Logistics and Warehousing runs on accuracy. RFID delivers it automatically, across every stage of your operation.
In asset-heavy industries, the cost of not knowing where an item is shows up in delayed shipments, write-offs, and customer service calls that shouldn’t need to happen. Using RFID in your warehouse lets you track goods, containers and pallets automatically. Expand RFID into your logistics operation and you eliminate error-prone manual data entry. That means no gaps between what’s happening on the floor and what your systems show. From vehicle management to automated robot tracking, the range of applications in this sector is broader than most people expect.
Vitafoam manufactures 600-750 tonnes of foam every week at its Manchester site, storing inventory across 30,000m2 of warehousing before dispatch. Managing that volume manually – with paper notes, inkjet labels and staff searching for products – meant orders were delayed, bespoke stock was written off and dispatch times suffered.
RFID tags attached to every foam block, read automatically by fixed and handheld readers, gave the warehouse team real-time visibility of every item. On Time In Full delivery improved from 97.6% to 99.4%; around 30 more deliveries per month leaving on time.
JEZ WADD; PROJECT MANAGER | VITAFOAM
Industrial Chemicals Limited operates a fleet of around 3,000 intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). With a total fleet value of £500,000, knowing where every container was at any given time was essential, but manual tracking couldn’t keep pace with the volume of daily movements.
We tagged the entire IBC fleet and integrated handheld readers into the loading and offloading process. Every container is scanned as it leaves and returns, with location and status visible instantly through a web-based dashboard.
DARREN SHARPE; ENERGY PROJECTS MANAGER | ICL
Forklift trucks operating in busy warehouses and distribution centres create a genuine safety challenge and relying on drivers to self-regulate brings its own risks.
We worked with Hyster-Yale, one of the world’s leading forklift truck manufacturers, to develop an RFID-based location system that identifies a truck’s position within a warehouse and automatically adjusts its operation. Speed limits are enforced in restricted zones. Lifting functions are disabled where overhead clearance is insufficient. The system works without GPS, using floor-mounted tags read by vehicle-mounted readers at a range of around 50cm.
RON FARR; MANAGER WAREHOUSE SOLUTIONS | HYSTER-YALE
Pre-use checks and statutory inspections for forklift trucks, gantry cranes and other warehouse equipment are a legal requirement under PUWER. CheckedOK manages both; digital inspection records, automatic certificates and a complete audit trail.
Modern automated warehouses depend on RFID to guide and track autonomous vehicles with the precision that manual systems can’t replicate. Floor-mounted tags at strategic points identify a vehicles’ exact location in real time, enabling automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to navigate safely, avoid obstacles and respond to instructions without human intervention.
For highly complex or bespoke environments where off-the-shelf hardware won’t perform, CoreRFID designs and develops custom tags built specifically for the application.
Ocado’s automated warehouse in Erith, London, uses thousands of robots moving across a giant grid to fulfil customer orders in under five minutes. The central control system depends on RFID to track every robot’s location in real time. But the environment – metal grid, ambient and chilled zones, extreme precision requirements – meant no off-the-shelf tag would perform reliably enough.
CoreRFID worked with Ocado and tag manufacturer Omni-ID to design, prototype and deliver a custom tag built specifically for the application.
Ian Parks; Engineering Project Manager | Ocado
