RFID is very similar to barcodes, it’s a form of tracking items. A barcode is a simple visible data storing tag that is read by a scanner device. An RFID tag is a chip that can be accessed remotely using an RFID reader, it stores data about the item it’s attached to and then sends it to the reader. The reader uses radio waves to activate the chip which then sends the data about the item.
Unfortunately, asset tracking UK hasn’t reached this level, however, there are a great deal of companies in the US that are already using the technology. New passports, public transport payment methods, libraries and museums are just a few of the services that use the RFID tags. A great deal of the companies using this method of tracking are government controlled.
A large number of companies haven’t yet bought into RFID, despite knowing why it’s so useful. In the recent years, knowing where your assets are has become very important. However, a great deal of companies are finding that auditing assets takes time and can lose the business money. Some companies find that several months after auditing, they have missed a large amount of their assets.
Using RFID tags on a large number of your assets, you are able to track hundreds of your items instantly from a location within the tags range. This makes the task of managing all your assets alot easier.
Unilever is just one of the big names that are using RFID tracking in their factories. They have attached over 20,000 tracking tags to assets on their production lines. The tagging system allows Unilever to audit their items from a remote location, whereas if they had to do this manually, it would result in shutting down the production line.
This example shows how RFID tracking saves your business money and time. There is a huge amount of examples out there. Another example would be in the emergancy services, allowing them to track vital pieces of equipment, saving time. It also helps to make sure that any vehicles being sent out on an emergency are equipped with the correct tools.
Unfortunately, tracking your assets with RFID is not cheap to do. With the better RFID tags costing between $40 and $60, it’s not cheap to efficiently track your assets. Hopefully these costs will come down as the technology comes closer to it’s optimal usage. Once this form of tracking becomes more widespread, fixed asset register UK programs will be used more and be more advanced.
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