At first there were
barcodes and then came RFID. 

Let me explain.

Barcodes, those series of black lines that give an object an identity, have
been a phenomenal tool in many aspects of business operations, but it was inevitable
that technology would progress and take the concept further.

RFID technology
represented a major jump in identifying objects by simply taking away the need
for a device to scan a barcode at close range. Now giving the object an
identity through a radio frequency tag meant that wireless identification could
be achievable.

This major
breakthrough has brought about many helpful uses in the real world. Here are
three uses cases for RFID that are currently in practice around the world.

1. Asset
Tracking

Businesses are
flush with assets.

For example, in the
healthcare environment there are assets such as beds, medical devices and
linen. In art galleries, the art are all assets.

RFID allows for
effective, autonomous tracking of assets throughout the business as they move
around.

Each asset will
have an RFID tag placed on it. These tags can be read by fixed RFID readers or
via a handheld mobile RFID reader.

As the assets move
between locations within the premises, the RFID tags and readers will track the
movements of the assets in and out of locations.

The result is that
every asset with a tag is visible which reduces wastage and loss, allows for
more effective utilisation of assets and allows staff to efficiently manage the
use of assets.

We see such
solutions used in healthcare, manufacturing, hotels, museums and art galleries,
Fire and emergency services, and other organisations that have many assets they
wish to track.

2. Stock
Management

Just as barcodes
have been used for many years to track movements of products in and out of
warehouses and retailers, now RFID technology can go one step further.

For example, if you
needed to undertake a stocktake with traditional barcodes, someone would have
to scan every box on the shelf to add to the tally. With RFID, the operator
would wave their RFID mobile reader over the area that you wish to count the
stock and an accurate stock count would be attained in seconds rather than
days.

Using fixed RFID
readers can also allow for tracking of products in and out of warehouses
wirelessly such as booking in new stock to the warehouse and also help with
locating items for faster product picking.

3. Ticketing/Access
Control

RFID tags are
changing the way in which ticketing and access control in venues is managed,
especially in venues that see members or repeat customers.

We see ski resorts
giving their patrons RFID tags for ski lift access. The RFID tags identify who
has access which allows for gates to open letting those eligible in.

The same scenario
exists at gyms and other sporting facilities with the main benefit being the
unattended nature of the access. No more staff checking people in. Often these
systems tie into cloud based solutions that allows the member to check their status
online, renew memberships or purchase tickets.

As the adoption of
RFID technology has increased across the globe, the cost of implementing a
solution has decreased. An RFID tag does cost more than a barcode label to
implement but the cost savings of wireless asset or product identification and
the resultant efficiencies in workflows makes it a cost effective solution in
many industries.

If you want to
evaluate whether RFID technology can assist your business then get in contact
with our team and we can work with you to see what solutions will fit.