RFID Prevents Fuel Theft

RFIDSwitchboard.com recently published a story on RFID in the fuel industry. It’s no wonder fuel thieves have gotten more brazen, with gas prices well over $4 per gallon.

Theft, or “shrinkage” in the industry, usually accounts for about 6 percent of the costs for companies like Exxon, according to the article. This was the figure when gas was $2 per gallon, and the chunk of revenue to cover shrinkage in the supply chain is expected to increase accordingly.

As author Erik Wood points out, “If you consider that ExxonMobil alone took in a cool $347 billion in revenue last year, 6% of that is a pretty big number.”

With active RFID technology being introduced into the equation, shrinkage is greatly reduced and billions of dollars are saved.

How does this work?

Jeff Schaengold explains in a 2006 article, that: “The same sensor-based technology used in refineries and chemical facilities to measure and monitor flow of liquids is applied to monitoring truck fuel consumption.

“RFID coupled with GPS provides real-time tracking of the truck movements as well as idle time when the engine consumes fuel instead of shutting down.”

RFID tracking has also had indirect benefits in the industry, including fewer transportation vehicles and drivers required to carry the extra supply, and prevention of grade mixing – both costly concerns.

See the original article for more information.

Would an RFID tracking solution save costs in your company?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

3M RFID System to Track Army Medical Records

3M has announced the completion of an RFID Smart Shelf System at Fort Hood, Texas. The company designed and installed the RFID solution to track the medical records of 150,000-plus US Army personnel and their family members.

The customized system was designed to “substantially reduce errors and inefficiencies associated with manual tracking, retrieval, filing and merging methods of medical records management at Fort Hood,” according to an article published today on TradingMarkets.com.

3M’s RFID Systems Site describes the technology’s ability to offer complete automation of tracking and management processes of RFID tagged items, including self-checkout/in, sorting, security and locating of items.

The $3.76 million Fort Hood contract includes a year of training and maintenance of the RFID system by 3M and Track and Trace Solutions.

Would an RFID solution help your company automate tracking and management of records and/or assets?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

New RFID Enabled Bus Assists Blind Passengers

An entire fleet of 70 buses and 260 stops are now RFID enabled to assist blind passengers, in a Swiss town called St. Gallen, according to an article published yesterday by RFID Journal. The public transit system (Verkehrsbetriebe St. Gallen, VBSG) recently launched a small 15-rider trial, and is expected to expand the trial in August to include up to 250 blind passengers.

The RFID system includes both active and passive RFID mechanisms. A handheld personal digital assistant (PDA) for blind passengers, called Bones Milestone, contains a high frequency (HF) RFID reader, an active ultra high frequency (UHF) transceiver, a digital voice recorder and MP3 player.

The multi-featured device communicates with UHF RFID devices on the buses and the passive HF RFID tags at the bus stops. As the bus approaches, the device notifies the passenger of the bus’ arrival, and lets the driver know that a blind passenger will be boarding at the upcoming stop. Upon boarding and waving the PDA past the RFID component in the timetable sign, the handheld device reads the encoded route information from the timetable to the user.

The PDA device was released just last year and already has up to 4,000 users throughout the world, according to Stepen Knecht, managing director of Bones, the company which manufactures the handheld device.

Once users own the PDA, they can use the RFID capability for a number of other functions by purchasing inexpensive passive HF RFID tags to attach to various objects.

The RFID transit program, which costs the equivalent of over 740,000 USD, is funded by several organizations, including the Swiss public transport agency (VBSG), the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs, the Swiss Federation of the Bind and Visually Impaired, and Bones, which donated the readers and engineers to get the program running.

The transit system may use RFID for ticketless travel if the experience with this technology continues to be positive, according to a quote from Ralf Eigenmann, managing director of VBSG.

For more information, see the original article.

Would an RFID solution help take your company to the next level?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Study Causes Medical RFID Panic

A just-released study by University of Amsterdam researchers highlights “potential hazardous incidents” in hospital equipment due to electromagnetic interference from RFID devices.

Since the release in the Journal of the American Medical Association, news articles and blogs have been published with story after story about these potential hazards, most with a tone of panic – one even entitled: RFID could kill you. But, before we all abandon our RFID programs in fear of injury or death, let’s take a closer look at what the study really says.

The conclusion in the report’s abstract states that:

“In a controlled nonclinical setting, RFID induced potentially hazardous incidents in medical devices. Implementation of RFID in the critical care environment should require on-site EMI tests and updates of international standards.”

The key piece here being that testing should be done prior to implementing an RFID solution in a medical environment.

Experts at Dynamic Computer insist that pilot testing and in-depth assessments must precede ANY implementation of an RFID program, in the medical sphere or otherwise. If properly tested and configured, these types of hazards can be avoided.

One blogger points to another simple consideration – the RFID industry could develop standards for medical industry device frequencies that would not cause interference with the hospital equipment, which runs on a different frequency.

Dana Blankenhorn, of ZDNet Healthcare’s blog, explains that:

“… use of unlicensed spectrum should guarantee there is no interference with any gear running on licensed frequencies, and there are frequencies licensed specifically for use by medical devices.”

This seems to be a simple and reasonable suggestion, which in all likelihood is already underway among medical RFID device manufacturers.

In any case, the benefits of RFID implementation in many industries, including the medical industry, far outweigh any potential risks when carefully pilot tested and customized prior to execution.

Would an RFID consultation help you understand the potential benefits in your industry?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Tracking tomatoes with RFID

The ongoing news about tainted tomatoes causing illness across 23 states in the U.S. has brought much public attention to the idea of tracking the origin of produce.

Weeks into the crisis, the FDA still has not pinned down the source, though it has been narrowed down to Florida and Mexico. Had tracking information been readily available, the tomato scare would likely have passed much more quickly, and many would never have gotten sick as a result of consuming the affected produce.

Many have suggested RFID tracking in particular as a solution for this type of problem. Supply-chain tracking from the grower to the retailer would have added a level of visibility to the product that could have identified with certainty where the tainted fruit originated from, and precisely when it journeyed to its final destinations.

Supply chain visibility is one of the greatest advantages to using RFID technology, and in this case could likely have prevented some of the nearly 300 cases of food-borne illness from Salmonella-infected tomatoes.

George Manolis, Senior Vice President of Operations, IES, Ltd., a supply chain software vendor quoted in a recent press release on PR-USA.net, explains that while the implementation of RFID technology in agriculture has been cost-prohibitive, the industry is ripe for the transition. According to Manolis, “there is a persistent false belief that a seventeen-cent RFID tag needs to be applied to each tomato, bringing up the cost of each individual tomato by that amount.”

He suggests simply applying RFID tags to pallets or cartons, and explains that there are now smaller chips which cost as little as five cents being used by big retailers.

The U.S. is behind on adopting RFID applications in agriculture, while some countries, such as Australia, already track produce using the technology.

Informationweek.com reports that Hawaii is getting on the RFID bandwagon, testing the tracking of produce -- including tomatoes -- from farms to distribution centers to restaurants and retailers in a three-year RFID pilot program. In the trial, RFID tags are attached to the produce boxes. Four farms are currently participating and more are expected to be added in a year.

The program is funded by the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Defense (DoD) – which launched its own RFID compliance program for its suppliers in 2003.


Would an RFID Solution help increase supply-chain visibility in your organization?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Library Expands with RFID Solution

BusinessWire.com recently reported that Crandall Public Library (Norcross, GA) will be including RFID technology in their expansion project. The RFID solution is expected to improve customer service, checkout efficiency and the time staff can spend assisting patrons.

The RFID system includes self-service kiosks, security pedestals, reader software and hardware for inventory tracking, security features and an automated materials handling component.

The library’s director, Christine McDonald was quoted as saying she has been researching RFID for the library for 15 years, and the time is finally right with the technology becoming more feasible and reliable.

Crandall Public Library is in the process of renovating an historic arts building, originally built in the 1930s. The population the library serves has increased by 30 percent since its last expansion in 1969. Thanks to this RFID solution automating many of the key processes, the library will be well-equipped to handle the continuing growth in patrons.

Would an RFID Solution help you serve your customers better?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

RFID Goes Postal in EU

On EurActive.com, an article was recently published describing the European Commission’s plans to implement an RFID solution to track mail across the EU’s national postal services. Scheduled for full liberalization by 2013, the concern is that the postal service will need to avoid dysfunction caused by the increased number of participants involved in the operation.

Implementing this solution would call for smaller tags and lower costs. This would make item-level tracking realistic, according to the article. This level of tracking would almost eliminate failed deliveries altogether.

RFID appears to be the best solution to manage and track the items, as it is already being used in about 50 nations worldwide to evaluate mail services. Sample items have tags attached, which are then monitored to measure their efficiency.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) uses RFID to authenticate drivers, locate and manage vehicles in real-time, and to track productivity among many other postal applications.

The global market for RFID systems will reach $2.5 billion by 2018 in the postal sector alone, according to IDTechEx.com’s report: “RFID for Postal and Courier Services 2008-2018.” That number will be larger if individual tagging becomes commonplace. This RFID application would represent the second largest, after retail supply chain solutions.

Could your enterprise benefit from implementing an RFID tracking solution?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

Unparalleled RFID Logistics Trial a Success

Twenty-eight companies collaborated in an RFID logistics pilot, successfully tracking shipments of goods on their journey across the sea from China to the United States, according to a recent article on RFID Update.

The trial, sponsored by EPC Global, established that that the EPC Information Services (EPCIS) standard can successfully supply real-time global visibility for multiple companies in a supply chain. (Learn more about EPCIS from the original article.)

Several technologies interfaced to an EPCIS system, exchanging data among the manufacturers, logistics suppliers, associations, government organizations, and technology providers that participated in the pilot testing. Through EPCIS, the various organizations were able to combine and share data via passive and active RFID and EPCIS technologies that are usually implemented separately.

Gen2 passive UHF RFID tags were used to identify 120 pallets of goods split among three cargo containers. An active RFID tag identified each of the three containers.

The RFID tracking took place at the origination and destination ports, by trucking firms, cargo ship operators and multiple distribution centers.
EPCglobal is considering another pilot to expand on what was learned in this trial.


Could an RFID pilot help your company test a potential solution?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

RFID Revolutionizes Industrial Battery Recycling Program

Montreal, Canada-based logistics and engineering firm Can/U.S. Enviro-Energy, recently teamed up with Academia RFID to plan and implement an RFID solution that enables them to automate the battery tracking process in their industrial lithium battery replacement and recycling processes.

Early this year, after three months of testing, the RFID system was put into place. The system alerts customers in real time when their batteries have been accepted, then sends the customer an e-document verifying its receipt. This immediately qualifies them to apply for return credits.

Can/U.S. Enviro-Energy views environmentally safe battery disposal as an industry obligation. The RFID solution provides the company not only with the means to track the hazardous batteries throughout the recycling process, but also with the assurance that this industrial waste does not end up in landfills, damaging the environment.

This technology has revolutionized the service the firm has been offering for more than 15 years, serving large telecom and hydro-electric utilities companies in the transport, storage, handling and disposal/recycling of industrial batteries and power supply equipment.

Could RFID help automate tracking processes in your company?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

RFID Lifting Off in the Aviation Industry

Aviationweek.com recently featured a story sharing six examples of RFID testing and implementation among industry leaders in commercial aviation and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) over the last five years. While RFID is not the standard (yet) in the industry, the potential applications are almost limitless.

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin tracks materials through its 1 million-sq.-ft. maintenance facility in Greenville, S.C. using RFID technology. When parts arrive, an RFID tag is created, and those parts are automatically entered into the system upon passing the RFID portal. Readers throughout the facility automatically track and record the location and entry/exit times of any part that has been tagged. The system alerts a supervisor if a part does not arrive where it is supposed to be within the designated time frame.

This is only the first, of at least three phases of RFID implementation for Lockheed, which is eventually planning to tag tooling, ground support and aircraft support equipment using active RFID to track these assets in real time.

Boeing

Boeing has tested several RFID solutions to ultimately put a system into place that would scan an entire airplane to confirm 100 percent accurate configuration prior to delivery.

The 787 is positioned to be the first RFID enabled Boeing plane, with a program directive planned to begin later this year. This initiative would involve the tagging of up to 500 individual part numbers on the aircraft.

Lufthansa Technik Group

Lufthansa Technik Group in Hamburg, Germany, has implemented RFID smart labels in its “Same Day Logistics” process, which calls for any parts removed for line replacement to be in the repair workshop the same day it is removed from the airplane.

The smart labels include both a bar code and an RFID tag. Lufthansa Technik is able to automatically identify a part and determine where it should be delivered. This has greatly accelerated the repair process and cut costs, while simultaneously increasing data quality.

Airbus

According to Carlo Nizam, head of value chain visibility and RFID for the company’s resource planning program, Airbus has installed the first of three planned phases of RFID execution to achieve “real-time automated and accurate visibility across the value chain.”

The initial phase involved tagging containers with required parts for cabin assembly as they leave the warehouse for the assembly facility in Hamburg, Germany. The readers will give a green light upon interrogation if entering the appropriate areas, and a red light when approaching the wrong zones. This helps avoid any mix ups among the 700-some-odd parts containers for each airplane, and has reduced the number of containers required by 8 percent.

Corpus Christi Army Depot

Corpus Christi Army Depot in Corpus Christi, TX, uses a real-time location system (RTLS) to track parts, tooling and ground support equipment to within 10 feet throughout its helicopter repair process.

The system, however, is not integrated with the other systems in place for data collection in the facility (i.e., bar code scanning). The company hopes to create a solution to support a mixture of active and passive RFID tags, bar codes and 2D bar bodes to identify, track and provide notifications to mechanics throughout the repair process.

myTECHNIC

myTECHNIC intends to use RFID throughout its MRO facility at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opening soon, the facility will utilize RFID technology to identify and eliminate any waste in the maintenance operation. Time-saving asset tracking and data collection on the location and usage of equipment are crucial to realizing this goal.

To read the entire “Is RFID Ready to Fly” article, visit Aviationweek.com.

Could RFID help save time and cut costs in your business?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

What does RFID have to do with the price of gas?

While they might seem completely unrelated, Mark Roberti, founder and editor of RFID Journal, points out that RFID implementation can help offset or reduce the amount of gasoline that companies and consumers require – cutting costs at a time when gas is predicted to reach $200 per barrel.

Companies must be efficient to remain competitive, given the rise in costs for producing and shipping goods. Costs need to be cut across their operations, including manufacturing and distribution processes. While producing more energy efficient products is good for business, it is not enough in itself to create sustainability in this market, he explains.

The following examples were used to demonstrate a few ways RFID can save fuel:

• Ensuring correct goods reach the correct store, thereby reducing truck trips
• Ensuring proper raw materials are sent to the correct factory
• Ensuring perishables are used on a first-in, first-out basis, reducing waste
• Reducing manufacturer errors by tracking work-in-progress better
• RFID data from stores could facilitate more efficient production, storage and shipping of products, reducing waste in the process
• RFID together with GPS technology could determine the most efficient truck routes, saving fuel
• Enhanced tracking of inventory in stores, ensuring customers can find everything they want in fewer trips
  

To read Roberti’s article in its entirety, visit RFID Journal.

Could RFID help cut costs across your organization?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.

RFID poised to become a $9.7 billion industry by 2013

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) will grow to a $9.7 billion market by 2013, according to a new report by ABI Research.

Research Director Michael Liard explains that the RFID industry is growing strongly across a number of industries, in various forms, “including those applications that are unique to particular verticals, as well as those – such as asset tracking, security/access control, and supply chain management – that are common to a range of verticals.”

Many long-term RFID investments by large end-users account for the positive RFID market trends. For example, Sam’s Club / Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense have announced RFID compliance programs. The health care, energy and transportation industries are integrating RFID solutions for asset management, while many retailers are implementing item-level tagging applications.

Gelal, the largest sock manufacturer in Europe, is a recent example of the difference RFID solutions can make to the bottom line. The company has seen a 40 percent improvement in productivity after introducing an RFID-based tracking system in its Istanbul factory.

The 200,000 pairs of socks it produces per day for companies including Nike, Adidas and Reebok, used to require manual bar-code scanning in large cloth sacks between each of its 20 production stations, which was time consuming and sometimes delayed production due to bent or smudged bar-code labels. With the induction of Alien Technology’s EPC Gen 2 UHF tags attached to plastic totes, the company has reduced the personnel required for each shift from 20 down to 12 workers.

Examples like this demonstrate why rapid growth in the RFID industry is expected to continue at roughly at 15 percent annual rate for the period from 2008 to 2013.

ABI Research’s RFID Forecasts report offers “extensive data on RFID revenues and unit shipments, segmented by technology, application, and vertical market (aerospace & defense, automotive, commercial services, diverse manufacturing, government [non-military], health care/life sciences, retail consumer packaged goods [CPG], retail in store, transportation & logistics, and other),” as described on their Web site.

Could RFID help increase your company’s productivity?

Dynamic Computer is a great source for RFID information and can help you evaluate how RFID could enhance your operation. We provide comprehensive and customized RFID solutions from concept, through testing, to implementation!

Visit the Dynamic Computer Corporation Web site or call 248-473-2200. We offer an RFID Demo tour where you can experience the technology in action! You can visit us and request a tour of our facility at 23400 Industrial Park Court, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.