RFID technology helps the apparel industry reduce costs and increase efficiency with efficient and accurate identification

In the era of rapid development and constant change in the digital intelligence, all walks of life are actively seeking innovative solutions to cope with the increasingly fierce market competition. The clothing industry is no exception and is gradually moving towards refined management and cost-effectiveness maximization. RFID technology, which is famous for its advantages such as high efficiency and high-precision recognition capabilities, is becoming one of the key technologies for the clothing industry to achieve this goal.

In this article, the author will discuss how RFID technology can help the clothing industry achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement, as well as its application scenarios in refined management and warehouse inventory, and deeply explore the new perspectives and new ideas that RFID technology provides for the development of the industry.

What is RFID technology?

The secret to proficient use lies in a deep understanding of its essence. If you want to use RFID technology to achieve intelligent transformation, you must first have a deep understanding of what RFID technology is? RFID technology, that is, radio frequency identification technology, is a non-contact automatic identification technology. It automatically identifies the target object and obtains relevant data through radio frequency signals without human intervention, and can achieve fast and accurate data collection and processing.

Application of RFID technology in the clothing field

The clothing field has a unique advantage in the use of RFID technology due to its characteristics of multiple auxiliary material labels. Therefore, the clothing field is also the field where RFID technology is widely used and mature, and it plays an important role in clothing production, warehousing and logistics, and retail links.

1. Clothing production link

In the clothing production link, whether it is raw material management, production process monitoring or product quality traceability, it all shows the importance of RFID innovative applications.

First of all, in raw material management, from the raw material procurement stage, each batch of raw materials is equipped with RFID tags, and the tags clearly record its supplier, batch, material, color and other detailed information. When entering the warehouse, the RFID Reader quickly reads the tag to realize the automatic entry registration and classified storage of raw materials, so that in the production process, the use of raw materials can be tracked in real time to ensure accurate ingredients and avoid material loss and information errors.

Secondly, in the production process monitoring, the RFID reader is installed on each station on the production line. When the clothing parts equipped with RFID tags pass through the stations of each link, the reader automatically reads and records its production progress, process parameters and other information, which helps to timely discover the bottleneck links in production, adjust the production plan, and improve production efficiency.

Finally, in terms of quality traceability, the label of each piece of clothing records the accurate data of the entire process from raw material procurement to production and processing. Once a product has a quality problem, it can be quickly traced back to the problem link by reading the full-process supervision information of the label, such as tracing back to a specific raw material batch, a production station or an operator, so as to take targeted improvement measures to reduce quality risks.

2. Clothing warehousing and logistics

There are also many innovative application scenarios of RFID technology in clothing warehousing and logistics.

First, in inventory management, by arranging RFID reading and writing equipment in the warehouse, the inventory quantity and location information of clothing can be obtained in real time. The system can automatically capture the information of RFID tags and update the inventory data at the same time to accurately reflect the dynamic changes of inventory, providing timely and accurate basis for the company's production and sales decisions.

Secondly, in the management of clothing in and out of the warehouse, RFID technology combined with the channel machine inventory system can automatically classify and group goods according to different attributes and needs, greatly improving the efficiency of goods in and out of the warehouse management. In addition, the system can also directly convert the EPC data in the RFID tag into UPC information display, so that operators can more intuitively and clearly see the accurate specifications and quantities of goods when entering and exiting the warehouse and taking inventory, ensuring the accuracy of the inventory results and effectively avoiding human errors.

Finally, in logistics tracking, the RFID tags on the clothing packaging can communicate with the reading and writing devices of the transport vehicles and logistics nodes, supporting real-time acquisition of information such as the transportation location, status and estimated arrival time of the goods. Enterprises and customers can grasp the transportation status of goods anytime and anywhere through the logistics tracking system, improving the transparency and controllability of logistics.

Under the development trend of the digital industry, Decathlon has greatly improved efficiency by using RFID technology in its warehouse inventory and Logistics Management, and has become an important support for the company's refined management and supermarket warehouse inventory. From production to logistics, and then to retail terminals, the application of RFID technology runs through Decathlon's entire supply chain, realizing the intelligence of inventory management, the efficiency of commodity circulation, and the innovation of customer experience.

During the production process, each item is equipped with an ultra-high frequency RFID clothing tag with a fixed code, and the corresponding tag data is Stored in the database of Decathlon's backend intelligent system. When the goods are transported from the factory to the distribution center, the sorting line and scanning channel equipped with ultra-high frequency RFID reading equipment can efficiently and accurately deliver the goods to the right place. In offline stores, RFID handheld devices can help store clerks efficiently complete the inventory of goods, and at the same time, unmanned Library-self-service-borrowing-and-returning-machine-source-manufacturer-UHF-touch-screen-borrowing-and-returning-machine.html target='_blank'>self-service checkout is realized in the store through RFID technology.

Since the application of RFID technology, Decathlon's inventory inventory efficiency has increased by 5 times compared with the past, the inventory frequency has increased by 2 times, and the efficiency of goods entering and leaving and picking has been significantly improved. In addition, the accurate verification of RFID electronic tags has reduced the factory packing error rate from 1.5% to 0.2%, reduced the product abnormal processing time by 90%, reduced the total consumption cost by more than 70%, and the order delivery accuracy has reached more than 99.95%, and the loss cost has been reduced by 90%. It can be seen that RFID technology has effectively solved the problems of Decathlon clothing warehousing and retail store goods management, improving the efficiency of goods management while speeding up the circulation of goods.

Application of RFID technology in the field of warehouse inventory in supermarkets

Initially, RFID technology was first applied in the field of clothing. With the innovation of technology and the expansion of application fields, RFID technology has been widely used in the supermarket industry, showing its significant advantages in the warehouse inventory of supermarkets.

1. Real-time record of goods entering the warehouse

When the goods are delivered to the supermarket warehouse, the RFID tag on each piece of goods or each batch of goods will be automatically read by the RFID reader at the entrance, without the need to manually scan the barcode one by one or manually enter the information, which greatly improves the efficiency of goods entering the warehouse and reduces the delays and errors that may be caused by manual operation.

2. Fast and accurate inventory counting

Traditional inventory counting often requires a lot of manpower and time, and is prone to errors. After deploying RFID technology, the system will compare the read goods information with the inventory database to quickly determine the inventory quantity, location, and whether there are missing or damaged goods. The inventory results can generate detailed reports instantly, providing accurate and timely data support for the inventory management of supermarkets and improving the operational efficiency of supermarkets.

3. Checking the outbound information of goods

When the goods leave the warehouse, the RFID reader at the exit will read the RFID tag on the goods. When the goods pass by, the tag information is quickly read to realize automatic inbound and outbound registration and verification, which greatly improves the efficiency of inbound and outbound storage and reduces the error rate of manual operation.

As a world-renowned retailer, Walmart has also adopted RFID technology on a large scale for inventory management and warehouse inventory. By sticking RFID tags on the goods, Walmart can track and manage inventory in real time and accurately. This means that employees can conduct inventory more quickly and understand the location and quantity of each product, reducing the time and labor costs required for traditional manual inventory, and improving operational efficiency and accuracy. At the same time, RFID technology can also provide accurate inventory information, helping Walmart to replenish out-of-stock goods in time, avoiding sales interruptions and reduced consumer experience.

RFID technology has been widely used in the field of clothing and supermarket warehouse inventory with its advantages of non-contact automatic identification, fast and accurate data reading, and significantly improving the operational efficiency and management level of enterprises. With the continuous development of technology and the reduction of costs, the application prospects of RFID technology will be broader. In the future, we expect to see more innovative application scenarios and solutions, which will further promote the digital and intelligent transformation of the Retail Industry, achieve smarter and more efficient supply chain management, and create greater value for enterprises.