3 Ways RFID Heightens Efficiency In Manufacturing
Technology has since offered solutions and alternatives in the manufacturing sector. Among the various technologies created, one of them is RFID. It has made significant changes and improvements in the manufacturing sector. For instance, the use of RFID asset tracking system allows workers to identify and track goods by location throughout the supply chain.
Continue reading to understand how RFID technology is able to improve efficiency in manufacturing.
Goods management
RFID technology is more effective compared to barcodes when it comes to asset management. For barcode tracking, a direct line of sight is required, and only a particular amount of data can be obtained. On the other hand, RFID provides accurate, real-time tracking data for assets, and more importantly – stores a wider range of data and is much quicker. This can help to expedite all processes taking place within the facility from manufacturing to shipping.
By strategically placing RFID tags and readers in a warehouse, staff can keep track of progress easily. As such, by monitoring inventory levels, this helps to reduce and even prevent errors in the inventory count to boost manufacturing efficiency.
At the same time, this ensures a major issue known as inventory shrinkage, this is when a business has fewer products in stock than is listed in the inventory list can be avoided. Aside from boosting productivity and operation smoothness, RFID also helps to increase the security and accuracy of the manufacturing process.
Ease staff workload
Initially, the manufacturing sector relied on manual inventory counts from human labour. However, this could have a negative impact when managing assets as human error can lead to a loss in profit or delay in delivering goods.
But with RFID, these issues can be solved easily by improving the accuracy of stocktaking and collecting a larger base of data at a much quicker rate. Therefore, inventory checking takes a shorter period of time compared to the long durations normally needed.
By easing the stocktaking process, staff will be able to focus on other day-to-day operations and speed up the overall process from manufacturing, packaging to delivery.
Optimisation of workflow
Since the RFID technology does not work using a line of sight concept, workers don’t have to line up in front of one reader when reporting to their duty posts.
The scanner can simply scan and record the attendance of employees from a distance, which gives the location of where employees are. This includes data like their status at work, which indicates the section they’re at and the current task they’re handling.
In addition, goods don’t have to be scanned and counted one-by-one as no direct line of sight is required. By placing sensors at the gate or door, staff can enter with forklifts full of assets and inventory into the facility, and they’ll automatically scan all RFID tags and store the data of all items passing through.
Just like how RFID retail technology is used to improve customer experience and speed up the process of buying a piece of apparel, RFID is also available in the manufacturing sector to help streamline processes for better productivity in the workplace.
