Assets Tracking & Fixed Assets Management Via RFID Barcode

The Barcode System is a mechanism for asset tracking and managing fixed assets. To begin with the main purpose of implementing a barcode system was to be able to track products as well as the employee workload, number of packages delivered daily and the error rates.

A barcode is a visual representation of data that provides you with information upon scanning. Each barcode contains a certain code which works as a tracking technology for products; and is represented in a sequence of lines or other shapes. It provides every item with a unique number and then simply prints the number on the item so an electronic scanning device can read it. We could simply print the number itself, but the trouble with decimal numbers is that they’re easy to confuse (a misprinted eight could look like a three to a computer, while six is identical to nine if you turn it upside down—which could cause all sorts of chaos at the checkout if you scanned an item the wrong way up). So the intention was to come up with a reliable way of printing numbers so that they can be read accurately.

Each digit in the product number is given the same amount of horizontal space: exactly 7 units. To represent any of the numbers from zero through nine, those seven units are colored with a different pattern of black and white stripes. The first part of a barcode tells you the country where it was issued. The next part reveals the manufacturer of the product. The final part of the barcode identifies the product itself.

The employee has to scan the barcode up-close by the barcode scanner in order to obtain the information.

Barcodes are easily damaged. If a barcode is ripped or damaged or is unreadable for any kind of reason the employee should manually enter that number. This is why most products carry a simple barcode known as the UPC (universal product code)—a line of vertical stripes with a set of numbers printed underneath it so employees can manually key in the product number if the barcode is misprinted or damaged in the store and won’t scan through the barcode reader.

The fact that the barcode label has to be clearly visible and intact in order to actually be able to scan it, is a major setback on its own. It is time consuming being very labor intensive; as each item must be scanned individually. Furthermore, Barcodes have no write capabilities; they do not contain any added information such as expiry date. They only contain information about manufacturer and product making it even more limited.

On the other hand, in order to manage the inventory of the fixed assets, as previously mentioned, each item must be handled at a time and kept in a direct line of sight in order to acquire the information thus consuming an extravagant amount of time, needless to say the amount of money to be paid for a team of workers to get through with the inventory process. Moreover, due to the relentless process of scanning millions of products, it is rather hard to have an accurate information gathering as the employees may get confused and overwhelmed by the huge amount of products that are meant to be scanned each individually, thus, increasing the error margin.

Not to mention, that the barcode can be easily reproduced and forged thus is it not as secure as people think it is.

A barcode is a visual representation of data that provides you with information upon scanning. Each barcode contains a certain code which works as a tracking technology for products; and is represented in a sequence of lines or other shapes. It provides every item with a unique number and then simply prints the number on the item so an electronic scanning device can read it. We could simply print the number itself, but the trouble with decimal numbers is that they’re easy to confuse (a misprinted eight could look like a three to a computer, while six is identical to nine if you turn it upside down—which could cause all sorts of chaos at the checkout if you scanned an item the wrong way up). So the intention was to come up with a reliable way of printing numbers so that they can be read accurately.

Each digit in the product number is given the same amount of horizontal space: exactly 7 units. To represent any of the numbers from zero through nine, those seven units are colored with a different pattern of black and white stripes. The first part of a barcode tells you the country where it was issued. The next part reveals the manufacturer of the product. The final part of the barcode identifies the product itself.

The employee has to scan the barcode up-close by the barcode scanner in order to obtain the information.

Barcodes are easily damaged. If a barcode is ripped or damaged or is unreadable for any kind of reason the employee should manually enter that number. This is why most products carry a simple barcode known as the UPC (universal product code)—a line of vertical stripes with a set of numbers printed underneath it so employees can manually key in the product number if the barcode is misprinted or damaged in the store and won’t scan through the barcode reader.

The fact that the barcode label has to be clearly visible and intact in order to actually be able to scan it, is a major setback on its own. It is time consuming being very labor intensive; as each item must be scanned individually. Furthermore, Barcodes have no write capabilities; they do not contain any added information such as expiry date. They only contain information about manufacturer and product making it even more limited.

On the other hand, in order to manage the inventory of the fixed assets, as previously mentioned, each item must be handled at a time and kept in a direct line of sight in order to acquire the information thus consuming an extravagant amount of time, needless to say the amount of money to be paid for a team of workers to get through with the inventory process. Moreover, due to the relentless process of scanning millions of products, it is rather hard to have an accurate information gathering as the employees may get confused and overwhelmed by the huge amount of products that are meant to be scanned each individually, thus, increasing the error margin.

Not to mention, that the barcode can be easily reproduced and forged thus is it not as secure as people think it is.

According to manual inventory

Managing and Tracking Fixed Assets Via RFID

Radio Frequency-Identification technology (RFID) involves a tag affixed to a product which identifies and tracks the product via radio waves.   These tags can carry up to 2,000 bytes of data. This technology has three parts: a scanning antenna, a transceiver with a decoder to interpret the data and a transponder (RFID tag) pre-set with information. The scanning antenna sends out a radio-frequency signal providing a means of communication with the RFID tag.  When the RFID tag passes through the frequency field of the scanning antenna; it detects the activation signal and can transfer the information data in holds to be picked up by the scanning antenna.

RFID are small tags having unique information granting assets a unique identity and setting them apart from each other. They can be attached onto any object very easily as there are many sizes and shapes that makes it compatible to fitting with any form of objects may be.

In contrast to the barcode, RFID can be read from a distance (about 300ft away) and regardless of the tag being exposed or concealed. It is not necessary for the tag to be aligned in a direct line with the scanner. Furthermore, RFID tag cannot be damaged under any harsh circumstances, as they endure high levels of pressure, temperature and environmental conditions making it easier to scan the tags.

RFID also posses the factor of being extremely secure, as the data can be encrypted,  protected by a password or even has the “kill” feature to remove data permanently before violating the confidentiality of the information. Unlike the barcode, RFID tags contain vast more information like the manufacturer, the time for product maintenance, shipping histories and expiry dates.

By automating data collection, RFID technology vastly reduces both human effort and error. Because RFID technology reads multiple tags at once without requiring a direct  line of site as previously mentioned, people are able to quickly and accurately locate assets without scanning labels one-by-one.

The ubiquitous bar code automated the process and allowed people to scan individual items using a handheld scanner. RFID is the next generation of technology and allows users to scan multiple items at one time and does not require line of sight. Unlike barcodes, RFID and Bluetooth Smart systems, including tags, readers and software, enable personnel to locate tagged items without climbing ladders, crawling under desks, or having to be in direct line of sight.

When talking about managing and track the inventory via RFID system, one must be fully aware of all the advantages of such a system.  The evolution of asset tracking technology has made taking inventory faster and more efficient compared with the conventional methods where human error in data-capture limited the effectiveness and proved to be very costly and time consuming. However, with the implementing of RFID the case is totally different. Many companies are integrating RFID technology into their strategic planning because it proved itself in time reduction, accuracy (less than 1% error margin) and being cost effective which works perfectly for business owners. Implementing an RFID system helps improve the management process a great deal where every asset is assembled with an RFID tag that contains all the information. The information that is collected with RFID can lead to remarkable improvements as the tracking and handling of the assets can be done in real-time and with great accuracy. Needless to say that there are far more benefits obtained by RFID implementation into supply chain and logistics operations than just improving identification of fixed assets. With time, more people will be fully aware of the whole set of the advantages RFID system offers and how well they will be able to manage and track all sort of products with high efficacy and efficiency.