Applications

One of the benefits of RFID technology is the ability to uniquely identify an entity. Every tag has a unique identification number, assigned on the IC chip upon production (UID) or when encoding the tag (EPC). Once the entity has a tag on it, it is possible to track its movement on the supply chain, verify its origin, assert its originality, define the read and write access levels for the data stored on the tag. These features allow the RFID tag to be used effectively to track goods movement paths, check unauthorized movements, enforce anti counterfeiting, theft and fraud prevention. The access methods to data and the level of accessibility to the data can be defined by the user. An authorized person or device can query the unique code of the tag and perform the tasks required.

Inventory

Anybody who has ever worked within a warehouse knows all the issues when having to handle an inventory. Long periods of inactivity in goods sending and receiving, high number of human resources involved in the counting make this one of the most expensive phases in the supply chain. RFID technology offers a very effective solution for a significant reduction of the cost involved in inventory operations. One great advantage of RFID technology, compared to other established techniques, like bar codes, is that the data reading is performed without the need of the tag to be in the line of sight of the interrogation device. Depending on the size of the warehouse and of the kind of goods that are stored, the products can be left in place while performing the inventory, or that moving the goods can be reduced to a minimum, for example by passing pallets through a RFID enabled gate. Furthermore, since the tag interrogation is performed using bulk reading (meaning that many tags are read at the same time in few milliseconds), counting the quantity of large amounts of stored materials can be performed in a few seconds. The result is a dramatic drop in the time required to read the information, with an obvious result in reduction of the time and cost of physical counts. 

Logistics processes and warehouse management are based on tracking a product, identifying it, verifying the quantities that have been handled, and checking the incoming, outgoing and in-house movements. All the activities that concur to the execution of these operations are extremely expensive, both in time and resources. Adopting RFID technology is a solution to reduce the execution time of operations and the resources required to perform them. Smart Res RFID tags can be applied upon receiving the goods, in the form of a simple adhesive labels on paper or other material as requested by the customer (if the items already has an RFID tag on it, this operation is not required). The label can be printed if the personnel is required to be able to read part of the information. One of the key benefits of RFID technology, compared to legacy technologies such as bar codes, is that the tag reading can be performed without the requirement of the tag being in the line of sight of the interrogation device. Also, the interrogation is performed using bulk reading: several tags can be read at the same time in a few milliseconds; thanks to this it is possible to read high quantities of tags in a few seconds, and this translates in a drastic reduction of activity execution times and of operating costs. It is then possible to load on stock entire pallets of goods without having to open the boxes, but only by having the pallet pass through a special RFID enabled gate or conveyor belt. It is also possible to integrate RFID gates with sensors that allow to automatically understand the direction in which the goods are moving; this can be especially useful in case there are multiple virtual or physical warehouses within the same building or in separate depots. Using this technology it will always be possible to know where an item is and have a detailed history of its movements.

Tracking every single object, by uniquely identifying it, is one of the key features of RFID technology. Every single RFID tag can be assigned a unique code that is written in the tag electronic memory. This code can be verified every time needed using readers, even selecting only some of the tags by using a special access password. The RFID tag, i.e. when applied to a garment, becomes a sort of “electronic passport”, capable of following the garment from the manufacturing to the sale, guaranteeing the authenticity and identity. Using this “passport” in the various stages of the supply chain allows to identify the garment, track it during its movements from the production, to the supply chain, to the sale and the a post-sale.Smart Res tags can be applied using common techniques available with other tags, on different shapes of labels and pendants, but thanks to the versatility of the proprietary manufacturing technology they can be manufactured directly on a wide range of support materials that allows them to be embedded in the product that will be tracked.Specifically in the clothing industry, the Smart Res RFID tag can be manufactured within a layer of material that can be thermal-transfered directly on a natural or synthetic fibre cloth.

The item ID document: duplication, cloning and copying of valuable items is a major issue for manufacturing firms that can suffer damage to the company image and are often forced to pay additional costs. Today it is easy to assign to an item a false identity or an alleged originality. Safeguarding the manufacturer brand is too often left to printed labels, mechanical stamps or other identification marks that can be easily counterfeited. RFID technology allows to assign to an item an electronic ID that is unique, non-duplicable, and not readable unless by an authorized device: an electronic authenticity certificate. This information can be retrieved by devices that can be either hand-held or fixed only by authorized personnel. One immediate advantage is that by restricting the possibility to read the data, it is harder to falsify what is unknown and cannot be read.With its proprietary patented manufacturing technology, Smart Res tags – unlike other tags available on the market – can be directly applied to a wide range of materials or even embedded within them, completely integrating in the final product.Some models of Smart Res tags are produced directly on thermal transfer material that allow the tag to be permanently applied to several types of natural or synthetic fibres. Furthermore, once the tag has been applied and embedded on the garment, additional benefits arise, such as sales support by fast inventory of items in the sales points, making the cashier operations faster, more precise inventory control, and the ability to track the product along the supply chain.

Smart Res’ RFID smart ticket cannot be associated to a standard “ticket”, since the latter ends its useful life after one use, while the former can contain many solutions to the delivery of service such as: recharge of various types, discount with affiliated partners, entrance to theatres and museums, or use as keys to hotel rooms. Currently, the available integration with NFC technology opens new horizons through reading RFID tags embedded in the tickets using smart phones. This allows the possibility to display and update any offer or promotion active in the places previously visited using the smart ticket.Smart Tickets from Smart Res are unique because – thanks to the proprietary manufacturing technology, they can be produced not just using the typical plastic materials used by other RFID tags, but also on paper- only materials, allowing the delivery of a product with the lowest possible environmental impact.