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RFID-enabled Track-and-trace Solution Debuts for Manufactured Concrete Industry
UPM Raflatac partners with International Coding Technologies to help concrete companies streamline critical production and inventory management processes
Tampere, Finland — August 18, 2008 — Label company UPM Raflatac has partnered with data capture specialist International Coding Technologies on a radio-frequency identification-enabled productivity system for the manufactured concrete industry, UPM Raflatac has announced.
The label division of UPM, UPM Raflatac is a supplier of self-adhesive label materials for a variety of needs in product and information labeling. International Coding Technologies (ICT) has developed a wireless RFID solution for the concrete industry that streamlines critical production and inventory management processes and uses UPM Raflatac's Gen2 RFID tags.
The system, TrackCon, offers a product identification and tracking system, using a mobile computer with RFID read capabilities and a Cast-A-Code tag to provide cradle-to-grave traceability of manufactured concrete structures, including precast, prestress and architectural products. The Cast-A-Code tag features UPM Raflatac's DogBone UHF tag and a watertight, castable RFID inlay that affixes securely to concrete structures.
The manufactured concrete industry has historically struggled with inventory management challenges. Main issues include manually handled quality control processes, difficulties in verifying customer receipt of materials and high logistical costs due to material returns and reshipments. By serializing each structure and providing real-time data on the location of individual structures, TrackCon allows concrete manufacturers to optimize critical production and distribution processes.
RFID data are used to identify and solve quality issues, ensure that the right materials are shipped to customers, automatically record the GPS coordinates of delivered materials and prepare accurate invoices.
UPM Raflatac said that TrackCon also enables concrete manufacturers to deliver superior service by providing customers with the critical information they need to manage inventory in large-scale building projects. In addition, it helps identify and trace concrete structures across their lifespans to maintain their structural integrity and safety.
To develop TrackCon, ICT needed to overcome technical obstacles, including creating a form that could be anchored to concrete structures and ensuring that RFID tags would read accurately through up to 12 inches of concrete.
"After extensive testing, we determined that UPM Raflatac's DogBone UHF RFID tags provided the best read rates from the furthest distances, allowing us to offer our customers a truly powerful RFID-enabled productivity solution," said Tom Tilson, CEO at ICT.
The label division of UPM, UPM Raflatac is a supplier of self-adhesive label materials for a variety of needs in product and information labeling. International Coding Technologies (ICT) has developed a wireless RFID solution for the concrete industry that streamlines critical production and inventory management processes and uses UPM Raflatac's Gen2 RFID tags.
The system, TrackCon, offers a product identification and tracking system, using a mobile computer with RFID read capabilities and a Cast-A-Code tag to provide cradle-to-grave traceability of manufactured concrete structures, including precast, prestress and architectural products. The Cast-A-Code tag features UPM Raflatac's DogBone UHF tag and a watertight, castable RFID inlay that affixes securely to concrete structures.
The manufactured concrete industry has historically struggled with inventory management challenges. Main issues include manually handled quality control processes, difficulties in verifying customer receipt of materials and high logistical costs due to material returns and reshipments. By serializing each structure and providing real-time data on the location of individual structures, TrackCon allows concrete manufacturers to optimize critical production and distribution processes.
RFID data are used to identify and solve quality issues, ensure that the right materials are shipped to customers, automatically record the GPS coordinates of delivered materials and prepare accurate invoices.
UPM Raflatac said that TrackCon also enables concrete manufacturers to deliver superior service by providing customers with the critical information they need to manage inventory in large-scale building projects. In addition, it helps identify and trace concrete structures across their lifespans to maintain their structural integrity and safety.
To develop TrackCon, ICT needed to overcome technical obstacles, including creating a form that could be anchored to concrete structures and ensuring that RFID tags would read accurately through up to 12 inches of concrete.
"After extensive testing, we determined that UPM Raflatac's DogBone UHF RFID tags provided the best read rates from the furthest distances, allowing us to offer our customers a truly powerful RFID-enabled productivity solution," said Tom Tilson, CEO at ICT.
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