RFID

[IPM's Chief Technology Officer originally wrote this post for the IPM Asset Solutions "Roaming Moose" RFID blog in March 2010. For more information please see www.ipmasset.com]

As the RFID community considers the growth of technology over the last few decades, one thing has become certain: memory capacity and computing power continue to grow while the physical size of the memory technology continues to shrink. That combination opens the door to amazing new possibilities, from consumer products like iPhones and laptop computers, to exciting opportunities in the world of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The possibilities are nearly endless with rugged, smaller RFID tags that can store a tremendous of data.

In recent weeks, all aviation eyes have been on aircraft manufacturer Airbus, who announced a plan to use large capacity RFID tags to track as much information possible on their parts inventory. This is different from most RFID tags that store only a unique ID number that is associated to a database. That is, the typical tag contains no real information, just a number. In the Airbus plan, increased storage capability means Airbus will be able to load most of the critical data directly to the tag. For their airline clients, the full history of a part is just a scan away.

In a struggling economy, it took courage for Airbus to risk money on a new way to do things. On the other hand, those with courage can emerge from the global recession in a much stronger position than their rivals. If successful, Airbus will be able to provide a service that others cannot. The money spent today will allow them to do more tomorrow with less effort, as well as attract new business. We applaud Airbus for their courage and vision.

What are the advantages to large capacity tags? First, more capacity means more information (such as manufacture date, batch numbers, serial numbers, and even inspector in the QC process) can be stored on the tag. Information is limited only by creativity.. A Generation 2 tag can be read by anyone with a Gen 2 reader, making it is easy for Airbus’ clients and partners to take advantage of the tags. There is a huge advantage to being able to discern immediately the lot number and ship date of a questionable part. Quality control can be protected and, in the case of Airbus, lives could be saved. Airbus also won’t unnecessarily ground planes that do not have the lot number in question, protecting their reputation to say nothing of their profits. For Airbus, a little money spent now can provide increased revenue in the future by providing parts information that is easily tracked.

When assessing the pros, you must inevitably assess the cons. There are disadvantages to having all your eggs in one basket with the first being failure rate. RFID tags have an acceptable reliability record and do not fail often. But as with anything electronic, they do fail occasionally. If all of the desired information is on the tag, retrieving that data is close to impossible if the tag fails. IPMAS clients tend to favor small data capacity tags that are paired with a robust, searchable database. If the inventory item has a serial number printed on it, the client can still retrieve the information by searching on the serial number since the database can reside on a mobile reader. Whether the data is collected from the tag or retrieved from the database is transparent to the end user

What is the bottom line? High capacity tags are costly but have the backing of an industry leader. Low capacity tags require a database storage system but are much less expensive and may be an appropriate solution. Whether the choice is database- or tag-centric storage, the advantages of an RFID asset management system outweigh the disadvantages of a bar code or manual system. The key is to find a good integrator that can help you make the proper business decision.