Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology now plays an important part in automotive engineering and supply chain management. This technology has become a popular way to track and trace products, material flow and assets for car makers and automotive component suppliers.
RFID in the automotive industry involves attaching RFID tags or labels to virtually any manufacturing component or tool of an operation and tracking the tagged assets using RFID software. This allows the components to be monitored and tracked at all times. It facilitates a dramatic increase in production efficiency, comprehensive visibility throughout the supply chain, complete control of manufacturing processes, and effective anti-counterfeiting.
Benefits of RFID in the automotive industry
These include:
- Increased efficiency through the supply chain: The RFID readers reduce manual labour and increase accuracy by eliminating human error which increases the speed of production. They automatically track the movement of goods and upload the information to the ERP or financial management systems. Therefore, removing the need for manual form filling and outdated spreadsheets. Even more time can be saved through the use of fixed readers at key points, and on a production line, for example, can remove the need for manual intervention entirely.
- Increased equipment and tool utilisation: Workers can locate tools quickly and easily, preventing the need to stop the assembly line and search for a misplaced tool. It can also help provide insight into how often certain equipment is used, allowing better control of the depreciation of high-value assets.
- Cost savings: When tools, equipment or parts are not easily locatable, it leads to wasted man-hours, asset replacement costs and potential mistakes – all of which negatively affect an automotive operation’s bottom line. By preventing these situations with RFID, auto companies quickly see a return on their investment.
- Theft prevention: RFID help track supplies and tools in the auto industry to increase employee accountability and make sure that assets don’t leave the facility.
- Easy shipment tracking: One of the biggest benefits of RFID involves the huge increase in visibility that can be achieved in shipping and receiving. You can identify exactly where different items are in your supply chain at all times.
- Instant restocking of supplies to prevent shortages: Automotive managers have constant visibility into inventory levels and can configure their systems to automatically reorder supplies to prevent shortages when supplies run low.
- Better adherence to safety regulations through scheduled maintenance: RFID can help managers keep track of different tools and machinery to make sure they are brought in for scheduled maintenance. This ensures that essential items are well-maintained, and therefore last longer, and don’t cause accidents or injuries.
Benefit from the expertise of Europe’s leading supplier
inotec is Europe’s premier specialist barcode and auto-ID label company with a wealth of experience in providing quality label and identification solutions. It has supplied barcode and RFID solutions to automotive companies and their suppliers throughout Europe for decades. Its automotive industry customers have included Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, Daimler, Jaguar Landrover, Bosch, and NGF.
NGF Europe is a Queen’s Award accredited global leader in the manufacture of glass cord used to strengthen timing belts, tyres and many other automotive products. The company has been using inotec RFID smart labels since 2006 to identify finished product. These smart labels provide complete supply chain visibility and quality conformity to their customers across the automotive industry.
New inotec low profile on-metal RFID solutions for the automotive market
Although metal surfaces can obstruct the way RFID transmits data, special on-metal tags have been developed that block this interference. While inotec has marketed on-metal hard tag RFID solutions for many years, the company has now developed two low profile, flexible, on-metal label tags: the inotag ‘Flex on metal’ and the inotag ‘Flex on metal spacer’ tags.
Offering a very low profile (less than 2mm thick), the inotag Flex on metal tag can be applied directly to metal assets, even if they have an uneven or challenging profile.
Finished with a strong industrial adhesive, the inotag Flex on metal spacer tag has a larger profile of 4.7mm. This durable tag can withstand exposure to heat, cold, and chemicals involved in wash processes. It can also tolerate strong shearing forces and vibrations.
Expert advice and a free evaluation
RFID technology can provide extremely significant gains in streamlining automotive industry operations. As a supplier of premium RFID solutions, inotec will guarantee you get the right long-lasting solution.
If you’re thinking about investing in RFID track-and-trace technology, call inotec UK on 01482 654466 or email info@inotec.co.uk for expert advice and a free evaluation of your requirements from a trusted supplier.