Automating Asset Management, Orders With RFID

Three years after deploying passive 125 kHz RFID tags to track its tool usage, the Byrne Group, a U.K. concrete substructure construction firm, has expanded its use of the system to identify users of its 16,000 assets—including tools, excavators, trailers and other heavy equipment, as well as consumables, such as gloves and boots—across its numerous construction projects. The company is also using the technology to manage the online ordering of those assets. In this session, hear how the firm, which is employing 125 kHz RFID to expedite shipments of equipment and supplies to its workers, as well as to track usage, expects to recoup its investment by 2011.

Speaker:

Matthew Preston, Group IT Director, Byrne Group

Takeaway:

• Why the Byrne Group chose an integrated RFID solution to manage, track and attain visibility into its plant, stock and equipment
• How the firm is utilizing the system to automate the issue and return of those assets

Pack and Sea Uses RFID to Automate Crate Tracking

Pack and Sea, a Danish company that leases crates to the fishing industry, is employing radio frequency identification to track the locations of its plastic crates. The containers hold fish as they are caught at sea, and later as they are sold at market. The company had relied mainly on a manual method of tracking its containers, using pen and paper to record the number of crates a fisherman, auction house or buyer has at any given time, along with when they need to be returned. The firm turned to RFID to streamline the tracking of crates and invoicing of customers. Learn how the system delivers a real-time overview of the number of fish crates in various parts of the logistics chain, as well as providing documentation of the actual location and status of the individual fish crate, whether onboard the vessel, at the auction or at the manufacturer.

Speaker:

Bent Kirk, Managing Director, Pack and Sea

Takeaway:

• How RFID can support food traceability by providing visibility into the location and contents of each crate
• Using RFID to decrease labor costs by reducing time spent searching for crates

Looking Ahead—Exploring RFID and Related Emerging Technologies for Construction

As the construction and facility-management industries begin to deploy RFID solutions, new issues beyond the selection of readers and tags begin to emerge. This session will explore some of these emerging issues, including infrastructure setup (communication options to consider in an open environment), alternative mobile devices as readers (digital pens and tablets, interactive hands-free or head-mounted mobile devices, and cell phone readers), and unique issues involving rugged and metal-friendly tags (including ATEX certification and data standards).

Speaker:

Francis Rabuck, Director, Intelligent Infrastructure Lab, Bentley Systems

Manufacturer Improves Warehouse Processes With RTLS

A German iron foundry is using an RFID-based real-time locating system (RTLS) to track forklifts and containers at three of its facilities. The system employs ultra-wideband (UWB) active RFID tags for tracking 20 to 30 forklifts, as well as passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID tags for tracking 10,000 metal containers and their contents. Learn how the RTLS captures the signals and unique ID numbers sent out by the forklift tags, then analyzes the forklift's location within the warehouse. Hear how the company benefits by being able to locate particular items more quickly, and by having a better overview of production.

Takeaway:

• How to use a combination of active and passive RFID technologies to track the location and movement of equipment
• The benefits to a manufacturing facility of locating specific items quickly

RFID Helps Car Maker Save Labor and Improve Business Metrics

A high-performance automobile manufacturer is employing RFID to track the movements of its custom-made vehicles as they pass through the finishing process, to ensure they are produced according to the demands of the automaker's customers, and to provide business analytics. The company installed the RTLS at its production facility in the United Kingdom in early 2009. The system informs the automaker of the whereabouts of cars during the off-tracks (finishing) process, as well as how long each process takes to complete, and where bottlenecks occur. Prior to the system's deployment, having visibility of cars removed from the line had been nearly impossible without manually checking for them within the facility. The company wanted a better system that would enable it to know where all of its vehicles were, in real time, and to understand the dwell time at each step, as well as which model numbers took more or less time at any particular station. In this session, hear how the system's server provides a map of the facility, with an icon indicating each car's specific location, thereby enabling employees to see where each vehicle is located.

Takeaway:

• Using an RTLS to save employees time previously spent locating a missing vehicle
• Generating accurate business and performance measurements with RFID

Using RFID to Detect and Identify People and Objects in Hazardous Situations

A European nuclear fuel and waste company that manages and disposes of all radioactive waste from centrally located nuclear plants is using RFID to identify individuals and objects at a hard-rock laboratory. The underground lab is where the company compiles and refines knowledge of all processes that occur in a final repository of nuclear waste, and tests different technical solutions on a full scale and in a realistic environment. The RFID-enabled system—an integrated part of its fire and security plan—enables the company to implement a secure system to detect and identify people and objects underground.

Takeaway:

• How an RFID-enabled system can be an integrated part of a fire and security system
• Insights into the use of RFID technology in high-risk situations