RFID Technology

Asset Tracking: What’s RFID and How Do Industries Use this Technology?


As technology evolves, business owners move away from tracking their assets using the basic methods to more advanced systems.  The pen and paper method was a traditional way of tracking assets.  However, companies upgraded from this to a spreadsheet approach because it’s prone to wastage of staff, decreased productivity, and errors.  The use of spreadsheets was slowly abandoned because of the risk of inaccurate data being keyed on the computer since many employees put information about the same asset.

RFID turned out to be one of the best technologies for asset tracking because it’s faster.  The system uses radio waves and enables digital data encoded in RFID tags.  The data is captured through a reader device and stored in a database.  It has a waterproof layer to enhance security,

Many industries use RFID for various reasons.  This post will highlight those industries and why they prefer this technology.

How Does RFID Works?

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification, a technology that uses a tag.  Usually, a tag is placed on the asset, and a reader device is used to scan this tag to gather information about the asset and store it in a database.  RFID uses frequency-based technology and works faster than related methods such as Barcode.

Many industries use RFID to track their assets because of various advantages, including:

  • The tags are durable and reusable
  • RFID readers can read even when the tags are not directly in sight because it uses radio waves to communicate
  • RFID tags can read, write, rewrite or modify the data on the tag
  • The RFID data is more secure because it can be encrypted, and it is hard to replicate RFID tags in the system
  • The RFID systems can read several tags simultaneously, thus saving time

Industries that Use RFID for Asset Tracking

Hospitality Industry

hotel room

The businesses in this industry use RFID technology to improve operational efficiencies and upgrade customer experience.  Here is how the hospitality industry is applying RFID to boost hotels’ efficiency.

Tracking inventory: Some of the hotel’s inventory include bedsheets, towels, comforters, staff uniforms, and several other laundry items.  These items are used on a regular basis, and customers should get them on time when they need them.  RFID tag helps to keep data about these inventories updated and monitor theft, loss, or damages.

Maintain Valuable Assets: Hotels have plenty of valuable assets, including electronic equipment, carpets, chillers, etc.  They need to maintain this equipment to avoid disrupting their operations when they break down.  RFID innovation help businesses choose routes that don’t interrupt the hotel business’s operational efficiencies and maximize the ROI.

Enhancing Customer Care Service: When a hotel keeps its equipment in good condition and the quality of its products is per the expected standard, customer satisfaction increases, and they’re more likely to return.  RFID Asset Management helps these establishments to run their operations smoothly, creates loyalty in the customer, and boosts brand reputation.

Health Care Industry

Surgery tools

Several established brands in the health care industry use RFID to track their assets.  Some of these reasons for using RFID include:

Patient History Records: Patients have one of their hands girded with a wristband that has RFID to help the hospital track them and maintain their records.  Doctors can quickly confirm whether the patient is allergic to a specific medication, especially if they have been wearing the RFID for an extended period.  It also provides crucial information about the patient’s historical record, assisting surgeons during surgery.

Maintaining Medicines Inventory: The RFID tag helps the hospital monitor the stock level, location, and drugs that are almost expiring.  The asset management system help users get accurate information and monitor the inventory easily.

Tracking Surgical Tools: A hospital has a lot of expensive surgical tools.  Since some of these tools are small, they can easily get lost or stolen.  Hospitals use an RFID tag to track these tools because they’re essential and costly.  Further, they can use the information when cleaning, sterilizing, and sharping these tools so that the surgery can run without any problem.

Conclusion

Businesses of different levels and sizes must keep track of their assets, even if they’re few in numbers.  They must monitor how these assets are performing in order to schedule maintenance or replacement when necessary.

RFID can assist your business with Asset Management.  This technology in the hospitality and healthcare industries has helped them gain the necessary insight into their assets.  It helps them make better decisions about their organization, such as when to restock, schedule maintenance, or replace broken or malfunctioning equipment.  It also prevents theft and misplacement of tools.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou is a fervent advocate for the seamless fusion of business and technology, he has always been at the forefront of innovation. Graduating from two esteemed European institutions, the University of Siena in Italy and the University of Rennes in France, he mastered the nuances of Communications and Political Science. With a diverse educational background, Kokou consistently offers insights that reflect his deep understanding of the modern digital landscape shaped by both commerce and governance. Those who have the privilege to read his pieces or collaborate with him are invariably inspired by his vision of a world where business meets tech not just at the crossroads of necessity but at the pinnacle of innovation.

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