RFID and Barcoding in Intelligent Asset Management (IAM)

In this piece, we see how RFID and barcoding help fuel efficiency within Intelligent Asset Management (IAM). At first, we will set the foundation of where enterprises want to reach – higher efficiency and greater value realization. And then we will jump straight into the ‘how’ of it – via RFID and barcode enablement.

Businesses always want to infuse efficiency within their processes to ensure higher throughput, greater asset lifecycle value, better resource utilization, and improved data processing. All these factors, in conjunction, ensure greater quality and consistency in processes and/or production leading to higher profit margins and earnings.

This efficiency is infused through an ‘intelligence feedback loop’.

What is the intelligence feedback loop?

It’s a simple flow where floor activities and operations are tracked and recorded at all nodes (essential activity points within the operational flow). The data, thus gathered, is evaluated and processed within the system. The supervisors and managers look at the insights in a dashboard and apply the modifications or improvements as required. These updates help in turn improve the operations.

Here, an essential factor is the tracking and recording of all operational activities. This is where RFID and barcoding come in – as an overall Internet of Things (IoT) enablement.

Consider an assembly line. The production is continuous and integrated. Regular checks and maintenance activities are required to ensure that the assets in play and their throughput are optimal.

If these checks are done manually at predetermined intervals, the chance of oversight in product quality and asset maintenance is high. This could lead to unforeseen breakdowns or higher scrap (due to defects).

What’s needed is automated checks at all operational nodes that validate the quality of the throughput and asset health in real-time. This means that the supervisors and managers can see the essential asset metrics (live) in a single dashboard along with the optimal throughput metrics. They know exactly how each asset is performing every minute.

This is done via RFID and barcode enablement. Technicians and operators scan the RFID tags or barcodes using in-app scanners (within their smartphones). They can also use handheld or finger-scanners. The data at each stage of production is captured and recorded in the system via the app (scanning the RFID/barcodes).

The technicians can validate the quality of all products through the assembly line. As they scan the product and validate it, the data is captured in the system. This data is now part of the product’s ‘story’. At all following checks, the subsequent validations would simply add to this story.

Imagine an assembly life for automobiles. First, in the body shop, the chassis is created and validated. The approved item is tagged (via a printed RFID-enabled barcode/QR-code).

There are a lot of separate parts that go into the car. Each part at every stage has to be validated. Each part is tagged and approved and the data is captured via the RFID/barcode scans. The technicians scrap the rejected parts. This is also scanned into the system.

This means that the system is live-updated about the consumption and rejection of all parts. The system, in sync with the warehouse, requisitions the necessary parts to replenish the consumed/rejected ones. The rejected parts are tracked via their RFID tags as they move into their process of return or disposal.

Moving ahead with the chassis, the machines create the body or shell of the car. Then the doors and other parts are fitted into the body. Each stage is validated and added to the system via RFID scans. This process goes through to the final product and testing. Lo and behold, we now have a brand-new perfect car.

Through the process, RFID scans ensure all data is captured in an incremental and iterative manner to keep the process fluid and dynamic. The managers can identify the bottleneck by simply evaluating the insights within their dashboard. Are all activities and production optimal? They can answer questions like; is there a backlog at the paint shop (in the automobile assembly line) leading to inefficiency; are the parts duly replenished in time; is there an anomaly in terms of downtime? All these questions are intrinsic to efficient operations and superior asset management.

In simple words, you need the IoT enablement with RFID and barcoding to work towards high-efficiency automation. Crave InfoTech has been successfully implementing the same for some of the biggest names in tech infrastructure, manufacturing, and life science industries (to name a few).

We are partners with SAP and Zebra technologies. This helps us present and deploy a solution that’s perfectly integrated with your central system and backed by full enterprise mobility. There’s ample industry experience making each solution specifically pertinent to its target industry and process.

There’s a lot to say about how Crave can help you with RFID and barcode enablement. Just check in and we will guide you.