NEW TRACK AND TRACE SYSTEM “SIMPLITRAK” EMPLOYS RFID TAGS THAT CAN EASILY BE CUSTOMISED AND EMBEDDED INTO ALL PRODUCT TYPES.
IDC have introduced an RFID (radio frequency identification) system SIMPLITRAK which employs read/write TAGs that can be embedded into products at their point of manufacture. This facility enables manufacturers to provide full product tracking and traceability, and to guard against counterfeit products and components entering their supply chain. It also equips quality assurance (QA) departments with the means to provide customers with processing data for compliance to set procedures and policies.
Working with their Smart Media partner, CLC from Loughborough, IDC are able to supply a complete turnkey solution for your RFID project. CLC with over 30 years of experience in Label Printing are able to convert raw RFID tag inlays into smart media, such as swing tickets, self adhesive labels, sew in labels and cards. These offer read and write capability and can also incorporate bar codes where necessary, with company specific encryption if required, and can easily be integrated into all types of merchandise. These converted inlays provide a unique ID and require no line of sight for reading or writing. They also offer multiple scanning facilities and the facility to be updated in real time.
“We see tremendous potential for this system as a profit improver in all areas of manufacturing, handling, distribution and commerce,” says Kevin Buckley, Managing Director of IDC. “The ability for companies to have tracking and tracing of all their products in real time means total efficiency in supply chain asset management and greater visibility of assets generally. In addition, by placing uniquely coded and customised RFID tags on containers, pallets, cartons or individual items - physical goods can be, in effect, digitised, enabling easier assimilation into Internet-based e-commerce business systems.”
At a recent demonstration IDC showed a leading clothing manufacturer how to protect against counterfeit garments infiltrating its supply chain.
The manufacturer packs garments each with its own customised read/write TAG (fitted during manufacturing) into cartons, which have their own unique ID.
When being processed prior to shipment, each carton passes a tag reader, which transmits a complete list of its contents for display on a PC. The PC checks the actual contents of the carton against the known manifest for the carton ID to produce a Pass or Fail result. If the carton passes then the carton ID is written to a datablock on each tag, which is locked. Other datablocks can also be written with hand held RF terminals during QA checks etc. In this way all of the garments can be checked at each stage of their journey from manufacture to lorry, lorry to distribution centre and distribution centre to store.
"This type of project is ideal for IDC,” says Kevin Buckley, “where a client is looking to integrate RFID into his supply chain, and trying to find a solutions provider who can bring all the skills and capabilities to the table, in a tried and tested package.”
IDC – Intelligent Distributed Controls
IDC is a UK company, centrally located in Derby. The company provides product design and development, sales and support, together with project engineering services for a wide range of applications in the materials handling and distribution sector. IDC’s philosophy is to actively promote the growing trend towards decentralised real-time control through the design and manufacture of innovative ‘intelligent’ hardware and software products, employing its own technology to provide solutions that offer customers real bottom-line business benefits.
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For further information contact: Kevin Buckley, IDC Ltd, Keynes House, Chester Park, Alfreton Road, Derby. DE21 4AS. Tel: +44 (0) 1332 604 030 Fax: +44 (0) 1332 604 031. E-mail: sales@idc.gb.com Website: www.idc.gb.com