In shipping, logistics, and inventory management, RFID technology has positioned itself as an incredibly useful tool for businesses to track their assets. You’ve undoubtedly seen the technology being used in many places you visit every day: grocery stores, libraries, and even the post office. In these industries, RFID tags are used to track items on the sales floor. They help keep track of items that are being sold, returned, and restocked. Many small items can be tracked with RFID by using a handheld reader. With this device, an employee can move through the store looking for stock discrepancies or missing inventory without manually searching shelves or picking up products. This helps save time for employees and makes shopping easier for customers. So it makes sense that applying the concept of RFID tags to something vital to your organization—asset tracking, to be specific—can help reduce costs, improve the customer experience, and streamline significant parts of your work. RFID can be used in tags, tilt indicators, barcodes, impact indicators, and other tracking devices. In this article, we’ve put together a quick guide to asset tags and how they can help you run your business. Check it out below.
What Are Asset Tags?
When your organization manages its assets, a high level of efficiency and attention to detail should be involved. Asset tracking contributes positively to this mission. The goal is to have great efficiency across the board: in inventory management, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, yard management, and just about anywhere else your assets require managing. There are a few ways to do this. using asset tracking software can help keep track of your assets, but sometimes you need to take a less subtle approach. That’s where RFID asset tracking tags can help. By identifying, tracking, and alerting you to damage on your various assets, these tags can handle tracking anything from cargo to tools and vehicles. Simply attach them to the asset you wish to track and protect. The tags will typically contain information about the asset (make, model, serial number, etc.) and can be read by an RFID reader to track them in real-time. Ultimately, they can inform better business decisions, such as upgrades, and help keep track of your assets in more efficient ways.
How Do They Work?
Asset tags work by using RFID technology. RFID tags are a very simple concept. The tags themselves contain pertinent information about the object to which they’re attached. This might include a name, description, location, or serial number. As the item moves, the tag keeps track of it. If the item gest damaged, the tag logs it. The information contained on each tag is transmitted via a signal that gets read by a scanner. In this manner, it’s easy and fast to decode relevant information about your assets. RFID tags can be active, where they have a built-in power source (typically a battery), or passive, where they draw power from the electromagnetic signal itself to transmit information. RFID tags operate at different frequencies (from VHF to UHF) depending on what your company is using them for. The need for RFID asset tags in your organization is only becoming greater as time goes by and the industry continues to evolve.
Why You Need Them
When it comes to managing your assets, accuracy and visibility are essential! Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are small, electronic devices that can be attached to or implanted in objects and used to track their movements. They’re incredibly useful pieces of technology! There are many different types of tags you can use, but incorporating them into your day-to-day operations is a good idea. Consider that RFID asset tracking tags are extremely effective at identifying damage and managing/mitigating supply chain or inventory problems. If an object containing a tracking tag gets damaged, the tag will either turn red to indicate excessive force or break. This, in turn, sends a signal back to the tracker that an asset has been compromised. Better yet, you can use asset tracking tags to find your assets whether they’re located in your warehouse or on the road. The technology is becoming more affordable every day, too, making it cost-effective for any organization or small business. They’re also versatile, and able to be used across a wide array of applications at your company. If you have any desire at all to address issues with your assets as they occur, using asset tags is an effective way to go.
Impact Indicators
Impact indicators are a powerful tool for assessing and preventing damage to your cargo. These simple devices log impacts above a certain g-force threshold to help managers assess damage (even potentially unseen damage) to shipments. They’re used extensively in many applications across the entire supply chain. RFID impact indicators are just like standard units, but with a built-in RFID component, making them easier to read and use. They’re also tamper-proof and have serial numbers, making it easier to identify possible impacts as your cargo travels along.
Tilt Indicators
Like impact indicators, tilt indicators are another useful tool for tracking damage or problems along a supply route. Instead of logging an impact, however, a tilt indicator uses RFID technology to register tilting that occurs during transit. Keeping items positioned correctly as they travel is important for maintaining the integrity of the item and preventing damage. Tilt sensors can reduce damage by a significant degree and don’t require batteries due to their containing active RFID components. Using them as part of your shipping process is just as important as asset tracking and monitoring for damage. With the right tools, you can mitigate supply chain damage and ultimately make your customers happy.
