RFID Solution Case Study

MAJOR AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURER IN U.S.

When a major automotive manufacturer required real-time Work in Process (WIP) tracking they turned to TransitionWorks for the solution. Tracking the progress of products being manufactured and tracking products going through the quality testing process was a prerequisite. Real-time WIP information, through the use of RFID technology, is allowing the material handlers to deliver the right products to the line accurately and when needed.

• Headquarters: United States
• Five automotive manufacturing facilities in North America

BUSINESS ISSUES

Automation for material flow

This company required real-time data during the flow of material from one work center to the next to alert material handlers of product that was ready to be moved and of materials required at work centers. The process alleviates radio communication to the materials handlers and prevents stoppage of the flow, through the manufacturing process, due to lack of materials.
The company needed a system that would:

Provide continuous feedback based on pallet movement through the
manufacturing process.

• Utilize RFID to monitor pallet movements along the manufacturing line.
• Increase the efficiency of the material handlers in moving material only when needed.
• Track product going to quality control.

TRANSITIONWORKS SOLUTION

Developed in a few days

Using TransitionWorks Design Time (TWS-DT), a custom solution was developed in days to work with a multi vendor environment using RFID UHF equipment to monitor the movement of pallets throughout the manufacturing process. The pallets were tagged with RFID labels and the data was integrated into their existing inventory systems. TransitionWorks Run Time (TWS-RT) software resides on a server managing the readers and filters the RFID data to the right people, updating different databases.

The recommended solution included:

• TWS-DT for custom transaction development
• TWS-RT
• UHF Gen 2 tags, EMS RFID readers and antennae

BUSINESS BENEFITS

“We needed a solution that we could implement quickly to manage our material handling inefficiencies. TransitionWorks was able to deliver a solution within a matter of days,” confirmed the Materials manager.

The business benefits included:

• Improved personnel efficiencies
• Reduced verbal communication with real-time visual requirements at the forklift
• Removed paperwork at the production line
• High Availability and Reliability
• Software Scalability
• Integration into current SQL ERP system

This company plans to continue implementing real-time inventory tracking using TransitionWorks throughout the manufacturing facility.

LESSONS LEARNED

According to the Project manager, “When implementing RFID solutions, ensure you take the time for tag testing and understanding the physics of the products and the layout of the environment and an ”imagination for everything they have ever wanted a data collection system to do for them.”

Remember, one type of RFID tag will not meet all the needs in any environment.
Be prepared to use a variety of tags and RFID technology based on the
products and how RFID will be used. TransitionWorks software enables customers to use a variety of RFID hardware and tags for data collection using
our single software platform. Whether its barcode, RFID, Voice or PLC solutions you require for your data collection needs, TransitionWorks has the enabling technology solution for your environment.

ABOUT TRANSITIONWORKS SOFTWARE

TransitionWorks Software delivers innovative solutions that allow warehouse, field service, and sales operations to capture critical information, improve visibility of assets, processes and orders, and interact with their company’ s ERP system in real-time wherever they are. Using the latest smartphone, RFID, PLC, biometric, barcode and cloud technologies, TransitionWorks’ platform is transforming hundreds of customer operations in over 20 countries across the globe. By radically simplifying processes and then putting the latest information in the hands of front-line personnel at all times, its customers make better decisions, reduce inventory levels, lower operating costs and generate higher returns.