RFID Inventory Management

Inventory management is something that all businesses must keep in mind if they want to operate efficiently. Many businesses have begun using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) as a means of inventory management. When it comes to tracking the stock of a warehouse or fixed assets, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID for inventory management has become especially popular. Within this article, we will discover how passive UHF RFID technology can be a powerful resource for managing your inventory.

Understanding RFID and Its Types

Before we can get into the benefits of using RFID for fixed asset and warehouse RFID inventory system tracking, we need to explain some of the parts that make an RFID system work.

• RFID Tags: These are what you’ll attach to the pieces of inventory that you’re looking to track. Three different varieties of RFID tags exist.
  • Active Tags: These tags come with their own source of power.
  • Semi-passive Tags: A battery helps these tags to operate, but they’ll only turn on when you’re using an RFID reader.
  • Passive Tags: With passive tags, they don’t have a source of power inside of them. An RFID reader gives them the energy that they need to function properly.
• RFID Reader: An RFID reader is something that’s used to read RFID tag data.

The Role of Passive UHF RFID for Inventory Management

There are many reasons that your organization might want to use passive UHF RFID tags to create an RFID inventory management system:

• Read Range Improvement: Significant read range increases are possible with passive UHF RFID tags.
• Impact on Data Transfer: Large amounts of data can be transferred quickly.
• Improved Scanning Process: You can scan many assets at once, helping you to save time.
• Labor Efficiency: They result in increased labor efficiency due to spending less time tracking assets.
• Reduced Errors: When your employees aren’t entering in inventory by hand, the amount of errors will go down thanks to the use of RFID tags for inventory.

Passive UHF RFID in Fixed Asset Inventory Management

Unlike products/inventory that are quickly sold, a fixed asset is equipment or property that a business intends to use for several years to function. Keeping an accurate inventory of these items is a key step to ensuring that they are given regular maintenance so they can function properly. In addition, they will help your organization to be ready for audits. By using passive UHF RFID and a RFID inventory management system, the asset tracking process is vastly improved. When assets are well-maintained and in their proper place, it can bring about the following three changes to your inventory system:

1. Increased Asset Usage: Assets are used more frequently when they’re well-kept and easy to find.
2. Keeping Track of Inventory: Less assets are misplaced or stolen when you’re using RFID tags for inventory. This means that you’ll have better inventory control within your organization.
3. Auditing: The auditing process becomes much easier.

Passive UHF RFID in Warehouse Inventory Management

When discussing the supply chain of a business, management of a warehouse’s inventory needs to be kept in mind. Passive UHF RFID technology elevates the warehouse inventory management process thanks to the following benefits:

• Finding Inventory: Whether it’s during receiving or shipping, passive UHF RFID makes it easier to find your inventory with an RFID inventory system.
• Avoid Unnecessary Purchases: More accurate inventory counts means less overstocking or understocking. It’s time to improve inventory with the power of an RFID inventory system.
• Increase Employee Efficiency: Fast inventory tracking from this tech results in more time for your employees to do other tasks.

Differences and Benefits of Passive UHF RFID in Fixed Asset vs. Warehouse Inventory Management

UHF RFID tags can be used for fixed asset management and inventory management when you want to improve accuracy. However, it has different applications in each of these.

• Fixed Asset Management: Passive UHF RFID is used here to keep track of assets that are going to be used for awhile, usually for several years.
• Warehouse Inventory Management: With this type of management, you’re trying to track your inventory levels to make a more efficient supply chain and have better inventory control.

Although these two types of asset management have differences, they share some common goals such as making inventory management a smoother process. Both of them can lead to excellent savings due to a more accurate understanding of where your assets are at.

Implementing Passive UHF RFID for Inventory Management

Before your organization starts using passive UHF RFID, they need to define what they’re looking for in an inventory management system. The following are great steps for your business to take in this process:

• Reader/Tag Selection: Selecting the appropriate RFID tags and readers. This step is made simpler by the convenient all-in-one EasyRFID bundle from Grey Trunk that includes the previously mentioned items and a trial of our asset tracking software.
• Address Concerns: Some of your employees may be concerned about security and privacy/safety. These concerns need to be addressed as you continue forward with getting a passive UHF RFID system ready.

By planning out your passive UHF RFID system, your business can change how quickly and efficiently it manages inventory.

RFID Tags for Inventory Control

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags have made the processes of controlling inventory and managing stock easier than ever before. From containers to pallets, RFID tags can meet your identification needs with the power of radio waves. The tags don’t have to be seen to be scanned, which means that the inventory process is less prone to errors and faster than ever before.

In order to create your own RFID system, you’re going to need three things. This includes RFID tags, software and the RFID readers. There are two different types of RFID tags. Passive RFID tags are ones that require an external source of power, while the active RFID tags are powered by themselves. Both of these tag types will need to be attached to the item that you wish to inventory. When you use an RFID reader, the radio wave will “activate” the tag and the information on them is read. Once this data is gathered, it goes into you inventory management software. This helps you to keep track of where your inventory is at.

Your business can keep a more accurate inventory count and spend less time counting your stock one-by-one through the power of RFID. While the initial investment/cost of RFID may seem scary, in the long run it’ll save your organization money from the lowered labor costs. RFID can also assist with preventing over/understocking while simultaneously working to stop loss or theft.

How to Cycle Count Inventory with RFID

To cycle count the inventory of a business, you check a portion of your inventory on a regular basis to make sure that everything is as it should be. This is an alternative to doing one large scan of your whole inventory in one sitting. By using RFID along with cycle counting, your business can develop a highly efficient system.

1. Plan the Cycle Count: In order to do a cycle count, you’ll need to be consistent with when you do them. They’re all about breaking your inventory into “chunks” so that it becomes more manageable. The items you’ll want to count the most are those with a large dollar value or ones with a big turnover.
2. Set Up RFID Readers: With Grey Trunk RFID, we use RFID readers that are mobile so that scanning can take place wherever you need it to. Wherever your inventory will be located, you’ll want to have a reader nearby so that the scanning process is quick and easy.
3. Tag Inventory Items: Place the RFID tags on the items that you’re looking to track. While you’re doing this step, make sure that you’re using the proper application techniques during the process.
4. Conduct the Cycle Count: To start doing your cycle count, simply scan the pieces of inventory that you’re looking to scan. The reader will grab the necessary data from your items without you having to scan them one by one.
5. Review and Reconcile Data: By opening up your inventory management software, you can put it side-by-side with your current RFID data to see if it matches. If items are missing or if you have multiple copies, it’s a good time to check out the error.

When you use cycle counting and RFID, you can look forward to a business with a more accurate inventory and lesser labor costs than those who do use it. To keep a good idea of your inventory, RFID cycle counting is an excellent choice.

Conclusion

Thanks to the power of UHF RFID and an inventory system, the process of inventory management has never been easier. Both fixed asset trackers and warehouse inventory workers will appreciate the time savings this technology requires. When your organization knows the location of its assets, it will lead to less unnecessary spending on replacements for equipment you already own. By making the inventory management process more efficient, it’s easier to keep up with competitors. Once you know how passive UHF RFID works, your business can begin to create a better inventory management process.

Related Articles

• RFID Inventory Tracking vs. RFID Fixed Asset Tracking
• The Impact of RFID Warehouse Management
• RFID Starter Kit: A Comprehensive Guide



About the Author: Colby Weber Colby is Grey Trunk RFID’s Marketing Assistant. He enjoys being able to combine his marketing and public relations skills with his writing and graphic design abilities to assist in Grey Trunk’s marketing efforts. He has one brother, a niece, and two nephews. In his free time, Colby enjoys playing video games and trading card games. He’s also a fan of anime and creating digital artwork on his drawing tablet.