What Industries Can Make Best Use Of RFID Applications

RFID is an acronym for “radio-frequency identification” and refers to a technology whereby digital data encoded in RFID tags or smart labels are captured by a reader by means of radio waves. RFID is comparable to barcoding in that information from a tag or name are captured by a device that stores the information in a database. RFID, however, has a few advantages over systems that utilize barcode asset tracking software. The most striking is that RFID tag data can be read outside the line-of-sight, while barcodes must be adjusted with an optical scanner.

Following are the industries that uses the RFID at it best :-

1.Events Management

Sports, entertainment and event planning companies invest incredible efforts and huge amounts of money into organizing events that are aimed to bring awareness, sell products, teach the audience or just entertain the crowd. However, utilizing current strategies such as scanning a barcode on a wristband, or a ticket at the entryway, takes off a huge opportunity undiscovered.

Once the guest, visitor, or fan clears out the door and is accounted for, he (or she) is “lost” to the organizer. There's no way to find out where this visitor went, what he did, what he was curious about, what he purchased and no option to see, summarize and act on this data. And that is why event management uses RFID .

RFID system provides following application in event management industry :

Access control

• Scans in and out
• Reads hundreds of RFID wristbands, tickets and Ids simultaneously
• Layered access for Patron Doors, Media Center, Club-level Seating, Employees-Only areas, Common Parking, VIP Parking, etc.

Communications

• Advanced registration
• Email and mobile number capture
• Populate social media (Entry data and overhauls on less congested courses, etc.)
• Database development

Visitors Analytics

• Length of stay, peak time, activity flow, capacity, population segmentation, real-time checks, hotspots, etc.

2. LOGISTICS

RFID tags contain unique identifiers that correspond to inventory database records. Switching to RFID in your logistics chain offers a few noteworthy advantages over traditional inventory control methods.

Benefits of using RFID in logistics industry are following:

Unique Tracking

RFID tags contain a microchip or other storage device that can contain a huge amount of data. This allows you to place person identifiers on products, instead of using a single barcode for a whole class of items, and to follow individual items through your logistics chain, rather than needing to extrapolate that information from inventory numbers. This too allows you to track a defective thing back to its source in a much simpler way than with other tracking methods.

Wireless Scanning

One of the major advantages of RFID in logistics is how rapidly RFID tags can provide data compared to barcoding or other systems. With a barcode, you have got to pass each code over a scanner to register the item. RFID works wirelessly, so you can point a scanner at a box of items and enroll each one without having to take them out first. A powerful enough RFID scanner may scan whole inventory room at once, making inventory tracking a much quicker process.

Real-Time Updates

Because filtering and inventory control is much quicker with RFID than with other forms of management, the system lends itself to integration with remote communication systems and real-time inventory management systems. This permits you to query the database at any time and find out exactly how much of a given product you have got on hand, rather than getting numbers that will be days or weeks old. RFID scanners built into the entrances of warehouses can even filter cartons as they enter and take off, providing instant updates of inventory sums that can propagate to other clients across the company network.

Integration With Other Systems

The same RFID tags that give inventory data can too give other services as well. Security scanners at building exits can let your system know instantly when any product leaves the premises, permitting you to spot robbery or misdirected shipments rapidly and correct the issue. Moreover, checking RFID tags at entry and exit points allows confirmation of shipping and conveyance of products, allowing you to trace a shipment because it moves through your logistics chain, and give accurate estimates of entry to clients or other business units.

3. HEALTHCARE & MEDICAL

RFID systems can offer assistance to the medical profession. It can connect with patients and the general public, making it simpler, with their consent, to gather data on health habits or to make sure patients are treated with the proper drugs. It can be utilized to support public health activities, observing the take up of freely issued medications or prophylactics.

Below are some common RFID applications being used in hospitals all over the globe.

Inventory Tracking

Tracking inventory with RFID can be accomplished with nearly any sorts of item, but, RFID systems can be especially challenging to implement when tracking liquid-filled resources. RFID tags with the ability to track these resources are becoming more readily accessible, generally due to the request from the pharmaceutical industry.

People/Attendee Tracking

Right now, clinics are using passive RFID technology as well as instances of active RFID to track patients and staff all through hospitals.

Patients and staffed are fitted with RFID tags primarily To verify patient information, to locate patients and Reduce wait times and bottlenecks.

Tool Tracking

Surgical instruments like surgical blades, scissors, clamps, and retractors are required for surgeries every day; so, this equipment should always be on hand, clean, sanitized, and ready to utilize.Unfortunately, not having the correct surgical equipment on hand is the least dangerous circumstance caused by not tracking these devices.

tracking these items with RFID tags guarantee that each device was cleaned and disinfected prior to use.

Access Control

this is another aspect of people tracking that hospitals use to restrain access to certain rooms or areas in order to prevent individuals from wandering around the office. With this sort of system, the staff members must wave or tap their RFID-enabled badges before door readers in order to gain access. Not only does this prevent unauthorized access to confined areas, but it gives patients, medicine, and medical equipment with a level of security that prevents robbery or damage.

4. RAILWAYS

By including visibility, operational efficiencies, and extreme precision – RFID brings down labor costs and improves client and worker satisfaction. All these increments lower the cost and reduce the hazard of transportation via railways. The cost to tag each wagon or rail car is tag dependent on several factors, but generally ranges below $20, and, even with the one-time equipment infrastructure cost of reading stations throughout the track, the cost to implement an RFID arrangement is commonly less than the value of assets on one rail car.

Some of Service provided by RFID systems in Railway industries are Rail car or wagon tracking,Preventative Maintenance with UHF RFID, Asset management, vehicle availability planning, ticketing etc.

some common benefits from using RFID on railways:

• Increased Customer Service

• Increased Visibility
• Increased Customer Satisfaction
• Decreased Operating Costs Decreased Human Error Decreased Amount of Lost/Stolen Items
• Decreased Fraud
• Decreased Logistical Delays

5. RETAIL INDUSTRIES

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) already plays a significant role in retail, we’ve all seen a store associate remove an RFID security tag from an item of clothing at the point of sale, but there's potential for a lot more than just loss avoidance using this technology. Also the price of RFID tags has dropped significantly in recent years, opening the entryways for big retail brands to try integrating its use with their supply chains.

The timing and magnitude of the RFID adoption and related process update have ended up more basic than before as businesses strive to use RFID technology at an exceptional rates because there are many benefits of using RFID in retail business.

Benefits of using RFID in retail business :

• Way better purchasing experience;
• Increased product safety, less fake items, and quicker product reviews;
• Less empty space on racks, less lost products, and less employee robbery, which all result in greater product choice and availability;
• Lower prices primarily due to decreased supply chain costs;
• More helpful and quicker checkout;
• More opportunity for shopper behaviour research and more precise targeting
• Real-time and more updated data about product;
• Reduced labour requirements for backroom functions and hence more staff available for consumers;
• “Seamless” shopping experience.