MFCO uses RFID real-time tracking solution to achieve high production visibility
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Metal Finishing Co. (MFCO), a company that provides metal surface processing services for aviation, agriculture and commerce, adopts American RFID Solutions (ARS) a new set of real-time tracking solutions to improve productivity and customer service.
The RFID TrackStar solution combines RFID, video surveillance, data collection software, 3D imaging and mapping tools, enabling MFCO to use a web browser or a mobile software on Apple’s iPhone (according to the company as the industry’s first application of this type) in the factory Locate assets, personnel, and customer orders.
In addition to asset tracking, the program also uses tracking data to identify production bottlenecks and simplify the production process, thereby helping MFCO to increase productivity and reduce labor waste.
Jim Johnson, vice president of ARS, and company sales director, etc.
“TrackStar allows you to perform Six Sigma more effectively (6 times the standard deviation, which means that the defective product rate (PPM) per million products) is less than 3.4 in terms of quality. In the entire business process, 6 sigma means per million How many defects or errors are there in each opportunity? These defects or errors include the product itself and the product production process, packaging, transportation, delivery date, system failure, force majeure, etc.), to simplify the production process.” said Jim Johnson, vice president of ARS.
“I have never seen a tracking system that can reach this depth. The total return on investment of this system is very attractive, and it can be achieved in less than a year,” Jim Johnson said.
A year and a half ago, MFCO adopted the ARS system. The company uses TrackStar in a 10-acre factory to track work orders and assets, such as forklifts, that flow between five buildings. MFCO attaches ECP Gen2 RFID tags to the parts turnover box and the paper records that flow with the product. Now, workers do not need to spend a lot of time searching for parts or orders in the factory, which greatly saves time and improves work efficiency.
The application of MFCO’s system was so successful that the company displayed the solution on the corporate website and demonstrated it to customers.
The tracking data is passed to the ARS data collection engine and database. By logging into the system, users can search for any labeled items using the factory’s 3D map, locate the equipment more quickly, and notify customers of the latest status of order processing according to the location of the production parts in the building.
MFCO can track the order processing process in the factory. For example, if an order is moved from the electroplating area to the packaging or shipping area, the system can query the location of the order, move its equipment, and process its employees, etc. MFCO customers can Track order status online.
Although MFCO uses Gen2 passive tags, Brown claims that the system can work with other passive or active RFID tags and readers, including GPS technology. The system also integrates IP camera video so that users can view orders in real time from any location Or the state of the device.
“We can interface with any legal system network or automatic ID hardware,” Brown said.
The reporting engine is built on the IBM business intelligence reporting tool, which can provide hundreds of different reports, allowing users to track the productivity and efficiency of the factory, and monitor the performance of RFID readers. Managers can view the completion time of specific orders, determine ways to improve workflow, and redistribute labor.
ARS also provides the iSTAR solution, which allows iPhone users to locate labeled items through serial numbers. The system can be configured to generate SMS according to the business rules defined by the customer, or notify relevant personnel by email.
ARS chose iPhone to run its mobile applications because AT&T’s 3G network provides enough bandwidth to support six video sources. Brown said the company is also developing mobile applications for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
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