There is more pressure on CIOs in this age of IoT and big data analytics than ever before. There is an impressive array of new technologies available as a tool to improve their business dramatically. The company’s digital transformation is the rallying call that consultants, CEOs, and consumers require from the largest market segment leaders. To get your product or service to the target consumer, one needs to get it to them, tailor it to their needs. And get them engaged in a consistent distribution and digital ownership experience that intertwines the brand as a core part. RFID in digital transformation is one of the foundational technologies of the IoT movement.
The wireless contactless use of radiofrequency waves to transfer data is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Tagging products with RFID tags enable users to identify and monitor inventory and properties automatically and uniquely. As explained by Nortech Control, “RFID tags can store a broad assortment of data that can be used in several ways within manufacturing and can help streamline and optimise the whole production process.”. RFID brings auto-ID technology to the next level by enabling tags to be read without a line of sight. It also provides a reading range from a few centimeters to over 20+ meters, depending on the RFID type. RFID has come a long distance from its first use in World War II to recognize airplanes as friends or enemies. The technology has continued to develop year after year. It also decreases the cost of implementing and using an RFID device, making RFID more cost-effective and reliable.
The role of RFID in Digital Transformation
This technology is in use for decades of refinement and billions of dollars of investment. It resulted in both reliability and cost points that allow applications previously thought to be impossible. In real-time, applying RFID tags to items, including personnel, materials, will allow a full digital view of the process. Note that all RFID has the feature of monitoring an asset with a unique identifier wirelessly. There are many different RFID transponder types and formats, as there are business processes. The industry classifies them by the many frequencies over which they work, the physical distribution format. It also classifies the broad types of passive, active, and visual RFID in the general family.
Passive RFID in Digital Transformation: Passive RFID means there’s no internal power source or battery on the transponder. At their core, these tags have a tiny chip about the size of a grain of sand. It is driven by the RF transmission energy sent by a device attempting to read it. This technology is accepted as the basis of the enterprise’s digital transformation. It manages formats smaller than ever, read ranges of up to 100 ‘and cost points calculated in fractions of pennies. Passive RFID is a very cost-effective approach to digitize your asset flow and produce useful data for your process. The emergence of simple sensing is another field that has recently emerged in the passive world. Passive chips are available today even without a battery, which can easily sense moisture, temperature, and even applied force.
Active RFID: Active RFID has an internal power source, usually a low-cost battery designed to last for one to five years. This power source allows them to be visible from far longer distances. It also allows advanced sensor applications like temperature logging, motion alarms, and magnetic safety latching to be exciting in some instances. These tags differ in shapes and sizes, like the well-known “Tile” tag for attaching to keys or zipper pulls of bags. These are usually more expensive than passive RFID in order of magnitude. Active tagging is probably right; if you have a few essential items that you want to track. Or you want to collect a lot of sensor data in the process.
Visual RFID in Digital Transformation: Visual Tagging is a new category in the RFID world. With the creation of bi-stable visual materials, tags are created that give visual flags to humans in the process. To signify that an asset has is clean, this may involve color changes. It also indicates patterns that indicate that a tag is in the wrong location. Or e-paper displays that duplicate previously applied information with a paper mark. The latter has been the segment’s highest growth area. As forward-thinking process designers are targeting the high cost and lack of versatility in static paper labeling. All of the basic patents on the original e-paper innovations have been running their course. It stimulates new entrants, pushes prices down, and triggers a period of growth in this significant market. Today, on store shelves, luggage tags, or in a hospital, one can see such visual tags, adding the value of readable, dynamic instructions. It comes up with all the benefits of monitoring and data collection in real-time.
Conclusion
Companies can have a further look at the RFID technologies available today if they are facing challenges. The challenges vary from producing more data for feed analytics, increasing consumer transparency, or driving service excellence. Companies can look out for the options in RFID in digital transformation for better results.
