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The Greek third-party logistics provider Diakinisis is applying EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and readers to its distribution center in Athens, tracking 1,300 pallets per day. Diakinisis uses Alien’s EPC Gen 2 Squiggle and M tags and ALR-8800 readers. Business Effectiveness, an RFID system integrator based in Athens, provided consulting and installation services for this project.
Diakinisis currently only applies RFID technology to one customer, which is an unnamed international beverage and food company. The project started a year ago and the installation was completed in November 2007. Business Effectiveness Engineering Manager Vlasis Tsezos said: “Diakinisis has several customers of large consumer food companies. Its strategy is to be different from other competitors. RFID is seen as an effective way to achieve this goal.” In addition, Tsezos It is also believed that the RFID system no longer needs to manually scan the bar code to confirm the pallet, so that Diakinisis saves labor and time. RFID also provides customers with more and more accurate product transportation transparency.
When the pallet enters the approximately 1.2 million square-foot distribution center, the barcode label previously used by the food and beverage company is scanned and linked to the Alien Squiggle label on the pallet. A forklift equipped with an RFID reader and a computer picks up the pallet. The forklift’s reader captures the tag ID, and the computer screen tells the driver where to transport the pallet. Tsezos explained: “When the tray is read, the computer and WMS[仓库管理系统]Communication confirms where the pallet needs to be shipped, which allows people to store products very quickly, because if a barcode is used, the driver usually has to get out of the car to scan the barcode, and sometimes encounter problems when reading the barcode. So the RFID system does increase the operating speed. ”
The driver will follow the instructions to transport the pallets to the appropriate storage racks. To prove that the pallets are sent to the correct location, each location will be identified by the Alien M label on the concrete floor or the Alien Squiggle label on the shelf according to its particularity. The forklift reader captures the floor or shelf label data, and the computer verifies the location and informs the WMS that the pallet has been delivered to this location. If the employee tries to place the tray in the wrong position, the computer screen will display and prevent the driver from proceeding to the next task. In addition to guiding the arrival of the pallet to each shelf, the computer on the forklift also receives instructions to find the pallet at the specified location and verify it through the reader, so that the correct pallet can be selected. This reduces a lot of errors related to product placement, so the product can be positioned very quickly. If the product can be placed on the correct shelf, it is easy to find it.
In addition, Diakinisis has also applied Alien EPC Gen 2 RFID tags on trucks. These trucks load pallets at loading stops and send them to other distribution centers or stores. At each loading parking place, the RFID terminal reads the label of each pallet loaded on the vehicle and records the RFID label number. This information is automatically compared with the WMS data. If there is a discrepancy, there will be a light and sound warning.
This system facilitates the tracking of goods, especially for trucks with special pallets that are sent to special customers. Obviously, labor errors and related costs are reduced, especially for foods that are sensitive to the expiration date of the product, and delivery errors will bring a lot of losses. At the same time, this is a good customer service, because customers receive what they need and can always see the delivery of these products.
The benefits brought by the application of RFID make this project enter the next level. With the help of Business Effectiveness, Diakinisis is integrating business processes with the efficiency it has gained from RFID. For example, by canceling the waiting step, that is, placing pallets on arrival and waiting for another forklift to deliver them to the shelf, the staff can now send the pallets directly to the shelf after they arrive. Avoid repeated operations.
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