How is RFID smart inventory done?

RFID technology has become a powerful Tool for intelligent warehousing management. RFID technology has many characteristics such as safety, long-distance, accurate identification, durability, and reusability. RFID technology is indispensable when inventory counting is made intelligent. Automated data collection and information collection in each operation link such as warehouse arrival inspection, warehousing, outgoing warehouse, allocation, warehouse shifting, inventory counting, etc., improve the accuracy and efficiency of warehouse management, and provide enterprises with better management of warehousing goods. More intelligent and simplified.

In an inventory management solution based on Industrial IoT and RFID, any individual inventory item to be tracked will be posted with an RFID tag. Each tag has a unique identification (ID) that contains encoded numerical data about the inventory item, such as model number, lot number, etc. Tags are scanned by an RFID Reader, and after scanning, the reader extracts the tag's ID and transmits it to the cloud for processing.

How is RFID smart inventory done?

The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system mainly consists of three parts: RFID tag, RFID Antenna and RFID reader.

RFID tag

The ID of an RFID tag contains information about a specific object. It can be attached to any physical surface including raw materials, finished products, packaging, crates, pallets, etc. In industrial environments, passive tags are mainly used, i.e. those that do not have a built-in battery. Such tags are cheaper but require energy from the reader to transmit data.

RFID antenna

The RFID antenna receives radio waves from the reader, provides energy for the operation of the tag, and forwards the radio signal from the tag to the reader.

RFID reader

RFID readers can be fixed or handheld and use radio waves to read and write tags. The reader captures the ID information written in the tag's repository and transmits them to the cloud along with data on the reader's location and read time.

Since the value of inventory can be a significant part of a company's Assets, inventory data is critical for accounting departments to ensure that the company's annual reports and tax returns are accurate.

RFID smart inventory

IoT-based inventory management lays a solid foundation for digitization of the manufacturing ecosystem and offers numerous benefits:

Automation of inventory tracking and reporting

With RFID and Industrial IoT, inventory managers no longer need to spend time on manual tracking and reporting. Each project is tracked and data about it is automatically logged into a big data warehouse. Automated asset tracking and reporting saves 18 hours of work per month and reduces the possibility of human error.

Continuous visibility into the quantity, location and movement of inventory items

IoT-based inventory management solutions provide manufacturers with precise visibility into the production process of raw materials and components, work-in-progress and finished goods by providing real-time updates on item status, location and movement so that inventory managers can see where individual inventory items are. when entering or leaving a specific location.

Optimize inventory

The better warehouse managers know about their inventory, the more likely they are to have the right items in the right place at the right time. With real-time data on the quantity and location of inventory items, manufacturers can reduce inventory levels while meeting customer demand at the end of the supply chain.

Identify bottlenecks in operations

With real-time data on the location and quantity of inventory items, manufacturers can reveal bottlenecks in the production process and identify underutilized machines. For example, if some inventory tends to pile up in front of a machine, the manufacturer will assume the machine is underutilized and needs special attention.

Optimize delivery cycle

By providing warehouse managers with available inventory quantities and machine learning-driven demand forecasts, IIoT-based solutions can enable manufacturers to shorten lead times.

With the application and popularization of the new technology of RFID electronic tags, RFID intelligent warehouse management has essentially solved the problem of warehousing in various major industries to further improve the speed and accuracy of data reading. The adoption of RFID technology can realize true wireless, long-distance, multiple-piece, and dynamic identification functions, greatly improve the efficiency of warehousing management, and achieve lean management of warehousing.