AC automatic can make a difference. Probably the greatest thing to happen to IoT is its predictive capabilities.

Predictive Capabilities

The weather is a great example of how IoT can make predictions. It uses various aspects such as wind speed, sun levels, and more to figure out more exact patterns. Yes, you may be thinking well the weather people tell me that already. That is true, but many times what happens isn’t what we were told. IoT can improve this gap in information a lot to make weather predictions more accurate.

You may also be thinking, how does this help my business. You would be surprised how weather can affect people’s behaviors. It can affect what people buy at the store, or if they go to the store versus staying in and buying online. The volume of calls customer service receives can also change based on weather. Imagine knowing what your customers or clients will do before they do it.

Even automakers can use these devices in the vehicle to help predict issues with the vehicles before they even happen. The auto industry is probably one of the biggest areas where IoT is being utilized to help improve driver safety, decrease accidents, and catch possible issues.

A retail store, for example, could use a beacon inside the store that can track each customer as to what they walk past and what they linger at. This information can help determine what the customer is more likely to purchase. What someone eats, what they watch, where they drive to, and more can all be tracked and businesses can use predictive analytics that tells them what they should do.

It is crazy how endless the possibilities are for the IoT. No matter what business you are in, there are amazing ways to gather important and specific data about various parts of your business. Once you have that data, analyzing it can then help you make predictions about things to come.

More blog info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/the-importance-of-the-internet-of-things-and-its-predictive-capabilities.html

9 ways to get more value from business intelligence in 2018

1. Build real-time BI into your customer-facing services

Customers crave the latest information, especially for what they consider mission-critical systems and processes. So why not inject a little real-time BI into your services? Rackspace, a web hosting company, has done just that.

BI use is no longer limited to internal business users. In fact, BI data on systems is gradually becoming a vital part of the value proposition. If your IT unit has been looking for a way to add more value to the business, this Rackspace development suggests one approach. Build BI into customer-facing reports and products.

2. Bring unstructured data on board

For years, unstructured data was a lost cause. There was just no efficient way to go through this information, especially when structured customer and financial data was easy to use. Aflac, the insurance firm, has started a new program to extract this data.

3. Improve employee performance through BI

As a manager, it can often be difficult to decide which of your direct reports needs the most prompt help. Business intelligence tools can point you in the right direction, as Clearlink, a digital marketing and services firm, has found.

Better employee performance through BI also applies to the warehouse industry.This approach shows that business intelligence can be a proactive tool, rather than a historical record of past performance.

4. Cut time wasted on data gruntwork

At any large organization, the end of a quarter or month is marked by analysts grinding through Excel files. It is such a common practice that you may not think it is a problem. And the problem may be on the data collection and hygiene end. Thankfully, BI tools are arising to help with that. No more combing through Amazon.com for the publicly available data you need.

5. Improve customer service

In the online world, an angry customer does not stay quiet for long, a problem that can compound as it is amplified through social media. If customer dissatisfaction can be detected early through business intelligence, the problem can be addressed before it spreads widely.

When addressing service issues like warranty claims, be sure to consult with finance for cost-benefit analysis. Taking a short-term loss to make a customer happy may result in more orders in the future. IT can add value to these discussions by evaluating data quality and building easy-to-use BI tools for end users, especially those that may incorporate sentiment analysis of social media trends around your brand.

6. Predict new revenue streams

Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross became a quick best-seller among those interested in technology sales. Ross focuses on what salespeople and their managers can do to improve revenue predictability. IT can take a tip here and provide BI tools to aid in sales decisions such as which clients should be taken on.

7. Automate budgeting and forecasting

In financial management, moving away from spreadsheets to specialized tools can make a major difference.

“We were constantly using our rear-view mirror to make decisions about the future of the company,” says Christy Hrencher, director of marketing at Nextep. To solve this issue, Nextep turned to Adaptive Insights, a planning and budgeting tool. “Adaptive gave us the ability to involve the entire leadership team in the budgeting process. We now had a tool that gave everyone the ability to see where they stand against goals in real time. We’re no longer using spreadsheets, we’ve been able to automate our budgeting and forecasting process, and the data is available at any time.”

8. Embed BI into other platforms

Historically, BI tools required specialized expertise and applications. As a result, IT departments have traditionally owned responsibility for BI. That may be starting to change not only with self-service BI, but with the ability to embed BI directly into other platforms, as Clearlink’s use of Sisense shows.

With more BI work offloaded to lines of business, IT can add value by focusing on predictive analytics, which currently has few proven applications outside of sales and marketing. Alternatively, IT units may seek an internal consulting role where they help other business units find opportunities to use BI or embed BI capabilities more widely.

9. Shift the emphasis to analysis

In 2018, many professionals still have to spend a great deal of time on collecting data. For every hour spent on data collection, professionals have less capacity to extract insights. In the finance department, this data collection vs. analysis problem is particularly acute since finance must work under tight deadlines.

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/9-ways-to-get-more-value-from-business-intelligence-in-2018.html

What is a RFID blocking wallet?

But that doesn't mean you need one. RFID-blocking wallets are designed to help insulate you from a very particular brand of electronic pickpocketing, called RFID skimming. The concern is that some credit cards, passports, and driver's licenses now come with embedded radio frequency identification chips.

Is it necessary

Q: Are RFID blocking wallets worthwhile or are they just smoke and mirrors?

A: It’s not all smoke and mirrors. RFID is a real thing, and RFID-blocking wallets do block it—but the question is “does it matter”? We weren’t able to find any credible reports of actual, real-world RFID identity or credit card theft. It may be happening—it would be very hard to precisely identify if it were—but it’s certainly not widespread. It makes for a nifty demonstration by a hacker, butas Snopes notes, in 2010 the Identity Theft Resource Center had never seen a case—and it still doesn’t recommend RFID protection. Slate also notes that modern RFID chips generate single-use codes, and if your card is used fraudulently, your bank should back you up.

Plus, the majority of credit cards used in the USA don’t even have RFID chips. Chase Bank and Bank of America, for instance, don’t offer any RFID credit cards right now (at least that we could find). Most bank cards are now relying on chip-and-sign EMV technology, rather than just waving your card near a reader. Apple and Android do have their own popular wireless payment systems, but they wouldn’t be protected by an RFID blocking wallet anyway. It is worth noting, however, that if you get a Global Entry card, it comes in a foil-lined sleeve, which would suggest the government is at least a little worried about it.

But that also doesn’t mean RFID-blocking wallets are bad—if you find a wallet you like that has it, it doesn’t make it a worse wallet. I’m partial to Articulate Wallets, which have RFID blocking built in. But if you use a tap card to pay for public transit, like a Clipper or Oyster card, chances are it won’t work behind an RFID shield.

All of this is not to say credit card and identity theft aren’t an issue, but you’re far more likely to be affected by a card skimmer at an ATM, or a breach of a major retailer like Target or Sony. And you’re better served by keeping an eye on your monthly bank statements for odd activity—which is how I found someone buying grow lights from AliExpress with my credit card.

RFID blocking wallets, sleeves, and other products offer protection against RFID skimming. The problem isn't that these products don't work, it's that they're a solution to a problem that doesn't exist in the real world. RFID-related crime isn't only very unlikely, it's non-existent.

It happens every Christmas. My friends, knowing my long-time career in computer security, can’t wait to show me how smart they were for buying RFID wallets, purses, and even jeans and jackets. What they don’t know, unless they read this, is that it’s a complete waste of money.

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/what-is-a-rfid-blocking-wallet.html

What is BI? Business intelligence strategies and solutions

Business intelligence (BI) leverages software and services to transform data into actionable intelligence that informs an organization’s strategic and tactical business decisions. BI tools access and analyze data sets and present analytical findings in reports, summaries, dashboards, graphs, charts and maps to provide users with detailed intelligence about the state of the business.

How does BI differ from BA?

Business intelligence is also called descriptive analytics, in that it describes a past or current state. It doesn’t tell you what to do,it tells you what was and what is.

Compare that explanation of BI with the definition for business analytics (BA), a technology-aided process by which software analyzes data to predict what will happen (predictive analytics) or what could happen by taking a certain approach (prescriptive analytics). BA is also sometimes called advanced analytics.

How business intelligence works

Although business intelligence does not tell business users what to do or what will happen if they take a certain course, neither is BI only about generating reports. Rather, BI offers a way for people to examine data to understand trends and derive insights.

So many people in the business need data to do their jobs better. Business intelligence tools streamline the effort people need to search for, merge and query data to obtain information they need to make good business decisions.

For example, a company that wants to better manage its supply chain needs BI capabilities to determine where delays are happening and where variabilities exist within the shipping process. That company could also use its BI capabilities to discover which products are most commonly delayed or which modes of transportation are most often involved in delays.

Business intelligence in action

In the past, IT professionals had been the primary users of BI applications. However, BI tools have evolved to be more intuitive and user-friendly, enabling a large number of users across a variety of organizational domains to tap the tools.

There are two types of BI. The first is traditional or classic BI, where IT professionals use in-house transactional data to generate reports. The second is modern BI, where business users interact with agile, intuitive systems to analyze data more quickly.

The organizations generally opt for classic BI for certain types of reporting, such as regulatory or financial reports, where accuracy is paramount and the questions and data sets used are standard and predicable. Organizations typically use modern BI tools when business users need insight into quickly changing dynamics, such as marketing events, in which being fast is valued over getting the data 100 percent right.

But while solid business intelligence is essential to making strategic business decisions, many organizations struggle to implement effective BI strategies, thanks to poor data practices, tactical mistakes and more.

The value of business intelligence

Although much of today’s hype is around big data and advanced analytics (as well as the next step up: artificial intelligence and machine learning), BI is still relevant for multiple reasons.

First, experts say that many organizations still struggle with how to wrangle their data and leverage BI tools to their full potential. As a result, University of Dayton’s Gorman says most organizations tend to have pockets of BI capabilities rather than an enterprise-wide platform.

“You might have an executive dashboard that gives something like prices by region and another executive using a BI tool that gives vendor performance,” he says.

So these organizations remain focused on fine-tuning and then maximizing their BI initiatives before moving up to more advanced analytics capabilities.

Gorman says that’s one reason why the market for BI tools is still growing, as organizations continue to add capabilities in different functional areas to meet growing demand.

According to its Global Business Intelligence Market 2016-2020 report, published in January 2016, global technology research and advisory company Technavio forecast the global BI market to post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 10 percent by 2020.

The research study says increasing adoption of data analytics, data availability and implementation of cloud BI as the three major factors driving the market.

Second, organizations will continue to need an accurate understanding of past events and current states. That’s why, experts say, that even as organizations increasingly use advanced analytics to forecast the future, they continue to invest in their BI operations.

“You need both, because you need to know what’s going on,” Howson says. “It doesn’t matter if I can predict the future if I don’t know what’s going on right now.”

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/what-is-bi-business-intelligence-strategies-and-solutions.html

RFID Tag With Anti-fake Function

RFID Tag With Anti-fake Function

13.56MHZ RFID Tag for Library Management

13.56MHZ RFID Tag for Library Management

What is an RFID in marketing?

Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is a new tracking technology that involves small tags that emit distinct signals. Retail business owners can use remote scanners to read RFID tags placed on individual products, enabling them to record a variety of information, including quantities of various stock items and their precise locations.

Consumer Research

RFID tags carry unique product numbers. If consumers pay for goods with a credit, debit or shopper’s discount card, retailers can link the purchases to the recorded RFID data and use that marketing information to map out individual consumers’ movements through a store. This sort of data can help a retail store make improvements, for example, by helping to optimize a store’s layout to match typical consumer behaviors.

Inventory Tracking

Suppose a grocery store wants to inventory its goods. Manually scanning bar codes or counting products is resource-intensive: workers must move aisle to aisle, tabulating items individually. In contrast, RFID scanners can read tags as far away as 20 feet and record hundreds of tags per second, meaning employees can quickly scan shelves to record quantities and locations. Some stores find it cost-effective to install permanent RFID scanners to provide real-time monitoring of stock. The greater efficiency helps marketers ensure that products are always in sufficient supply to meet consumer demand.

Security

Shoplifting is a serious concern for retail store owners. One option is to direct staff to watch customers closely, but this approach has two major disadvantages: the extra work distracts staff from other responsibilities, and customers hate being watched. RFID technology offers an elegant solution: a remote scan of shoppers as they leave your store can reveal if they are leaving with stolen merchandise. As the cost of RFID technology decreases, this security solution becomes an increasingly cost-effective way of decreasing theft.

Considerations

Your customers might not like you scanning their shopping carts or persons remotely or that you can track their movements throughout a store. RFID technology is still in its growing stages at publication date, so it is not yet clear on which side of the fence consumer opinion will land. For now, retailers should recognize that privacy issues are a growing concern.

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/what-is-an-rfid-in-marketing.html

RFID Solution to Prevent Terrorism on Flights

Apr 27, 2018,Gate Gourmet Peru is deploying an RFID system at the Jorge Chávez International Airport, in Lima, intended to prevent knives from falling into the hands of potential terrorists. The ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) and Near Field Communication (NFC)-based cabinet solution, designed to manage the kitchen tools used during food preparation, tracks each knife used to prepare inflight meals.

The system consists of tags attached to the knives, seven RFID-enabled smart cabinets in which the knives are stored, and software that identifies each time a knife is removed and later returned, as well as by whom. The technology is provided by Radical Solutions. An NFC reader in the cabinet also confirms the identity of any individual who removes a knife.

Gate Gourmet occupies kitchen facilities inside the airport, in which knives and other instruments are used. Two such locations are the cold-cooking and pre-processing areas. In the cold-cooking area, staff members use knives to chop the ingredients of salads and light snacks. Additionally, in the pre-processing area, raw vegetables, meat and other products are cut for the cooking of in-flight meals.

Without the RFID cabinets, Samamé Jimenez says, Gate Gourmet had no automatic or reliable method of controlling the traceability of the knives. The company had no way of knowing who had possession of a knife at any given time, which meant that the cutlery could be misused.

The intelligent cabinet solution that was developed leverages a combination of UHF and NFC technologies, along with security camcorders and software that links the RFID read events via video. Radical Solutions built a prototype and tested it in the company's laboratory.

The cabinet consists of a built-in Hopeland Long Range UHF RFID reader with a Mojix Turbon antenna to interrogate an OPP IOT RFID tag attached to each knife. A Mifare 13.65 MHz reader from NXP Semiconductors interrogates Promag high-frequency (HF) RFID tags built into staff ID badges and is used to control who can access the cabinet. Radical Solutions software managing the data resides on a local server. 

Following prototyping, Gate Gourmet installed two cabinets in the airport's food-processing zone in January of this year, and the system was taken live in February. For the proof-of-concept, nine 10-inch knives were tracked in the pre-processing area, while five 10-inch knives and four bread knives were tracked as they were accessed and then returned from the cold-cooking section.

The team cut a slit into the handle of each knife to implant an RFID tag. The tags are encapsulated to protect them against water, dust or food. The installation team decided to embed the tags in the lower part of each handle, near the knife blade, so that they won't interfere with the ergonomics of knife use.

In addition, every staff member was provided with an NFC card to open and close the smart cabinet. Each time a Gate Gourmet employee collets a knife, he or she must use the NFC badge to prove his or her identity. The work must first tap the badge against the reader at the front of the door. The unique ID number encoded on the badge is captured by the reader and sent to the software, where the ID number is validated. If the user is authorized, the door locks release and that individual can then access the cabinet.

Personnel are permitted to remove only one knife at a time. Once a worker reaches in and removes a knife, the UHF antenna will no longer read that knife's tag ID, and the software is updated to indicate that the utensil has been removed. The action is then paired with the staff member's ID.

The system can not only issue alerts to management if an exception occurs (such as a knife not being removed within the expected span of time), but also create an historical record of how much a knife is used, for how long and by which employee. The data can also be used for analytics purposes, to help the company better manage its inventory of knives, understand their performance life and frequency of use, and thus make replacements only when necessary.

More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/rfid-solution-to-prevent-terrorism-on-flights.html