PRINTRONIX

Smart start to RFID

Even if it weren’t already a requirement for doing business with Wal-Mart, Tesco’s, Metro and other major retailers in 2005, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is poised to transform supply chain operations over the next decade. There are benefits for those who embrace the technology now, and it is possible to start smoothly and slowly with a Smart Label Pilot, one step at a time through an achievable four-phase plan.

Phase one – getting started
Choose smart technology partners
You will want to set up a development environment for small-scale, controlled testing. As you assemble your test lab, it is important to plan for the future. In this early adopter phase of RFID, there are many vendors jumping into the marketplace with promises of expertise to help with your RFID deployment. It is essential that external partners are leaders in the field and participating members of EPCglobal, the not-for-profit organisation leading the adoption and implementation of the EPC network.

Start making smart labels
Since labels carry the passwords that get your boxes into the warehouse, they are the logical starting point for your pilot programme. But how do you begin producing smart labels if you have yet to build your EPC application or obtained EPC numbers?

Tools, such as Printronix Smart Label Developer’s Kit, include a suite of applications that convert standard UPC and Global Trade Item Number data from bar code print data and allow you to simultaneously print and encode them into the RFID tag. The applications’ flexibility allows you to select from many common shipping label templates such as ITF-14 and UCC/EAN-128, and while the codes printed on the labels won’t be the final EPC (as standards are still being developed for Europe), they can be written, printed and verified for this initial testing phase.

Label testing
Now that you can encode labels without having to wait for EPC numbers, you have the means to test read ranges, read speeds and data capture. You can determine the distance from which the labels can be read, whether radio frequency (RF) signals are affected by the products, where you should locate the label on the boxand variations to read angle and distance. As you become familiar with optimum read speeds and work out the intricacies of capturing and reading data, you will, most importantly, arrive at solutions to improving and maximising system accuracy and efficiency.

Label placement
Package contents and label configuration, design, space and angle all can make a difference between a 100 per cent read rate and a zero per cent read rate. You will need to keep these factors in mind as you determine the placement of your smart label on the case or pallet.

Labels: the good, the bad, and the quiet
A label is considered ‘good’ when the RFID data is written to the tag correctly, the correct information is printed, and content data is verified against the source.

If the printed and encoded data can’t be verified against the source, the label is considered ‘bad’and voided from the system. To ensure that no EPC numbers are lost, the printer should be programmed to clearly overstrike and void the ‘bad’ defective label and print another label using the same EPC data.

When a verified tag can’t be read from a normal distance (how far is this? 3 – 5 metres? Yes), it is called a ‘quiet’ label. In some cases a quiet label may be the result of a defect in a specific label within a roll of ‘good’ labels. Your print/encoding system should be designed to distinguish between ‘quiet’ and ‘non-quiet’ labels, removing yet another source of error. A ‘quiet’ label needs to be eliminated from use if you want to achieve 100 per cent read rates.

Phase two – test and validate
Involve a knowledgeable systems integrator
RFID is uncharted territory, and it is a long journey to deployment. You will need an experienced guide who understands your existing operations, processes and systems. Your integration partner should not only have RFID expertise, but should also have the industry knowledge to help you develop an implementation plan that defines all workflow tasks, responsibilities, milestones and related costs and assist in establishing realistic performance targets.

Integrate various software applications
In this phase of test and validation, integrating RFID technology into your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and WMS (Warehouse Management Systems) throughout your operation allows you to preview the extent of capabilities that RFID brings to your enterprise and the supply chain. RFID supports such areas of your business such as planning, parts purchasing, order tracking, customer service, inventory management, transportation management and accounting. By providing extensive, real-time, accurate information, significant gains in efficiency are predicted.

Integrate with warehouse infrastructure
Simulate a dock door and a conveyor using fixed-mount readers as the Printronix Smart Label Developer’s Kit creates a sampling of labels for typical boxes and pallets. You might also choose to begin your testing in the established lab of an integrator partner for this initial phase.

Confirm your label solutions
During test and validation, solve where to position labels on different product types and how to apply as volume increases. As an example, in the case of one particular bottled drink, we found that tag placement for 100 per cent read rate was critical to within ?”.

Phase three – pilot
Fearless piloting
The objective of the pilot programme is to develop a predictable and scalable system. Careful measurement and documentation throughout this phase will facilitate problem solving with your partners and selected customers, to ultimately eliminate errors and establish processes. You will want to mark critical milestones to chart the development of your system. Along the way, stop and assess your solutions – important questions to ask are:

Is smart label placement formulated and confirmed for different products?
Should you run parallel pilots for different divisions of your business because of significant differences in processes?
Is it time to incorporate additional label printers to your system?

Expect solutions
Solving RFID implementation issues, even if the requirement is for a small percentage of your shipments the first year, will provide a strong foundation for the future requirements. By the end of Phase Three, you will have locked down your business processes and procedures, tested software and hardware and verified your system accuracy at higher volumes and speeds.

Phase four – implementation
Select vendors with an upgrade path and the right experience
Technology is evolving, standards are not fully resolved, and protocols will change. Smart label standards will migrate from Class 1 and 0 to UHF, Gen 2. These changes in the industry will mean changes in your equipment. So choose a vendor offering asset protection and multi-protocol platforms to protect your investment, with upgradeable firmware (for example, to the proposed 96-bit standard) and scalable solutions so you won’t have to start over.

The Path to Return on Onvestment (ROI) Lies Beyond Mere Compliance
During the implementation phase, you will explore opportunities for new efficiencies and build metrics into your processes to quantify improvements, forming a foundation for ROI. This reinforces that the solutions you pick for the pilot need to be scalable, robust and industrial strength for cost-effective deployment. And even if your processes include manual application of labels for shipping (slap and ship) at this point, it is important to keep your future automation capabilities in minds as your system expands. This is a critical factor when choosing your printing solution.

Smart labels will get smarter
Developments in RFID technology will continue to yield larger memory capacities, wider reading ranges and faster processing. Though, the cost of RF chips prevent RFID from replacing bar codes any time soon, the technology will continue to flourish because of its interactive capabilities. Like memory for PC’s, we can’t predict what the cost will be for chips in the near or distant future, we do know that their growth and speed will increase exponentially, creating capabilities that will have a major impact on supply chain operations over the next few years.

Don’t let the uncertainties or the cost of the tags keep you from learning about RFID and its benefits to your business. Adopting RFID today affords you the opportunity to grow with the technology, to define and refine your system and realise the benefits sooner.


By Brad Jarvis, director of product marketing for Printronix. For a full copy of the Printronix White Paper, Smart Start to RFID: Initiating A Smart Label Pilot in 4 User-Friendly Phases or further information on Printronix’s RFID products and solutions, please visit www.printronix.co.uk or contact us on +44 (0) 1344 869666 or email emeasales@printronix.co.uk