Global Leader Uses RFID To Improve Manufacturing Process

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A global leader with increasing demand for their products entrusted Metalcraft and CDO Technologies to collaborate on a solution to increase traceability and accuracy. The goal was to improve efficiency and profitability through automating work-in-process operations, using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

The Challenge

With orders increasing, a leading manufacturer wanted to streamline its production process to ensure accurate and on-time delivery. Ultimately, they decided to adopt radio frequency identification (RFID) into their work-in-process procedures.

RFID allowed automation of many previously manual methods, i.e., labor reporting. Under their formal method, when the product moved through each assembly station, an employee had to stop what they were doing, go to a computer and report the quantity in the right operation. This took about 10 minutes per product, per assembly line. Manual operations also increased the potential for inaccurate reporting. These issues impacted inventory and transactions, leading to shortages and inaccurate inventory levels resulting in more time and money being spent ordering additional inventory, filling the order and rushing jobs for needed components.

The company selected CDO Technologies to install, implement and integrate their Critical Asset Tracking System (CATS) with the company’s already existing system. CDO designed the workflow process and worked with the company to develop the ERP integration and validate the transactions.

The Solution

Seeking a tag solution, the company reached out to Metalcraft, an industry leader in RFID tag manufacturing, who helped select the right tag for their application. Metalcraft ensured the tag construction would work in their environment and deliver all the necessary information.

The team simulated the workflow by manually moving an RFID tag in front of the readers, then performing the integration and labor reporting expected to happen during normal transactions. Once tested and validated, the team implemented the solution in an assembly line and did a test run before deploying throughout the facility.

The Result

Within three months, CDO finished implementation and integration of asset tracking with the customer’s system. Using the new system they gained the ability to auto-fill login information at every step saving not only time, but also materials by eliminating human error from the invoicing process.

Streamlining work-in-process through the asset tracking was just the beginning. CDO provided additional value by assisting the customer in evaluating their production process flow – identifying opportunities to further increase workflow efficiencies using asset management software.

CDO and Metalcraft’s collaboration not only saved the customer time and money, it also instilled additional confidence for the customer that their custom-built RFID solution will support the company’s continued success.

To learn more about our asset tracking solutions, contact us today at [email protected].