With all the buzz about RFID in business these days, organizations of all kinds must first ask the question, “Can RFID benefit my business?” before taking the plunge into deployment. The answer will vary depending on the type of business and industry, so the first step in evaluating RFID for your business is to define your goals. Consider how efficient and effective your current processes are, and how RFID could be used to make improvements and reach those goals.
General Benefits of RFID
The benefits of RFID deployment across the enterprise are numerous and include the following:
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Cost reduction: RFID deployments can help you lower inventory stock levels; reduce waste, manual checks, inventory, and handling and logistics costs; and improve asset management and utilization.
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Increased revenue: RFID deployments can be used to drive sales; reduce out-of-stocks and shrinkage; improve order fill rates; improve inventory turns; and enhance in-store customer support.
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Increased competitive advantage: RFID deployed properly can help you increase distribution center profitability and yield per end user; create a flexible, adaptive supply chain; and create a logistical cost advantage.
Benefits of RFID by Type of Industry
RFID solutions are highly customizable and are never cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all. RFID is being used by different industries in different ways to best meet goals and improve workflow, efficiency and profitability.
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In the retail sector, RFID is being widely used to make gains in speed and visibility of products. Items are tracked from the manufacturer to the store shelf by tagging pallets, cartons, containers and individual items in order to track them as they move through the supply chain and ultimately to the customer.
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Manufacturers have been using RFID the longest, with a focus on tagging parts as they move through the assembly process. Now, manufacturers are looking to RFID to improve assembly times, identify and eliminate counterfeit parts, improve planning, reduce stock and increase make-to-order, reduce product recall costs, create accurate real-time inventories, improve the accuracy of packing lists and invoices, and so much more.
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Transportation and logistics will benefit greatly from the widespread adoption of RFID, especially as large enterprises like Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense have placed mandates on shippers to comply with their RFID requirements.
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Distribution centers can benefit from RFID with automated loading and unloading, reduced labor requirements, faster processing, and more accurate manifests. In addition, RFID improves product retrieval times; reduces order errors, loss and shrinkage; and improves order fill rates and times.
RFID systems from AbeTech can track and manage your inventory and assets quicker and easier than traditional bar code systems. We offer RFID readers, scanners, antennae, tags and supplies. And we will provide your company with expert guidance and support in finding the RFID application and system that best matches your needs. Our industry-certified RFID engineers have years of experience and specialized training, and will design, test and install the customized solution that will help you meet your goals.
Contact us now to get started!